Hasta La Creative!

Clear Channel Outdoor said it will remove anonymous billboards warning against voter fraud in the swing states of Ohio and Wisconsin.

The billboards began appearing in black and Hispanic communities in Cleveland, Columbus and Milwaukee last week, according to the advocacy group ColorofChange.org, which argued that the ads were designed to intimidate voters. The ads, which do not identify their sponsor, say “Voter Fraud is a Felony” and warn of penalties such as several years in jail and $10,000 fines.

“Allowing an anonymous advertiser to create an atmosphere of fear around voting just as the early-voting period begins is unacceptable,” ColorofChange said on its website.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

“Nike Free” has just taken on a new meaning.

Celeb-gossip site TMZ today posted a picture of Lance Armstrong sporting a new sneaker brand while jogging in Texas, a week after the athlete was dropped by the Swoosh amid a doping scandal. It appears the cyclist swapped out his Nikes for a pair of Asics that — in keeping with the official colors of Livestrong products — are black and yellow. (He was wearing his trademark Livestrong wristband too).

Given that Armstrong is mid-doping scandal, the choice of the brand is curious. Asics is an acronym that comes from a Latin phrase, anima sana in corpore sano, which translates into “a sound mind in a sound body.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Boston’s annual Fall event, the Head of the Charles crew race, had an interested “boat” make an appearance over the weekend. Floating behind crew boats was a raft made to appear as if it were a MINI. Nice stunt.

Advertising Agency: Lg2, Quebec City, Canada
Creative Director: Luc Du Sault
Copywriter: Nicolas Boisvert
Art Director: Luc Du Sault
Accounts: Mireille Cote, Alexandra Laverdiere
Account Planners: Mireille Cote, Alexandra Laverdiere, Catherine Darius
Director: Nicolas Monette
Production House: Philippe Lalande / Quatre Zero Un
Sound Design: Boogie Studio

As a broadcast network that appeals more to young, digitally-savvy viewers, The CW routinely brings in the smallest number of live TV viewers. Ads on its programs, as a result, are usually the cheapest on the boob-tube. But not this year.

In our latest annual survey of prime-time broadcast TV ad prices, Ad Age found that two shows on The CW’s schedule — the gritty, superhero-themed “Arrow” and the bloodsucker-focused “Vampire Diaries” — are drawing average prices for 30-second commercials that are greater than some prominent selections on NBC and CBS, as well as some of the lower-rated offerings on those outlets and ABC.

Would you ever have imagined that a program on the CW, which is in the midst of trying to turn around substantial year-over-year ratings declines, would ever be seen in advertisers’ eyes as having more value than a drama produced by “Law & Order” mogul Dick Wolf? Or one of CBS’s popular “CSI” procedurals? Or a serious Thursday-night news magazine anchored by Brian Williams?

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Oakley has become the latest brand to end its sponsorship of disgraced cyclist Lance Amstrong.

(TrendHunter.com) Fill your house with everything brain-shaped for the most creepy Halloween decor this year.

These anatomically correct creations range from gruesome edibles such as brain food sculptures and…

ITV’s ‘X Factor’ is being investigated by broadcasting regulator Ofcom over claims that the first live show of the current series gave undue prominence to the Corinthia Hotel.

“Your New Animals of Destruction, 21st September, free Angry Birds booklet”

ÚBLICO newspaper decided to offer booklets of Angry Birds stickers in order to increase sales. Their media budget was none, except for their self-promoting print ads. To reach new readers, we had to go to the streets in an unconventional way. So we use Lisbon’s plenty of damaged buildings and walls as media, replicating the “destroy-it-all” philosophy of the Angry Birds game.

Advertising Agency: TBWA, Lisboa, Portugal
Creative Director: Leandro Alvarez
Art Director: Tiago Mesquita
Copywriter: Nuno Leal
Photographers: Nuno Leal, Tiago Mesquita
Art production: Fernando Thily, Marzia Carré

Sport, the free magazine published by UTV Media, has revealed that its free iPad app has attracted 23,000 subscribers since going on Apple Newsstand seven months ago.