Lexus Concept- LF-A Roadster (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) For those living a life of luxury, keeping up to date on the best compliments for that style of living is essential, and that includes the latest and greatest cars like the new Lexus LF-A Roadster concept. The North American International Auto Show, where the Lexus debuted, is a great place to check…

GPS Touchscreen Phone – Garmin Nuvifone (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) The 3.5G, GSM HSDPA smartphone features a 3.5-inch touchscreen with an internet browser, data connectivity, personal messaging, and personal navigation functions. Of course being a Garmin, GPS navigation is at the core of the Nuvifone.

Luxurious Greek Art Hotel – Classical Baby Grand Hotel Athens (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) I’ve dreamed of going to Greece my entire life; there’s a magical lure to the Mediterranean I just can’t describe. Planning trips (even if I won’t actually be going in the near future) is half the fun, so when I discovered a luxurious art hotel, the Classical Baby Grand Hotel in Athens, I wa…

Mercedes-Benz SL History (:60)

As I recently viewed a new M-B commercial, I was reminded of this one that debuted about a year ago. I kind of liked this one better… so, I’ll discuss this SL History one I call “Timeless”.

This :60 spot featuring the convertible SL models over the decades successfully does more to celebrate the brand, position Mercedes-Benz as a premier, ritzy icon through the last half century than it does actually “Introducing the 5th Generation SL”. No matter…it works for me. I think most of us who dream of buying or leasing one of these 4-wheeled icons are actually purchasing the brand — both its history and its present.

Although I don’t think the execution of such an idea is all that challenging, I do think it was done well. The ad’s music is aspirational and not offensive to anyone… as it takes us for a ride from one decade to the next (in each of the 5 generation SL convertibles). We re-visit the people, the trends, the fashion (or lack there of), as we witness the timeless elegance of the M-B SL Convertible. The lines and balance of this car (regardless of which generation) never seem outdated — even today.

The car, the icon, and this ad make me agree with the partially tweaked tagline for Mercedes-Benz, “Timeless. Unlike any other.” Timeless, indeed.

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Flashlight Can Set Paper on Fire & Fry Eggs – “The Torch” (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) “The Torch,” made by Wicked Lasers, is claimed to be the world’s strongest flashlight. And really now, who would argue with the egg frying, marshmallow toasting, 4100 lumen wonder that can drain its batteries in 15 minutes?

Be careful with this thing; if you’re looking for something in your …

Zen Like Accommodation in Montreal – Bohemia Loft

(TrendHunter.com) Mark this one as a secret address. If you ever visit the oh so French city of Montreal, you may want to check out this little gem, located on St. Denis street, in the Plateau Mont Royal area.

At the Bohemia Loft, you can luxuriate in this beautiful private loft space, which can accommodate you an…

Let your fingers do the grinding.

Check out the latest concept in mobile gaming courtesy of Vans and the Miami Ad School. Leveraging the iPhone’s touch screen capabilities, Finger Fracture would allow you to control the skateboard in a way similar to finger boards. Different finger movements and combinations allow you to do different tricks. Brand integration is done seamlessly throughout. Select a shoe to pick a rider and their corresponding riding style. Then see how you rank on the worldwide ranking list. Very cool! So nice to see such a smart and engaging mix of branding and technology. Lets hope this concept makes it to launch.

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Trannies, implants and toupees.

A light-hearted take at selling language lessons. Grey, Tel Aviv has fun focusing on the “dramatic difference” you’ll notice after only 2 weeks with the Berlitz Language School. It’s nice to see other countries having a little more fun and not being as uptight as us — even in more politically volatile locales. Then again, the language category has always been a little more experimental. But even the liberal sensibilities of overseas consumers can be offended by our ad brethren as evidenced in this banned Dutch ad for a language institute (Warning: not for the faint of heart!).Technorati Tags: , advertising, broadcast,

Foldable Palmtop/Laptop – Noahpad Can Be Hung On Coat Hanger (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) The Noahpad is a funky cross category Palmtop/OLPC/low cost UMPC gizmo and is notable for its odd attribute including a split keyboard, the ability to fold back on itself and be hung up with a clothes hanger. You don’t see those features everyday.

Gaming Terminology – Sandbox Games

(TrendHunter.com) The Gaming Terminology Word of the Day is Sandbox:

noun. 1: a shallow box or hollow in the ground partly filled with sand for children to play in.
Historical: a perforated container for sprinkling sand onto wet ink in order to dry it.

Gaming Term: a playable world within a game that allows the pl…

MacBook Air Is Not The Thinnest Notebook – Mitsubishi Pedion Is

(TrendHunter.com) There are already people, who are jealous of MacBook Air’s ‘The Worlds Thinnest Notebook’ title, and trying to prove otherwise. Apparently, not in vain. According to Newlaunches, this title belongs to an obscure notebook from 1998, the Mitsubishi Pedion, that was 18.4 millimeters thick, which comes …

Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) The Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 will be an extraordinary event in the city where everything is possible.

The Lexus Mega Raffle, one of the most extravagant raffle draws in DSF 2008, has already got visitors and residents buying tickets in huge numbers ahead of the festival opening. Organised in c…

And now, no words from our sponsor.

It seems like only yesterday when Tivo first came on the market much to advertisers dismay. Marketers everywhere attacked the service, with the CEO of Turner going so far as to accuse commercial skippers of theft. A lot has changed since then. Advertisers have slowly come to terms with the fact that people will fast forward through ads and Tivo has introduced a new products in an attempt to appease these advertisers including pop-up banners and other more interactive units.

But even as this un-easy alliance has been forged, no one seems to be taking much notice of Apple TV. With the latest version now supporting not only a slew of popular tv shows but the ability to rent movies — and with both options being available in HD — I’m surprised we haven’t heard more screaming from marketers. Imagine if everyone started consuming all of their tv and movie entertainment in this a la carte style and the implications it would have not only for advertisers but cable providers as well. Let’s do the math. I’ll use my own television and movie consumption as an example. As someone employed in advertising I figure it’s my duty to watch tv, and I do enjoy a HD picture so I currently subscribe to DirecTV. My package includes some premium channels, the HD and the DVR options and currently runs me $101.97 a month. I also use Netflix which runs another $18.43. So a month of tv and movies costs me $120.40. The reality is I don’t watch that much tv and often don’t get through my 3 movies a month — who has that amount of time? Out of the zillions of channels I have I really only watch a handful of shows: 30 Rock, Lost, The Office, Project Runway, Top Chef and a few others that I’ll just refer to as guilty pleasures — so 7 shows in all a week or about 28 a month which is probably a little high since I never seem to catch them all. If I were to purchase those same programs through Apple TV I’m looking at $55.72. If I throw in 3 movies, which again is a little high, I’m looking at another $14.97 assuming I’m going with just new releases in HD. So for only $70.69 I can have access to all of the content I regularly watch (with much of it in higher quality HD) at a savings $49.31 a month and all without any advertising! Hmmmmm. Advertisers and cable providers need to prepare themselves as an increasing amount of different entertainment distribution models become available. TV spots, it’s been nice knowing you. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

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Twice the effort. Half the fun.

musicpassSo Sony has finally bitten the bullet and starting January 15, 2008 will be offering there music catalog DRM-free. Hooray! In an attempt to regain some market share from our good friends at Apple, the clever folks at Sony have finally ditched DRM on at least some of their catalog. Yes, not all, just some — 37 albums by artists including Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Lopez and I’m hoping at least 35 others. But it gets better. Never mind that they were the last of the major labels to do so. Nor the fact that you can already purchase DRM-free music on iTunes, all be it for a premium. What really sets Sony apart is their ingenious model. Yes now if you want to buy Sony music online, you first have to go to an off-line retailer, buy a “Platinum MusicPass” then go online and visit MusicPass.com, where you then enter the code from the back of your card and finally get your music. Voila! Online music shopping really couldn’t get an easier than that. Amazing. And I’m assuming that because they are just so confident that hordes of people are going to run to stores, and then run home to buy their music they are not really promoting the new offering at all. Guess they’re counting on all that great word-of-mouth they hope to get.

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Out, damn’d spot!

clearasil

The world’s smallest ad?! Check out this clever use of print. Love it or hate it, it gets noticed just like the those pesky pimples it promises to vanquish. The latest work for Clearasil from Euro RSCG Düsseldorf, Germany uses a “specially created pimple sticker” to instantly turn the covers of popular youth magazines into Clearasil Ads. The back of the sticker drives to clearasil.com, and due to high demand they are producing more of the stickers to be used as giveaways. Yeah, I know I can’t wait to cover my Trapper Keeper in pimple stickers — so cool! Still, it’s a really smart use of media. Just wish they would have given a little more thought to the online experience. Once you get there, it’s just another generic product site. Why not replicate the print experience there? Let people upload photos, pimple-ize them and share them with friends? Seems like a huge missed opportunity — almost as big that pimple. How can you miss it?
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Burton Snowboards invites you to Sabotage Stupidity

As this year’s ski & snowboard season ramps up, companies are doing everything they can to push product. Seattle-based Burton Snowboards has re-invented their “open minds, open mountains” campaign with a hefty challenge to “sabotage stupidity” by poaching at the four resorts in the US that still ban snowboarding. In the video on their microsite, there’s a lengthy intro by Jake Burton where he mentions Facism and Draconian bans, and proceeds to talk about the Declaration of Independence, freedom, and poaching as a form of protest. It’s a bit heavyhanded, but I wouldn’t expect any less from Burton. To top it off, there’s a $5000 purse per resort for the best user-generated poaching video posted to the site. That’s one way to invite participation. And to make the pot even sweeter (and voice support for the campaign), companies are pitching in, like snowboarding retailer Evo Gear who added an additional $5000 to the purse.
It’s interesting to see a company the size of Burton,the world’s leading snowboard manufacturer, pushing something along the lines of poaching. I’d have to question the legal implications of a possibly illegal endeavor on a private resort. They do have a “Poaching 10 commandments” page on the site, the first of which is don’t break the law, but it’s still something unexpect from Burton – which may be a good thing. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, and to see if they actually get some cool content out of it.
Technorati Tags: advertising, snowboarding, user-generated, beyond madison avenue

The Thrill of Victory, sans the Agony of Defeat.

adidas
A really lovely spot for Adidas and the 2008 Beijing Olympics brought to you by the talented folks at Psyop & TBWAChina. The first of four spots, “Together” uses a combination of live action action and illustration to create very distinct look that is both clean and austere, while also being warm. A welcome respite from the traditional athlete montage pieces, this spot really conveys the emotion and power that is the Olympics. I don’t think they really needed to end on the full live motion footage, but hey, all-in-all really nice work. Read more about what went into it here.
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Thinking different.

NSW AD 1

The ubiquitous iPod has not only spawned hordes of similar products, but ads as well. And often if it’s not a blatant rip off of the the classic iPod style, it’s a feeble attempt at borrowed interest. You can almost here the marketer saying “Hey, I’m cool. I have an iPod in my ad.” Well a recent campaign from DDB Sydney turns that model on it’s head and slams it down on the ground — quite literally. The ads for the NSW Police Department seek to bring attention to the alarming rise in the number of teen deaths that have been occurring as the teens, lost in tunes, fail to pay attention as they cross the road. All of the ads feature a single line of copy “Watch for cars when wearing headphones.” Nice work. Simple. Clean. Arresting. It will be interesting to see what sort of response they get from Apple.

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Animatronic people invade product placement.

robot

All hail Bravo! the current reigning champ in the world of product placement! And I do mean that in all sincerity. Bravo! for the most part has done an excellent job in integrating relevant products in to many of the their programs. And while it can some times be executed a little heavy handedly I can usually get beyond that if it makes sense in a program, like the “Glad family of products” so often referred to in on Top Chef by the lovely Padma Lakshmi. But the other day I felt the the bonds of relevance strained as the designers on Project Runway were challenged to create an ensemble using only the things they could find in the Times Square Hershey’s store. In all fairness the designs they created out of a pile of crappy looking Hershey’s tschotskies were very impressive. And what I originally thought was a tenuous relationship between the marketer and the program at best, the contestants were able to bring back around. What really got me with this instance of product placement was Hershey’s rep Michelle Gloeckler monologue that was summed up quite nicely by Missy Schwartz at EW.com as having “all the gusto of a stale Twizzler.” (Check her out at about 3:00 here.) Marketers, come on now. You know product placement works so why not treat it seriously? Would you use an actor who with all the charm and charisma of bowl of cold oatmeal in a tv spot? I think not. How would that reflect upon your brand? Product placement, like any form of marketing, requires careful thought, planning and execution. It’s not bludgeoning your audience to death with images and references to your product. And if you are going to go the animatronic route, go with a model like Vicki the Robot in Small Wonder who was capable of delivering a range of life-like emotions.

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Lincoln MKX “HOMETOWN” (:60)

Before I even begin to discuss this new spot from Ford’s long-time luxury division, Lincoln, let me say that I am all for having corporations and brands create positive images for themselves while making the world and communities better. And, I think this was the impetus for this idea… the execution of which, I’m sorry to report, fell far short.

This :60 spot for Lincoln’s luxury crossover SUV (called the MKX), “HOMETOWN”, puts jazz musician, Harry Connick, Jr. behind the wheel of a Lincoln MKX. He is driving through his hometown of New Orleans reflecting about its devastation from Hurricane Katrina — while driving a $40,000+ automobile! Okay, maybe he is bringing building supplies to the needy neighborhoods, maybe he is donating the vehicle to a needy family or church group helping those displaced, maybe he will announce some great new campaign financed by Lincoln to help build up his hometown… nah!

He is meeting his friends and delivering a couple of buckets of crawfish! As he ruminates on the hope that “good times” can roll again in New Orleans, the announcer claims that this new 2008 Lincoln MKX is, “Designed to inspire, ready to uplift.” What? Did I miss something? Is the car, brand, or corporation doing ANYTHING to inspire and uplift the people and community of New Orleans?

And, why would I run out and buy this luxury crossover SUV over a Lexus RS 350 or Acura MDX? I don’t know… but, then again, maybe I missed something.

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