After spending some time with Cheetos’ new Orange Underground, a full blown movement “committed to transforming sterile order into messy mayhem,” its primary purpose of urging people to do wacky Random Acts of Cheetos that don’t involve eating makes…
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The legal tussle between creative executive Steve Biegel and his former employer, Dentsu, continued to play out in court yesterday following a judge's request this month that Mr. Biegel submit additional evidence detailing when and to whom he complained about incidents of sexual harassment that allegedly took place during his three years as an employee at the U.S. arm of the Japanese-owned agency.
LONDON – London’s free newspapers have started the long awaited roll-out of their recycling bins across the capital.
LONDON – The government has launched a drugs awareness campaign, created by digital agency Profero, which lets youngsters see what it feels like to take drugs such as ecstasy and cannabis.
LONDON – This week Brand Republic experienced one of its most vitriolic debates over an unlikely topic — American football in Britain. Other hot topics in our weekly roundup of the best comments made on Brand Republic include agency startups and tips for marketers who want to improve their standing in the boardroom.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AdAge.com) — Despite back-to-back Super Bowl spots, with Kevin Federline in 2007 and Fabio in 2006, Nationwide has decided to stay out of the game in 2008, shifting the extra dollars from its estimated $100 million annual budget to an expensive Nascar sponsorship.
LONDON – GCap Media operations director Steve Orchard is to leave the company in April.
LONDON – Ofcom has created a new fast-track procedure that will review instances where broadcasters are alleged to have breached its content rules.
New York magazine’s food blog, Grub Street, has posted a damning report from the set of the latest Dunkin’ Donuts commercial. According to an eyewitness, Ray reportedly “took one sip of her Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, yelled ‘What is this shit? Get me MY coffee,’ and would not continue until she was given ‘her’ coffee—i.e., Starbucks.†If this anecdote is true, it once again proves that Ray will indeed promote anything—even stuff she despises. Perhaps she should pull back a little on the endorsements, faked or not, and focus on saving her magazine.
—Posted by Tim Nudd
From: Big Hollywood Studio
To: Our Ad Agency
Re: Proposed changes to our ad campaign!
A coalition of 19 pro-child groups wants filmmakers to stop promoting PG-13 films to kids via giveaways and such. Nineteen is a lot of groups. Who knew there were so many? We have to take this seriously! Please make the following changes to our marketing plans for Killer Chunky: Chunky’s Bloodbath in Hell. (Note: Yes, we are aware of a “Chucky†movie franchise that is reportedly similar to our “Chunky.†Legal is working on it.)
1. Halt production of the Killer Chunky dolls. We would, however, like to commend you on your fine craftsmanship. Killer Chunky’s razor-blade fingers cut me so badly, I needed 21 stitches. Please send over prototypes we can give to nieces and nephews at holidays.
2. Cancel media buys for Killer Chunky on Nick, Nick at Nite, Pre-Teen Nick and Baby Nick. Needless to say, we can go ahead as planned on Fox.
3. Tie-in with Campbell’s for Killer Chunky “Bloody Meatball Surgery†soup is OUT.
4. The Killer Chunky Early Reader book is OUT. At least now we don’t have to pay Thomas Harris.
5. Killer Chunky’s sponsorship of K-12 report cards is OUT. Even McDonald’s can’t get away with that anymore. We can, however, move ahead with plans to emboss blood-stained Chunky logos on diplomas from Wharton and Yale, though Harvard Business and MIT’s Sloan School of Management want out. They’re so uptight about marketing in Boston!
—Posted by David Gianatasio
Dov Charney, CEO of American Apparel, is not one to shy away from controversy. In fact, he actively pursues it, as his bordering on porn ad campaigns have well established. But now, Charney is going political in this political season.
According to The New York Times, Mr. Charney said American Apparel’s customers appreciate the company’s views on immigration. He said his customers were “borderless.†He named the company American Apparel, rather than “USA Apparel,†he said, on purpose.
“I think my Latino workers are American workers,†he said. “They’re from the Americas. We’re all here together.â€
Over at Adweek.com, this week’s poll is asking visitors to pick the agency that will have a breakout year in 2008. The list is admittedly a mishmash—a few digital specialists, some boutiques. Crispin Porter + Bogusky is not one of the 10 selections, you anti-Crispinites. After just one day, more than 1,600 votes have been cast. I’m not going to accuse any agencies of ballot stuffing—surely, busy agency professionals would never be so vain as to waste their time repeatedly voting in Internet polls, although some voting patterns are perhaps a little suspicious. The four shops separating themselves from the pack: Amalgamated, Anomaly, Nitro and StrawberryFrog.
—Posted by Brian Morrissey
LONDON – Cal Ledward, managing director of Golley Slater’s promotional marketing division, has left the company.
LONDON – UK postal regulator Postcomm has launched a consultation process to determine the effectiveness of current access arrangements, which allow rival operators to use Royal Mail’s postal delivery network.
The technology featured in these old computer ads is funnier than most of the ads themselves. Half the computers look like televisions giving birth to adding machines, and if you’d shown these people a Pentium chip, their heads would have exploded, if their reaction to “electronic mail†is any indication. This ad collection is also notable for its celebrity roster, which includes Issac Asimov’s sideburns, Elvira’s cleavage, Bill Gates’s impeccable style, and Jackson Browne’s haircut.
—Posted by David Kiefaber
LONDON – Loyalty Management Group has spent £5.3m to boost its stake in the Gulf-based loyalty marketing company, Rewards Management Middle East, to 60%.
Pop Quiz hot shot. You’ve been briefed by Adidas to do a stunt sure to grab the attention of the 11,000 runners of the Auckland Marathon. Adidas wants you to give the runners hope, remind them that nothing is impossible even when there’s 42 kilometers left, and do it in that kick-ass over the top Adidas way.
What do you do? What do you do?
Why, it’s a given that build a custom made gianormous hurricane fan that’ll give runner 50 knots worth of second wind at 17 km mark if they opt to run in the adiBOOST lane. A massive gust of wind will cool, push and amuse and leave the runners thinking “yeah, what the heck, nothing is impossible”. Or at least thinking: “Weeeeeeee!” which is just as good, really.
Hell, even Darth Vader and other fans of the dark side opted to use the fan. Go adiBOOST! See film of the contraption in action inside (super adgrunts).
Deer Mac Donalds,
How could you remuv ads from report cardz just becuz parents got made at you for puting them their? Does this mean if I get good grads I kant get frys no moor? I had perfect attandence last yeer and got a C in Citicenship and got frys and apple pyes. The pyes was good, thanks. I’m lovin’ it. 1 day maybe I can werk for you so I hop you wont regect my applecation for a job. I see myself in middl managment.
Sinceerly,
Daved Gianatasio
Grade 5
It’s a good thing Austin Powers made all those Swedish stewardess jokes when he did, because they’re none too fond of that kind of talk these days—in fact, Sweden is considering a ban on ads that feature sexist content. Anything “with a commercial aim†that’s “construed as offensive to women or men†falls under the ban, which would go into effect in early 2009 if passed into law. I almost hope they go for it. Sure, it would effectively end all sex-based marketing in the country, but 2008 will be way more fun for us, with every Swedish ad firm flocking to get it out of their systems this year. They can start with this Posh/Becks story as inspiration.
—Posted by David Kiefaber
LONDON – Elle has teamed up with high street fashion retailer H&M for the second year running to sponsor the Elle Style Awards 2008.
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