If nothing else, be thankful for all the beer!

As if we needed further encouragement to crack open a few beers on Thursday, the National Beer Wholesalers Association is telling us that beer—and lots of it!—is now a mandatory part of any Thanksgiving meal. The trade group trots out Brasserie Beck's Bill Catron, a D.C. beer expert who's actually earned a Belgian knighthood for his knowledge of the stuff, to offer guidance: He suggests matching a cold, crisp pilsner with appetizers like shrimp; a 'spicy' blond ale with pumpkin soup; red Flemish ale with leafy greens; and Witt ale with cranberry sauce. After all that, you may have lost interest in the main course, but for those soldiering on with solid food, there's triple style ale to wash down the turkey and stuffing. And (God forbid) there's also beer with dessert, whether it's a Bier de Miel with pumpkin pie or Framboise Lambics with chocolate. If some of your more teetotal guests take issue with chef John Barleycorn's menu, blame it on the Pilgrims who, according to the NBWA, landed at Plymouth Rock with beer!

—Posted by Noreen O'Leary

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Alcohol, O'Leary, Thanksgiving

4 out of 5 headless women prefer Treximet

Now and then, the warm and fuzzy world of morning TV gets interrupted by a vision from hell. That's the case with this ad for migraine medication Treximet, now airing during The Martha Stewart Show and the like. It starts off unexceptionally, with a close-up of a woman's face as she describes her migraines. But soon it becomes clear she has bigger problems—her head seems to have come off entirely. She's cradling the throbbing thing in her arm, and has a gaping hole in her neck where the head used to be. All of this takes place at a suburban school-bus stop, adding to the Lynchian vibe. (Her son takes his mom's appearance in stride, but doesn't like to look directly at her.) Over the top or not, the spot is memorable. And migraine sufferers, not known for understating their level of pain, might actually appreciate the horror-movie theme. Read more at the Treximet site.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Freaky, Nudd, Pharma, Treximet

Adidas finds groove with Frankie Valli song

It's hard to imagine a hipper scene than the one portrayed in the latest TV ad for the Adidas Originals brand. The spot, celebrating Adidas's 60th anniversary, shows a rockin' house party crashed by, among others, Katy Perry, D.M.C. (of Run-D.M.C.), Russell Simmons, David Beckham and Method Man. Even harder to imagine: a more unlikely song for everyone to be grooving to. It's Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' 1968 hit "Beggin' "—not the original, but a remix by Parisian producer Pilooski. Truth be told, it's catchy as hell and fits the commercial's retro/of-the-minute vibe perfectly. Kristian Manchester, creative director and partner of Sid Lee, the Montreal agency that created the ad, said the shop went through thousands of songs before finding this one. Originally, he says, they were looking for a Motown or Stax/Volt tune, but "every time you find a great song, someone would ask, 'Was that in a car ad?' " Only after committing to the track did Manchester find out it had been a huge club hit in Europe in the summer of 2007. Still, he's happy with the choice. "It had the right rhythm and tempo and was a little nostalgic," he says. "It felt like it was from a lost party." Fans take note: Adidas plans to offer seven different remixes of "Beggin' " on its Web site.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Adidas, Footwear, Sid Lee, Wasserman

PSAs battle drunk driving with grim humor

Mullen and the Ad Council successfully walk a fine line in these anti-drunk-driving spots. Using humor to draw attention to such a charged issue can be tricky, and in the process it's all too easy to stagger drunkenly and fall face-first to the pavement ... yadda, yadda ... you complete the metaphor. These ads, thankfully, mix the portions just right. The sight of severely injured accident victims popping up and chatting as if nothing's wrong, as the drivers tearfully claim they were "just buzzed," helps mitigate the tragic-PSA cliche factor and heighten viewer interest. The reprise of the hyper-realistic serious theme at the close of the spots seems unforced, logical and not at all preachy. Ultimately, the dream-like humorous interludes—off point and disingenuous, just like the drivers' claims that they weren't really that drunk—drive the nightmare quality of the scenarios.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Ad Council, Alcohol, Gianatasio, Mullen, PSAs

Canadian Tire has power over the seasons

There's a decent payoff at the end of this initially perplexing Taxi spot for Canadian Tire, but I'm not sure viewers will hang in for it, if only because that "Summer Breeze" song sucks so damn much! This is actually a fairly cerebral and well-executed concept, the type of commercial Philip K. Dick would've created if he had been a copywriter. PKD was, however, not an ad scribe but a mind-bending novelist whose works inspired Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. Indeed, such mind games are probably best suited to films and books, as they require more attention to detail than the average consumer normally gives to a 30-second commercial. That cloying soundtrack alone will drive most viewers screaming from the room. And, perhaps needless to say, the lifeless "For days when seeing is believing" line lacks any sort of literary merit.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Automotive, Canada, Canadian Tire, Gianatasio, Taxi

Bruce Lee, totally badass Ping Pong player

None of the big shots featured in Celebrity PingPong magazine would stand a chance in a match against a nunchuck-wielding Bruce Lee. This amazing viral video leads to a Web site where a digitized Lee kicks some ass with his Nokia N96 phone. Though made for a Chinese audience (ostensibly for a product sold in China), the video has traveled around the world in a few short days. No doubt, like me, the world is now going to travel to China to pick up an N96 and a little bit of Bruce Lee sickness.

—Posted by Jeremy Greenfield

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Asia, Greenfield, Nokia, Viral

Lego brightens the boring old fashion show

Your average fashion show is fascinating in content but boring in delivery. The same lighting, the same models, the same electronically mixed music pounding down on the runway. The idea is to focus on the clothes, but if that's true, why bother sticking them on hot, skinny chicks to begin with? Some designers break away by covering their models' faces or hiring unconventional models. But designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac shatters the paradigm by displaying his new spring/summer 2009 collection in an animated Lego fashion show titled "Plastic Architecture." The show was brought to life by France's Four-H and The Lego Group. If you're wondering who would wear such kitschy pop-culture duds, Katy Perry snagged headlines at the EMAs (MTV's European Music Awards) by wearing this Obama dress from Castelbajac's collection as one of her 12 costume changes. Maybe Lego needs to start collaborating with Bravo instead of Lucas Arts. I'd buy Lego Project Runway over Lego Star Wars any day. Via Adverblog.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Cullers, Europe, Fashion, Lego

Zeus Jones playing Santa's helper this year

The holidays are here. Have you been too busy watching your 401(k) disappear and the foreclosure signs sprout up around the neighborhood? Don't worry. Zeus Jones is here to help. The Minneapolis shop, which did a nice job of reimagining the agency Web site recently, has created a sweet gift guide of awesome stuff its employees found around the Internet. The interesting part is how ZJ constructed the product discovery—something few sites seem to get right. In addition to a price slider, the site sorts by gender, age and relationship type, along with special picks from agency staff. The product set is reassembled based on the choice made. A couple of quibbles: You can't link to products within the Flash interface, and clicking through to the product pages requires the pop-up blocker to be turned off. Still, it's an interesting and different type of agency holiday site. Also, if you're picking out gifts for the AdFreak staff, Gianatasio would like the Evel Knievel Super Stunt Set.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Holidays, Morrissey, Zeus Jones

The Christian right might not like this spot

Ah, those wacky, progressive Swedes. The Stockholm-based fashion house Bjorn Borg, which makes clothing, shoes, eyeglasses and such, has released a commercial in which two male priests are married in a church by a female priest. At one point, the men of the cloth swap some spit. The theme of the campaign is "Love for all." The swingin' firm has launched a dating site (I'm guessing Anna Kournikova's not using it) and plans to introduce "Lucky Underwear" in the near future. The impious effort comes as the company's namesake is generating some press by playing in big-money exhibitions in Asia this week with '80s nemesis John McEnroe and current racquet kings Roger Federer and James Blake. None of them smooched after their matches, in case you were wondering. Also, since I'm almost certainly going to hell just for watching the spot, I'd like to add one more thing: That lady priest is kinda hot.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (10)
Filed under Bjorn Borg, Europe, Gianatasio

What's the shelf life of these golden oldies?

Reruns. They're not particularly appealing when it comes to sitcoms, and they raise eyebrows when they're commercials. I saw two resurrected spots recently that, while good, made me wonder what's up with these clients if they're running ads from agencies they no longer work with. One was for Tabasco, the other for Gatorade. The Gatorade ad, from 2006, has Keith Jackson explaining, in his quintessential staccato delivery, the origins of Gatorade. Thanks, Element 79. The Tabasco ad, from way back in 1998, shows a guy sitting on his front porch, eating pizza doused with the hot sauce. A mosquito bites him, only to explode afterward in a mini-fireball. Thanks, DDB. Now, if only they could get residuals like Seinfeld.

—Posted by Andrew McMains

Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under DDB, Element 79, Gatorade, McMains, Tabasco

Everyday bike heroes get in Droga5's face

Droga5 really did its job with the Guitar Hero World Tour bike video, as the dorks are now crawling out of the woodwork. Not in adulation or in awe, but to challenge and then pwn Droga5 at its own game with their own hard-to-believe, straight-to-YouTube bike stunts. Could MTV/Activision ask for anything more? Maybe they can ask for their money back on the athlete and Heidi Klum GHWT vids, which now seem stale, dated, boring and misguided when it comes to reaching the kids. Via Post Advertising.

—Posted by Jeremy Greenfield

Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Droga5, Greenfield, Guitar Hero

Remy can cause same-sex necklace biting

A woman flips her head back, as though in the throes of ecstasy, while another looks on, lasciviously biting the first woman's necklace. The caption: "Things are getting interesting." I guess they are. A casual viewer of this out-of-home ad might conclude that the advertiser, Remy Martin, is advocating sapphistry. But Remy rep Marie Christina Batich tells us that's not so. "It's highly interpretive," she says. And yes, that is one interpretation. But unlike IBM, Ikea and some other companies, Remy isn't taking a stand on homosexuality so much as endeavoring to "uncover an avant-garde world," if a press release about the campaign, via Miami's La Comunidad, is to be believed. Nor is it apparently advocating threesomes, which are hinted at in another execution showing a man canoodling with two women.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Alcohol, La Comunidad, Remy Martin, Threesomes, Wasserman

'GTA' wins the battle, CTA may win the war

The Chicago Transit Authority has reached a settlement with Take-Two Interactive to allow ads for Grand Theft Auto IV to return to Chicago's transit system in time for a needed holiday sales boost. The CTA pulled the ads back in April, breaching the $300,000 contract and causing the lawsuit. GTA may have won this round, but the CTA is planning to win the war. Its board has just voted to ban advertising for video games rated at or above "M" (age 17 and up), citing a "'demonstrable correlation' between intensely violent video games and violent or aggressive behavior." How demonstrable that correlation actually is, is debatable. It's unclear what will happen to current campaigns on the CTA for M-rated games, like Valve's Left 4 Dead. However, the CTA will continue to allow R-rated-movie ads, like the promos that ran this summer for The Dark Knight, a delightful little film in which a demented Heath Ledger blasts the crap out of most of Chicago. Holy double standard, Batman!

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Controversy, Cullers, Grand Theft Auto, Video games

AKQA turns in its agency membership card

If you haven't seen it, three of the digital ad world's best and brightest got serious ink in The New York Times Magazine on Sunday, even if it was under the regrettable headline "Multiscreen Mad Men." Ben Palmer of The Barbarian Group, Rob Rasmussen of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (and previously R/GA), and Lars Bastholm of AKQA held forth in a pretty interesting, if basic, discussion of how companies will reach consumers in digital media. One thing that stood out for me was when Lars (at left, with other AKQA execs, in the photo) explained how AKQA looks at its business. "At my company," he said, "we're starting to redefine ourselves from being an ad agency to being an entertainment and technology company." Really? When Adweek named AKQA its Digital Agency of the Year last year, nobody quibbled. I keep getting press releases saying it's the "digital agency of record" for clients like Coke, Xbox and McDonald's. Still, maybe the whole agency thing is very yesterday. Lars told me his real point was that "what constitutes an agency has never been more in flux." Maybe so, but what's so bad about being an agency?

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under AKQA, Digital, Morrissey

Get tested for STDs, before the bees arrive

Public-health posters like this one (see a larger version here), promoting Minnesota's effort to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, serve two good purposes. The obvious one: They raise awareness among people who have or are especially at risk of getting a particular disease. The less obvious one: They put life in more cheerful perspective for people who don't have the ailment and believe they're unlikely to get it. The first function is more urgent, of course, but the second—which often affects a larger number of people, depending on the disease—is not to be sneezed at in these troubled times. You may be feeling down about the economy, your shaky job, whatever. But at least pertinent body parts don't feel like they're being stung by bees when you urinate. Give thanks to Minneapolis-based agency Russell Herder for having brightened your day in this manner.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Droga5 outdoes itself with 'Bike Hero' viral

Before I'd finished watching this viral video about Guitar Hero World Tour, I was already suspecting Droga5. Sure enough, the clip is a meticulous creation from the same people who brought us the evil cell phone and the Brian Morrissey Shopping Network. Some people seem disappointed that "Bike Hero" is professionally produced. But come on. It would take a small army to assemble a shot even half as complex. Still, it was probably a lot cheaper than this spot.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Droga5, Griner, Guitar Hero, Video games

Spencer Gifts throws fake dog poo at Hulu

Let's face it, despite the high-minded stuff, the Internet is mostly about finding new ways to waste time. The new ComScore rankings brought this to mind with its list of the fastest-growing Web sites. For some bloggers, the big news was the meteoric rise of Hulu. Not so fast. Sitting above the NBC U-News Corp. video site as the No. 2 fastest-growing site is none other than Spencer Gifts, redoubt of whoopee cushions, fart spray and "fundies." It turns out traffic has spiked from 2 million to 5 million visitors per month in the space of a year. I fondly recall strolling the aisles of Spencer's in Plymouth Meeting Mall as an adolescent, certain that I had found nirvana tucked next to Chil-fil-A. Good to see Spencer's is taking over the Web.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Hulu, Morrissey, Spencer Gifts

United Way proves to be a terrific exfoliant

Publicis in Toronto has produced a few notable new spots for the United Way. "Youth" and "Homelessness" both show people in desperate straits literally shedding their skin to start anew. The voiceover at the end isn't really necessary because the visuals are so strong. Nonetheless, the reminder that contributions to the charity provide "a way out" of hopelessness is on point and syncs up nicely with the imagery. So, perhaps a few dollars will find a way out of your wallet and into the UW coffers so you can carve up that Turkey Day bird with a little less guilt, OK? Sean Cochrane directed; Crush provided the effects.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Gianatasio, PSAs, Publicis, United Way

Good losers give their thanks to Sarah Palin

This goofy ad from OurCountryPac thanking Sarah Palin for her efforts during election season almost play like parody misfires on Saturday Night Live. Sadly, it's for real, and will apparently be running on network TV during Thanksgiving week. The Democrats are probably even more thankful that Palin was on the GOP ticket. Commentators (myself included) thank her for being her kooky bad self and generating lots of copy. Our loss is Alaska's gain. No moose is safe from the governor's twin-barreled attack and Bowie knife, at least until 2012.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Politics

Chevys handle nicely through wedding cake

Cake is a big thing in auto ads lately. Last year, Fallon London baked up that sedan-shaped cake for Skoda. And now we have this McCann Argentina spot in which a pair of twentysomethings drive their Chevy Spark through a giant wedding cake. The meaning of the stunt is unclear, but it probably has something to do with rebellion. The tagline is, "Life has just begun."

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on November 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Chevrolet, McCann Erickson, Nudd, South America

Unofficial Zune spot redefines 'spray paint'

When Microsoft hopped into bed with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, many of us hoped the lovechild would be some kind of freakish sideshow abomination that would polarize the ad world. Instead, people ended up split between "eh" and "meh." So, it was with a strange sense of fulfillment that I watched this disturbing unofficial viral ad for Zune, created by directing duo Sibling Rivalry. Now that CP+B has been handed Microsoft's also-ran MP3 device, maybe they'll be able to pull something equally innovative out of their ass.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on November 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Griner, Microsoft

Colle + McVoy rethinks live lottery drawing

"People love to see stuff get destroyed," says Colle + McVoy group creative director Dave Keepper of the agency's new 60-second nightly drawing show for the Minnesota State Lottery. Now there's a simple, coherent marketing strategy we can all get on board with. The client sure did, so we're treated to giant balls (made of cast iron, weighing 84 pounds each) crashing through cars, furniture, fish tanks, etc. After the demolition, the voiceover says: "Let's drop the winning numbers and see if we can't get you a new [car/furniture/fish tank]," and the night's winning numbers are shown on different falling balls. Hey, it's Minnesota, where winters are cold and long, and pretty much anything passes for entertainment. And Colle + McVoy has made more than 50 of these spots, so they won't get old. Remember the days when lottery-drawing shows had numbered ping-pong balls sucked up into clear glass tubes? Crap, I feel old.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Colle + McVoy, Gianatasio, Lotteries

Enjoy the text-heavy trainers at Gold's Gym

There are several lessons to learn from McKinney's campaign for Gold's Gym. First, these places play excessively loud music, ranging from rave/disco and thrash-rock to Italiano, all of it brain-numbingly bad. Also, too many leg lifts make a person hallucinate and see troubling messages with each rep: "pressure," "critics, "cynics," "your own doubt." Yikes, I'm not getting on one of those things. Finally, everyone in the place is in much better shape than I am, except for that beefy guy in the "Anti-Pasta" spot. He looks angry and stupid, like he wouldn't have anywhere near enough IQ points to "know [his] own strength." So, I'm gonna pass on a membership. One wrong look, and that big ape's liable to snap me in half like a twig.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Fitness, Gianatasio, Gold's Gym, McKinney

I'll have a whole load of Pabst Blue Ribbon

This old-school Pabst Blue Ribbon ad has one of the most schizophrenic voiceovers I've ever heard. The poor announcer keeps asking himself, "What'll ya have?" And responding in the same voice. Even the animated couple watching the boxing match sound like him. I can imagine the poor woman whose voice occasionally graces the jingle having to shove her demented partner out of the way so she can get to the microphone. The effect is so unsettling that it's hard to pay attention to the ad itself. Which is a shame, because that self-pouring glass would have caught on if they hadn't been too busy wrestling that announcer into the straitjacket to market it properly.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on November 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Alcohol, Kiefaber, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Vintage

HoneyShed trying hard to find some friends

I freely admit I'm obsessed with HoneyShed. The Publicis-backed Internet shopping channel from Droga5 and Smuggler is such a different idea, often bizarre and always interesting, and one I've tried to put in perspective recently. One part of the site's relaunch last week I didn't get to cover in detail: its embrace of social media. HoneyShed started following me on Twitter, after already adding me as a friend on Facebook. For me, HoneyShed's success or failure is pretty straightforward: It has to build a sizable audience before advertisers will buy into the concept. The company says it will get to 550,000 users in month's time. Early signs are it has a tough row to hoe. Quantcast still can't find signs of an audience, HoneyShed has a pedestrian 122 followers on Twitter, and the HoneyShed blogs have tumbleweeds blowing by them, drawing few comments to posts. What's more, the only blogs that are talking up HoneyShed are those devoted to marketing and advertising. Is this a bad sign, or is it simply too soon to tell?

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on November 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (10)
Filed under Droga5, HoneyShed, Morrissey, Smuggler