Liquid-Plumr Double Impact Has Twice the Uncomfortable Innuendo Woman gets 'pipe flushed' by a pair of plumbers
Liquid-Plumr has a product called Double Impact. So, really, what choice did DDB San Francisco have but to create the innuendo-stuffed spot below with a housewife who daydreams about two plumbers double-teaming her clog by "snaking her drain" and "flushing her pipe." I suppose you have to hand it to the Clorox brand—they just went for it. The view count is climbing toward 1 million, though the brand might be cringing at the comments that are piling up on YouTube. ("It's funny because it's like she was going to get double penetrated," observes one visitor. And that's one of the tamer responses.) But really, what did they expect?
February 22 2012
EA to Float Copies of 'Mass Effect 3' Into Near Space Also offers a female version of the main character
Beginning on Thursday, EA and Bioware will promote their video-game space odyssey Mass Effect 3 by sending copies of the game into near space via weather balloons in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Berlin, London and Paris. Fans will be able to collect the game well ahead of the release date if they can snag the copies that float back to Earth—assuming they have the necessary hardcore science to guestimate its landing position based on atmospheric conditions (or, I suppose, pure luck). Game industry comic Penny Arcade suggests this marketing decision was made because it was far less lethal than sending the fans themselves into near-space. Another interesting decision this time around was to include the female version of Commander Shepard in the marketing. Though you’ve always been able to choose a feminine avatar for Shepard, she was never featured in any of the cinematic trailers. Check the trailer below to see the FemShep, as she is known, that fans selected over Facebook. After the jump, see the latest cinematic feature with the male version of Shepard, as well as the requisite live-action trailer.
February 22 2012
Kellogg Creates Totes Amazeballs Cereal in Response to Single Tweet Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess gets his wish
Totes Amazeballs might seem like an un-Kellogg-like name for a breakfast cereal. But the company has created it anyway over in the U.K., following a Twitter request from Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess. Explains Burgess: "I heard someone use the expression Totes Amazeballs, and it sounded like something from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I sent a cheeky tweet saying I'd invented a new cereal and that Kellogg's were interested. But within an hour they'd got in touch." A Kellogg's spokeswoman adds: "It all came about a few weeks ago when Tim tweeted his fans about wanting to create a super cereal called Totes Amazeballs. We really try to make the most of Twitter here at Kellogg's, and when we saw the tweet, we knew we had to make something special for him." Alas, they only made one box—for Burgess. (It's a mix of Rocky Road cake, Coco Pops Rocks, marshmallows, shortbread pieces and raisins—apparently a Burgess favorite.) But with fans clamoring for more boxes, we likely haven't heard the end of this story. Full image after the jump. Via Adverblog.
February 22 2012
Kayak.com: Deals So Good, You Just Have to Fire That Flare Gun More goofy fun from Barton F. Graf 9000
Creating a great ad campaign isn't brain surgery. Or is it? Surely it's a complex, demanding operation, and many well-intentioned efforts flatline. Barton F. Graf 9000's recent work for Kayak.com, however, is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to an inspired level of manic, humorous messaging. But enough tortured wordplay—my salute to Kayak's brilliant "Brain Surgeon" spot, surely one of the freakiest ads of the year. The client's latest spot, "Flare Gun," is just as memorably stupid. What's more, it manages to address what some commenters have identified as the campaign's weakness: Amid such nuttiness, the brand proposition gets fuzzy. That's not so in the living room of a couple who thought they couldn't afford a vacation. After checking out Kayak.com, hubby announces, "We're going to Cabo … Kayak has all the best deals." His wife celebrates by shooting up the ceiling, punctuating each word with a flare: "I [bang!] love [bang!] great [bang!] deals [bang!]." Then they dance in the sparky light. It's rare work that successfully illuminates a blatant price pitch with goofy hipness without losing its edge. I [bang!] love [bang!] these [bang!] ads [bang!].
February 22 2012
Swedish Hospital's Ad Seeks 'Hot' Nurses for the ER Oh, you should be qualified, too
Stockholm's South General Hospital is poking fun at the stereotype of sexy Swedish nurses with an ad campaign calling for "TV-series hot" applicants for a summer position in the hospital's ER. "You will be motivated, professional, and have a sense of humour. And of course, you will be TV-series hot or a Söder hipster. Throw in a nurse's education and you are welcome to seek a summer job at Södersjukhuset's emergency department," reads the ad. Of course, there's been a bit of grousing over this. The hospital claims the ads are all in cheeky good fun, and points to the backpedaling statement on its website ("We hope we piqued your curiosity and you want to come and meet us, so we can tell you more about your future as a nurse") as evidence that it's actually looking for someone qualified. Best of luck to them, but it seems counterproductive to run ads that require an immediate apology and clarification. Besides, European nurses deal with enough grabby patients as it is, if Holland and the U.K. are any indication.
February 22 2012
Half-Naked Woman Draped With Beef Jerky for Innovative In-Store Display (SFW) The German way to sell Jack Link's
On her travels in Germany, my friend Robin ran across this memorable in-store display for Jack Link's Beef Jerky. While I'd question the connection between lady bits and dehydrated meat, there's no denying it's an eye-catching spin on the typical cardboard cutout. At the bottom of the display is the Jack Link's tagline, "Feed your wild side." In America, that apparently means playing practical jokes on Sasquatch. In Europe, you feed your wild side the old-fashioned way: by ripping off a woman's beef bra and eating it.
February 22 2012
It Is the Most Interesting Horn Solo in the World Dos Equis icon turns to music
"If you were to hear one of his horn solos live, you would feel every emotion you've ever experienced, simultaneously." That's the somewhat painful-sounding description on the video below, starring Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World, who apparently has taken up music. Now, he presumably doesn't always play horn solos. But when he does, he appears to cause all sorts of mayhem. Not being in a position to hear him live, we'll have to settle for the recorded version—which, judging by the final frames of the clip, might be a good thing.
February 21 2012
Incredible Light Show Spotlights Seattle's CenturyLink Field Bodega Studios' art film makes for a pretty good ad
Here's a fun spectacle: Turn an entire football stadium into a giant dub-step light show. A group of artists led by production house Bodega Studios shot thousands of still images of CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, with the stadium's lights—everything from giant overhead rigs to the neon sign out front—set to various configurations. Then, to the delight of trippers everywhere, Bodega strung them into an animation that simulates an insane eye-candy lighting sequence. The creators say it's an art film, not an ad—but they did have help from the Seahawks, and the 400,000-plus views it's racked up so far are solid publicity for the team and studio both. Now, if only they could figure out how to do it live…
February 21 2012
Serra Honda Man Terminates the Rusty Forces of Evil Superhero of savings returns for new ads
Everyone's favorite corpulent Alabama-based automotive superhero, Serra Honda Man, is back with a new commercial co-starring Serra Honda Girl. Together, they put a rusted hunk of metal in his place—by firing a laser at his head. Judging by the dealer's blog post, with some photos from the set, we can probably expect the superheroes to rain hell down upon a dinosaur next. Check out the diary entries, too: "After finishing up some publicity photos against the green screen, the superheroes enjoyed a snack break and a few moments of rest before back on the set. With the Birmingham afternoon sun shining down and the wind cooling the air, the Serra Superheroes headed outside to battle a monster of a robot, the Price Bot. With Serra Honda Girl crouched beside a Civic, held captive in the ray of the Price Bot, the shooting began. The heroes had a few fans in the audience. Some walking by the store and a very young fan inside who was in awe of the Girl's pink outfit. Outdoor filming was hard work but Serra Honda Man powered through and Serra Honda Girl took frequent snack breaks." That's Serra Honda Man for you—saving Birmingham from high prices one snack at a time.
February 21 2012
Ads Tells Rugby Fans: 'Real Men Get Raped' SurvivorsUK targets alpha males
SurvivorsUK, which helps male victims of sexual abuse, is timing its "Real Men Get Raped" subway poster campaign to coincide with the Six Nations rugby tournament. This was no accident, either. SurvivorsUK spokesman Michael May says the organization picked "an alpha male sport" to illustrate that all kinds of men, even traditionally masculine ones, can be victims of sexual abuse. "By challenging our innate assumptions about the identity of male victims," May says, "we can make it even fractionally easier for a male rape victim to ask for help." Others, like the Frisky's Jessica Wakeman, think the ad's language reinforces the gender stereotypes it's trying to dispel by referring to "real men" as an absolute. That's not the only problem with the ad. The tone is awfully declarative, making rape sound more like an unpleasant rite of passage than a problem in need of fixing.
February 21 2012
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