Mark the date, March 12, in your campaign 2008 scorers' book as the day the ads went silent in the race for the White House. Besides Christmas day, this is the first day the airwaves in the primary states have not run a single TV ad by any candidates or issue groups since mid-February 2007.
Yarg. To promote The Ruins — a movie that, from what we can tell, is all about evil parasitic vines — Ralph & Co. is encouraging internet users to disseminate this genuinely icky video.
NEW YORK (Ad Age) — The Weather Channel made its presentation to advertisers March 13 in New York. While not known for its viewers tuning in for a long length of time, the cable channel enjoys an online reach unrivaled by any TV brand. Weather.com is one of the top 20 sites on the web, regularly garnering 34 million unique visits a month, according to comScore. And its mobile site is one of the top five most-trafficked in the U.S., averaging 6 million visits a month, according to Telephia.
Pot Noodle’s latest spot (released just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!) isn’t super-appetizing, but it kept us watching. It’s a spoof on Guinness’ Tipping Point, where a domino effect travels from a luxe office to the seedy interior of a village overflowing with costumed extras from every movie set ever.
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — The last campaign from DDB, Chicago, creative chief Paul Tilley is for State Farm, and it attempts to hold off big-spending, hard-charging competitors by co-opting many of the arguments they've used to pressure the No. 1 property/casualty insurer. The campaign will be of particular interest in the advertising community because it represents the last project for Mr. Tilley, who committed suicide last month.
(TrendHunter.com) Here is a pretty witty and extremely funny campaign for Diesel’s ‘Sister Yes’ eyewear. The tagline “Protect your eyes” is used with hilarious shots of asscracks, granny underwear and a fat old lady at the beach in a swimsuit. The campaign was created by Miami Ad School, Sao Paulo, Brazil with art di…
Well here’s a new (OK, new-ish) way to introduce a new car.
Well here’s a new (OK, new-ish) way to introduce a new car.
LONDON – Ben Gale, commissioning editor for factual features and formats at the BBC, is expected to take up the post of director of programmes at Five.
LONDON – Fairy has launched a new kids’ book giveaway for its Non Bio and Fabric Softener targeting parents with young children.
The cable upfront season kicked off with a splat this week when Nickelodeon became the first major network to host its presentation to advertisers at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom. Following a tradition of brightly colored celeb-packed upfronts, this year's event was no exception. MTV CEO Judy McGrath began by stating Nickelodeon's overall brand theme this year is to be virtually everywhere. That includes theme parks, retail, cruise ships and movie theaters through partnerships with Marriott, Royal Carribbean, Mall of America and DreamWorks Animation. The orange-hued kids net is also eyeing a new color, green, via its Big Green Help initiative.
If you missed SXSW Interactive this year, you can experience it Cliff Notes-style with sketch notes from Mike Rohde.
Via Engadget
Actual ad which will run in Toronto newspapers. The text reads:
“At Virgin Mobile, you’re more than just a number. When you call us we’ll treat you like a person, not a client. Whether you’re #9 or #900, you’ll get hooked up with somebody who’ll finally treat you just how you want to be treated.”
Chimpanzees are not exactly the unsung heroes of advertising; in fact, they’re quite sung, having starred in splashy, successful Super Bowl campaigns from E*Trade to CareerBuilder. (Pictured is Jonah the E*Trade chimp, photographed during a long-ago visit to Adweek.) But now one zoologist is calling for a chimp-ad moratorium, arguing that making chimps wear funny hats and dance around for the camera isn’t good for their image. “When chimpanzees are portrayed as caricatures of humans, dressed up in silly outfits and so on, people think that chimps aren’t endangered, aren’t worthy of our conservation efforts,†says Steve Ross of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. “There’s probably effects we don’t even imagine when people are watching these [ads] and laughing.†We fully support Ross’s efforts, and advise you not to watch this British tea commercial with chimps doing a James Bond spoof, this Bud Light spot with the talking chimp, and especially not this Arby’s ad with chimps doing Riverdance. And if you watch, please don’t laugh.
—Posted by Tim Nudd
LONDON – Guardian Media Group has asked Ofcom to abolish requirements that its Smooth radio stations in London and the North West must air 45 hours of jazz music programmes each week.
LONDON – Luke Johnson, chairman of Channel 4, and Andy Duncan, the channel’s chief executive, are to give evidence to a House of Lords’ enquiry into broadcasters’ news provision.
LONDON – Heathrow Terminal 5, with its retail-focused design and digital advertising sites, promises to deliver a unique retail and brand experience. But critics say an airport should be more than a ‘glorified shopping centre’ and provide a gateway to British culture.
To celebrate the birth of four distinct company arms (with four unique specializations), The CementWorks launched a baby shower campaign for quadruplets. Watch the intro on their website — very cute.
(TrendHunter.com) With the numerous USB devices we own, you can always use a few extra USB ports. This USB Hub Photo Frame gives you four extra USB 2.0 ports in the form of a photo frame that will add a touch of style to your messy desk. Another cool feature is that the frame lights-up your photo while in use. What c…
Other keynotes during ad:tech San Francisco, which is held April 15-7 at the Moscone Center, include NBC Universal Chief Digital Officer George Kliavkoff< who will talk about how NBC is taking NBC's programming digital through the company's just launched Hulu (which rocks, by the way) and other outlets.
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