Here's a fun bit of false advertising from Crispin Porter + Bogusky for Kraft Mac & Cheese.

After 75 years, the brand is adding four new flavors: Garlic & Herb Alfredo, Buffalo Cheddar, Three Cheese Jalapeño and Cheesy Southwest Chipotle. They flavors were just invented, but Kraft wants them to feel like they've been around forever—as rich in history and nostalgic in feel as the original. So, it has invented a whole imagined history around them—one that never existed. "Even though it's new, it's nostalgic. It's new-stalgic," the agency explains.

Over at new-stalgic.com, you can scroll through a whole historical timeline of vintage photos and videos dating back to 1938, showing milestones in the history of the four flavors. Seems they've been a fond part of everyone's life for decades, despite not actually being in anyone's life ever. As they say, never forget the times you can't remember.

The campaign extends to Pandora, where a radio station, New-stalgic Tunes, will play new covers of old hits, and of course to Facebook, where the brand is having fun updating past decades of its timeline.

1954

1975

1983

1987

2003

2013

After "30 Days of Change," Yahoo rolled out a new logo at midnight ET on Thursday, introducing a design that wasn't one of the 29 previously floated throughout the past month. Instead, it's a completely new design—one that CEO Marissa Mayer explains at length in a blog post titled "Geeking Out on the Logo." She writes:

One weekend this summer, I rolled up my sleeves and dove into the trenches with our logo design team: Bob Stohrer, Marc DeBartolomeis, Russ Khaydarov, and our intern Max Ma. We spent the majority of Saturday and Sunday designing the logo from start to finish, and we had a ton of fun weighing every minute detail.
    • We knew we wanted a logo that reflected Yahoo—whimsical, yet sophisticated. Modern and fresh, with a nod to our history. Having a human touch, personal. Proud.
    • Other elements fell quickly into place:
    • We didn’t want to have any straight lines in the logo. Straight lines don’t exist in the human form and are extremely rare in nature, so the human touch in the logo is that all the lines and forms all have at least a slight curve.
    • We preferred letters that had thicker and thinner strokes - conveying the subjective and editorial nature of some of what we do.
    • Serifs were a big part of our old logo. It felt wrong to give them up altogether so we went for a sans serif font with “scallops” on the ends of the letters.
    • Our existing logo felt like the iconic Yahoo yodel. We wanted to preserve that and do something playful with the OO’s.
    • We wanted there to be a mathematical consistency to the logo, really pulling it together into one coherent mark.
    • We toyed with lowercase and sentence case letters. But, in the end, we felt the logo was most readable when it was all uppercase, especially on small screens.
    Our last move was to tilt the exclamation point by 9 degrees, just to add a bit of whimsy.

Check out a video about the new logo below. What do you think of it?

By David Schwab, Octagon First Call

And so we begin again… it's season 17 of Dancing with the Stars.

The show that draws more than 15 million people weekly has revitalized and jump-started dozens of careers. Last season's cast enjoyed an increase in relevance and brand appeal. Dorothy Hamill was named spokesperson for Smooth Fitness Equipment, Lisa Vanderpump became the new face of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and Aly Raisman signed an extension deal with Pandora Jewelry, just to name a few.

Here's a look at the marketability of the newest crop:

• Amber Riley. Amber Riley belted her way into the public consciousness in 2009 as an original cast member on Fox's Glee. Though she won't be prominently featured on that show this season, the significant media coverage of costar Cory Monteith's death will magnify the spotlight on all those associated with it. While her past experience with choreography from Glee will come in handy, Riley's magnetic personality and mediability will give her an advantage in the brand game. Some categories we like for her include cosmetics, school supplies and teen-facing cause campaigns (e.g. texting and driving). A star on the rise.

• Snooki. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi  is undoubtedly polarizing from her days as a Jersey Shore party girl, but she has worked hard over the last year to reinvent her image. As such, there are multiple new story lines with her: She's a mother. She continues to show off a dramatic weight loss. And she is preaching a lifestyle of moderation. Mainstream media may be tired of her, but she still has a very strong fan base, including more than 7 million likes on Facebook. Because viewers can vote on Facebook, Snooki could get a significant voting surplus from fans who don't even watch the show. She is already well versed in the marketing world. Recent deals include Zantrex, iHip headphones, Supre Tan and Wonderful Pistachios, to name a few. Time will tell if more brands like the new Snooki and want to work with her.

• Corbin Bleu. DWTS has met its Disney-alum quota with Corbin this year. The Disney gang typically does very well on this show—they are good dancers, and the audience loves their wholesome image. This on-screen success doesn't necessarily translate into mainstream marketing success (remember, their target audience has been kids—a lot different than the female 25-54 skew for this program). DWTS certainly will increase Bleu's appeal for appearances, though, especially at malls and other family-friendly spots. Corbin is also a singer, and this exposure will certainly boost his music career.

• Jack Osbourne. He's part of a global, mediable family, yet one that is polarizing and controversial. He's married with a kid now, and just recently announced that baby No. 2 is on the way. While it may be tough for brands to overlook his past narcotics abuse, his story of overcoming addiction is relevant for motivational speaking or helping other addicts. Additionally, a story line that should receive a lot of play this season is Jack's struggle with multiple sclerosis, with which he was diagnosed in 2012. A little bird even told us that this guy can actually dance and could provide laughs for other castmates, the studio audience and the viewers watching each week.

• Christina Milian. Even though Christina hasn't released new music recently, she has stayed relevant with her recent gig as social media correspondent on NBC's The Voice. Social media is her strong suit, as she boasts over 1 million Twitter followers. No stranger to the brand game, Christina has partnered with Viva Diva Wines and Ocean Pacific in the past, and has her own hookah line. If she does well in the competition, DWTS could certainly help add to these brand deals, especially in the young, urban space.

• Valerie Harper. The former Mary Tyler Moore Show star has certainly been in the headlines lately. Her much-profiled battle against brain cancer and journey to near-remission offers a new angle and source of inspiration we haven't yet seen yet. The obvious fit for brands here is anything health or cause related, and she could have a very powerful story to tell on the corporate speaking circuit. Unfortunately but candidly, brands will take a wait-and-see approach because of her health.

• Keyshawn Johnson. NFL players have had a strong and successful history on DWTS, with six NFL stars placing in at least the top three since the show's first season. There is nice synergy with DWTS, and Johnson's day job as an analyst for ESPN (both under the same network umbrella) could draw ESPN advertisers that are looking to hit a more female-skewing audience. Additionally, as he started his career with the Jets, and the Super Bowl is in the New York next year, he could be a popular pick for a few Super Bowl-related hospitality gigs.

• Leah Remini. Remini has remained a media favorite since her starring role on the popular sitcom King of Queens. Her down-to-earth personality and no-nonsense persona have made her an approachable figure among fans. That said, the heavy press concerning her recent departure from Scientology may be a red flag for brands doing public relations and media-focused campaigns.

• Brant Daugherty. As a current star on ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, a wildly popular show with teens, Brant could perhaps pull some younger audiences to the show. He certainly seems primed to fill the role of hunk for this season. DWTS should help broaden his appeal, but it's too early to know if this will translate into endorsement deals. Season 14 contestant William Levy, another hunk, started his season relatively unknown, finished third and ultimately landed a national advertising campaign with Pepsi NEXT.

• Bill Engvall. There should be some crossover in the audiences of DWTS and the Blue Collar Comedy group, for which Bill is best known. A family man (married with two kids) and die-hard sports fan, Bill is a Middle America guy who appeals to brands sold in Big Box stores. But perhaps his biggest upside is his standup background, ideal for hosting gigs and private comedic engagements.

• Bill Nye. The "Science Guy" on DWTS is right on trend, with the '90s making such a strong comeback in pop culture this year (i.e., New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys on tour, Boy Meets World spinoff announced, etc.). Who knows if Bill can actually dance, but brands could have fun with him, especially in the education space or on programs with dry-humor creative needs. Another area could be a short-term menswear apparel deal, as his signature bowtie will undoubtedly be featured on the show. (He also has a popular instructional video on YouTube for how to tie the perfect bowtie.)

• Elizabeth Berkley. Several '90s stars have done well on the show (e.g., Jaleel White and Mario Lopez), but with Valerie Harper and Bill Nye already filling the nostalgic-celeb roles, Berkley may not be as appealing. Additionally, compared to her former Saved by the Bell castmates (Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen, Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Berkley has had the least media exposure over the last few years. She'll need to dance, and dance well, to improve her marketability.

We'd be silly not to mention the three professional dancers who stand above the rest as far as marketability: Cheryl Burke, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas. All are fan favorites, and audiences look forward to these familiar faces each season.

—David Schwab is the managing director of Octagon First Call, a business that helps brands assess the value of celebrities for their upcoming marketing campaigns. Follow him at www.celebrityacquisition.com and @david_schwab.

We've seen all manner of prankvertising over the past few years, but this campaign from LG—if it's real and not staged—could be the most brutal example yet. (It's also questionably timed, given the Syrian crisis.) It's one thing to scare people with a bloody head smashing through a mirror. It's quite another to … well, just watch. Via Unruly Media.

The bond among true friends is one forged of iron—hardened, powerful and time-tested. Nothing strengthens that bond more than friendly competition—testing your physical abilities, challenging and pushing each other despite your disadvantage. Guinness captures the true essence friendship in this poignant spot with a twist ending, part of its "Made of More" campaign. What's more, they do all in less than 20 words. The music is The Cinematic Orchestra's 2007 track "To Build a Home." Agency: BBDO, New York.

It's a good week to be the Bündchen-Brady offspring. Their already-considerable trust funds likely just got even fatter, as their telegenic, brand-bait parents—that would be supermodel Gisele and football star Tom—busted out their latest advertising work for H&M (hers) and UGG Australia (his).

In Gisele's singing debut—or digitally enhanced talk-singing debut, if you will—she does a cover of the Kinks' iconic "All Day and All of the Night" to promote H&M's rocker-rific fall clothing line. (There's a UNICEF tie-in so you can feel good about buying her version on iTunes.) The teaser video of the 33-year-old Brazilian bombshell landed just ahead of the TV, print, online and outdoor ads debuting next week.

Brady, meanwhile, continues his UGG for Men sponsorship with a mini-walk through his career from high school gridiron standout to Super Bowl champ. The spot, "For Gamechangers," from M&C Saatchi in Los Angeles, will rotate for four months with other ads starring guys whose better halves haven't graced the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Still, they're being billed as inspirational dudes (who wear UGGs?).

Check out both spots below.

UGG CREDITS
Creative: M&C Saatchi, Los Angeles
Media: KSL Media, Los Angeles
Social Media: 360i
PR: M&C Saatchi PR, New York.

Why do people make video trailers for novels? They never really work, and this new one for Thomas Pynchon's Bleeding Edge is an especially sobering reminder of how ineffective they are. Pynchon—who narrated the trailer for his prevous novel, Inherent Vice—isn't a cinematic writer in the best of times (I consider that a strength), and he's also not a jerk-ass hipster—which makes this video of some guy wandering around his neighborhood in a "Hi, I'm Tom Pynchon" shirt all the more unappealing. Maybe it's for the best that Pynchon is so reclusive, since he's willing to put his name on stuff like this. Via Kottke.

"Boots on the ground" or not, let's not forget about sandals, pumps and loafers. #Footwear

— Kenneth Cole (@KennethCole) September 5, 2013

Kenneth Cole's February 2011 tweet about Egypt—"Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online"—became part of every case study on terrible corporate tweeting. But it seems Cole didn't learn much from the episode, as he just tweeted a reference to the Syria crisis—as a way to pitch his footwear. (The @KennethCole feed is written by the man himself and "not representative of the corporate @kennethcoleprd feed.") Repeating the mistake is so odd, it must be … intentional?

There's two ways to go with animal ads: funny and poignant. Understandably, most choose the former—animals, after all, can be pretty damn funny. But the poignant ads, when done well, can get even more attention. We've seen this time and again over the years—notably, with Purina's 2012 "Inside Every Good Dog Is a Great Dog" spot, which left viewers a blubbering mess. This new 60-second anthem commercial from Petco, by new lead agency Vitro, fits into that tradition, going beyond the laughs into what's special about the bond between man and beast.

The ad ushers in a "brand transformation focused on going beyond providing great products and services to becoming a purpose-driven company focused on nurturing the powerful relationship between people and their pets," says Petco. "The approach is to be the first in the pet care retail environment to inject the power of emotion into the retail experience." The new brand platform, called "The Power of Together," created by RedScout and Vitro, "seeks to showcase how the power of that bond with our pets is like no other, and therefore is at the heart of Petco's promise: to nurture that connection completely, mind and body," the company adds.

The campaign plays off the "co" in Petco, positioning humans and their pets as companions, collaborators and copilots in life. The $10 million-plus campaign includes TV as well as social and email, followed by experiential in-store events and other engagement in 2014.

Cats suck. However, this ad made by students at Webster University for Tenth Life Cat Rescue, a St. Louis group that saves strays and promotes feline adoptions, does not. The spot spoofs schlocky infomercials, which is nothing new, but at least it's frank about what cat ownership is all about. "Tired of cleaning up your own vomit? Clothes too clean for you? Couch untainted?" The answer to such "problems," we're told, is adopting a cat. The best line: "Call in the next 15 minutes, and we'll throw in hairballs and extra stinky poop." Top that, Ron Popeil! On second thought, don't. Suki Peters gives an unhinged performance as a gal who really needs a Tenth Life kitty. She scratches upholstery with her fingernails and plays with a toy mouse for her own amusement. Reminds me of this woman in the old Humane Society of Boulder Valley ad, who grooms herself in front of a mirror and tries to spit up a hairball. Both ladies give me ... paws. Ouch! Scratch that. You see what cats make me do?! Via Laughing Squid.

Dodge hits the bull's-eye with this spot from Wieden + Kennedy and Caviar director Keith Schofield that demonstrates how to make a Dart in "100 Easy Steps." "Step 1: Study the competition," says the voiceover. "Step 2: Get angry—they're boring. 3: Make a car from scratch, the Dodge way." The remaining tongue-in-cheek instructions include driving the vehicle through a brick wall and putting pictures of it on schlocky promotional calendars, preferably surrounded by bikini gals and hunky firefighters rather than cuddly puppies—woof! (Those preferring a single step can take their cue from a previous Dodge spot and travel ahead in time to a date when the Dart of their choosing has already been made by somebody else.) W+K's campaigns for Dodge are underrated. The work's been consistently amusing and offbeat for the category, while staying on-brand and avoiding the kind of full-throttle, pedal-to-floor tomfoolery that could easily go off track. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Dodge Dart
Spot: "100 Steps"

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Aaron Allen, Michael Tabtabai, Kevin Jones
Copywriters: Justine Armour, Matt Rivitz
Art Directors: Matt Moore, Gianmaria Schonlieb, Tyler Magnusson
Producer: Erika Madison
Account Team: Lani Reichenbach, Cheryl Markley, Jourdan Merkow
Executive Creative Directors: Susan Hoffman, Joe Staples
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz

Production Company: Caviar
Director: Keith Schofield
Executive Producers: Jasper Thomlinson, Michael Sagol
Line Producer: Eric Escott
Director of Photography: Jeff Cutter

Editing Company: Joint
Editor: Tommy Harden
Post Producer: Ryan Shanholtzer
Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner
Assistant Editor: Steve Sprinkel

Visual Effects Company: Method Studios
Lead Flame Artist: Claus Hansen
Flame Artist Assist: Sergio Crego
Visual Effects Producer: Ananda Reavis

Music, Sound Company: Joint
Sound Designer: Tommy Harden
Song (if applicable): "Atlas" by Battles

Mix Company: Eleven
Mixer: Jeff Payne
Assistant Mixer: Ben Freer
Producer: Caroline O'Sullivan

What in the name of Jerry Tarkanian was the University of Nevada-Las Vegas's marketing team thinking? They actually weren't dreaming of past basketball glory this week when a Sin City highway billboard featured the school's former coach Lon Kruger—who left for Oklahoma two years ago.

No, it was all Clear Channel's fault. And give the out-of-home media giant credit for quickly fessing up on Facebook.

As first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the billboard was a complete accident but has generated plenty of social-media banter (see Kruger's reaction below). And current UNLV coach Dave Rice played the situation well by making light of being left off the roadside ad for tickets to see the upcoming Runnin' Rebels season.

"Hey, if Coach Kruger can help us sell tickets, great," Rice told the Review-Journal.

Impressed with Coach Rice and how he handled the billboard goof. Great guy makes it easy to cheer for the Rebels!

— Lon Kruger (@LonKruger) September 6, 2013

Whatever he was wearing yesterday—boots, loafers, sandals, pumps—Kenneth Cole appeared to really step in it when he tweeted out an awkward reference to the Syrian crisis as a way of promoting his footwear. It wasn't the first embarrassing tweet for the pun-loving would-be copywriter. In 2011, he famously suggested that protesters in Egypt were simply all riled up about his spring collection. It seemed quite odd that Cole—who writes the @KennethCole account personally—would have misfired in precisely the same way purely by accident. And that's because it wasn't an accident. In the upcoming October issue of Details, on newsstands Sept. 19, Cole speaks about the infamous Egypt tweet, and makes it clear that he's really not sorry about it whatsoever.

     Q: In 2011, you were criticized for tweeting that the riots in Cairo happened because Egyptians "heard our new spring collection is now available." Did you write that tweet yourself?
     A: I did. I write most of them myself, often as people around me cringe. Billions of people read my inappropriate, self-promoting tweet, I got a lot of harsh responses, and we hired a crisis-management firm. If you look at lists of the biggest Twitter gaffes ever, we're always one through five. But our stock went up that day, our e-commerce business was better, the business at every one of our stores improved, and I picked up 3,000 new followers on Twitter. So on what criteria is this a gaffe? [Laughs] Within hours, I tweeted an explanation, which had to be vetted by lawyers. I'm not even sure I used the words I'm sorry—because I wasn't sorry.

In fact, Cole did say he was sorry the last time. "I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt," he wrote on Facebook at the time, saying his "attempt at humor" was "poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate." Cole has not apologized for Thursday's Syria tweet, however—proving that, contrary to popular belief, he actually doesn't make the same mistake twice.

DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket, which offers every game live on any digital device, turns average Joes into "the world's most powerful fans" in three goofy spots from Grey. These godlike guys grow freakishly tall, grill burgers using their bare hands as spatulas and ride around on lightning bolts and date adoring goddesses clad in sparkly bikinis and Mercury-winged caps. They're like the Titans—from mythology, not Tennessee—reborn as outsized, sports-obsessed, media-savvy fanboys. Meanwhile, regular dudes who still watch the games on cable are portrayed as nebbishy geeks.

Guys are hyper-competitive and love to brag about everything, so I can see where these ads would appeal to some. And they're visually memorable. That said, they seem a tad mean-spirited, portraying "powerful" football fans as boastful loudmouths who lord it over everyone in earshot. What? You've got the game on DirecTV? Well, good for you, big man!

Your cat loves board games, just not the same way you do. Your beloved feline wants to scatter all the pieces and then park her furry bum in the middle of the action, regardless of your intention to flirt with your Mystery Date or figure out if Miss Scarlett really did it in the library with a candlestick. Hasbro gets it. For its iconic Monopoly game, the toy giant crowdsourced a new player piece earlier this year to replace the long-maligned iron. Not surprisingly, the cat won, joining the race car, battleship, thimble, top hat, shoe and Scottie dog. Finally, pet parity! For the debut of this new token, Hasbro is launching the ad below, showing us why the sleek little silver version is a much better choice than the real thing for family fun night.

A Wisconsin golf course posted an apology on Facebook late Monday for a newspaper ad pledging to commemorate 9/11 with an offer of "9 holes with cart for only $9.11." The ad for Tumbledown Trails Golf Course, which reportedly ran in Monday's Wisconsin State Journal, offered the $9.11 rate (or $19.11 for 18 holes) only on Wednesday, Sept. 11, to honor the 12th anniversary of the terror attacks on New York and Washington.

As the ad spread online, critics came out in droves, sparking two apologies from the business on Facebook. First, the course said it would raise the rate back to normal and donate the difference to the National September 11 Memorial. A follow-up comment pleaded, "We are a family owned business & proudly support all local charities and have always gave 20% off everyday to all Police, Fire, Emergency, Military, etc. Please accept our apology." Finally, in a third Facebook update, the course said it might simply close on Wednesday because "we are now worried about what people will do/say to our staff & do not want anything to happen or get out of control."

Hat tip to Josh Orton on Twitter, via Scott Stratten.

Traditional TV may soon be overgrown with Vines.

Big players like Dunkin' Donuts, Nissan and Virgin Mobile have all either aired TV spots created on the Twitter-owned six-second video platform or plan to do so. The ad business is all about bandwagons, so expect just about every other marketer to hop on soon.

Trident launched a Vine spot on Fuse last night that will air 100 times in the next two weeks. The clip stars 24-year-old Brooklyn musicians Nicholas Megalis and his partner Rudy Mancuso (the David Ogilvys of Vine!) performing a jaunty jingle: "Layers of flavor, that's how the world gets paid. Strawberry, citrus, grape, lemonade!" (The Stephen Sondheims of Vine they're not.)

It's basically two dudes goofing around, singin' about gum. Nothing wrong with that. And Vine is so condensed, there's no time to waste. It's a quick burst of sound and motion, an image or two, some keywords, a social call to action … BAM! That's all you get. (Of course, this is really just a millennial spin on old-school advertising, complete with a catchy tune and the hashtag standing in for the tagline. But let the babies think they've discovered something new.)

Brevity usually raises the bar for creativity, forcing artists to finely hone their ideas, so Vine's transition into the mainstream could herald a super-short-form commercial renaissance, with lots of experimentation and mind-blowing approaches to come. Then again, I could see this trend going in an anti-creative direction, which is, in fact, hinted at in the Trident spot. Two of its four seconds simply show packages of gum and the #paymeinlayers hashtag.

Will marketers at some point just start tossing up six-second still product shots, perhaps with snatches of music and some lighting effects, and trumpet these unmoving video billboards as the next step in Vines? Will they create clips with bikini babes cradling their products while hashtags flash incessantly? Or pose the babes atop muscle cars, pickup trucks, home electronics and who-knows-what-else in six-second distillations of every shlocky commercial ever made? Will they run six brain-dead Vines in a row to fill traditional 30-second slots?

Marketers always stress creativity, foster innovation and take the high road, so I'm sure we've got nothing to worry about. Right?

Via Mashable.

Ad agency RPA in Santa Monica, Calif., suddenly has quite the conversation starter in its lobby: a data-driven light sculpture called The Listening Cloud that visualizes social-media conversation about the agency's clients in real time.

The cloud listens to the Internet and "storms" with different multicolored lightning, corresponding to the various social-media channels, whenever clients like Honda, La-Z-Boy or Farmers Insurance are mentioned. Red lightning is for Facebook likes; purple is for Instagram mentions; and blue is for Twitter. The cloud glows white during moments of social-media silence.

"We wanted to build something that could show what's happening in the social-media 'cloud' in real-time, not as data or a visualization on a screen, but as a fun, sensory, physical thing," says Perrin Anderson, creative director at RPA. "We hope that others will share their ideas on the marriage of creativity and data by using the hashtag #ListeningCloud on their social accounts."

"Custom software pulls in real-time data from the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram public APIs, then sends commands through a wireless bridge to LEDs inside the cloud, visualizing the data through different light colors and behaviors," says the agency. "It uses the Phillips Hue lighting system and its RESTful API, which allowed software to be coded using Node.js to communicate with the lighting controller. A Web-interface on a nearby monitor lets viewers choose what they'd like the cloud to 'listen to' and also displays a raw, real-time feed of the data it's processing."

The semi-sentient cloud should get together with the Guinness cloud and go out for beers. See the RPA cloud in action in the videos below.

Running-shoe brand Pearl Izumi recently learned, as we all must, that "Run until you kill your dog" isn't a message the public is ready to accept. This print ad, which is part of a campaign that includes a video, has been the target of much consumer umbrage since it appeared in Canadian Running magazine, and rightfully so. Images like that alienate people, and worse, they might prompt Sarah McLachlan to lecture us about giving to the ASPCA. Pearl Izumi has apologized at length, saying the ad "overstepped the bounds of good taste. A lot." The company also made a $10,000 donation to the Boulder Valley Humane Society.

I sometimes think billboards are watching, beaming out messages meant just for me. Then I get back on my meds, and everything seems fine. Anyway, BMW's Mini, as part of its "Not Normal" campaign, worked with agencies Iris and Vizeum over the summer to personalize content to drivers of its cars on nine consecutive digital billboards along a busy London motorway. Spotters armed with iPads identified approaching Minis, and the text and images on the boards were then tailored to the individual cars. Drivers' photos were even flashed on signs further up the road. Offers of commuting snacks, car washes and flowers were also in the mix. For example, a driver in a grey Mini drove past successive signs that read, "Early start, Mr. Grey Mini driver? … Need a pick me up? … Fancy a tasty bacon butty? … Mini's buying … See you at the next garage." Nearly 2,000 Mini drivers received such personal greetings in a week. All those folks driving Vauxhalls probably felt sullen and neglected. But that's nothing new for them, now is it?