they don't get any sleep (on the job, at least)

simple, yet powerful

These two ads for Greyhound transportation are done by a pretty small agency in NY, called don't sleep. Their goal is to position the Greyhound as being more preferable than an airplane flight.

We like them 'cause they're very nice, with this hand-drawn look. Find more work from don't sleep on their site.

Still, we wonder: how do these guys get to dream like this if they never sleep?

just add sugar

as the song says: "the sweetest thing"

We found these great summer shoes and we fell in love! We're giving everything else up: pumps, kitten heels, roman flats , wedges and even strappy sandals. This is the kind of shoe that makes you make up your mind and become monogamous.

And with a name like that...who could resist?

See the Sugar Polka Dot mary janes on urban outfitters.

watch out! bad dog!

getting it right...dog style

Is your dog getting all the attention in the world...but in all the wrong ways? Is everybody talking about cuddly and sweet it is, while you were dreaming of a fierce companion that will get everyone on their toes?

Well...your nightmare days are over, with the punk skulls dog collar and matching tank top. Just gear up your pet and you'll see everyone will start to get it right!

Find them (and many others) on pixelgirl shop.

product placement and comics

the newest trick in the industry is also the oldest one

The advertising industry seems to have rediscovered a beautiful classic communication medium: comic books. As we all know, kids are just one half of the comics' fans. The other half is formed of avid, still-childish adults (mostly boys) that crave for Marvel or DC stories just as some of their peers crave for stylish cars or nice houses for their future families.

Anyway, advertisers understood that they have to catch consumers wherever they are - and how better to catch someone who mostly stays at home, plays videogames and lives in a world of his own than by invitedly entering his home?

Comics have always been used for product placement - they've been welcoming advertising in their pages since 1935 as MIT advertising lab shows us. Above (left) you can see a comic strip featuring all-time hero Green Arrow (via tomorrow's heroes), saving some kids from trouble and also offering them "a big delight in every bite" of Hostess Fruit Pies.

To the right there's a more contemporary piece of the New X-men comic book (via clickable culture), presenting the Nike swoosh in a pretty favourable light.

So what does the future hold? A nice partnership between comics and a whole range of products - beauty&care are next, after the car invasion - as Brian Steinberg writes in "Look--Up in the sky! Product placement!", citing DC staff.

never let it go

IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot's Watch

One of the biggest swiss watch manufacturers, International Watch Co. Schaffhausen, came up with this ad creep idea for their Big Pilot's Watch. They made all the straps in the airport buses look like this great watch, so that people can test it on their wrists.

A good watch is an essential tool for the busy type, but an exceptional watch like this one is the finest accessory one could ever own. Just by squeezing your wrist inside you get a complete makeover. And you never feel like taking your hands off it again!

With this kind of watch, it's a bit more bearable to think that "time flies".

via Ads of The World.

free them!

caught in lockers

Amnesty International did a great job with this campaign aimed at freeing the prisoners. As you can see in the picture, cut-outs of people in misery were distributed in public lockers to make an impression on whoever opened them.

A nice idea, straight-to-the-point...and a very fresh one, we might add.

via billboardom.

one company, two brands...the same execution

innovative is not so innovative anymore

Blend-a-med offered the street a new look when it branded the zebra stripes in Poland to demonstrate its product, Whitestrips. But if the pedestrians thought it was cool - or interesting - we know better.

The "zebra medium" has already been a bit overused...see the social campaign for protecting pedestrians and also the Mr. Proper one (both above)... But the strange fact is that Mr. Proper and Blend-a-med are both Procter&Gamble brands. So...how could this be possible? Okay, one was done in Germany (Mr. Proper) and the other one in Poland (Whitestrips), but still...

A bit disappointing.

Via creative brain.

as "niched" as it could be

passion knows no limits

Well, this is very nice. I never thought a dog magazine could look so glam, but...here it is: Modern Dog - the lifestyle magazine for urban dogs and their companions.

It's a seasonal magazine (spring, summer, fall, winter) - because...every season there's a new trend - just like in the human world :)

It has advice on evertything, from keeping your sweet pooch in style, to discovering its IQ or giving you the lowdown on how to keep it entertained all summer long.

Just wanted to keep you posted, in case you want a super-trendy companion, to fit your outfit - you have all the info in here.

We think it's hyper-cool to be wandering around the city with such a fab mag in your purse, next to your little doggie!!!

Read more here.

eyes wide shut

"before" and "after" effect

These are some very nice ads from Istanbul. They're done for a brand called Cafe Del Mondo, claiming to be an extra strong coffee.

As you can see, the idea is really simple and anyone can relate to it - who is a stranger to those small, not-very-eager-to-open morning eyes?

Via publicidade de saia.

one's man trash, another man's dinner

this is food...this is food...this is food...

Well, when you think you've seen it all, something has to happen...boom! It's like incredible...you can't believe your eyes!

I just read today about something that is already a big trend in urban agglomerations. We've all heard of vegans - the ones that exclude from their diet (or clothing) any product of animal origin. But there's an even more extremist group, the freegans - that have the same rules as the vegans, with one addition: they concentrate on finding food in other people's trash.

Yes, you read well. They want to stop our "throway culture" and minimise waste - so they reuse food and seem to be pretty OK with the fact that they're eating...garbage.

This method of finding food is called "dumpster diving" in the US and "skipping" in the UK.

New Yorker Adam Weissman seems to be one of the leaders of this movement that grows bigger and bigger everyday, out of respect for the environment and life around us. Go here for more details, meeting points and so on.

delivery from hell

ad creep all the way

New Zealand's Hell Pizza is famous for delivering its products to any "hell hole" you might live in. And with a name like that, you should also have a corresponding attitude. This is clearly shown - we think - in the pictures above. After the customers ate their pizza, the could have some fun creating a miniature coffin out of it...

Hmmm...good sense of humour...we think.

via ipub.

bottom's up

a big trend now

It seems that the perspective from behind is very appealing nowadays, so people want more and more gadgets that show them the rear side.

That being said, here's two of them that fall into this category. There's the dog end towel holder - good for kitchen or bathroom use - and the teddy bear behind - a really trendy USB device.

First one via big perk and second one via tecnocino.

shiny results

Mr. Proper does guerilla on the streets

As ambiental ads are big these days, everybody wants to use them. And some really do a pretty neat job. We like this one for Mr. Proper, yet it uses a medium we've seen before (check it out here). Nevertheless, the idea is great and it's implementable on the grey city streets (as this one in Dusseldorf).

Via marketing alternatif.

it's a guy thing

a.s.a.p.

In this case, the a.s.a.p. is short for AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE - an acronym almost every male in this world knows ad respects. If things could only be so 2-in-1 or even n-in-1!! Life would be much simpler - and therefore much better!

Philips understood this need for simplicity that guys crave for and they created the ultimate World Cup accessory: the football- field remote control. It's colorful, easy-to-hold and probably nice to touch also. But wait! There's more to it than just that: it is also a can opener, which makes it perfect for holding near!

Just buy one and you'll probably fall in love instantly.

Via trend corner.

it's a scream!

friendly furs

These ads are part of a social campaign for Accao Animal, a Portuguese animal rights organisation. In order to make their point, they're showing these cute pets that are used for making furs instead of more hard-to-get wild animals with expensive skins.

The idea behind the story is that some of our favourite pets are cruely killed in order for us to show off some new fur coat or shawl. Very good art direction together with the emotional message.

Via houtlust.

under influence

...and yes, we're talking drugs

When I first saw these ads for Cesradyston (a mild sedative-hypnotic drug) I thought they looked so familiar... Do you "smell" some influence too? Maybe just a little bit? Grrrrr...
Yes, that's it! Nice executions, but maybe some freshness wouldn't hurt...
I guess by now we all know Honda's a trend setter. I'm just not sure that following trends is a good idea when you need to differentiate.

via Ads of the World.

fighting for a good cause...

...winning

Nike and Adidas are fighting in the guerilla marketing sector and the score is a tie. Looks like both of them have the guts and the creativity to do great things. And we really like these two brand new ideas.

The first one (via billboardom) is a Nike Run transparent billboard, while the second one - a giant shoe box (via coolpicking) - attracts people in Amsterdam's recently opened Adidas Original concept store.

Good job guys!

electricitree

socket-style

The cool-hunter would never settle for anything less than complete style in their home. Everything - from the bed to the table to the doors to the ... well - sockets - has to be trendy and not plain! Plain is the greatest enemy of cool, so here is your hope of a better home: the electrici-tree.

A power strip with branches and magnets inside, that give you the possibility of sticking them on the wall or creating new styles of your own.

Plus, they come in nice colours and are the creation of young London-based designer Vahakn Matossian.

via techiediva.

engaging service

custom design for your luggage labels

Dutch company KLM offers its customers an interactive service - designed to make their lives a little bit more pleasurable and to make them experience the brand (you choose the order...).

By offering them the opportunity to design their luggage labels, KLM is also offering the chance to have recongnizable and cool luggage. Clients can personalize it with family photos, crazy pictures or they can choose from a range of images already selected by the airline.

And who wouldn't want to have a plane pic attached to their bag? ...

Anyway, it's a good idea and it's engaging. At least for the Dutch passengers, which are the only ones that can benefit from this idea for the moment.

via guerilla-innovation.

no (more) comment

the word the writer fears

This is a thought I had for a while, but never really expressed it as well as H.G. Wells, the famous British writer. He once said that "No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft". Think about it - when someone asks your opinion on a piece they wrote, what is your first move? Of course, finding something wrong with it!!! It sure happens to me, although I sometimes try to take an objective view on things and accept there's more than just one way of writing - or thinking, for that matter!

All in all, the author of "The Time Machine" and "The War of the Worlds" discovered for us a true human insight, and surely a funny way of seeing an otherwise annoying aspect of your work as a writer.

useful invention

mmm, still a few days until expiry date...

I don't know about you, but I personally find the Timestrips a great idea and a completely useful one, especially for those who tend to forget about what's in their fridge.

Also called "intelligent Post-it Notes" by their manufacturer, these are some really smart labels that tell you how long that food has been staying in your fridge.

Looks like Nestle are going to be the first that use them.

Keep an eye on them, because these labels are already getting appreciation as life-saving gadgets.

via gizmodo.

ad hunger

eat your greens

We don't know what they feed you guys over at Ogilvy Sao Paulo, but one thing is for sure: you're funny and creative! The latest work of this office is this ambiental one for Arisco Olive Oil - Perfect for Salads. No matter where you find them :)

via creative brain.

Pepsi audio posters

more music, less hygiene

Yes, the Canadian Pepsi Access campaign is now in your ear! All you have to do is get connected to the subway poster by using a set of earphones and you're on your way to a great experience!

We salute the "interactivity" concept provided by these posters, although there might be a little problem in there: some people might not want to share the same headphones with everybody else!

Keep improving.

Via ubergizmo.

doing a good deed...

... and a few hours to think about it

Here's a nice piece of ambiental media done by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. A photo of little innocent dolphin was put behind the airplane chair net usually used for holding magazines.

The impression it created was that of a dolphin caught in a fishing net by hunters. Great stuff!

Via advertka.ru.

lil'sneaker

those little feet

Who says the little ones don't have the right to be stylish and cool? Whoever that is,

Nick Z doesn't care. And to prove that, he launched the "lil collection" with great designs to be put on kiddy sneakers.

Enjoy and play the fashion game in style!

See youlovenickz.com.

oddvertising

good fitting for your stuff

Well, yes! These are some posters that were around in Germany in 2002. We're really curious who would do this kind of advertising and if they consider it to be bold (or just simply hilarious...).

Anyway, it's pretty obvious what the ads are about, although we can't really decypher what the copy says - please, if you know German, help us out here!

Found here.

you lucky...!

win & get hired now

So...what's your job for the moment? Are you like...writing e-mails, sorting letters...secretary kind-of-stuff? Or do you have a more challenging job - welcoming customers to the store and ALSO saying good-bye?

Well, here's a thought. If you're unsatisfied with your job at the moment (that is soooooo impossible!!!!!!), 55DSL is offering you the chance to win a great "employed vacation".

Just enter the Junior Lucky Bastard competition (open until June 15th) and travel the world with a friend as a cool hunter for Diesel! You'll "run with bulls, swim with dolphins, drink with strangers and generally enjoy life to its fullest". And you'll have to find unique and interesting stuff from all over the world, that will prove inspiring to Diesel.

Here's your chance now - if you think you're good enough.

the end of sheep-ism...

...as we know it

It's sooo easy to be a follower. The hard part is being a leader...especially in graphic design, where the temptation to "steal", "borrow" or "get inspired" from others' work is pretty big.

That's why the guys at Speak Up thought of adressing this problem. And what could be better than a book of wisdom, gathering ideas from the industry?

Here you go - Stop Being Sheep is already on the (virtual) shelves at Speak Up.

office brandalism

impressive thinking

The team behind Anlene, an Indonesian brand of milk, came up with a nice way of promoting their product. They painted the buffers of office chairs white, making them resemble the human spine.

A very good idea, blending in the context.

Via creative brain.