Teen wolves just not as carefree these days

In 1985, being a Teen Wolf meant surfing on the roof of a van and showboating at high-school basketball games. But judging by the trailer for MTV's series reboot of the Michael J. Fox comedy classic, lycanthropic life is a lot darker and more complicated in 2011. Your senses become magnified, your love life becomes dangerous, and worst of all, you sometimes feel you owe your entire existence to the Twilight franchise. Terrifying, indeed. But even with its angsty glares and exposed abs, the new Teen Wolf actually looks pretty good. And today's Teen Wolf still gets to showboat at high-school athletics. Too bad it's lacrosse, so no one will be in the stands to see it.

Filed under Griner, MTV, TV
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MTV ads remind you that sex is no accident

You should always use a condom, unless you've got a really good excuse not to—like you were roller-skating down the street, tripped on the curb, fell into the back of a woman who was bent over packing her car, and accidentally had intercourse with her! That's the message of some amusing new pro-condom cartoons from Grey in Germany for MTV in Switzerland. See three full ads here. Such scenarios, of course, are unlikely—thus, the tagline: "Sex is not an accident. Always use a condom." The campaign is pretty airtight, logically speaking. However, in researching the topic, it becomes clear that many people have asked, in public Internet forums, whether a person can, in fact, have sex accidentally. Usually these questions come from a) young couples who have pledged to be celibate before marriage; and b) male friends who regret that their wrestling in the bathroom went a little too far. In both cases, condoms wouldn't be the worst idea. Via Ads of the World.

Filed under Condoms, Europe, Grey, MTV, Nudd
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Human trafficking PSA too easy on the eyes

Young & Rubicam, MTV Exit, music collective Black Iris and others joined together for the video below, titled "Planet Better," designed to raise awareness and funds to combat human exploitation and trafficking. The animated clip, set to Bethany Cosentino's bittersweet pop-folky "When Will I Feel Love" and directed by Edouard Salier, tells the story of a girl who journeys to what she thinks will be an idyllic world, only to find herself enslaved in the sex trade. The effort boasts exceptional attention to detail, but veers too close to animé-style dark fantasy to be entirely effective. For example, the lipstick-tube rocketship with high-heeled shoes for fins (symbolizing the glamorous but ultimately empty promises used to lure victims) is memorable, but in an artsy, metaphorical way. More explicit, visceral imagery is needed to deliver this particular payload with maximum impact. And the pale, lanky, black-garbed villain, with his retro shades and serpentine fingers, isn't scary or imposing. He looks like an indie rocker or a refugee from a teen vampire flick: bad news for sure, but "cool" to hang out with just the same. Overall, "Planet Better," while well intentioned, is just too pretty. Human trafficking and slavery are ugly, degrading and devastating, and generally need PSAs that match in order to spur empathy and action.

Filed under Gianatasio, MTV, PSAs, Y&R
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MTV's 'Skins' just too much for advertisers?

Here's something that's upside down—advertisers seem to be agreeing with the Parents Television Council about Skins, the new teen MTV series marinated in sex, drugs and alcohol. Following strong advertiser interest in the premiere, Taco Bell, General Motors, Wrigley and H&R Block have all pulled their ads from the show, with the latter saying its spot aired by mistake—tax preparation apparently not being a favorite pastime of this demo. (For now, advertisers who remain committed include Subway, Schick, L'Oréal and Foot Locker.) That its cries to condemn Skins are at least partly being heard must be quite refreshing for the PTC, whose wolf-crying objections to televised sex, drug use and profanity usually come off as priggish, have little effect on advertisers, and mostly just legitimize the content for youngsters. (The networks typically don't mind a PTC drubbing, either. The CW once celebrated PTC criticisms of Gossip Girl by using its outraged quotes on print ads.) Skins is a different animal, though. If reasonable people (not just the PTC) and youth-oriented marketers find it abhorrent (and possibly illegal), then MTV will be forced to water it down—even if it's a ratings smash. Meanwhile, check out director Evan Silver's "Reverse Party" Skins promo below, complete with copious teen drinking, bong-hitting and vomiting, along with a cameo by a vibrator. The clip goes backward in time—something the four frightened advertisers no doubt wish they could do as well. UPDATE: On Monday, Subway decided to pull its ads, too.

Filed under Controversy, MTV, Nudd
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Smoking likened to being eaten by zombies

Zombies are everywhere, it seems, even in American Legacy's latest "Truth" commercials. Timed to the launch of The Real World's 24th season (Jesus!) on MTV, we get Zombieville, a Real World parody with young people on a reality show tormented by the undead. And for a change, it's not each other. The trailer is below; see the first two episodes after the jump. This all sounds miserably convoluted and overly high-concept, but the episodes so far are decent—a mix of goofy gore and thankfully minimal anti-smoking rhetoric. (Smoking and zombies both kill you is the basic premise.) Any campaign where a snotty geek gets his head torn off is aces with me. If only this crew had cigarette lighters, they could set the zombies ablaze. Instead, these goody-goods have plump, healthy, flavorful lungs for those monsters to munch on. The spots will air in breaks during the MTV show this fall. Arnold helped with story lines, but the spots were produced in-house by MTV.

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Filed under Anti-smoking, Arnold, Gianatasio, MTV, Parody, Truth, Zombies
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'Jersey Shore' spoofs itself with new games

Just when I was in danger of watching something of redeeming value, Jersey Shore is back for Season 2. In anticipation of tonight's premiere, MTV has announced two new advergames. The first is a Facebook game simply called Jersey Shore. Just select from The Situation, JWOWW, Pauly D or Snooki, then it's time to hit the GTL: gym, tan, laundry. These activities help you earn money, though I'm not quite sure how that equation works. The money is used to buy things like "Your Mom" and increase your level. You can also fight other players by throwing pickles in their face and administering the shocker in the game's fight mode. Like most Facebook games, the appeal is short-lived, but MTV promises it will be updating the game as the season progresses with new content and items from the show. The second game will be out later this week. It's called "Spread Snooki," and will allow  iPhone users to superimpose Snooki's smiling face over any photograph in their library. Welcome back, Jersey Shore. We missed you.

Filed under Advergames, Cullers, MTV, Reality TV
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Ad agencies missing from MTV show 'Hired'

Next week is the debut of MTV's Hired, a reality show about desperate college grads pursuing their dream jobs, mostly in creative industries. Brooklyn digital agency Huge was slated to participate in the show, but pulled out after staffers rebelled at the idea of being featured on the same network that brought you Jersey Shore. It's perhaps telling that among the 20 businesses MTV chose for the show, none are advertising agencies. Instead, the collection includes companies in fashion, events, publishing and other industries. In communications, there's one PR firm (American Rebel PR), an advergaming company (Arkadium) and a social-media consulting firm (VaynerMedia). But no ad agencies. Maybe it was an oversight, but it's hard to believe that advertising, long one of the harder industries to break into, doesn't appear on the roster.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

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Club cracks down on the 'Jersey Shore' look

A little club named Republic in New Orleans is getting national attention for dissing the duds of Jersey Shore. An ad for the club's new dress code — "If it's on the Jersey Shore, it's not coming through the door" — was recently shared on Twitpic, where it helped fuel an ongoing national backlash against the MTV reality show's often tasteless content, costumes and depiction of Italian Americans. The ad, which specifically prohibits clothing brands Affliction, Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier, has already gotten Republic a mention on NPR, a win on Fail Blog, and a Huffington Post writeup. Nick Thomas, director of programming for Republic, says it's not only about the clothing, but also about the people wearing it: "If a big beefy guy, over-worked-out with way too much hair gel is copping an attitude at the door or anything within that realm, he's not getting through." However, he did have a note of optimism for Snooki, the show's star "Shorelette." Thomas said he'd let her in if she "has a life-changing event and starts dressing like a normal human being."

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Cullers, MTV, Reality TV
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Beavis and Butt-head return to tout 'Extract'

There was a time when Mike Judge seemed shackled forever to Beavis and Butt-head, the depraved duo of delinquents who dominated MTV in the mid-1990s. But then Judge became known for a more subtle style of social critique with Office Space and King of the Hill. So, it's a bit strange to see Beavis and Butt-head return in the clip above to promote Judge's new movie, Extract, a comedy about sex and duplicity based around a vanilla-extract factory. You can watch the trailer below. After all these years, do you still laugh at lines like, "Shut up before I split your ass sideways, butt-wagon"? If not, you probably wouldn't enjoy a comedy about a guy whose gonads are knocked off in an industrial accident. Via VideoETA.

—Posted by David Griner

See also:
Brand makeovers of the future in 'Idiocracy'

Filed under Griner, MTV
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Step inside Britney's head in new VMA spot

Things are looking up for British bad boy Russell Brand. Last year, Britney Spears couldn't even remember his last name when they were promoting the MTV Video Music Awards together. Now, according to the new promo above, she's holding out for a personal invite from Brand, who's hosting the show for the second consecutive year. And while Britney seems strangely shy about showing her face, she doesn't seem to hide much else—namely, her truly atrocious acting abilities.

—Posted by David Griner

See also:
Britney teases the masses with VMA ads

Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Griner, MTV, Television
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Retracing today's top directors back to MTV

It's easy to forget how many of today's hottest film directors got their start by making commercials and music videos. Luckily, Cinematical has compiled a list of seven Hollywood hit-makers who owe everything to MTV. There are the obvious picks, like Spike Jonze, whose video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" (shown above) still rivals his big-screen accomplishments like Being John Malkovich. But I had no idea that Fight Club's David Fincher had made videos for the likes of Madonna, Rick Springfield, Loverboy and Paula Abdul (among many others). Other than the strange inclusion of John Landis, who made Animal House three years before directing Michael Jackson's "Thriller," it's a pretty solid list. So, who should be the next video auteur to level up? Maybe Walter Stern's work for The Prodigy and his freaky new Johnnie Walker spot will get him a chance. But I've got my money on James Frost, mainly because I'd like to see a movie made entirely without cameras or lights.

—Posted by David Griner

Filed under Directors, Film, Griner, MTV, Music, Music videos
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Getting HIV is just as easy as chewing gum

I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth while watching this scary STD analogy by Lowe Mena Dubai for MTV's "Staying Alive" campaign. Though unnecessarily long (I got it in 15), it makes a fantastic point without using graphic shock tactics. I mean, you wouldn't chew someone else's gum, so why would you swap icky and potentially deadly fluids? The tagline, "Every 12 seconds someone new gets the taste of HIV," might put a little too much emphasis on blow jobs, but I understand that they have to tie it around to the gum-chewing thing. And it's important to remind young people that HIV can be transmitted via oral sex—especially since half of all teens have had oral sex, and they rarely use condoms while doing so. That's right, MTV kiddies, you can get an STD without even "going all the way"! The commercial also reminded me that the "Staying Alive" campaign has actually stayed alive for 10 years. It's a good thing they're finally getting some good creative out now, since everyone knows that sex without a condom is the new engagement ring.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Cullers, MTV, PSAs, Safe sex
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Not shockingly, Danity Kane strips for PETA

Yes, more naked PETA people. This time it's the members of Danity Kane, the girl group that won MTV's Making the Band 3. The ad is getting more play than it might have otherwise because Aubrey O'Day (center), the group's most high-profile member, got booted out of the band this week. Apparently because she'd rather go naked a bit too often.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under MTV, Music, Nudd, PETA
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MTV sees you frolicking with muddy ladies

The folks at MTV, of all people, are urging young people to turn off their computers and TVs and go outside sometimes. In new ads from 180 Amsterdam (the agency that sounds like a skateboard trick), the reasoning is simple: As sweet as high scores and headshots are, the real world has its own treasures, like hot, dirty girls in bikinis trying to move pickup trucks that are stuck in the mud. The gamer in this ad doesn't actually meet the ladies, which may be a good thing. In fact, they might want to alter the campaign to include a sliding scale—Grand Theft Auto 4 and Halo players are probably mainstream enough to fit into polite society, but people involved in message board arguments about Fallout 3's departure from canon should stay on the couch. See more at the MTV Switch Web site.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under 180, Environment, Kiefaber, MTV
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MTV prepares to put 'TRL' out of its misery

After 10 long years, MTV is finally taking TRL off the air this November. MTV claims it wants the show to go out while it's on top. (That's a blatant lie, since the show has been losing viewers for a while. Hands up if you didn't know Total Request Live was still airing?) Supposedly, the remaining audience will all head over to Pete Wentz's MTV show, FNMTV (Friday Night MTV, or F'nMTV if you like—check out the promo), which boasted good ratings during its limited summer run. You know Wentz—he wrote a couple books, wears too much eyeliner, married the lesser Simpson. Oh yeah, and in his spare time he's the bassist/lyricist for the band Fall Out Boy. Though the headlines claim that TRL is RIP, don't believe it. MTV just needs some space right now, and they're taking a break. I'm sure that in a decade or so, when they find a new Carson Daily to host, TRL will be back, and it'll be like it never left—except for the new threesome segment, of course. Until then, let's take a look back at the TRL legacy.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Cullers, MTV, Television
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