Here's to you when the day begins

+ An agency body wants clients to pay for pitches in the UK. The article, ""Standing up to client bullying" offers some opinions by those in the industry as to whether or not a contract for pitches would be feasible. IPA Director, Hamish Pringle started the commotion last week in the UK, calling "for an overhaul of the pitch process, urging agencies to have the guts to 'say no' to what he claims is widespread exploitation by clients". This follows on the heels of the Advertising Federation of Australia to apply a "pitching policy" to pitches (mentioned here on March 10th.) The questions remain whether this is a sign of a new trend that is going to spread to other countries, and if anything will come of it all.

+ "Tales From The Twyla Zone" by Ernie Schenck is this month's advertising article from communication arts. It discusses "ritual" in creativity. Needing a specific pencil, wearing a particular hat, etc. Good read.

+ Commercial Closet: Log Cabin Doubles Budget for Bipartisan Marriages Ad:

Doubling its modest $1 million annual budget, the Log Cabin Republicans have launched an ad campaign against the proposed anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
It is the first advertising effort for the organization, which is raising $1 million to pay for the campaign alone. It is intended to increase both the level of conversation on gay marriage, and the group's profile.
With a black-and-white picture, and the sound of a film projector, an excerpt of Cheney appears as he says, "The fact of the matter is we live in a free society, and freedom means freedom for everybody. We don't get to choose, and shouldn't be able to choose, and say, 'You get live free, but you don't.' "
The ad never uses the words "gay" or "lesbian" as images of signs for the "Colored waiting room" flash by, along with photos of a black civil rights march, followed by photos of male and female couples. "People should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into. That matter is regulated by the states? I don't think there should necessarily be a Federal policy in this area."
The text at the end, referring to Log Cabin, simply says, "We agree. Don't amend the constitution."

I'm not one for reviewing political advertising, nor do I pay attention to too much of it. But, this is an issue I think is very important. I hope this campaign is effective in proving to those who seem to think that there is any way that changing the constitution to prohibit gay marriages isn't a big deal. Freedom for all. Separation of State and Church. Separate but equal.
I can't see how any rational person could justify eliminating someone's freedom. I'm seriously considering offering my advertising services to any of these groups fighting for gay rights. I'm feeling the need to do something. To be active in supporting our freedoms that seem to be slipping away.
All those poor gay Republicans who were dupped into voting for Bush in 2000. Now that they see his true agenda, let's hope they retaliate in an effective way in 2004.

This just in.

+ Guinness under fire for using Wolverhampton's motto. "The advertising agency behind Guinness's new TV promotion has come under fire from the Black Country - for using Wolverhampton's city motto.
Civic dignitaries are frothing at the mouth at the use of "Out of darkness comes light" as the Irish stout's new slogan.
The 19th Century College of Heralds crest carries the inscription Out of Darkness Cometh Light, and anyone wanting to use it has to ask permission from the mayor, said Labour Councillor Geoff Foster.
But the ad agency, Abbott Mead Vickers, said the use of the phrase was coincidental and no copyright or trademark issues were at stake.
Councillor Foster said: "To use it on an advertising slogan for Irish beer without acknowledging the city or asking permission is a bit cheeky. They could have acknowledged where it came from - but just to pinch it after we have had it for more than 100 years is a bit rich."
But city mayor Councillor John Rowley, a member of the Campaign for Real Ale, was more laid-back. "I think it's a very good advert in its own way and I don't think you can have copyright on a motto."

+ American Express is returning to old spokesman Jerry Seinfeld in a new "webisode" which shows the daily adventures of Seinfeld and Superman. You can view the "webisode" here. Shot on location in NYC, the film was co-written by Seinfeld and directed by Barry Levinson. Seems sort of odd that they are returning to Seinfeld now. He's not in the limelight as he had been when they started to use him in their ad campaigns. And what's with this new term "webisode"? Strange.

+ A jeans company in Australia makes a very bad call, attempting to use employees wearing t-shirts as advertising.

+ Advertisers planning makeover for men. Excerpt from the article: "Many American companies have been rethinking their approach to men. Even beer companies, long the standard-bearers of traditional male attitudes, have noticed something different. Miller Brewing said that its research found that men were not content with the bikini-babe fraternity-party image of much beer advertising.
"Men are tired of being depicted as Neanderthals, as if they have no mental capacity and can't make choices," said Tom Bick, senior brand manager for the Miller trademark.
In his research, Bick has found that men are more able to express their feelings and more willing to see women as people rather than party accessories.
As a result of this research, Miller has reworked its new television commercials, which focus on Miller's beer as an intelligent alternative to other beers and portray its drinkers as people who stand apart from the crowd. In one ad for Miller Lite that started during the winter, people in a long line fall into one another like dominoes until one person steps out of the line and orders a Miller."

+ TV spots find new home on the web. From the article:

The 30-second television spot, the viability of which some have said is threatened by ad-skipping machines like TiVo and its ilk, could live on in another form: as Web advertising.
Introduced in January by Manhattan-based online ad solutions provider Unicast, the full-screen video commercial has enjoyed a successful launch and could provide a way for marketers to use TV resources to strengthen their online presence, the company said.
The ads work by loading imperceptibly when a user first visits a site that employs the format. Once the 2-megabyte file is fully loaded, it begins playing the next time the user clicks a link within the same site. The full-screen ads run at 30 frames per second, the same picture quality you'd find on TV, and they include a button to close the ad if you'd rather not watch.
It was important to give users the same control over Web ads that they have while watching TV, when they can skip uninteresting ads by changing the channel, or in print, when they can turn the page, said Allie Savarino, Unicast's senior vice president. Moreover, because the format loads in the background, it allows both dial-up and broadband users to view the ads, she said.

This new technique will still face many challenges, especially if it is implimented in the same way pop-up ads have been. There's a large difference between being forced static banners (or animated banners) on a page, and being forced to watch 30 second spots when you're not interested. Especially on the web, when many people are surfing for specific information and are easily pissed off with being force-fed ad messages.

+ Trojan's new ads in the UK rip off Coco De Mer's Ads from 2001. Tsk tsk.

One cup of coffee down

+ A beauty company is finally listening to it's customers- women. Tired of being bombarded by stick-skinny models, women have spoken out in a survey in which "Dove found 83% of women were concerned that models in beauty adverts did not actually use the products they were promoting. Over half wanted more curvy women in adverts and 56% said they felt better about themselves when they saw adverts featuring women with figures similar to their own."
This new ad campaign, which breaks today in London, features billboards showing a curvaceous woman in white underwear and the line: "New Dove Firming. As tested on real curves."
From ananova.com:

Dove's new ad campaign for Dove Firming moisturiser was "designed to celebrate real women and boost their body confidence."
Women of different shapes and sizes are pictured in their underwear for the Dove Firming advertising - and the company says the images have not been retouched in any way.
Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopolous, an expert in women's body attitudes, said: "Women are constantly bombarded with images of often unrealistic and unattainable perfection. When the girl in the mirror doesn't look like the girl in the magazine or on the TV, it's not surprising that women's self esteem can be affected.
"It's great that companies like Dove are starting to listen to real women's concerns and talking to them about feeling good rather than performing miracles or selling the beauty myth."

It's about time for a campaign like this, and on this large of a scale, after decades of women being shown unrealistic airbrushed images of women. It's great that a company, especially a beauty company, is finally listening.

+ An advertising platform in the shape of a giant telly set is being built on one of Guam's busiest street corners. May 1st, the giant tv will start airing high-resolution, full-motion video advertisements. The set is 9 feet tall and 12 feet wide.

+ A not so short, but not too long article about The Martin Agency. Interesting to see how they've weathered, or attempted to weather, through stormy times.

+ From Adage.com:
The Asia-Pacific Advertising Festival ended a 3-day event last week with a total of 160 awards given out in the film, print, outdoor/poster, best of show and special recognition categories.
"AP AdFest's biggest winner this year was Omnicom Group's TBWA Worldwide with 13 awards, ranging from network of the year to best of show for both print and outdoor. Havas' Euro RSCG flagship in Bangkok won the best of show for film for its work for Soken Electronics of Bangkok, a marketer of DVD players.
The Asian city that was home to the most awarded agencies this year was Singapore, particularly in the print and outdoor categories -- a total of 53 awards. Thirteen awards went to agencies in Tokyo. The best of show print winner, for example, drew inspiration from global news coverage of the war in Iraq to market collectable action figures for Singapore's Sphere Action Figures. The campaign was titled "As Real As It Gets." "

View the winners for Best of Film, Best Direction and Best of Editing here.

+ Sky+ uses celebs in their new campaign. From Brand Republic:

HHCL/Red Cell has extended its 'odd couple' advertising campaign for the Sky+ personal video recorder with a new pairing that has brought together 'EastEnders'' Mike Reid and 'Baywatch' legend David Hasselhoff.
In the new ad Hasselhoff and Reid live together in a chintz-laden suburban home. The ad opens with Hasselhoff reaching the end of the book he is reading, 'Animal Husbandry for the Small Holder'. He tends his baby yukka plant and turns to Reid, who is blowing up a pink gym ball, and asks him "Can you milk a pig?".
Reid then suggests that they see what's new on Sky+ and Hasselhoff is surprised because he does not think they watch enough television to warrant having Sky. Reid replies "Talk to the hand" and explains that the service allows them to cherry-pick their favourite programmes and watch them whenever they want.
This works for Hasselhoff: "So I can watch late night telly in the morning with my cornflakes!", which brings the rejoinder "Cornflakes and pig's milk" from Reid.

And then there's this from the mad.co.uk weekender: "The TV push marks the latest in a series of celebrity "odd couple" slots to promote Sky+, which have seen Alice Cooper living with Ronnie Corbett, Bruce Forsyth shacking up with Kelly Brook and Noddy Holder sharing a pad with Simon Callow. Yet this latest unlikely pair is undoubtedly the funniest of all."
I'm curious to see these spots but have yet to find them online.

+ Every week day in April Corbis will be giving away an Apple G5! More info on this here. Very cool! (Hat tip to Tracy.)

+ The art of the fruit crate label. Very cool shizzle. (via memepool & Clay.)

+ If you like fonts, check out this swell site full of typographic illustration set to music. (Detective credit to Dab.)

+ Flash back to childhood with Simon.

+ The Exorcist in 30 seconds, as reenacted by Bunnies. (HT to Clay.)

+ Adidas slug viral flick. (Via Dab.)

+ If you like colors, this site could be for you. Colors are sorted in groups to help in great design. (Hat tip Dab.)

Around the ad world

+ State of advertising in Vietnam. Exerpt from the article:

The fledgling domestic advertising industry is losing out to foreign companies because of poor professional standards, high corporate income tax and cumbersome administrative policies, an official from the Viet Nam Trade Fair and Advertising Company has warned.
Hoang Hai Au, director of the Hoang Gia Market Solutions Joint-Stock Company, said the 20 foreign companies operating in Viet Nam held 80 percent of the market. Viet Nam?s 1,000 domestic advertising companies take home just 10-20 percent of the industry?s? 1 billion USD in annual revenue.
Au said foreign companies had the monopoly on the more lucrative full service advertising contracts. No domestic company had signed a full service contract. However foreign ad companies often sub-contracted parts of the full service deals out to domestic firms.
"Poor professional standards in the domestic industry are hindering the development of the entire industry," Au said.
?"There is no school specialising in advertising in Viet Nam. Advertising companies have to train their employees themselves. So I think domestic companies dare not sign full service contracts."

+Improving commuting in Taipei City? From the article:

Taipei City bus riders may have noticed something different in their daily commutes. Now, instead of staring blankly out the window, they can stare blankly at commercials playing on color LCD monitors being installed on city buses.
The project is a partnership between the Taipei City Government, four transportation companies contracted to operate buses for the city and Acer Corporation, which manufactures the monitors and hardware used to run them. A pair of 17-inch flat-panel displays have already been installed in around 1,300 buses and plans call for an additional 2,400 buses to be outfitted....
The 60-second spot won last year's London International Advertising Award for best commercial. Filmed in an Aboriginal village near Alishan, the commercial silently tells a story of a Western traveler who meets a beautiful Aboriginal girl in the wilderness. Unable to speak the other's language, they communicate by drawing pictures using his trusty TravelMate. Yeh Jin-tien, who earned an Oscar for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon designed the costumes for the beautifully filmed ad. Another Acer ad showing on a different route is less well-done; it's a PowerPoint presentation on the company's corporate strategy and global market share.

+Orange Juice makers take on Atkin's Diet/Low Carb Fad. Finally. It's nice to see that someone isn't kowtowing to this annoying fad.

Coming in like a lion

+ A slogan that sells? Uniquely Singapore. That's the tagline of a new campaign for Singapore tourism. "It's a catchy name. We think people will like it," says Mr Ken Low, director of brand management at the Singapore Tourism Board, which unveiled the country's latest marketing tagline last night. "It neatly encapsulates the Singapore experience - we are unique. Two words that express so much," he adds. But others aren't as impressed with the tagline. Mr David Ketchum, chief executive officer of branding firm Upstream Asia, says: "They should not be a slogan of words that you put on promotional literature. When the campaign is executed, it'd better explain to me why Singapore is unique." He adds: "Uniquely Singapore stops halfway. It sounds more like a description."

+ Coors in trouble for health claims. "A leading brewer has come under fire from the advertising watchdog after claiming beer is good for you, and blaming beer bellies on "late-night kebabs and curries".
The Food Commission complained to the Advertising Standards Authority after Coors, the company behind Carling lager, claimed beer drinkers could enjoy a series of health benefits - including protection against heart disease and reduced blood pressure.
In a four-page magazine insert, Coors also claimed beer was an "excellent source of vitamins, especially B vitamins, and minerals such as magnesium and potassium", and compared the fat and calorie content of foods such as eggs, tuna and oranges with those of beer."

+ Coke ad at night...uh oh... - "Alexander Lavrynov, a spacecraft designer, has devised a way to get ads placed in space, which could be seen from Earth.
"Space commercials could embrace huge areas and a colossal number of consumers," he said. "This would literally be intercontinental coverage."
He said the satellites would be visible in the night sky by employing sunlight reflectors, with multiple satellites linked together to create a message large enough to be seen.
"People would be able to see writing in the skies from the Earth no worse than they see the stars," he said." Is this guy serious? There's no way that any one would let this fly. People complain about billboards ruining the scenery, and in the sky, well, it would be that much worse. Ads in the night sky really isn't necessary. Exploiting the view of the cosmos is a horrid idea. Let's hope this never flies.

+ Selling milk and patriotism in Hong Kong

There is a faint whiff of cheesiness to the whole production. Mainland companies have yet to master the art of advertising, and in a city where Ralph Lauren, Bang Olufsen and Apple compete for consumers' attention, they are bound to lag in the cool-looking ad stakes. (There is also, of course, a limit to the inherent sexiness of milk.)
What makes Mengniu's subway campaign eye-catching, however, is not its unsophisticated air but its overt appeal to Hong Kongers' sense of patriotism. "Mengniu Milk," the ad proclaims in bold Chinese characters, "Strong Chinese People." The astronaut motif is clearly an attempt to cash in on the fame of Yang Liwei, the astronaut who triggered a nationwide patriotic frenzy last October when he became China's first man in space. Just in case one misses the association, the ad proudly declares Mengniu to be the "special milk for China's astronauts."
The ads appear just as Hong Kong is wrestling with the whole concept of patriotism. Recent weeks have seen a war of words between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy figures over what "patriotism" means and over who qualifies to be a "patriot."

+ Different kind of outdoor poster. Flashes as you drive past. Might be a bit distracting. (hat tip Dab.)

Bernardos goes viral

Barnardo's has launched a viral marketing campaign persuading people to run marathons and raise cash for the charity.
 
The humorous email campaign was sent to the charity's 5,000 employees and will coincide with banner ads on Realrunner.com. The email and the banner advert both link to a video clip on the Barnardo's website. The clip features runners in fancy dress at a local gym, with the message that no matter where you run or what you wear, Barnardo's will turn miles into smiles for today's most disadvantaged children. Carolyn Rich, new-media manager at Barnardo's, said: "A viral campaign is the most cost effective and direct way to target fundraisers and to drive visitors to our website. "We are really excited about the new campaign and feel confident that its quirkiness and humour will get people emailing and talking about the charity, inspiring people to run for us." The campaign was devised by Bartle Bogle Hegarty in conjunction with digital agency Dare.

Advertisers verses Ad Agencies

Advertisers fear "cartel" with ad agencies in Australia."Moves by the Advertising Federation of Australia to apply a "pitching policy" to advertisers seeking new ad agencies have been met with outrage by the advertisers' representative body, the Australian Association of National Advertisers, and concern by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission." This policy would make a lot of sense. It will be interesting to see how it ends up. The research I did for the article showed that there were quite a few prior events to lead up to this.

Ad news to shake like a polaroid picture

• Nokia's N-Gage ads, created by Grey Advertising have been banned by Britain's ad watchdog, the ASA, because they could be seen to encourage sexual violence towards women. Read all about it on Adland.

• Polaroid gets OutKast to shake it like a Polaroid picture on stage. "Recognizing the opportunity, Polaroid's advertising company, Euro RSCG MBVMA partners, brokered a deal with OutKast to carry the cameras onstage during performances. They held the cameras at the Grammy Awards, New Year's Eve performances, on "Saturday Night Live'' and at the Vibe Awards on Viacom's UPN." This type of product placement isn't new either. More from the article:

Companies first realized the benefit of such "product placement'' in 1982 when Reese's Pieces were eaten by the orphan alien in "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,'' one of the top-grossing movies of all time.
Hershey, which paid nothing for the appearance, saw a 65 percent spike in sales of the candy.
Since then, companies have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases to get their products in movies and songs.
Apple Computer created a staff position to accomplish that sole purpose. Its computers have appeared in more than 1,500 television shows and movies.
The hit television series "Seinfeld'' did wonders for an array of foods, from Snapple to Pez to Junior Mints, by incorporating the products into story lines. Snapple has a contract with a product-placement agency that searches out such opportunities.
"We've become reliant on it as part of our marketing mix,'' said Steve Jarmon, a Snapple spokesman.
The practice has become so frequent that the advocacy group Commercial Alert filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission last year to complain about the rising tide of subliminal advertising.
"It's inherently deceptive because people don't realize they're watching ads,'' said Gary Ruskin, the group's executive director. "They're basically turning television into an infomercial medium.''

If you want more information on brands mentioned in songs, check out American Brandstand for charts and more.

• Icelandair, among others, get in line to advertise at and be sponsors at the Gay Life & Wedding Expo in Washington. "Sproul of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com thinks revenue potential will eventually soften social resistance. Looking forward to the legalization of same-sex weddings in Massachusetts, scheduled for May 17, she said, "Once the money comes, it's going to change people's outlook.""

• Che Guevara famous photo and copyright infringement-

Diaz Gutierrez, better known as Korda and the photographer who took the famous picture, rarely enforced his rights over the picture, explaining that if used for "social justice" it was better to let the symbol grow unfettered.
In 2000, Diaz Gutierrez successfully sued a British advertising agency for $50,000 in damages after it used the Che image in a campaign for "spicy" Smirnoff vodka, replacing the traditional hammer and sickle with a hammer and red chili pepper.
Diaz Lopez, Gutierrez's eldest daughter, said she has contacted firms in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Germany to get them to seek licenses to use the image. In Cuba, she is represented by an agency that protects visual artists' copyrights.
Some seem to have gotten the message. Diaz Lopez said she declined a request from the producers of the last James Bond movie, Die Another Day, who wanted to use the image in a scene in which Che's single starred beret would have concealed a button to open a secret room.

So remember, if you're using someone's picture, get permission. Avoid lawsuits. I'm not sure why the Reporters without Borders seems to think that they can do whatever they want with the photograph. Seems like hubris. Even if you're a non-profit...you should still ask if it's okay with the person who retains the rights to the image.

• P&G spins "connect and develop" throughout their brands.

...But they're the newest examples of P&G's strategy to spread its technologies all over the company. That lowers engineering and research costs and gives P&G a steady stream of new products.
In Procter-speak, it's called "connect and develop."
In a company that has boasted for more than a century of its powers of innovation, this is the newest form. Under chairman and chief executive A.G. Lafley, P&G has spread human tooth-care technology to animals with Iams pet food, food-wrap technology to teeth with Crest Whitestrips, and laundry technology to hair with Clairol color.
The goal is simple: To add revenue, satisfying the demands of Wall Street investors for top-line growth and setting the stage for healthier profits and stock prices.

It does makes sense. Although it's a bit weird at the same time. I wonder if they try to come up with inventions that will only be able to work across multiple brands. Hmm.

• An interesting article on the cell phone biz. Can Cingular and T-Mobile keep up with Verizon?

Survey results may also be influenced by Verizon's "Can you hear me now?" advertising campaign, which started in early 2002.
"If you say often enough that you have the best network and the highest quality network, ultimately people accept that even if there are quality concerns," said Stan Richards, principal of the Richards Group Inc. Industry analysts say the marketing appears to be working because Verizon is gaining more customers even though its rates are higher than those of rivals such as T-Mobile, Sprint PCS and AT&T Wireless.
For instance, a $40-a-month national Verizon Wireless plan includes 400 anytime minutes. AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile give 600 minutes for the same price. Sprint offers 500 minutes for $45. But in 2003, Verizon added 5 million customers to the three rivals' combined 5.4 million.

So, does this mean that the advertising for Verizon works? If the prices are higher, are consumers attracted to the company because of the ads claiming better reception? It's just might be possible. ;-)

• Club 18-30 tries to shed "sex and sangria" image. "In the past, Club 18-30 has emphasised, rather than concealed, its downmarket image, commissioning a series of smutty advertisements that left very little to the imagination.
James Griffiths, the account director for Club 18-30 at Saatchi and Saatchi, said: "There are plans to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the brand and to make changes. I doubt we will become Club 18-40, but the review is only just getting under way. There have obviously been difficulties over the past year and we are having to review the future of the brand. We are trying to appeal to a wider market.""

• When the Intern Needs a Crash Course in Life- an article from the NYTimes (free signup required) on the mistakes of interns. A must read to avoid pitfalls and mistakes if you're looking for an internship in any field.

Ooh la la

Elle MacPherson is too risque for her ad- A press ad for lingerie brand Elle Macpherson Intimates, named one of Campaign's best, which appears to show a woman "enjoying herself" (*ahem*), has been scrapped after proving too risque for the advertising watchdog. The ad ran in Vogue, and they say they have received no complaints about the ad.

Came across this very interesting article about Creativity in China. Check it out. The article has images of ads too! :)

Out there in the ether

French equivalent of Adland's Badland is Joelapompe. Check it out. Very cool.

Trying to identify a font? Check out Identifont.

"People have forgotten that the best tool for selling a product is the product itself," says CP+B president Jeff Hicks. A short and interesting article on CP+B from Fast Company.

MSN heads to Cannes for a second year. From the Brand Republic article:

MSN will position giant Connect Four games at the Cannes Lions Festival to add even more friendly rivalry to the International Advertising Festival.
The giant games tie in to MSN's overall theme of 'Create a Connection' -- encouraging creatives to get connected to their consumers in the digital decade.
MSN aims to inspire creatives to review the way they target consumers -- bearing in mind the changing patterns of media consumption, proliferation of technology and changing consumer behaviour. These social changes present huge challenges for both advertisers and media owners like MSN, so they aim to present a vision at Cannes of how technology and consumer behaviour will evolve, the challenges ahead for both advertisers and for the digital marketing sector and most importantly the opportunities in embracing digital marketing to deliver campaigns to today's consumers.

Prepare for the games and play connect four online.

"Scorching Girls" is the latest Virgin Mobile ad campaign which spoofs "both East End gangster flicks and chicks-with-guns videos" in attempt to drive consumers to check out their latest deals. Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R created the ad which can only be seen/viewed online.

It begins showing a gangster pacing menacingly around a scrapyard. He is then seen taping his "victim" up with gaffer tape to the window of a wrecked car. It is only after this that the victim is revealed to be an old mobile phone. The gangster gives the signal to three bikini-clad henchwomen who use a flamethrower to torch the phone. The ad ends with a rich Cockney voiceover telling viewers: "With our great deals you might want your mobile to have a little accident".
James Kydd, brand director for Virgin Mobile, said: "Continuing our successful series of online viral campaigns with DMC, this time a spoof ad is being used to convey our brand's renowned quirky sense of humour. "The ad will be available exclusively online. It aims to generate buzz, raise awareness and entertain culture-driving, technology-savvy users who are early adopters of viral material."

It's interesting to see how viral marketing is really catching on pretty quickly. I find it very interesting. Especially the ads that are used only as virals verses the ads that are used as virals and in tradional media as well.

Diesel embraces treehugging. Revolution Magazine has the news on a new online campaign created by Airlock, which ties in the concept of treehugging brand Diesel's 'Love nature while it lasts' campaign.

Online communications agency Airlock created the campaign, which uses traditional banners, three-dimensional ads, along with a new DHTML format the "See-Through", which allows users to reveal a hidden image from the advertising campaign via a pair of binoculars. The advertising is set in a Garden of Eden, with young, attractive models getting back to nature in rather intimate ways. The online creative is based on the offline campaign, created by Diesel's advertising agency KesselsKramer. The "Love nature while it lasts" campaign will run in 18 countries worldwide, including on Vogue.co.uk and Xlr8r.com.

Unfortunately, these are online units which block the content on the page. I think they are interesting from a creative point-of-view, but from a consumer stand point they make me annoyed.

Volvo rides the tails of pop culture in their new ads for the S40 to reach their target. First they did a spoof in Europe of the "mystery of Dalaro", and a spoof within a spoof regarding Carlos Soto, the fake director of the mockumentary.
Now in the US, a mock-hip-hop video style ad featuring L.L. Cool J has hit the airwaves, along with another spot which is a cross-promo with XBOX. The first ad is directed by music video director Dave Meyers, and veatures the music of Dilated Peoples. L.L. is used as a spokesman and says "When it
starts showing up in music videos, don't let the style and flavor mess with your mind. It's still built like a Volvo."
The second ad is video from the new, not-yet-released video game Rallisport Challenge 2 by XBOX. It features music from Atlas Plug titled "2 Days or Die" composed/produced by Tom Salta. Music clip of the song featured in the ad can be listened to here.
TheAutoChannel.com has an article that devels into the campaign as a whole.

The marketing campaign is multi-faceted, covering television, movie theaters, magazines, billboards, the Internet, direct mail, partnerships with Virgin Megastores and Bloomingdale's, and even video games. The television aspect of the campaign will focus on national cable stations such as Comedy Central, E!, ESPN, The Learning Channel and VH1. It will also include TV ads in Volvo's top 20 markets on prime time shows such as CSI, Friends, Alias, Third Watch, ED and Will & Grace. In May, at the start of summer, ads will also be seen in movie theaters across the nation.
Magazines are an important part of the print launch strategy. Ads will appear in publications that are essential to young and diverse audiences, with genres that reflect lifestyles, entertainment, pop culture, sports and technology. Those magazines include, among others, Details, Entertainment Weekly, In Style, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair and Wired.
The Volvo web presence started in September of last year and the online media campaign began in January with a "Four Friends, For Life" promotion where people can sign up to win an all-new Volvo S40 and trip for themselves and three friends to their fantasy destination. The online advertising media placements are the first of their kind in the automotive industry, with advertising designed to reach the all-new Volvo S40 target consumer, not just on automotive sites, but also where they are spending time online -- on travel sites, social sites, such as Friendster and Match.com, and other special interest sites, like Daily Candy, Time Out and Atom Films. A DVD mailer to 500,000 potential customers supplements the online campaign. The interactive DVD features product highlights, an exclusive "behind the scenes" video of the filming of the all-new Volvo S40 music video, and previews of other all-new Volvo S40 launch activities.
VCNA has also started a relationship with Virgin Megastores and are offering day and nighttime drive sessions, coupled with live performances by the hot new recording artist Gavin DeGraw -- an industry first. One lucky participant will win a trip with their friends to the EuroRock concert on Virgin Atlantic, backstage passes and an all-new Volvo S40.
And Bloomingdale's customers will have a chance to win an all-new Volvo S40 through a sweepstakes designed around the ultimate weekend getaway with friends -- along with high-end premiums designed to make those getaways unforgettable. The all-new Volvo S40 will be on display in Bloomingdale's stores around the United States starting March 11.

Why such a big campaign?
"It's not enough to just reach people with a campaign," says Thomas Andersson, VCNA Executive Vice President, Marketing. "We want to go beyond that and touch and move people as well. "The campaign is surprising, refreshing and cool, yet reassuringly Volvo at the same time. The tone we are using is youthful and confident, but not arrogant. With this campaign we will show that Volvo can be sexy and fun."
Adweek.com reports that "the scenarios were selected because they were two areas of pop culture that fetishized cars the most, said Kevin Roddy, executive creative director and partner at the New York agency. RalliSport game developers created footage for the video game commercial, and music video director Dave Meyers directed the music video-style spot. The latter was shot in Barcelona, Spain, and features music from hip-hop group Dilated Peoples. Ernest Lupinacci served as art director and copywriter on the campaign."

UPDATE: I found the the latest Antoine Bardou-Jacquet ad for Ford Fiesta here. Link found at The Mill. I'd love to find another version of the ad though as this one doesn't appear to have the audio mixed in yet.