Cupcakes and bunny slippers
Motorized pink bunny slippers and an all-electric cupcake. Adorably delicious.
Motorized pink bunny slippers and an all-electric cupcake. Adorably delicious.
The annual Masturbate-a-thon took place in San Francisco this weekend. The event invited attendees to "come for a good cause". People were allowed to sign up as participants (both at the event or from home) or spectators and there was a contest for longest ejaculation. Pledges to sponsor were placed for every minute or every orgasm that went on. Here's hoping you attended in spirit.
Girls and Corpses magazine. At least your 'pretty girls always date chumps' theory is partially proven now.
[In LA for the next few days, hence the low calorie posting week]
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Glitter is obviously out with the old, as there are new ways to distract men's attention to shiny things. Though these LED-like miniskirts and push-ups raise heads up from Blackberries, they come at a price ($124 for the skirt, to be exact). The GloFur collection by David Lee appears to have a narrow audience, as only rave kids and girls with 'Princess' bumper stickers are allowed such fashion leniencies. The collection also features garments for guys. Gizmodo says the promotional video is slightly nsfw, but the only thing we could find "not suitable" is incredible lameness.
A recent campaign went mobile for mammaries by utilizing text messaging as a call to action. The lingerie company, Bravissimo, is known for intimates for "big boobed women". Reciting the alphabet from D to double-J, TV spots with unique text messaging IDs had the most response. Apparently, 45% of total responses to the big boobed campaign came from text. The article fails to mention how much of the 45% were confused males expecting late night tits-n-texting action.
Similar to the recent Elave "we have nothing to hide" campaign, a new campaign of the political nature takes a bold turn to getting your attention. Supposedly, a Belgian NEE party senate candidate, Tania Derveaux, wanted to make job opportunity promises she could keep, unlike her opponents. Posing nude with bold copywriting that we can only hope wasn't posted near any major traffic intersections, Tania promised to "give you 40,000 blowjobs". Tania proved her smarts in time management as well, calculating that it would take 500 days at 80 BJs a day to complete the task. Adrants reports, "the goal is to detract enough votes from legitimate candidates, assigning them to empty parliament seats which takes money and power away from parties and turns the power to the people who can sanction other politicians."
Taking note of a commenter's tip, it appears this might in fact be a promotion for a movie directed by Tania, called IP (more info at movieLOL.org). The commenter also signed up to be one of the lucky 40,000 and received a video note back, not from Tania, but from her innocent-looking, cute Asian girl "assistant". The slightly NSFW video involves the assistant giving "air head" for six minutes in tongue-slurping detail, with an occasional political reference here or there. By the end of it, I completely forgot what I was working on... oh right, a blog post about... advertising?
The Wall Street Journal did an article about the group I work in at VML, highlighting our clients Sprint and Adidas. View the PDF of the article.
Now more than the person on the other end of the phone line can be turned on by your late night heavy breathing sessions. A new experiment/invention allows your phone to be charged via USB. Constructed from an old CD-ROM drive, a basic electronic circuit, and a few rubber bands, the device straps around your chest to provide power. Engadget wasn't geek-chic enough to wear it around all day, but it couldn't possibly look much worse than the belt-clipped Treos and Bluetooth-powered headsets we see people walking around with in public.
While most of us are still feeling withdrawals from Project Runway, the stars of the show are busy strutting around shows. The lovely Tim Gunn hosted a fashion show at Grand Central Station yesterday around noon. Similar to the grocery-garment challenge from season one of PR, the show was a promotion for Wish-Bone featuring "Summer Salad" fashions. Pictures are yet to be posted, but from the looks of the website, the carrot top hats and lettuce leaf skirts seem straight out of a Bugs Bunny scene.
Previously:
Ex-PR star Michael Knight teams up with Starbucks
PR winner Jay McCarroll teams up with McDonald's
A line of skin-care products bares all (and we mean all) to prove they have nothing to hide. Unlike the majority of advertising that only offers a peep show tease, these commercials for Elave (NSFW!) offer the full experience. Trimmed, shaved, hung, and even pregnant, the product is the last item keeping our attention. To view the commercial, click on the projector. Though quite the eye-catching campaign, advertising has a hard enough time keeping our attention span on the product without parading penises and pussies everywhere. Not too sure if this is an effective approach... Then again, what does it matter?
Bonus NSFW! video stills (sans pink censored starbursts)
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Offering more than your average complimentary breakfast and shampoos, a hotel offers luxury by going l33t. The Tomo gaming hotel boasts large LCDs, iPod docking stations and two "gaming suites" complete with PS3/Wii beanbags and a six foot tall projection screen. Of course, what gaming room would be complete without a mini fridge and microwave? The coffee for an all-night 2-player may be free, but the mini fridge vodka will still cost you as much as a Wiimote. Wonder if there's a disclaimer about wrist straps in their insurance...
Probably best that they launched this after Easter. A not-so-adorable Flash game challenges you to save a cute bunny from going to hop-hop heaven. By shocking, shaving, and slicing him open, you have 60 seconds to save his life. That's only the length of the last disappointing Super Bowl commercial you saw! Then again, 60 seconds can drag on. The play-doctor game was created by 10mg interactive, that has a client roster including: Agency.com, JWT, Tribal DDB, BMW, Canon, Coca-Cola, Intel, and Sony Ericsson.
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Perhaps not first date attire, Transformer watches are wrapping around wrists in preparation for the Transformers movie debut. Although, fans know the original Transformers movie came out in 1986. Regardless, the 80s are back with this selection of retro Autobot and Decepticon wear. Seiko created eight new designs to launch on June 2. Though most geeks have ditched their watches for mobile phones, the Transformer Shield Watch may be hard to pass up.
Conde Nast, the global magazine publisher, kicked off a new campaign recently titled Point of Passion. The advertising features photos of an array of celebrities reading various Conde Nast publications, all with a somewhat forced expression of interest on their face. To lighten up their mood, Gawker had some cut-n-paste fun with copy. The photos included lines like "We'll never leave you for a hotter younger less pregnant subscriber" and "In space no one can hear you scream about our terrible layout". If only advertising was always this comforting.
Geeks are gaining more ground with social networking on the interweb, but are assimilating pop culture as well. Like the porn versus social communities graph from last month, nerds are on a course to surpass adult entertainment. Geek Sugar points to an anonymous Craigslister with a numbered list for why geeks should be on your radar for dating:
1. While geeks and nerds may be awkward, they’re well-meaning 9 out of 10 times. That smooth dude with the sly grin and the spider hands? Wonder what HIS intentions are... plus, I’ve never had a geek guy not call me when he said he would. Score major points THERE.
2. They’re useful. In this tech-savvy world, it’s great to have a b/f who can make your laptop, desktop, and just about anything else that plugs into a wall behave itself.
3. They’re more romantic than they’re given credit for. Ok true, their idea of romance might be to make up a spiffy web-page with all the reasons why they love you, with links to pics of you and sonnets and such... but hey. It lasts longer than flowers, plus you can show your friends.
4. Due to their neglected status, there are plenty to choose from. You like ‘em tall and slender? There are plenty of geeks/nerds who are. You like ‘em smaller with more meat on their bones? Got that too.
5. They’ve got brains. Come on now, how can intelligence be a bad thing?
It'd be interesting to see a list for reasons to date a geek girl. In more recent geeky goodness, Geek Prom 2007 was held on Saturday, more photos can be seen here. [Photo above courtesy of massdistraction]
[A weekly link post of skipped over (and slightly stale) sights and stories]
Wall hooks are hung. [Thanks, Greer!]
JetBlue employees look for suga mommas in leftover credit cards.
Goodby Silverstein & Partners create an interactive mural for the launch of Adobe CS3.
"The All-Sounds Catch Cubic Pillow is a sound-absorbing headrest that diverts all ambient sound directly to your ear, in case you're too lazy to undertake the strenuous effort of pushing the "Volume-up" arrow on the remote control."
Richard Branson pushes more puns with Flick Off, a campaign about conservation.
A new bra brings a whole new meaning to stuffing the ballot box. With hardcore "vote or die" campaigns, voting promotions have been needing something a bit more soft and feminine to the touch. Triumph, the lingerie brand known for previous projects like the bra that doubles as a shopping bag, has created a new bra contraption that doubles as a pseudo ballot box. It's reported that Triumph is trying to target women with the campaign, but the thought of cute Japanese girls with push-up voting bras scampering around probably triggers more sparks of the masculine kind.
Planning to place products in the hands of people, a new wave of vending machines may prove enticing for those short on pocket change. Vending company, Apex Corp., is in the process of creating vending machines that would give away free drinks (valued at $1 or less) in return for the user agreeing to watch a 30 second commercial spot first. Though the scheme may be genius in Apex's eyes, it seems to somewhat defeat the purpose of commercials. Typically, commercials are used as drivers to get the consumer to the point of purchase. What good does serving an ad to an already-thirsty vending machine customer do? At this point, vending machine food would be better off hiring the Berries and Cream guy to jump out after each purchase. At least then someone would be excited about the product.
Black is back and just in time for spring/summer. It might not be the latest fashion trend, but it's the most recent response to an energy saving tip from earlier this year. It was reported that an all white web page uses about 74 watts to display, while an all black page uses only 59 watts. Over the course of a year on Google, this could spare 750 megawatt-hours and $75,000. It's said that good design isn't just about how it looks, but how it works. Unfortunately, Blackle, Google's darkie cousin, may still have a mountain to climb by those standards, as white text on a black background is horrible for reading and at the time of this post, the website is giving a 503 white-backgrounded service error.
Asking if it's a reaction to "brandaslism", PSFK posts a photo of the latest anti-advertising campaign. Stickers are apparently being spotted around New York with the phrase "Corporate Vandals Not Welcome" on top of outdoor advertising. Advertising is often the culprit for most forms of culture pollution, as we've seen in the past. New York has been laying down advertising laws as of late, but they might not be coming soon enough to the advertisement vigilante.
Love or hate Twitter, it is easy to see how it's a valuable resource for real-time brand monitoring. Thousands of users simultaneously (and quite candidly) expressing their good and bad interactions with brands, products, and services. Companies should consider it a virtual focus group of sorts... Only, instead of locking housewives in a room for an hour and feeding them cookies and $50, this is an actively engaged, un-prompted group of thousands.
Perhaps one of the most commonly mentioned categories of brands on Twitter are airlines. Often times you find yourself stuck in an airport with nothing but a phone as your connection to the world. Luckily, Twitter is always available to listen to you vent. This was the case with me about a month ago, when I experienced the most horrid treatment by United/US Airways and "live-twittered" my absolute disgust with them:
-I cant remember the last time i was on a flight that wasnt delayed. Not cool.
-Twitter is my only friend to vent to when im stuck in annoying airport lines.
-Brands should monitor twitter for real time feedback. Us airways would know how much i hate them now.
-I am seriously on the verge of crying. My flight was bumped again due to them accidentally not booking it correctly.
-Then I was yelled at by a United employee for saying it was booked last night even though I kept trying to reassure him I wasn't mad at him
-United and US Airways, go fuck yourselves, seriously... If you make your customer on the verge of crying when she's trying to calm YOU down
-United: "This was booked on a computer, are you familiar with the unreliability of computers?"
- Me: "I work with computers, and no, that's not a valid excuse" Airlines should not be allowed to make the same bullshit excuses as Kinko's.
Anyway, back to Delta. I applaud them for making this brave move (if it is in fact them - Twitter is also known for a ton of fake humor accounts). You can see how easy it is to vent about brands on Twitter, as I don't normally talk about myself on SWBU, but felt compelled to discuss this. It's good to know someone is listening and open to interacting in a medium that is known for constant airline complaints. Other brands should take notice - even if they're too hesitant to participate, they should utilize it as a free form of active listening.
To the disappointment of many and the low expectations of many more, there was no announcement on the hope of an up and coming Google phone. Probably a smart move on Google's behalf to not announce major advancements only to get a few weeks of publicity before the iPhone release pwns all. Though having an iPhone in your pocket may free up the need for stuffing your lower garments with socks, the Google phone may pleasure us with more girth. From a bird's eye view, Apple appears to take the 'size matters' approach, by packing the iPhone with a multitude of features (of course, with the exception for not accepting reservations for "parties of three"). Admittedly unconfirmed, Google may have an edge on Apple's core phone philosophy by having less size, but more girth by simply allowing users to explore outside of a tightly wound brand.
Neatorama points to a collection of old advertising of the creepy nature. Like a passive-aggressive pervert, advertising gropes you with their politically incorrect piece to grab your attention. Nothing like an ad of a pig slicing itself up to make you feel like a... well, pig, for participating in 'the devil's work'. Some of the ads are more humorous, than horrific. Though, it will be interesting to see which campaigns make the creep list in the future. Subservient chicken and/or God of War goat, anyone?
Putting out bad vibrations, a sex toy is being blacklisted from the island country of Cyprus. The Love Bug 2, a remote controlled vibrator with a 6 meter range, has been labeled as a threat and disruption to military systems.
"...the Love Bug 2 has been banned because the Cypriot military is concerned its electronic waves would disrupt the army's radio frequencies."
The Love Bug 2 continues to be available in Cyprus, but the warning has been made. Airlines may want to issue similar warnings, as there's little else for us to occupy ourselves with on those international flights.
[Thanks, Hugh!]
Glammed up with glitter, outfits that utilize nanotechnology could help keep the doctor away. Gracing the runway and coated with nanoparticles, the fashion fabric can supposedly warn off the flu, smog, pollution, stains and bacteria. Leaving the "Glitterati" collection to the geeks, Gizmodo explains the process:
"The dress' top part fabric was made by dipping positively charged cotton into negatively charged silver nanoparticles, which is the stuff that repels stains and has antibacterial qualities. The jacket includes a hood, sleeves and pockets with fabric treated with negatively charged palladium crystals, which apparently can oxidize smog and help against allergies and contamination."
Perhaps considered fashion forward by some, the outfits mimic hybrids: good for the environment, not so much the aesthetic.
Intimate interaction is no longer reserved for avatars and vibrators. Jennifer Chowdhury introduces a new way to be playful with your partner's privates by placing game controllers in intimate apparel. The Intimate Game Controllers were created in attempt to bring gamers and girlfriends together in a touch-sensitive way. Chowdhury's research began with a bra padded for Pong, where groping a right or left breast controlled the game.
"The woman's controller is a bra with 6 sensors. The man's controller has 6 sensors as well but in a pair of shorts. Man stands being woman and each has access to others sensors."
Wmmna also directs us to the similar Pong Dress, aimed to "dissolute the boundaries between body and screen." Here's hoping your boyfriend doesn't treat your cleavage controllers like a game of Whac-A-Mole.
IKEA shares their bed with you by sensing your position. Using an interactive projection of a sleeping man (or couple) on a mattress, he kindly rolls over when you approach to try it out yourself. Perhaps it's that Swedish charm, but some customers might claim they don't receive near the same courtesy at home. Sheet stealers and bed hogs may soon be one-upped and outed by holograms.
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A new form of panties pitches more than just tents. Underglam’s “Fanny Lifter” claims to boost up the shape of your booty with a combination of Rayon and Lycra. The pink-laced panties also come with a matching low-cut camisole that provide similar lift to areas in need. To no surprise, the flattering lingerie comes out of France, but the lingerie weblog Knickers has been kind enough to type out instructions for how to order from the French.
[A weekly link post of skipped over (and slightly stale) sights and stories]
"Study reveals that kids multitask" - as if it was any wonder what they were doing with their other hand...
Axe ditches advertising for straight up pr0n. Perhaps sex agencies will outdate ad agencies. Sounds like my kind of job.
Lolcats be warned - Cats That Look Like Hitler are in ur country, takin ur interweb freedom
"A woman is suing Best Buy, claiming a member of its Geek Squad tech support team left a cell phone in her bathroom to surreptitiously record video of her 13-year-old daughter taking a shower."
Robots have hearts, too.
24 hours of Flickr, a "global community event" in documenting Cinco de Mayo kicked off today. Will Flickr soon surpass MySpace in drunken photos?
A new book on eating aims to lift your libido with a few helpful diet tips. Candidly called The Orgasmic Diet, the book is set to release on May 15 and claims to help women reach orgasm (either for the first time or everytime they have sex) by regulating what they insert into their orifices. Supposedly by altering your brain chemistry and body through foods, The Orgasmic Diet will give you a "mind-blowing orgasm". The tips include "a diet low in carbohydrates that avoids “orgasm killers” like refined sugar and caffeine, high doses of fish oil supplements, internal exercises that go far beyond Kegels, and maintenance of serotonin and dopamine levels". While obviously a novelty novel, this one may be letting down the ladies, as it's common knowledge that 60% of women can't orgasm from intercourse alone. Though the book's facts are debatable, a dash of fish oil in hopes of getting frisky can't hurt.
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Confessions of Geek Squad crew member prove to be more revealing than the last photo you kept of your ex-girlfriend. Apparently a 10 page paper on the inner-workings of Best Buy's Geek Squad shares the takeover from tech support to sales and the magic tricks of the trade. Perhaps the most pertinent of highlights included an entertaining easter egg hunt for customer's porn. Using USB drives, the Geek Squad grabs whatever remaining un-Flickr-ed photos and porn they can find on hard drives for their grubby one-handed typing. This ten-pager may come off as more-than-terrifying for ex-girlfriends and lonely guys alike.
While Guitar Hero has invaded everything from consoles to androids, it's kept the keyboard-crazed community out of the liner notes. Thankfully, Frets On Fire takes aim at the otherwise ignored audience. Frets on Fire remains open source and is able to import Guitar Hero playlists as well as offer community-composed tracks. With Windows, Linux, and a "coming soon" Mac-compatible version, the guitar game kicks "monster ass" by Transbuddha standards, and it's sure to entertain laptop lovers across the board.
There's no end to incorporating interweb humor into your daily intake, and breakfast is no exception. Bringing a new meaning to "finger food", the typewriter iron features minimal modification for morning waffles. The appliance was created by Chris Dimino for a School of Visual Arts exhibit. While many of us computer addicts claim we could eat off of our collected keyboard crumbs, this one may be more filling. So butter up that (key)board and satisfy yourself with some syrup spillage, as this is the only one that won't have a sticky shift key the next day.
If you're feeling fixated on Nintendo or perhaps even feeling the glee grow dull on your Wii, a new concept "game" may revive it with some raunchiness. While the Wii Dungeon featured in this video comes sans 6-sided dice, there's still geek goodness to be had. The Wii Dungeon uses the ever-versatile Wiimote to perform spankings. Of course it doesn't hurt that a cute giggly girl demos it for us. Though this may seem out of your league, this game would be surprisingly tame, considering that the Wiimote only measures 3G of motion, while the swing of a baseball bat is more around the area of 20,000G. We'll let the Wiimote get off with a 3G warning spank for now.
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While trends flickr and fade, Lolcats seem to never get old. Laughing Squid points out the phenomenon while joining in on the cat meme revolution. The misspelled cat captioned photos have expanded to social networks as well, perhaps to slow down "your shit is broken!" emails from flooding the inbox. Sites like Twitter and Iminlikewithyou have caught on and created their own Lolcats. Perhaps Second Life and MySpace could take some learnings from these Lolcat earlier adopters. So, even though interweb stars may pop up on VH1 (if we're lucky, we'll see their 'vh1's behind the interweb' drugged out downfall in years to come), Lolcats seem to have star staying power.
[Sidenote: Giving a keynote speech on virtual communities and Second Life today at a mini conference. Perhaps a Lolcat is in order to soften the audience up beforehand. Jealous? You can build your own here.]