Detroit has an Institute of Arts? Once I let that sink in, I enjoyed these new spots from Perich Advertising + Design and Head Gear Animation, directed by Julian Grey. (A second one is here.) There's been a wave of animated commercials of late (those Minnesota Lottery spots spring to mind), but these promote a museum, so don't expect to scratch and win. In fact, please don't scratch the paintings, or the classic Ford tailfins, or the Red Wings jersey collages—or whatever it is they have on display. The characters in the ads seem happy enough, briefly taking on the characteristics of various works of art. The message of the spots, according to the press release, is: "Come to the museum to get inspired, people!" The problem is, there's only one real inspiration a person can have while visiting Detroit, and that's to get the hell out of town!

—Posted by David Gianatasio