Hasta La Creative!

According to The Wall Street Journal, both activists and the corporations they rail against are moving at internet speed.

Just last week we took note of the Greenpeace campaign against Unilever, a company they accused of Indonesian deforestation.

Speaking at a climate change conference in London Thursday, Unilever Chief Executive Patrick Cescau said his firm will buy palm oil (an ingredient in Dove soap) only from suppliers who can demonstrate they haven’t cut down forests.

The speed of the campaign marks a big moment for activist groups. One Greenpeace ad has been watched more than 250,000 times in the week it has been on YouTube.com. Just as the world’s biggest marketers have used such Internet sites to get their video ads to consumers, pressure groups are now using the technique to cheaply and quickly spread their message.

A Unilever spokesman said the Greenpeace protests “had some bearing” but little influence on Unilever’s decision to source palm oil. He said the company’s policy has been in the works since November.

Palm oil is produced mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia by farmers who squeeze the oil from small flowers found on oil palms. Surging prices for the oil have contributed to deforestation, especially in Indonesia, where farmers have cut down rain forests for palm plantations.

Here’s an earlier video from Greenpeace on the same issue:

(TrendHunter.com) With so many people addicted to Twitter, it would be neat to view a chart of a person’s tweets statistics, giving an insight into their habits and usage patterns.

Powered by Yahoo Pipes & Google Charts, xefer allows you to create scatter plots and charts of a Twitter user’s tweets. You can choose t…

LONDON – The UK has the highest social networking membership in Europe and it is forecast to almost triple by 2012 to 27m members, according to a report by independent market analyst Datamonitor.

(TrendHunter.com) As the name implies, the insect chair by Italian designer Gianpaolo Tucci takes its inspiration from the world of insects.

This modern lounge chair’s contours and dynamic flowing form mirror the anatomy of insects.

When you exert pressure on the back of the chair, the legs dynamically open themse…

“Worknight deal, weekend feel.” That’s the suggestive, perhaps unintentionally all-too-accurate tagline of LevLane’s new campaign for Center City District in Philadelphia and sponsor Leblon white Brazilian rum. The tactic: promote downtown Philly as an after-work “entertainment venue” to the 21- to 35-year-old commuter crowd by touting discount drinks in more than 60 local bars and restaurants. Plus half-price appetizers—they’re the real draw. Media include “bar-seat savers” placed on bottled drinks with slogans like “Never hurts to ask” and “What if I said yes.” (See some more here.) Here’s the kicker: Bathrooms will boast “interactive mirror clings stating ‘You look great. And that isn’t just the discount drinks talking.’ ” Patrons might want to visit a Morphmonkey for a sobering reminder that while barhopping can be fun, saying yes after a few too many worknight deals can hurt like nobody’s business.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

LONDON – Tesco has launched a major marketing drive to support the redesign of its Clubcard created by EHS Brann.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Some years the National Magazine Awards amount to a heap of accolades for The New Yorker, while last year emerged as a five-win coronation for New York. The 2008 awards last night seemed to recognize a wider range, giving National Geographic the most wins with three.

There’s so much aesthetic unpleasantness in this ad for Viatop-AM that it’s hard to focus on one particular eyesore. (Click the link to see the full ad.) Those few errant blades of grass really seem inappropriate. It almost looks like the lawn Rick Moranis’s progeny had to navigate in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, only with more disembodied nipples. I have no idea what Viatop-AM is, and I don’t know enough Spanish or Portuguese to read the Web sites Google spat out at me. I assume it’s a female sex enhancer, or some manner of potion that makes you shrink and hallucinate. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Comedian Mo Rocca brings banking to the people in a series of exclusive web videos that feature “Mo on Banking” for Bank of America. Known for his unique “man on the street” interviews, Mo is out and about in New York City, finding out how others handle their finances. Check out the videos and more about Mo Rocca’s crusade for banking at: bankofamerica.com/mobanking.

The folks at ideasonideas talk with Kevin Saatchi of Saatchi & Saatchi. In the article he talks candidly about the threat that traditional agencies are facing as well as the overall change the industry is seeing. Read about it here.

Don’t miss out. One Show Festival Week kicks off next week – May 5-9 in New York City. Learn more about the week’s eventshere and here. Don’t miss the One Show Design award ceremony on Tuesday, May 6, the One Show Awards on Wednesday, May 7 and the Interactive One Show awards on Friday, May 9th.

Porn filmed in Japanese McDonald’s? I’m rubbin’ it! See some crazy Nippon McDonald’s ads or I’d Hit It and sexy burger ads frrom the US. Maybe they were just following the lead set by these ads…

The Chicago Tribune reports that Red Bull has been suing nightclubs for not serving their brand when someone orders a Red Bull and vodka drink. The mystery-shopper tactics and lawsuits show the lengths to which popular consumer brands will go to protect their trademarks.

The folks at Cake Group have just put the finishing touches to Pro Plus’ new interactive site, www.dont-miss-out.co.uk.

Users get a chance to win tickets to V Festival 2008. The site uses interactive games, similar to Guitar Hero, to test the focus and concentration of it’s players. The site itself is very colourful, bright and keeping with the feel of festival and hopes to push Pro Plus’ brand image towards something younger and cooler. The campaign is to last just over 6 weeks and in that time hopes to significantly raise brand and product awareness amongst the 18 – 30 demographic.

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Children who watch their parents smoke are twice as likely to start smoking.

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Creative Director: Magnus Olsson
Art Directors / Copywriters: Tim Bishop, Avinash Sampath
Illustrator: Gregory Ferrand
Retoucher: Jeroen Wartenbergh