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Honda Sends Real-Time Vines to Fans, and Rebecca Black Is Along for the Ride

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It looks like Rebecca Black finally decided which seat to take—a seat in a Honda. The "Friday" singer just popped up in a Vine video from the automaker—part of a campaign by RPA that sends personalized Vines to Honda fans on Twitter who use the hashtag #wantnewcar.

"We were promised flying cars. I don’t see any … #wantnewcar," wrote Nick Miners. To which @Honda replied: "Hey @nickminers, we don't have those at the Honda Summer Clearance Event. But we have @MsRebeccaBlack!" In the Vine, Black suggests visiting a Honda dealer on Friday—"or whenever."

Check out more of the Honda Vines here.

In addition to the Vine promotion, the campaign features TV spots in which Honda dealers humorously respond to real tweets. The "Super Fan" spot replies to an actual tweet from actor Neil Patrick Harris, who asked for advice on selecting a minivan. Check out those ads, and some print work, below.

CREDITS
Client: Honda
Agency: RPA

Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer: Joe Baratelli
Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Jason Sperling
Senior Vice President, Executive Producer, Content: Gary Paticoff
Vice President, Creative Director: Chuck Blackwell
Creative Director, Copy: Ken Pappanduros
Art Director: Ariel Shukert
Copywriter: Jen Winston
Senior Producer: Fran Wall
Production Coordinator: Grace Wang

Production Company: Recommended Media
Director: Chris Woods
Founder, CEO: Stephen Dickstein
Partners, Executive Producers: Phillip Detchmendy, Jeff Rohrer
Producer: Darrin Ball

Editing Company: The Reel Thing
Editors: Lance Pereira, Val Thrasher
Flame Artist: Moody Glasgow
Executive Producer: Doug Kleckner

Telecine: The Mill
Colorist: Adam Scott

Audio Post: Lime Studios
Mixer: Dave Wagg
Music: Wojahn Brothers

PRINT CREDITS
First insertion date: July 15, 2013

Agency: RPA
Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer: Joe Baratelli
Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Jason Sperling
Creative Directors: Ken Pappanduros, Chuck Blackwell
Art Director: Suzie Yeranosyan
Copywriter: Jen Winston
Photographers: Civic: Joe Carlson; CR-V: Tony LaBruno; Accord: Springbox; Pilot: RPA CGi; Odyssey: Fulvio Bonavia
Art Buyer: Ginnie Assenza
Production Manager: Stephanie Speights

    

Kmart Ad Turns Schoolyard Taunts of 'Yo Mama' Into Compliments

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Draftfcb stages a spirited, brand-centric schoolyard game of "Yo Mama" to tout Kmart's free back-to-school layaway plan in this new commercial. "Yo mama get that hoodie at Kmart?" "Yeah, dawg." "Well, yo mama must have cavities, 'cuz that hoodie is sweeeeeeeet!" "Oh yeah, well, yo mama's like a tasty cheese plate, 'cuz she saved a bunch of cheddar on them Kmart jeans!" Etc. Some commenters claim the spot perpetuates stereotypes, or else they object to the street slang. I don't think this ad merits that level of sociological scrutiny. Unlike Kmart's previous silly spots, "Ship My Pants" and "Big Gas Savings," this new effort doesn't seem destined to generate millions of YouTube views. (It's topped 80,000 in its first week.) Still, the kids earn high marks for their enormous energy and over-the-top line deliveries. They elevate material that might have flunked out otherwise. "Ship My Pants." Ha! That never gets old!

    

Ads for Pittsburgh's Warhol Museum Wish You a Very Uncomfortable Summer

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Up for a hot-dog bun full of worms? A pair of firecracker Speedos? How about a skewer through the nipple? You can get them all at Pittsburgh's Warhol Museum—in its summer 2013 ad campaign from MARC USA. The new work features traditional summertime imagery retooled to be more provocative, in keeping with much of the Warhol Museum's collection itself. (In fact, the ads are tame by comparison—which is just as well, since they need to get people in the door, not running from it.) "Summer's Different Here," says the copy on the vintage-postcard-style ads, which promote summer exhibitions spotlighting the work of three artists—musician and visual artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, photographer Caldwell Linker and sculptor/tattoo artist Nick Bubash. "In looking at what unites all these very different artists, we quickly understood that their works are meant to provoke and make you uncomfortable," says MARC USA creative director Josh Blasingame. "Our campaign built on that idea by looking at ordinary icons of summer and showing how they could be made more than a little uncomfortable." The campaign, running June through September, includes outdoor, print ads, digital banners and actual postcards. More images below.

CREDITS
Client: The Andy Warhol Museum
Agency: MARC USA, Pittsburgh
Chief Creative Officer: Bryan Hadlock
Creative Director, Art Director: Josh Blasingame
Associate Creative Director, Writer: Greg Edwards
Associate Creative Director, Art Director: Craig Ferrence
Copywriter: Alyssa Davis
Art Directors: Tyler Bergholz, Dave Slinchak
Photographer: Russ Quackenbush
Retouching: Chris Bodie

    

Fiat Body-Paints a Bunch of Naked Women Into the Shape of a Car

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This isn't the first time hot naked women have been painted like objects in advertising. It isn't even the first time hot naked women have been painted like cars. But this ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio involves hot naked women, so we'll talk about it anyway. This little stunt by The Richards Group involved a whole tribe of naked circus performers, dancers and contortionists, along with one heck of a good body painter. Mashable thinks some people might consider it another example of objectification of women. Well, yes. It turns women into an object. And yet, it flows seamlessly from the Fiat brand promise and the other work The Richards Group has done for the automaker. Remember the great Super Bowl spot where they personified a Fiat by turning it into a tempestuous Italian woman? Now they turned a bunch of women into a Fiat, suggesting, in keeping with the same subtext of a bazillion other car ads, that buying the car will get you hot, naked women. At least they did it with far more style and art than slapping a woman on there like a hood ornament. I should also give them credit for the tagline, "Made of pure muscle," which suggests, at least in some way, that these ladies are actually to be admired for their strength more than their beauty. And that almost, kinda elevates it.

    

Talia Castellano, the World's Most Inspiring CoverGirl, Dies of Cancer at 13

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Talia Castellano, the 13-year-old honorary CoverGirl who inspired and entertained hundreds of thousands with her fighting spirit and her YouTube makeup tutorials, died Tuesday at age 13. "It is with a heavy heart that we share with all of you that Talia has earned her wings at 11:22am," reads a post on the Angels for Talia Facebook page. "Please lift her beautiful soul, her beautiful light to heaven and please send your love and prayers to her family during this most difficult time. God speed little one, may you be free from pain and suffering, may your soul feel the light and love that you brought to so many of us on this Earth during the short time you were her with us. We will miss you more than you will ever know baby girl." Talia's dream was to meet Ellen DeGeneres, which she did last September—and where CoverGirl surprised her by unveiling the poster above. Her last post on YouTube, where she had 760,000 subscribers, was posted a month ago. See it below.

    

Kids Watch Cheerios Ad With Interracial Parents, Don't Understand the Fuss

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Kids have the oddest perspective on things. For example: They're not even very racist! This truism is brought home once again in this video by the Fine Brothers, in which children between the ages of 7 and 13 are asked to react to Saatchi & Saatchi's famous Cheerios commercial with the interracial couple. And what do you know—they don't understand in the slightest why it might have been controversial. Comments remain disabled for the original video, which now has about 4 million views. They're enabled on the Fine Brothers clip, and are mostly positive—for now, at least.

    

Smokey Bear Reboot Takes Warm and Fuzzy to a Whole New Level

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The new man-in-a-furry-suit-and-big-ass-jeans incarnation of Smokey Bear is all about huggin' and lovin' strangers he meets in the woods. These days, who isn't? (Well, OK, Purity Bear for one.) Draftfcb in Los Angeles created this integrated Smokey campaign for the Ad Council and the U.S. Forest Service, and as always, the goal is conveying information on how to prevent forest fires. There are TV and radio spots, as well as print, outdoor and digital elements, including the hashtag #SmokeyBearHugs. Past versions of the iconic bear—and there have been many since the character was introduced in 1944—would cry,nag, lecture or simply stare down campers while brandishing a shovel to make a point about fire safety. (The recent CGI Smokey was a preachy douche.) Now, Huggy Smokey Bear literally embraces those who act responsibly, holding them lovingly in his ursine arms. At least he doesn't grin and bare it. The hugees mostly look uncomfortable and make weird faces. Perhaps they're mortified to be in such goofy PSAs.

CREDITS
Campaign: Smokey Bear/Wildfire Prevention

Client: The Advertising Council
Senior Vice President, Group Campaign Director: Michelle Hillman
Vice President, Campaign Director: Amy Gibson-Grant
Campaign Manager: Ricki Kaplan
Assistant Campaign Manager: Kristin Ellis

Client: U.S. Forest Service
Fire Prevention Program Manager: Helene Cleveland
Acting Fire Prevention Program Manager: Gwen Beavans

Client: National Association of State Foresters
Director of Communications: Genevieve O’Sullivan

Agency: Draftfcb, Los Angeles
Chief Creative Officer: Eric Springer
Executive Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Michael Bryce
Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director: Jeff Maerov
Copywriter: Nick Micale
Art Director: Patrick Moore
Vice President, Executive Producer: Thomas Anderson
Producer: Jeffrey Perino
Executive Vice President, Group Management Director: Yolanda Cassity
Vice President, Management Director: Leila Cesario
Account Executive: Jennifer Levin

Production: Park Pictures
Directors: Terri Timely (Ian Kibbey, Corey Creasy)
Creative Consultant: Lance Acord
Executive Producer, Owner: Jackie Kelman Bisbee
Executive Producer: Mary Ann Marino
Head of Production: Anne Bobroff
Producer: Valerie Romer

Editing: Butcher
Editor: Teddy Gersten
Assistant Editor: Leah Turner
Producer: Chrissy Hamilton
Executive Producer: Rob Van

Effects: D Train (Smokey)
Creative Director: Ben Gibbs
Effects Supervisor: Jan Cillers
Producer: Shelby Wong
Coordinator: Chelsea Brewer

Effects: Alterian (Smokey)
Creature Effects, Smokey Suit Designer: Tony Gardner

    

NYC's PBS Station Dreams Up More Horrible, Fake Reality Shows You'd Probably Still Watch

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Thirteen, a PBS station in New York City, continues to insist that its programming is better than the dreck you find elsewhere on cable—by inventing more bogus ads for reality shows that don't exist. Back in May, the NYC office of CHI & Partners rolled out posters for three such shows. And now, it's got three more for your guilty pleasure—Clam Kings, Long Island Landscapers and Meet the Tanners. I'd probably watch all of them, or at least pause, intrigued, on my way up the dial. "The fact you thought this was a real TV show says a lot about the state of TV," the promo say abruptly, just as you're getting drawn in. The tagline is, "Support quality programming," and the campaign is using the hashtag #TVgonewrong.

    

Giant Dragon Skull That Washed Up on British Beach Is an Ad for Game of Thrones

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The only thing scarier than a 12-foot-tall Colin Firth in a British lake is a 40-foot-long dragon skull washed up on a British beach. Beachgoers in Dorset were surprised to come across the latter on Monday—as a skull the size of a London bus suddenly appeared on Charmouth beach, part of Dorset's Jurassic coast, famous for its dinosaur fossils.

Alas, it's not a real dragon skull—it's an ad from movie and TV streaming service BlinkBox, which is celebrating the arrival this week of the third season of HBO's epic Game of Thrones on its site. It took a team of three sculptors more than two months to design, construct and paint the skull, which was dreamed up by Taylor Herring, the same PR company that built the giant Mr. Darcy earlier this summer.

The skull—perhaps the coolest Game of Thrones-related marketing since the dragon-shadow newspaper ad—was inspired by the scene in the series when Arya Stark discovers a dragon skull in the dungeons of King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

More images below and here. Via Copyranter.

    

Hidden Message in New Wendy's Logo Is So Subtle, Not Even Wendy's Noticed It

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StockLogos recently suggested that Wendy's sneakily put the word "mom" in the Wendy character's collar in the chain's new logo—to subliminally associate the brand with motherly cooking and the "safe and loving environment" of home. In short, Wendy's says nope. "We are aware of this and find it interesting," Denny Lynch, the company's svp of communications, tells the Huffington Post."We can assure you it was unintentional." That's all well and good … but her hair still looks like a grassy knoll, and I could swear those freckles spell out "Paul is dead," more or less, if you look at the logo while jumping up and down and squinting. Her eyes kind of follow you around, too, all menacing and killy. That's it—I'm switching to Burger King.

    

Here Are Your 2013 Emmy Nominees for Best Commercial

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Grey, BBH, Wieden + Kennedy and Crispin Porter + Bogusky will battle it out for Best Commercial at the Emmy Awards in September, it was announced Thursday—nominated for Canon, Google Chrome, Nike and Grey Poupon ads. Should Wieden + Kennedy win, it would be the agency's fifth straight Emmy, having previously triumphed with Procter & Gamble's "Best Job" (2012), Chrysler's "Born of Fire" (2011), Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" (2010) and Coca-Cola's "Heist" (2009). This year's four nominees are all solid. BBH and W+K might feel slightly aggrieved that Axe's "Susan Glenn" and Southern Comfort's "Beach" aren't on the list as well. See the 2013 nominees below.

Video Gallery: 2013 Emmy Nominees for Best Commercial

    

Here Are the Crazy Ones Who Dropped Everything and Flew Off to Oblivion With Heineken

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Last week we wrote about Heineken's JFK airport stunt, in which the brand dared travelers to drop their existing plans and go somewhere new and exotic with the push of a button—without knowing where. Today, we have video of some of the gameplay from the campaign, by Wieden + Kennedy in New York. It's pretty amusing. It begins, fittingly enough, with people who won't play the game—i.e., the sane ones to whom we can most easily relate. Then we get to the nutjobs—those outliers who are willing to make that call to friends and family and say they won't be visiting after all, but will be boarding a flight to who-knows-where at the request of people who've clearly been drinking. Most of the folks who take the plunge seem pretty happy with their new destination, although the guy going to Laos—he looks more than a little ambivalent.

    

Indian Motorcycle Punks Harley-Davidson in Fun, Sneaky Ad

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Iconic motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson is taken down a notch in this fun, simple new spot for Indian Motorcycle, which takes a hard left three-quarters of the way through. Great use of Willie Nelson by Minneapolis agency Colle+McVoy, for whom it must have been fun taking some lighthearted shots at a brand famously advertised for three decades by crosstown shop Carmichael Lynch. (Colle+McVoy tells us it has "great respect for Harley and its loyal riders" despite the mischievous approach here.) A 30-second version of the ad will air on TV next week, setting the stage for the worldwide reveal of the 2014 Indian Chief at the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally the week of Aug. 5. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Indian Motorcycle
Agency: Colle+McVoy, Minneapolis
Production Company: Blue Morpho Films
Edit: Channel Z

    

Bottles and Cans Plead to Be Recycled in New Ads for Keep America Beautiful

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Pereira & O'Dell tells stories from the point of view of trash in its new "I Want to Be Recycled" pro-bono campaign for the Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful. (No Honey Boo Boo jokes, please.) In one spot, we follow a plastic bottle's long journey from an alleyway garbage can over highways, through forests and down urban thoroughfares until it winds up as part of a bench made from recycled materials that overlooks the sea. Another ad presents a discarded aluminum can that dreams of one day being part of a shiny sports stadium. The bottle and can narrate, and the ads close with the tagline, "Give your garbage another life," ultimately pointing viewers toward IWantToBeRecycled.org.

These well-made PSAs are certainly affecting and will probably resonate with many viewers. Still, I wonder if powerful copy like, "They said I couldn't dream. Called me a piece of trash and swore that's all I'd ever be," isn't at least somewhat muted when only bottles and cans are shown on screen. This approach is quirky and memorable and does, in fact, work just fine in the context of the campaign. That said, I don't find it especially compelling, nor does it do much to convince me to recycle. (Can't say I care if your dreams come true, Mr. Can. Frankly, benches and ballparks will be built regardless of whether I recycle. That not much of an inducement for me to change my behavior.)

The campaign's stories seem human, yet they lack a personal touch. It's tough to empathize with plastic containers and soda cans, no matter how sharp the writing and evocative the visual storytelling. Close-ups of actors looking straight into the camera and reading the lines—"People think I'm trash, but they're wrong"—might have better captured my attention and perhaps taken the premise to the next level. Sure, that set-up would be a bit goofy, but no more so than having the trash itself provide the voiceovers. Shots of narrators intercut with the bottles-and-cans footage might also be more distinctive and riveting. (Check out "I Want to Be a Bench," a 90-second video in which Keep Iowa Beautiful executive director Gerry Schnepf explains the genesis of the campaign and discusses the importance of recycling. This guy's low-key, folksy, matter-of-fact style made me want to start recycling more than the actual commercials did.)

Keep America Beautiful's iconic Iron Eyes Cody anti-pollution spots from the early 1970s were enduring because of their intense humanity and one-to-one connection with viewers. It was never a stretch to see ourselves reflected in those weeping eyes and understand that we all share responsibility for the planet's well-being. "I Want to Be Recycled" appeals to our desire for second chances and rebirth—redemption, if you will, given the items involved—but for me, the can imagery falls flat and the bottle's half empty.

CREDITS
Client: The Ad Council
Vice President, Campaign Director: Rowena Patrick
Campaign Director: Amanda Bagwill
Assistant Campaign Manager: Dana Vielmetti

Client: Keep America Beautiful
Senior Vice President: Lynn Markley

Agency: Pereira & O'Dell
Chief Creative Officer: P.J. Pereira
Executive Creative Director: Jaime Robinson
Associate Creative Director, Copywriter: Eduardo Marques
Associate Creative Director, Art Director: Rafael Rizuto
Copywriters: Ross Cavin, Earl Lee
Art Directors: Chris Adams, Arnau Bosch
Project Manager: Katie Shesgreen
Account Director: Ashley Brown
Account Executive: Jennifer Wantuch
Vice President, Director of Strategy: Nick Chapman
Strategy Director: Justin Cox
Strategist: Alina Shabashevich
Executive Producer: Jeff Ferro
Broadcast Producers: Judy Kreiter, Elisa Moore
Print Producer: James Sablan
Senior Interactive Producer: Erin Davis
Business Affairs Director: Xandra Ess

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Victor Garcia
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Kate Leahy
Producer: Greg Ferguson

Editing: Arcade Edit
Editor: Greg Scruton
Assistant Editors: Laura Sanford, Hilary Ruggiano
Managing Partner, Executive Producer: Damian Stevens
Executive Producer: Nicole Visram
Producer: Denice Hutton

Visual Effects: MPC
Telecine Producer: Claudia Guevara
Lead Nuke Artist: Alex Harding
Lead Smoke Artist: Marcus Wood
Compositor: Jonathan McKee
Computer Graphics Lead Artist: Liam Griffin
Colorist: Adrian Seery
Audio: POP Sound
Mixers: Zac Fisher, Stephen Dickson
Music: Stimmung

    

Mosquito Patch: Wear It and Never Get Bitten Again?

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The Kite Patch promises to do for today's world what quinine and imperialism did for our great-grandparents: decrease the chance of contracting gross or fatal diseases from mosquitoes. The patch, which is really more of a sticker, is full of chemicals that prevent mosquitoes from detecting CO2 in your blood, effectively cloaking the wearer from them. An impact venture group called ieCrowd, whose president has had malaria twice, is trying to raise money to send out patches to Uganda, and made a video explaining how the patch was developed, as well as the future plans for it. I wonder how much it would cost to have my outermost layer of skin replaced with that patch material. Via Co.Exist.

    

Coca-Cola's 'Smile Back' Video: Cute or Kind of Creepy?

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Coca-Cola's new "Smile Back" out-of-home stunt (scroll down to see it) is cute and nicely done, and everyone everywhere will love it. But let's overthink it for a moment.

Coke is famously skilled at being able to "Open happiness," as its slogan goes, through innovative real-world stunts. These have ranged from overly generous vending machines to splittable cans and personalized bottles. The typical transaction is that Coke gives you something of obvious value—a free drink or a fun, surprising experience—and that thing makes you happy, sometimes infectiously so. That's an honest interaction. This new stunt, though—produced and crowdsourced with Victors & Spoils and MOFILM—is different. As the company explains in the YouTube description:

"Coca-Cola sent our people all over the world, from Jamaica to the United Kingdom to Pakistan and more, to simply smile at strangers—to see who would smile back. As we passed others on the street, on the bus or in the park, we gave a smile, held up smiley face posters or did a silly dance with a grin on our faces, all to prompt a little friendliness in the mundane. When someone smiled back, they received a free Coke or some other fun prize: everything from sunglasses to hats to bicycles."

So, instead of a product, first you get a smile—from someone who, regardless of how awesome they may seem, has been paid to smile at you. (This is sometimes called a Professional Smile, and is clearly of dubious value.) Then, you must respond positively to this pretend display of affection (bribe) to get the reward that you previously got for free. The transaction has changed—it's backwards. You agree to be made happy by something false in order to have the chance to be made happy by something true. (You might get punched in the nose, actually, if you tried this in New York City.)

That distinction may sound like B.S., but you can sense the difference. It's why Coke's security-camera spot was so good—it captured moments that couldn't have been more genuine. And it's why the "Smile Back" video (and the earlier huggable vending machine from Singapore, which had similar problems involving misplaced affection) feels more manufactured. For all the happiness on display here—and yes, not all of it is bogus—the spot lacks the purity of concept that makes the best Coke work sing.

Happiness is infectious, but this stunt might not leave everyone smiling.

    

Unilever Shampoo Gives You Hair So Strong, You Can Make Violin Bows Out of It

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When you hear the words human hair orchestra, don't you just imagine Hannibal Lecter conducting? Not so for this Unilever-sponsored stunt in the Philippines from JWT Singapore and JWT Manila. To show the strengthening effect of its Cream Silk hair-care line, the marketer enlisted a custom bow-maker and used human hair washed with the products instead of the usual horsehair to string four violin bows. An all-female quartet then used them to play 40 songs over four hours in a busy Manila mall. They reported no broken strands through the four-set concert, which drew a crowd of more than 600 people. The live music's lovely, and the idea's unique, but doesn't the whole thing have a slightly creepy it-puts-the-conditioner-on-its-head vibe?

    

TrueCar.com Ad Rescues Clueless Women Who Could Never Buy a Car Without a Man Around

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Remember back when advertisers would blatantly mock women for being helpless without men? I mean, you're probably not old enou … wait, never mind, still happening. A recent ad for used-car pricing service TrueCar.com features women explaining how the site helped them purchase a vehicle without the help of a man. Because apparently women have to research pricing, while men have the magical ability to guess it on the nose like they're securing a spot on The Price Is Right.

"TrueCar makes it a lot easier to go in by yourself," notes one of the testimonials. Another woman lays out the service's benefit even more bluntly: "I don't need to bring a dude with me." The ad has earned its share of critics on YouTube and Facebook. "The most sexist commercial out there," notes one woman on TrueCar's Facebook page."Wow. I guess all women are just scared, meek, docile little creatures that get intimidated by car dealerships." Here's another Facebook comment from a man named Richard: "As a man, you're [sic] commercials embarrass me. The notion that women need a 'dude' to navigate the apparent labyrinth that is the automotive market is not only incorrect, its out-dated and offensive."

TrueCar has responded to a few of the complaints with a boilerplate response saying the ad was about leveling the playing field for every car buyer, not just women: "We apologize if our ad came across the wrong way. Transparency is a core part of our business and we aim to improve the car buying experience for everyone by helping consumers make an informed buying decision." Hat tip to blogger Kelby Carr for sharing this ad on Facebook.

UPDATE: TrueCar's PR firm, PGCCampbell, sent us the following response, attributed to TrueCar founder and CEO Scott Painter:

"Regardless of race or gender, being a more informed car buyer benefits consumers. TrueCar supplies a hassle-free experience for both men and women by providing car-buying information the public can't get elsewhere.

"This particular ad is pro-consumer and pro-women. It was developed by our creative director, who is a woman, and it addresses a real consumer issue in the marketplace."

    

The Most Intense Ad Ever Made for a City Council's Cable-Access Broadcasts

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Pulse-pounding thriller music and dramatic editing capture all the "excitement" of cable-access city-council broadcasts in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in this tongue-in-cheek (but 100 percent real) promo. The commercial is nearing 80,000 YouTube views in a week. That's more than three times the town's population. High-impact scenes from the Monday-night broadcasts on Community Cable 9 include: a finger tapping a microphone to make sure it works; people writing on sheets of paper; pitchers of ice water sitting on tabletops; middle-aged, graying counselors entering the chamber and, ultimately, sitting down. The spot is so faux-intense, I kept expecting Peter Stormare to burst in… and pour himself a glass of water (though if he ever finds himself on this particular show, he should fire his agent). The highlight is Mayor Dan Curtis announcing that an additional $15,000 was made available to the local museum. Holy cow, what's next, a non-binding referendum on curbside recycling? Tune in Monday to find out, same Whitehorse City Council time, same Whitehorse City Council channel!

    

Marty Weiss Wants to Be Friends With Everyone in Ads for His New Agency

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Whether you're a stranger, peer or client, Marty Weiss wants to be your friend. With that spirit in mind, Weiss has shot some short videos on the streets of New York City that feel less like a plug for the new name of his design and ad agency—Marty Weiss and Friends, of course—and more like the stunt that New York Mets ace Matt Harvey just pulled off for Jimmy Fallon. Like Harvey, Weiss comes across as calm and likable, unlike, say, vintage Stuttering John. Still, many people in the first video either stare incredulously or just plain walk away when Weiss first asks if they'll be his friend. Like any good adman, however, he wins over several strangers, including a drummer performing in Washington Square Park. Upcoming videos will take us to Weiss's West Village apartment, where he bonds with another familiar ad face, and the offices of clients. Look for them all on the agency's Facebook page and on YouTube, where you'll also find this little gem of a credentials reel that Weiss helped create at former shop Weiss Whitten Carroll Stagliano. Not before or since have we seen parents in an agency reel. Weiss certainly has a knack for branding his agency in a disarming way.

    
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