AdCritic.com

[Subscribe to the E-mail. It's free!]

About CREATIVITY

AdAge.com

MadisonandVine.com

Encyclopedia of Advertising

Print&Design E-mail

***

June 06, 2007

		BK's Chia 'Stache
		Bugaboo Daytrips
		Digital Innovation Comes to the Surface
		TANGLED WEB A round-up of what's online and on our minds
		MOVERS: People news from Critical Mass, R/GA, Campbell-Ewald and more

BK's Chia 'Stache

Burger King - 'Pet Mustache'

Burger King - 'Sorority Stache'

The timeless qualities of a well-groomed mustache are coming to fast food fans, courtesy of a new set of BK spots and the "Pet Mustache" website, promoting the Western Whopper sandwich. While we've seen the trope of food growing hair before (check out Domino's "Mustache" out of JWT/New York from earlier this year), Crispin, Porter + Bogusky does the BK work with zany cowboy flair. We're most excited about Petmustache.com, though, where you can craft any sort of lip dressing you want, wax it, clip it, apply tonic to make it longer and finally animate it and send a singing telegram to a friend. "All you need to do is eat a Western Whopper," croons the now-hirsute image, "And it brings out that inner cowboy in you."

Bugaboo Daytrips

While Destiny's Child might've made the word "bugaboo" famous, a Dutch-based stroller company of the same name has endured thanks to an emphasis on sleek design and "modern mobility." It isn't so surprising then that Bugaboo International has enlisted its agency 72andSunny to execute an online initiative that targets the tikes and parents while stressing contemporary art and culture on a global scale.

With the web portion of the Bugaboo Daytrips promotion, parents can select from 22 different major cities spanning Europe, Australia and North America. Each city is dotted on a rather peculiar map that seems both bubbly and pixelated, a choice aesthetic considering the demographic. But by clicking on any one of the cities, the user is presented with a tailor-made microsite that is essentially a virtual walking tour. Each downloadable tour offers a handful of familiar and not-so-familiar destinations (with pictures included) specific to each city that would be ideal and unique for you and your little ones.

Take a stroll through Tisch Children's Zoo and Cooper Hewitt Design Museum or get the kids' hair snipped at the toy-infested Cozy's Cuts on New York City's Upper East Side, go shopping or let them "play with dragons" at the wooden, fairy tale playground in Copenhagen, or explore a cultural crossroads at the Customs House in Sydney. Whatever your city of choice, it seems the site maps your itinerary out for you.

But of course, the other important feature of each individual walking tour is the customized artwork that goes along with it. All 22 microsites not only contain bios of their renowned, respective designer, some of whom include KozynDan, Meomi, Dustin Arnold and Drew Flaherty, but you can also sign guestbooks and share the work with friends. And if you're feeling creative or helpful enough, the Daytrips destination also invites you to chime in with your own favorite locales for consideration.

Digital Innovation Comes to the Surface

Microsoft - 'Surface'

Fresh off the one-two product punch of Visual Studio and Forefront, Microsoft returned with a project of an even more ambitious scope with the launch of Surface, which the tech giant claims to be the world's first table-top computer. Six years in the making, Surface was initially conceived as an interactive gaming table of sorts, eventually evolving from approximately 85 prototypes into the final product: a 30-inch horizontal display table with a translucent surface that can be manipulated via hand motions, gestures and the touch of objects.

Of course, seeing it is better than reading about it in this case. Therefore, Microsoft enlisted Avenue A | Razorfish (now part of the MS family) along with Limbo Films to create an experiential video campaign that shows the Surface at work. The official Surface site, which includes a Flash-y historical timeline of the product, features nifty 3D work to showcase the campaign's video reel that describes the product's current functionalities as well as possibilities.

While the flat screen currently allows for consumers to interact and control digital content with finger points and a flick of the wrist, Microsoft claims its surface computing technology will eventually engage file transfers just by setting cameras and mobiles on the table, allowing for instant access of content including pics, music, email and contacts. Even bank cards will be put to good use with the promise that Surface will also play cashier.

While the aspirations are lofty, one shouldn't discount Bill Gates and company when it comes to determination or ingenuity. The video campaign, which is also streaming on YouTube and will be rolling out with larger media buys, does an adequate job of highlighting a product that may very well light a fire under both Steve Jobs and the Google gang.

TANGLED WEB
A round-up of what's online and on our minds

While the torture-fest that is Eli Roth's Hostel II hits theaters June 8th here in the States, the marketing heads over in Italy have created a quick and painful promo site for the film as well. What initially looks like a destination for a health & beauty spa/resort, Body's Care, with model and breezy tropical music in tow, soon morphs into a black, red and bloody homepage with the title changed to "Body Scarred," the model zombified, the text desecrated and dirge-y metal music providing the soundtrack. Images from the film are also included, but a refund from the resort is not.
Perhaps having grown tired of its perennial fourth-place finish in the search engine standings, Ask.com is now taking its first major step since rebranding. With Ask3D, visitors will now be able to view multimedia content like images, videos and music alongside traditional text-based results in a drop-down, three-window interface. Among the main features of the revamped search tool are page previews that denote plug-in requirements or warn for popup windows, size and download time of a results page, expandable search boxes and context-sensitive multimedia results. Sergey and Larry, please welcome Barry Diller to the race.
Calling it simply a challenge to himself, Sean Howard has set forth on the "300 Challenge," in which the techie will post 300 unique gameplay mechanics that "have (hopefully) never been seen in a commercial video game." Having already developed banner RPG's, grid combat games and other simulated mini-adventures, Howard is currently at #28. While our interest might start lagging by #50, it'll be nonetheless tempting to track his progress from time-to-time in trying to achieve what is perhaps an insurmountable goal.

MOVERS: People news from Critical Mass, R/GA, Campbell-Ewald and more

Omnicom-owned interactive firm Critical Mass selected Heidi Skinner as director of emerging media. ... R/GA unveiled its new all-digital, in-house production studio, which the company claims to be an ad agency first. ... Andrew W. Smith was hired as senior vice president of Campbell-Ewald. Additionally, Iain L. Lanivich, Michael J. Oxner, Christopher C. Scinta, Catherine J. Wagner and Keith E. Postler have come on board as vice presidents. ... QD3 Entertainment welcomed former Microsoft business development director Paul A. Campbell as its new president and chief operating officer. ... Agency.com appointed Kathleen Flynn as head of its Chicago office. ... Meanwhile, former Agency.com directors Tom Ajello and Aaron Rutledge will head the newly opened New York office for interactive design firm Poke. ... Open platform web outfit Freewebs named Michael Burke head of ad sales, central region. ...New York digital creative firm Creative Bubble signed Dawn Ratcliffe of Dawn Ratcliffe & Co. for Midwest representation.