Illuminated Message Shirts – T-Sketch

(TrendHunter.com) The fun T-sketch T-shirt lets your write any message or display any logo or picture on your chest with a cool illumination effect. What you write or draw on the integrated chest display is automatically converted into an illuminated message or design of which you can adjust the intensity.

Perfect …

The Rebranding of Billy Bailey

Billy had paged his agent on the way home from school. He was suspended indefinitely, pending a parent-teacher meeting, but that wasnÂ’t what bothered Billy. He was worried about his brand-identity.

Sony Foams Miami For New Commercial

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Here’s some behind the scenes footage of that foam shoot that bathed the streets of Miami with gallons and gallons of soap suds

Flash Drive Fountain Pen – S.T. Dupont USB

(TrendHunter.com) This luxe fountain pen might be nice for a tech geek executive. The S.T. Dupont pen is neo-classical style pen with a 4 gig USB memory stick. The pen body is made of Chinese lacquer and palladium with an 18 k white gold nib. The memory stick in in the top.

AT&T Has Loud, Clear Message for Rivals


SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) — AT&T is taking on Verizon Wireless and its "best coverage" quality claims, a move some observers of the telecom industry say is overdue. But others say AT&T trails several other providers in overall quality of service based on consumer surveys.

Automobile Design Advances – Smart Brake Light System

(TrendHunter.com) Automobile brake lights have been pretty much the same since they were invented. It’s either on or off.

Now, students in Virginia Tech have updated the outdated design with a horizontal light bar that communicates slowing and stopping actions as well. It can indicate that you are slowing down, abou…

Coffee Morning: Woo Pig Sooie-Style

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One of the things we enjoy at Coffee Morning, besides coffee, is playing host to students. Tomorrow will be one of those days. The University of Arkansas Ad Club will be making its way to Kansas City for some agency tours and will also be on hand for some coffee and chats. If you’re up to it, come on down to JP Wine Bar for a warm beverage and some excellent conversations. We’ll be there starting at 7:30.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no "calling of the Hogs," barefoot hillbillies, or boyfriend/girlfriends that are siblings. That means you, too, Andrew.

Adaptable Furniture – Mass Tables by John Truex (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) In a rising trend of furniture that adapts to your needs, designer John Truex has created a collection of expandable slide coffee tables called Mass Tables.

The collection is set to be featured at Shelly Steffee during the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, ICFF, in New York City in May, 2…

Something’s wrong with my robo-babysitter

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Dear Aeon Co.: There seems to be some mistake. Last Saturday night, I rented one of your robo-babysitters for Junior. The missus and I have had trouble finding local teens for the job because they’re too busy uploading fake pictures to their MySpace accounts. Also, Junior starts fires. But that’s a story for another day. We requested your 1.4-meter model with the ad-projector eyes. Ads for Volvo would have been especially appreciated. (Sorry, since that hypnosis focus group, I can’t get Volvo out of my mind.) However, you sent us a somewhat larger model, which then proceeded to decimate the neighborhood. At first I was upset. But frankly, Junior’s never been so well behaved and quiet. (The doctors say he’s “traumatized,” but that’s a big word I’m too lazy to look up.) In fact, I’d like to reserve the big metal guy for the upcoming weekend! Since he ate my Prius, I’m heading out to buy a Volvo C70 which, as we know, combines sleek and stylish design with class-leading safety features to turn heads everywhere it goes!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

MTV: We’re Multiplatform Too


NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — NBC Universal and CBS aren't the only media companies using this year's upfront to highlight company-wide sales opportunities. MTV Networks will host an upfront event May 8 in New York at the Nokia Theater in Times Square to focus on multiplatform opportunities across all of MTVN's on-air and online properties, including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike and CMT.

Song choices can be pretty significant

The following Taco Bell commercial from last fall has had a recent inexplicable resurgence on broadcast TV over the past few weeks, and it’s got me thinking a bit about tv spots and the music chosen to accompany them.

Aside from the bizarre appearance of the grim reaper and a few other oddities, the most bizarre (or at least thought provoking) thing about the commercial is the use of Modern English’s “I melt with you.” While the song has a special place in my heart, I’m not sure that the connection with Taco Bell really works for me. New Wave and Cheesy Beefy Melt don’t really go hand in hand in my mind, and I’m left thinking about Modern English – not ye old Bell.

It’s really no different than a few other fast food commercials over the past year, most notably the Wendy’s spot that used the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun” on TV and radio. There was also the Nintendo DS commercial with all the kids singing “Santeria” by Sublime. Not necessarily horrible, but peculiar choices, and ones that I don’t think i would have consciously made.

Does dumping a cult classic or one-hit wonder song into a commercial always make sense? Is it always the best idea? Does the grim reaper really eat at Taco Bell? Just a few questions that have been mulling around in my head lately.

Senators, Including Clinton and Obama, Seek to Reverse FCC Ruling


WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — The congressional fight over changes to the Federal Communications Commission's media-ownership rules is headed for its first Senate vote next week. The FCC voted in December to allow for cross-ownership by one company of a broadcast outlet and a newspaper in the same market under certain circumstances, but a group of senators hopes to rescind the new regulations.

Automotive Artvertising – Honda Ads Use Famous Paintings

“More people die in road accidents than in wars.” That’s the point these Honda “Drive Safely” print ads try to make to promote driving safety.

The safety campaign uses three famous war paintings with scenes of death and chaos.

If you look closely, you will find that the ads creatively incorporate …

Doggy Dye – Color Restoration Fur Dye

(TrendHunter.com) Evidently, looking old is a problem for dogs, too. Pet Esthe, a Tokyo-based grooming products company, has introduced a Color Restoration System that promises to “restore the colors of aged dogs’ coats to youthful ones.” In a variety of shades to match any dog’s coat, this line of dog hair dyes is a…

Queen track will back Cadbury’s successor to ‘gorilla’ spot

Cadbury’s eagerly awaited sequel to the “gorilla” Dairy Milk spot will debut this Saturday, featuring a midnight truck race set to Queen’s 80s track Don’t Stop Me Now.

Reverse Racism?

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Army-Inspired Decor – Tank U Vases

(TrendHunter.com) Flowers are generally considered a pretty, gentle item to bring into the home. They’re usually displayed in delicate vases which is why these army tank-inspired flower holders are extremely bizarre.

The Tank U vases were created by Parisian design group, La Tete Au Cube and come in White and Platin…

Anatomy Sculptures – Uterus Vase

(TrendHunter.com) Looking for something erotic for your décor? This sensational Uterus Vase by The Plug and Stéphanie Rollin is one of only 20 made and it will surely serve as a great conversation piece.

“The concept behind this vase is to reinstate decorum to an over-utilized representation,” Elite Choice says. “…

Diversifying Popular Sites – Dailymotion Goes Gay

Dailymotion, the world’s largest independent video sharing site (YouTube is controlled by Google) and a top 30 website worldwide according to Alexa has launched an official “Gay & Lesbian” channel to cater to the LGBT community.

Other sites include some LGBT content, but Dailymotion is one of the f…

Safe Internet for Kids – KidZui Browser (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) Fire catching discussions between parents and their kids about access to the Internet, are fuelling the anxiety of the parents to control or at least have a say in what children choose to visit on the internet. All types of software have been developed helping parents to make a choice and allow them…