(TrendHunter.com) The owners of Martin House-To-Go lost everything after Katrina, then came up with the Fresh Start, a 2008 moving post-disaster house which retails for about $30,000. They describe it as a ‘fully equipped house-on-wheels that can go where you go, with no special permit or license required. All you ne…
Doritos is planning to offer consumers a prize of £20,000 to come up with a winning TV ad for its products.
I thought the Vermont energy-efficiency spot with the cowboy light bulb would easily rank as the oddest animated TV commercial of the week. Who knew TDA would kick things into a new orbit with its campaign for Bot, a line of vitamin-fortified water for kids? The ads feature colorful, blobby characters that are like a cross between the Teletubbies and the kids from South Park. This 60-second spot had me hooked until the end, if only so I could figure out what the hell was being advertised. The last time TDA was called on for beverage ads, it hauled out dead bodies for Go Fast energy drink. This time, it’s content to slaughter viewers’ minds. The Denver Egotist has some Bot print work here, and you can see another Bot commercial here. Plus, if you dare, watch Donny Deutsch’s interview with the company’s founders here.
—Posted by David Gianatasio
LONDON – Sky is to formally launch a challenge to the Government’s ruling that it must reduce its 17.9% stake in ITV, although a legal expert has warned that the broadcaster is unlikely to succeed in overturning the ruling.
Thanks a lot adgrunt Goodbye for putting me in that uncomfortable state of not knowing whether to laugh or slam my head repeatedly at the keyboard with this total gem of copyright for dummies from the page PlayAudioVideo.com. Here’s their advice:
One rule of thumb to check if the file is copyrighted is to see if you can find a video with the singer, artist or movie on the site youtube. youtube is a site where people can upload videos and youtube then transcodes the videos to another format and stores them in their database. If you can find a transcoded video with the singer/artist on youtube, the file you are about to transcode is probably not copyrighted.
I’ve made up my mind, slamming it is.
Speaking of youtube and their infringement sagas, the Viacom $1 billion lawsuit has finally gotten to pre-trial says Variety. However it’s gonna take years and the rise and fall of many more companies that make their living off other peoples stuff before we know the results:
The case, which made big headlines in 2007, is on a slow track, with jury selection and trial proceedings not expected before early 2009.
LONDON – R J Reynolds Tobacco Company has revamped its Camel cigarette pack almost a century after it launched, in an attempt to drive sales in a lagging cigarette market.
Recasting a lazy eye as a curious eye is a cute idea, as executed by McCann Erickson in this MasterCard spot. What we don’t get is how it applies to MasterCard, really. “Are you searching for the priceless things in life?†the spot asks at the end. That’s a bit of a stretch. (“Do you need medical attention?†would work just as well.) It’s like they remembered in the editing room who the client was, and sheepishly tacked the logo on the end. Perhaps this guy can pay for his optic surgery with his MasterCard and tie up these loose ends. And hopefully the amblyopia support groups don’t take offense. Via Advertolog.
—Posted by David Kiefaber
Efficiency Vermont wants Green Mountain staters to buy lots of compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs. So much so the advocacy group turned to Burlington agency, Kelliher Samets Volk for a TV, print and interweb campaign called New Bulb In Town.
The goal is to sell 600,000 CFLs in Vermont this year. In other words, one for every resident.
One may purchase this image on a t-shirt thanks to the good people at Wire & Twine.
[via Merlin Mann’s Tumblr page]
‘Look at Me!’ speedsters in the UK are pretty much doing the Po-Po’s job for them by filming their high speed antics and whacking ‘em up on YouTube.
It does seem to be direct from the ’so dumb it’s funny’ book but it’s actually happening and I can imagine the boys in blue are loving it, they get to surf the web all day and fill their monthly quota of speeding tickets. Now that’s the only way to live.
And a great use of UGC.
LONDON – Publishing giant Reed Elsevier has put its business-to-business arm, Reed Business Information, up for sale.
LONDON – Castrol is asking football fans across Europe to choose their best 11 players participating at UEFA Euro 2008 to leverage its sponsorship of this summer’s tournament
The salient line in the AP’s coverage of Google’s pilot program to store patients’ medical information is this: “If the medical records aren’t protected … the information conceivably also could be used for marketing purposes.†Let’s say, just for argument’s sake, that your hair was thinning, and you consulted a clinic whose records were managed by Google. How long would it take before you started getting an e-mail, banner, pop-up and robo-telemarketing barrage touting Minoxidil treatments? As if Google couldn’t already laser-target ad messages based on my — I mean, somebody’s — frantic midnight searches to recapture the carefree, hirsute days of one’s youth. What if wires get crossed and someone were to Google my — I mean, somebody’s — name, and a balding-spot photo from the clinic were to pop up? No wonder I don’t sleep at night. Google co-founder Sergey Brin has such luxurious hair, but he’s always photographed from the front. Makes you wonder.
—Posted by David Gianatasio
LONDON – Celebrity news site Hellomagazine.com is teaming with MSN UK to embed its content in the Microsoft portal.
Who says clients don’t care about awards? I came across this press release for the Tootie Pie Company:
The Tootie Pie Company, Inc., a premium baker and seller of high-quality, handmade pie, announces that its product packaging was awarded a 2008 Gold ADDY® by the San Antonio Advertising Federation. This top award qualifies the packaging for the American Advertising Federation District 10 competition in Dallas this April. Winners there continue on to national competition.
“Our box is a powerful sales tool. Every surface has to present a positive image to the consumer and encourage a purchase decision. Extra care is also taken to ensure that the valuable merchandise inside arrives in the best possible condition. Therefore, our package must be a perfect blend of style and function. This award is confirmation of our team’s success designing packaging that is almost as good as the pie itself,” said Don Merrill, President & CEO, Tootie Pie Company.
If you really, really want to know more, there’s a real Tootie and it has nothing to do with “The Facts of Life.”
Score one for good packaging. And authenticity.
mmmm…pie…
(TrendHunter.com) No longer to you have to choose between a Person Water Craft (PWC) and a boat. Now you can have both! Designed with a Yamaha Wave Runner in mind, the Waveboat allows you to dock your PWC into its center, lock it in, and in 60 seconds you have a jet boat! The Waveboat will be on the market in March a…
LONDON – The Daily Mail’s popularity online soared during January as its monthly unique user total jumped 31% from December to 17.9m, placing it less than 2m users behind Guardian Unlimited.
I applaud the Parents Television Council’s call for advertisers to boycott KateModern. Who knew this Internet-based “teen soap†was so violent? From Mediaweek: “The main character in the show works for the police as a blood spatter expert, who has channeled his desire to kill by secretly targeting only criminals.†Whoa. Makes Gossip Girl look tame. Also, there seems to be gender confusion: “The main character … channeled his desireâ€? And the show’s about someone named Kate? Like I said, kids need … oh sorry, I got a couple of stories mixed up. The PTC actually wants to boycott CBS’s Dexter. There’s blood spattering, which is why they’re peeved. But the character apparently has no issues with being a guy, which is a relief. KateModern just signed up a new advertiser. Might as well boycott it anyway. It’s really stupid. Not that I watch. Much. And the kids need protection, especially where protection is concerned. Just ask the PTC!
—Posted by David Gianatasio
LONDON – The Advertising Standards Authority has found that 1% of 784 gambling ads it monitored last September and October broke new advertising rules.
Which American cities exude the healthiest aura? Cooking Light magazine has issued a top 20 list, based on criteria that range from the availability of organic cuisine to the locals’ propensity for exercise. (CNN.com posted the magazine’s write-up.) It’s unsurprising that outdoorsy, local-food-conscious cities like Seattle and Portland, Ore., are atop the list. But who’d have thought Milwaukee, with its beer-and-bratwurst image, would crack the top 10? (It’s No. 8.) Likewise Philadelphia (No. 9), with its cheese-steak sandwiches and doughy pretzels (and cream cheese!). One senses the magazine straining to fill out the list when it salutes Kansas City, at No. 20, for having “the purest water supply of any major city in the country.â€
—Posted by Mark Dolliver
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