Diddy tries multitasking with new rap video

Killing so many birds with one stone, P. Diddy uses the above clip to advertise his new fragrance (called I Am King), try out for the part of James Bond and take a rap-video vacation: big boats, helicopters, casinos, the works. He also may have killed anyone who's vulnerable to terrible YouTube videos. Never have such onerous burdens—hawking perfume during one of the toughest retail holiday seasons ever, attempting to depose an extremely popular Bond in Daniel Craig—been put on such an unworthy piece of media. At best, the "movie," as Diddy calls it, is a parody of itself and of its genre. If only it made me laugh. Also, the music is terrible. I are king? No, Diddy, you are jester.

—Posted by Jeremy Greenfield

Published on December 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Diddy, Greenfield, James Bond, Web video

Gap not really getting us in a holiday mood

Holiday sales are projected to be way off this year, but Gap makes things worse with a yuletide Web video campaign called Merry Mix It. We get "unexpected" combinations of celebrities performing carols and such. In one clip, Jason Biggs, Romany Malco and Freddy Rodriguez deliver a rendition of "We 3 Kingz" (their "hip" spelling) by jamming on bellz (my not-so-hilarious riposte). I tried telling myself that Gap was attempting a "so-bad-it's-good" effect, but they clearly intend these spots to be taken seriously. Worst of all: the clothes. It's like a Rankin-Bass special exploded. And yes, I'm a big Scrooge—but who dresses like this? Ultimately, Gap might have accomplished what even Mariah Carey's holiday album failed to do: They murdered Christmas. Thanks, Gap!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Christmas, Gap, Gianatasio, Web video

StyleCaster lets models loose on the streets

Shaving several IQ points off our collective intelligence, StyleCaster, which bills itself as "the Web's first truly personalized, integrated fashion channel," today launches a short-film series "highlighting talent from the fashion industry and starring notable personalities from the fashion community." Does the fashion community have any notable personalities who aren't dead? The first clip, "Transformation," stars Jessica Joffe, described by Gawker as a "writer, blogger, socialite, model [and] ex-girlfriend of Ryan Adams." Oh, that Jessica Joffe. In the clip, I'm pretty sure she flashes the most intense (and longest-lasting) "come hither" stare in the history of cinema (or at least online video). Her eye sockets must've ached afterward. She also undresses in public and steals a necklace, but since this takes place in New York, no one seems to care. In fact, the jewelry's sitting in a street vendor's tray, so it was probably hot in the first place.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Fashion, Gianatasio, StyleCaster, Web video

Macs vs. PCs becomes a musical bloodbath

With Apple striking back at Microsoft for striking back at Apple, you know it's just a matter of time before there's blood in the streets. Now, Canada's Accident Factory brings the Armageddon to life with "Macs vs. PCs." Blending the dancing of West Side Story, the bloody zeal of Evil Dead, and the primal screaming of 300, this gleefully gory video imagines a brawl so epic it could engulf the modern world in an ocean of carnage. Luckily, it's not real. I can tell, because the iPhone camera doesn't really have a flash. Via Cinematical.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on October 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Apple, Griner, Microsoft, Web video

Who wants a big, juicy slice of Tootie Pie?

I'd probably be called a pervert if I went around asking women, children and animals, "How far would you go for a Tootie Pie?" But throw it up on a site named HowFarForATootiePie.com, and it’s called “viral marketing.” Not to be confused with Pootie Tang — the man who whups ass so fast, you can write it off on your taxes — Tootie Pie Company is a Texas bakery specializing in mail-order pies. The company announced yesterday it was taking the Web by storm with its new site, offering to let “everyone get a ‘taste’ of Tootie Pie thanks to a series of videos, both scripted and submitted by fans.” So far, the pickins are slim, although there’s a lot of gold to be found in the five-minute clip of women doing shots and proclaiming their vaguely Sapphic love of hand-made pies with lines like, “Tootie Pie, I’ve waited all night to have a piece of you,” and, “Who needs a husband? I want some Tootie Pie.” Oh man, I don’t care if their logo features Kim Jong Il, I am ordering me some Tootie Pie.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Griner, Web video

Wendy's specializing in meat-eating lettuce

Behold the greatest fast-food viral video of all time! Or at least, the best one to star a carnivorous head of lettuce. Created for Wendy's by Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, it's called "Crazy Lettuce." The lettuce gets crazy about 18 seconds in. As the guy in the clip says: "Wait for it." I wasted 60 seconds of my life watching the video twice. Which is nothing compared to the years I've shaved off my existence pounding down Baconator sandwiches. I regret nothing. If my Baconator comes with lettuce, tomatoes or anything vaguely healthy, I don't take that stuff off. I send the whole thing back and demand another one. Sure, they probably spit in it, but that's still better than eating lettuce and tomatoes. Full disclosure: I watched the video three times, and yes, then I went out to Wendy's. The grease seeped into my clothes, and now I'll smell like burgers all day. This must be what it's like in heaven.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Kirshenbaum Bond, Web video, Wendy's

Seth MacFarlane's hot and juicy pre-roll ads

Everyone bitches about pre-roll, but nobody does much about it. Interactive shops complain that repurposed TV spots, particularly :30s, just don't work. But maybe there's hope yet for pre-rolls, so long as they're not made by agencies. As part of his deal with Burger King (which Rebecca wrote about earlier), Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is crafting his own intro messages to his animated shorts. The first few episodes of his Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy show the King bursting through a screen while a tribe pursues him with blow darts and spears. In another episode, the King bursts through the screen pursued by a fireball. Odd, yes, but actually pretty entertaining for 15 seconds. You can catch the first few shorts on the Burger King YouTube channel, on MacFarlane's Web site or around the Web in Google AdSense units. One quibble: If you Google "Seth MacFarlane," nothing shows up directing you to the Burger King YouTube page. Isn't that a no-duh yet?

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on September 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Burger King, Morrissey, Web video

PC tries an op-ed in his battle against Mac

Apple's done quite a few of these Flash-based PC and Mac ads, but the latest one, designed to run on news sites (and currently live on NYTimes.com), is especially well rendered, as PC drags a news-style text box onscreen to literally put himself in the story. John Hodgman makes some truly funny faces, while Justin Long, scowling down from above, at one point looks like a monkey. When I saw this clip, my immediate reaction was: Here's the first Mac/PC ad I've seen since Microsoft debuted its Seinfeld-Gates extravaganza last Friday. And I wondered how Jerry and Bill would fare in such a set-up. I know most people hate the Microsoft spot, but if nothing else, it makes you look at Apple's marketing efforts in a new light—and that's got to be some kind of progress. Would I switch to a PC running Windows Vista? Lord, no! Though I do seem to get that spinning pizza of death icon popping up on my Mac an awful lot. I blame Justin Long. Bad monkey!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Apple, Gianatasio, John Hodgman, Microsoft, Web video

Are Web series generally worth your time?

A lot of brands have Webisode envy these days. I can understand why: Web videos can be way longer than those 15- or 30-second spots. I mean, with TV, people barely get a taste of your logo, and it's over. Which is why companies like Johnson & Johnson and Holiday Inn Express have taken the plunge into longer-form storytelling. But do Webisodes really enhance a brand? Not always. Case in point: Ikea, a brand whose quirky persona has long appealed to twentysomethings in transition, is releasing its own mildly star-studded Web series titled "Easy to Assemble" on Sept. 22. Metacafe is previewing the show with some training videos. Since I am cursed with the ADHD endemic to the target market, I had a hard time making it through the first one, which has now been taken down (the basic premise was that Sweden is depressing). The current teaser shows Kevin Pollack greeting Ikea customers. I hope the Webisodes themselves are funnier—and not too long. It really is true: It's not the length of your spot that matters, it's how you use it.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on September 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Cullers, Ikea, Web video

Sarah Haskins makes feminist critiques fun

Salon calls her "the toast of the feminist blogosphere," which might explain why I'm just now finding out about Sarah Haskins. (As you know, males only read blogs like this.) But now that I've discovered her "Target: Women" video series, I'm hooked on her biting critique of advertising and pop culture. Whether she's tackling birth control, yogurt ads, wedding shows or chick flicks, Haskins uses her brilliance and common sense to skewer rampaging stereotypes. In a year when politicians are tripping over themselves trying to appeal to women, the candidates would do better to spend half an hour with Haskins than millions advertising alongside Swiffer commercials on Lifetime.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Griner, Web video

Physics and rap music finally joining forces

Now that we've got YouTube, everyone's a rock star, or a rap star, or some kind of media sensation. Science writer Kate McAlpine and some physics-minded friends have garnered nearly 700,000 views with a rap about the world's largest particle accelerator, now being built in an underground laboratory in Switzerland. We're told the potential for scientific discovery could "rock you in the head," and there's a rhythmic discussion of dark matter. It could be the first song to win a Grammy and a Nobel Prize. Actually, the Eppendorf epMotion boy-band sales video was more danceable and had better production values. Maybe the two crews could tour together.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Web video

BofA's college videos not like actual college

Bank of America has introduced Morris on Campus, a series of online videos and tips targeting college kids who are opening their first bank accounts. To my way of thinking, Morris lacks any real credibility. First off, he's supposed to be an upperclassman, but he's sober in all the vignettes. (Even his super-sized spring-break beverage is labeled "non-alcoholic.") Plus, he drones on about how college students should manage their money but never touches on the key skill: how to shake down their parents for every last dime. What a nerd. He must go to Emerson. Oh, there's a $25,000 prize for submitting the best college financial tip. Here's mine: If you win, use the 25 large to pay down your student loans. Those things can hound you for life. Oddly, that's a subject Morris never gets around to. Which leaves just one more thing to say: Beanpot '09: Revenge of the BU Terriers, baby! Woo-hoo!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Bank of America, Digital, Finance, Gianatasio, Web video

Chrysler minivan helps save pocket ponies

Given the abundance of videos featuring "kinetic type" that have been bouncing around the Internet, I'm a bit surprised that I haven't seen this animation style pop up in a mainstream ad. (If there's been one, feel free to correct me in the comments.) Now, the Chrysler Town & Country, of all things, is being promoted with a typographical joy ride involving a lost pony. It's a nice spot with great delivery, even if the narrator's random praise for the minivan sounds a bit forced. This online spot, created by Organic and running during shows downloaded from ABC.com, seems to be the first installment in a series. If so, I just hope that nice couple and the pony don't end up in the vengeful clutches of a foul-mouthed Walter Sobchak.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on August 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Automotive, Chrysler, Griner, Organic, Web video

It's not a glitch. Tiger does walk on water.

Electronic Arts doesn't make mistakes. That's clear from this nifty bit of customer outreach. What happened was: A player of EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08 found a glitch in the game that allows Woods to walk on water. The player, Levinator25, filmed and posted a video of the glitch to YouTube. EA responded with its own YouTube video showing Woods on an actual golf course, strolling out into the middle of a lake for a shot—to show "that the 'glitch' Levinator25 thought he found in the game, is not a glitch at all." It seems possible, though maybe not likely, that whole thing—the glitch, the discovery of the glitch, the response to the discovery of the glitch—was orchestrated by EA. Either way, it's an inspired and engaging bit of marketing. Covered by Fark, Deadspin, The Social Path and others.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on August 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (7)
Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Electronic Arts, Golf, Nudd, Tiger Woods, TV, Web video, Wieden + Kennedy

A good day for man-children everywhere

Crass king Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy and American Dad, is unveiling a new program called Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, which will be distributed solely by Google. That's right, I said Google. The show will air online only, starting in September. Google will use AdSense to draw an audience by targeting Web sites with MacFarlane's core audience: the much coveted and fragmented man-child demographic. A company that shares an interest in the young male market, Burger King, has signed on as the sponsor. But wait, it gets better. MacFarlane has been commissioned to animate Burger King ads specifically for the program. A concept which I totally heart. Check out the animated version of the King, who of course stars in the ads. Personally, I hate man-children and the whole Seth Rogan/Judd Apatow production complex that has sprung forth to amuse them (I'm so not the target market). But what can I say? It's a smart move. Immaturity is so hot right now. Hot like a juicy, flame-broiled BK Whopper.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on August 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Burger King, Cullers, Google, Web video

Your dying relatives are a treasure chest!

Companies offering cash for gold are usually not the most tasteful advertisers. Still, this may be the first commercial of its kind to advocate yanking Grandma's fillings out with pliers before she has even keeled over. "No wonder people hate advertising," writes the guy who sent us the spot. But actually, these ads are even worse when they're played straight.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on August 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Freaky, Nudd, Web video

In case you haven't had enough of politics

MSN today premieres a 25-episode Web-video comedy series called Republicrats, about a presidential hopeful of no fixed political beliefs (hence the title) who lets the public (via the Web) determine his stance on the issues and even select his running mate. Wags might ask how this differs from actual presidential politics. In our poll-obsessed, image-is-everything society, it probably doesn't. In fact, it's not even as pointed as Stephen Colbert's foray onto the electoral stage, because his "fake" candidacy was for "real." The producers of Republicrats say they have no advertisers yet. If they're willing to inject some mind-bending irony into the process, they should try to get their candidate on the actual ballot and qualify for public matching funds. Then the show could sponsor itself by running real/fake commercials for its real/fake candidate during its own episodes. Now that's satire! And if laws are broken, well, that would just heighten the political "reality."

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Campaign '08, Gianatasio, MSN, Parody, Web video