Hasta La Creative!

Oreo just released the second video in its Oreo Separators series from Wieden + Kennedy, dedicated to finding absurdly mechanical ways of separating the cookie part from the creme part. The first video featured "physicist" (also, W+K creative) David Neevel, who came up with a seriously involved contraption in his Portland, Ore., workspace. This time, the intrepid experimenters are Barry Kudrowitz and Bill Fienup, described as "toy scientists" from the Midwest. And you have to hand it to them—their machine is a lot slicker, and simpler, than Neevel's. Their solution involves popping off the top cookie with a swift jab of plastic, then melting and spraying off the creme part. Fienup, the creme lover, gets a little messy in the process, but it's worth it. It turns out these guys were perfect for the job. As students at MIT in the mid-2000s, they helped create the MIT Toy Lab, funded by Hasbro, which developed new concepts for Nerf and Supersoaker products. (The idea for the Nerf Atom Blaster came from the lab.) As he mentions, Kudrowitz is a product-design professor at the University of Minnesota now, though his areas of research are decidedly offbeat, including "play and humor in design." Kudrowitz and Fienup's previous collaborations include a remote-controlled ketchup-squirting car.

Conan O'Brien's fake iPad commercial, meant as a parody of the latest Apple spots, including the one on the Oscars, isn't exactly groundbreaking (porn? on computers? why, I never!). But the delivery is as funny and observant as one would expect from Coco. If only real Internet porn were this tasteful most of the time. Pay attention to the fast-moving category screens, too—there are some hidden gems in there. "Doin' It" and "Doin' It Big Time" were my favorites, but I think there's something in there for everyone. OK, in context, that sounds weird.

Not content with the traditional advertising methods of TV spots and simple product placement in movies, Canada's Labatt Brewing is financing a feature-length film through its Kokanee brand. The film is called The Movie Out Here, and it's a buddy comedy written by Kokanee's ad agency, Grip Limited. Check out the red-band trailer below (NSFW). The movie hits theaters in western Canada on Friday—30 of them, in fact. It's essentially a 90-minute content marketing experiment, so don't expect it to be any good—although judging by the trailer, it is plenty crass. Also, if you've been wondering what happened to the guy who sang "Informer," he's apparently one of the stars. (Oddly, there's no sign of Kokanee in the trailer—would that absence constitute false advertising?) Before this, Grip Limited was best known for letting 10-year-olds run the agency. That may partly explain the movie's juvenile humor.

Red-band trailer below has nudity and profanity and is NSFW.

Debi Austin, better known as the lady who smoked a cigarette through a tracheotomy hole in her neck in the infamous "Voicebox" anti-smoking ad, died Feb. 22 after a 20-year battle with cancer. She was 62. The California Department of Public Health released a statement about Debi on its website in which CDPH director Dr. Ron Chapman applauded her for showing "tremendous courage by sharing her story to educate Californians on the dangers of smoking." He's absolutely right about that. The "Voicebox" ad, from 1996, is a good example of how advertising can use real people's stories for the greater good, and without exploiting them. More to the point, Debi was brave for putting what many would call a weakness or personal failing to work as a public service, and for doing so with dignity and poise. She would also become a powerful anti-smoking advocate, and made two ads more recently—see those after the jump. May she rest in peace.

I see dead people. In commercials. Eating Galaxy chocolate bars. Well, just one corpse, actually. It's Audrey Hepburn, 20 years dead but still cute as a button and seamlessly integrated into the advertising action thanks to modern technology. This British spot, approved by the actress's sons, finds Hepburn on holiday in Italy, tempted from her tour bus (not AC/DC's tour bus, thankfully) by a pretty boy driving a fancy convertible. When Audrey accepts the ride, she coyly sits in the back seat. Classy! The visuals are impressive, a big improvement on Dead Astaire's hot steppin' for Dirt Devil back in 1997. Of course, some find the trend ghoulish. Frankly, I'm surprised it's generating this much interest. It's been done to … well, death. Everyone from John Wayne to Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon and Kurt Cobain have been resurrected for ads. And Clint Eastwood for Chrysler … close enough! Check out Hepburn's 2006 Gap spot after the jump.

Startup company Mobeam has patented technology that will allow barcodes to be scanned from smartphone screens at checkouts. The point-of-purchase possibilities are endless for coupons and other far more fun advertising promotions. Plus, it's way better than replacing every checkout scanner in the world. To pimp it, Portal A created this heavily Auto-Tuned supermarket musical, in which a frustrated cashier bursts into song over the wonders of Mobeam. It includes an obligatory rap, a talking fish and a dancing janitor. The video is goofy in the extreme. What it lacks is a compelling subject. Outside of advertisers, no one's really sitting at home thinking, "What I wouldn't give for a mobile solution for the hassle of using paper coupons!" Most of us don't get beyond, "Sweet! A coupon!" in our daily internal coupon monologue. Hopefully, they can tap into their core demographic: those extreme couponers on TLC who stink of the horrors of fanaticism.

Possibly in an effort to prove it's more than a Chuck E. Cheese for misogynists, Hooters hired Skiver Advertising for its new "Step Into Awesome" ad campaign. The work, including these "Burrito" and "Big Fan" TV spots, emphasizes the food (Hooters recently expanded its menu) and congenial atmosphere instead of just the state of its employees' undress. It also takes a pretty obvious stab at Chipotle in one of the ads. Both ads are disorientingly tasteful, and I guess that's a good thing. It's also good strategy for Hooters, because focusing more on the waitstaff would remind people of the chain's shady hiring practices, among other things. Fitzgerald+CO previously handled the Hooters account.

HBO placed this wonderful ad in Monday's New York Times, with the shadow of a dragon looming over two pages of fake stories. It's a shame they couldn't advertise over a real spread—and while the non-Times fonts surely make the editors breathe easier, it takes away from the effect just a little. But still a fun execution. Check out this Yahoo piece for more on the faux articles, and what they have to do with the show. Via The Denver Egotist.

UPDATE: HBO did something similar to its own building in L.A. (see below). A dragon was also reported to be hovering over IMDB.com on Tuesday. What else have they dragon-shadowed?

Once again, Octagon First Call's David Schwab, who helps brands assess the value of celebrities for ad campaigns, is giving us his predictions for the marketing potential of the latest Dancing With the Stars cast. Check out his prognosis below.

I am pleasantly surprised with the upcoming cast of Dancing With the Stars, which was announced earlier this morning. And while pessimists will say the show still needs more A-list power, many of the chosen celebrities will fill gaps in the celebrity+brand marketplace. DWTS has once again delivered an Olympian, an NFL player, a musician, an AARP-friendly face, a sister network Disney star, a reality star and a wild card. Here's a breakdown of those we feel have the best marketing potential:

• Kellie Pickler. In 2005, Pickler crooned and charmed her way into the public consciousness as a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol. Since then, she has launched a solid career in country music, releasing top-selling country albums. With the added national exposure of DWTS, and having well-liked Derek Hough as her partner, Pickler's southern charm and recent work with breast cancer awareness will give her a strong platform and distinctive voice for brands to leverage. Having her on the show in the spring, when American Idol is on the air, will also help her awareness, as media will want to talk with her about both. As for brands that fit Kellie, just flip through the advertising pages of US Weekly (i.e., fashion, cosmetics and jeans).

• Aly Raisman. This Olympic gymnast jumped, flipped and tumbled her way to two gold medals and into America's hearts last summer as a member of Team USA's Fierce Five. She quickly established brand partnerships with American Girl, Poland Spring and Pandora Jewelry. A turn on DWTS will bring her back into the public conversation. Fashion would be a fun category for her, as well as the healthy/QSR space. Other Olympians who have turned their DWTS appearances into successful marketing opportunities include Apolo Ohno, Shawn Johnson and Kristi Yamaguchi.

• Jacoby Jones. Still riding the overwhelmingly positive tide of his recent Super Bowl victory, Jones could quickly become a fan favorite on the show, following the footsteps of past popular NFL stars turned DWTS contestants like Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Donald Driver. While his status as a Super Bowl champ gives him strong credibility in the sports category, his turn on DWTS will give Jones a more mainstream platform and open a wider range of branded opportunities for the Ravens wide receiver. His name will be added to future short lists when brands are looking for football-player programs each fall.

• Dorothy Hamill. She was America's sweetheart at the 1976 Winter Olympics, winning the gold medal in singles figure skating. She likely won't last long on DWTS but definitely long enough to catch the eye of Olympic sponsors who are putting together their celebrity ambassador teams for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She is currently touring with Stars on Ice—an opportunity for the tour's sponsors to use her at different venues as well. Hospitality calls will be coming to the Hamill household.

• Zendaya Coleman. This Disney star is taking her elementary school and tween popularity to prime time with DWTS. (She has a million Twitter followers more than the next closest contestant.) Her background as a musician and dancer on Disney's Shake It Up may give her a slight edge in the dancing competition. While this move might not make her a household name, it will surely expand her visibility outside of the "kid and tweenverse" that she has lived during her young career thus far. Still, expect a lot of publicity from teen mags and increased exposure on the Disney Channel, as with past DWTS Disney stars Kyle Massey, Chelsea Kane and Coleman's Shake It Up co-star Roshon Fagan. As for products, lip gloss, backpacks and Claire's-type jewelry stores would work for her.

• D.L. Hughley. People know him from the ABC sitcom The Hughleys. He is currently touring with his comedy show, and while this move will not get him into the endorsement space, it will surely open the door to personal appearances.

• The Recurring Stars. Although the celebrity cast rotates, there are some recurring marketing stars on DWTS—namely, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Cheryl Burke and Derek Hough. Burke-Charvet is one of the most desirable celebrity moms for family-focused brands, and her successful website ModernMom.com is used to leverage these programs. Cheryl has two recent partnerships, with Impress Nails and Sargento, has launched her own dance studio and is a fan favorite on the show. Derek will attract more of the spotlight now that Maksim Chmerkovskiy is out this spring (especially with Pickler as a dance partner), and he continues to benefit from sister Julianne's rising career as well.

Click here to see the full Season 16 cast.

—David Schwab is the managing director of Octagon First Call, a business that helps brands assess the value of celebrities for their upcoming marketing campaigns. Follow him at www.celebrityacquisition.com and @david_schwab.

If you close your eyes, this video for Google's Chromebook Pixel sounds like something Apple did five years ago. When you open them, the Chromebook Pixel itself looks like something Apple did three years ago (minus the touchscreen, which looks cool but doesn't make a whole lot of sense on a laptop). It's somewhat fitting, since Google's software-to-hardware progression is the reverse of Apple's, and this machine is basically catnip for developers and early adopters who currently use Mac and PC (specifically Dell) laptops now. But come on. Google can only follow other people's footprints in the snow for so long, you know? For now, at least they're taking their marketing cues from Apple and not Microsoft.