Are you proud of your brand?

I caught part of the Gay Pride parade on 5th Ave yesterday and was pleased to see several big brands working the crowd.

Google handed out these fans promoting their dedicated job site, but I have to admit that “gayglers” made me giggle.

My favorite giveaway of the day was the W hotels branded condoms.

"Let's check in and use it right now!"

Cruising the currency exchange

Despite what that McDonald’s Dollar Menunaire commercial tells you, the dollar isn't strong. But it seems Norwegian Cruise Line isn’t quite sure where it stands on exchange rates.

The dollar is weak. No, the dollar is strong.

And here are the other ads in the campaign. I like the map illustrations.





I've seen these ads in Grand Central Station and a few subway stops.

I'm ready for vacation and/or a cold one

More gorgeous beach shots and odd, little headlines from Corona’s Relax Responsibly campaign.

Nada, except for a lime?

We have liftoff

Nice addition to the campaign for When We Left Earth.

1. Place your face in the cutout hole
2. Have someone you trust take your picture.
3. Transmit images to friends and family.
4. Wait for them to hold ticker tape parade.

Good use of the old "send a cell phone pic of this ad to a friend" thing. And extra credit for placing it a block from the Empire State Building. As I walked past, several tourist lined up for shots.

Has swinging gone mainstream?

I saw two episodes of Swingtown over the weekend. Pretty good show.
And then there's this:

On an unrelated note, here's another execution from the campaign:

Unless your mind is still in the gutter, then three cherries is an orgy.
Jackpot!

Does this mean I’ve hit the big time?

Someone thinks AskACopywriter.com is worth ripping off.
They set up shop peddling a "life-saving natural supplement" called NeuroBoost at ask-a-copywriter.com

Disclaimer: Reading about NeuroBoost may enhance "headaches, pain, dizziness, depression and memory loss."

Could you even pay an agency to do this?

Locally produced ads are historically bad. And many have spread online for exactly that reason.

But the folks at Vern Fonk Insurance know exactly what they’re doing.
You can check out their spoofs of movies, ads and music videos on their YouTube channel.

Is there a title belt for most superlative headline?

If ever there was an excuse to go over the top, it’s writing in the voice of Don King. The microsite nails it.

What if you don’t like brands using your art form?

Just use another brand to make your point.

Spotted this VW themed response to Vespa’s street art campaign at Wooster Collective.

Ready for take off? Almost, but not quite.

The Discovery Channel is using some cool photographs to promote their new show "When we left earth."



But I didn't think much of these subway ads, until I looked up.

It would have been cool to make all the windows look like a space scene. Why not? We’ve seen a train car turned into a tiki bar.

What is a lenticular?

Do you remember those old TV-shaped pencil sharpeners with the picture that moved when you wiggled it around?

Well, that's a lenticular. And they've come a long way, as you can see it this Crystal Light bus shelter ad:

Nothing says Brooklyn like cardboard

IKEA has a box theme going on to promote its latest store opening:

It's a bit easier to read the copy in this shot:

And as you can see here, it's real cardboard inside the bus shelter:

And this giant box appeared in Union Square last week:

It was gone Monday and may or may not (sorry, I’m too busy to figure it out) be related to their online game that requires you to find hidden boxes and text a code to win a shopping spree.


They had an artist build big replicas of New York landmarks out of real boxes too.

Do you enjoy thinking about marketing as much as I do?

I don't just mean creating it, but pondering its role in society.
Either way, you should read “Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are.”
Last Wednesday, I met the author, Rob Walker at a reading hosted by Frog Design and finished reading the book over the weekend.

In it, he deconstructs how individuals shape and interact with branding, but also points out that the prevailing notion that the consumer is now in control isn’t quite accurate.
The dust jacket does a better job of summing it up (which is, after all, its job) by describing the book as part marketing primer and part cultural anthropology.
And if you’re not already familiar, check out the archive of his New York Times Magazine “Consumed” column.

Do women eat anything besides yogurt?

Not according to this video about ads targeted to women:

American Copywriter also struck this vein of comedy gold back in #36 when they referred to Dannon Activia as “the girl pooping yogurt.”

Would you drink The Great Not-so-American Lager?

Belgium-based InBev has made a $46 billion offer for Anheuser-Busch.
via Brand Republic

Will you still marry me?

I’m getting married in August, so this bus shelter for We TV’s Bridezillas made me realize what an amazing job my fiancée is doing handling the stress of planning a wedding.

I don't think they meant it to be interactive

But that didn't stop someone from commenting on this NYC 311 ad:

Are they fooling themselves or just consumers?

This ad for Fiji water is so bad, it actually looks embarrassed to be part of this green-washing campaign.

Rob Walker of Murketing.com did a nice job of covering Fiji’s repositioning in this article in The New York Times Magazine.

Unfortunately, the tactic of trying to make bottled water seem green isn’t new.

Refreshingly simple

The clean layout and solid headlines in these Nestea ads are working for me.

I haven't felt this way since Jessica Rabbit

I may have a bit of a crush on the girl from the Colt 45 poster.

Does good design work every time?

It’s not easy to make an ad that looks good enough to hang on your wall. But these take one posters for TheTalesOfColt45.com pull it off.



Check out copyranter’s take on their shift from homeless to hipster at Animal.