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72 and Sunny 
Los Angeles, California
Don't judge me, but I watch Gossip Girl.  Religiously.  It is, in fact, my guilty pleasure.  I also watch the news, so hopefully they cancel each other out.  
Anyhow, I think these ads have the perfect tone to them.  They are scandalous, which is appropriate considering both the nature of the show and the type of audience it caters to.  I think it is really clever that they used the emoticon to convey surprise since a lot of the communication (a.k.a. gossip) on the show takes place via cell phones.



Strawberry Frog
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I don't really know that there is supposed to be a message here, but I think the composition of the shoe is really interesting.  I like that it is a Japanese brand and they have used cultural trademarks for the shoe.
Mother
London, England
This is for a tattoo show...hmmm.  I feel like the people who created this always wanted to have a giant model of a person that looks like he is swimming through a lawn, and then when they finally signed the "Inked" client, they decided to use it just for the sake of using it.  What I'm trying to say is that I don't think this model is relevant to the client.  Yeah, it attracts attention, but it doesn't really make sense to me.

WongDoody
Seattle, Washington
I like the 'rescue' and 'find' the creative side ads exponentially more than the 'nurture' one.  The nurture one is so unbelievably disgusting.  I really think there could be a better way to show something being nurtured.  Now, I respect the gross and disgusting.  I think they are funny and I have a weird sense of humor.  However, this really bothers me.  I think it is the whole connection with an artist that turns my stomach.  I just get this image of this really artistic guy who is close with his mom because she is the only one who 'gets' him and she breast feeds him until he is 7.  Yuck.  





Secret Weapon Marketing
Santa Monica, California

It was hard to find anything other than Jack in the Box ads since SWM takes on so few clients at a time.  I don't really like Jack in the Box ads, on the whole.  I liked this one the most, or disliked it the least, because I thought the little balls were funny.  I am a little sick of Jack, which is why I liked the "hang in there, Jack" campaign.  It was a nice change of pace to a staling concept.  




Droga5
Sydney, Australia

Droga5 does great viral work.  Videos like this not only entertain the viewer, but challenge him to make a response video or even try to improve upon this prank (think Jackass's meat suit barbecue), which creates great buzz for the brand.  I went to the website www.quitinstyle.com and apparently, people are supposed to find a really creative way to stick it to the man.  They can upload a video and then enter it to win a contest.  This video is so funny, but the whole website kindof freaks me out.  





TAG
California

This ad is very emotional and inspiring because it seems so real.  The thing that attracts people to these kinds of video games is a chance to transport themselves to a different reality.  



Ground Zero
Los Angeles, California

I have always wondered what the history is of the ground my house sits on or the parking lot I use during the school year.  Did somebody die there?  Did something crash there?  I think it's something a lot of people wonder and that's why these are so relatable.  These encourage us to be more educated.  They almost mock the fact that we are around historic sites all the time and we are completely unaware of it.  


Rethink
Canada

This is such a cool business card design.  After looking through Rethink's work, I found that they do a lot of nontraditional stuff.  The yoga sign below is another example of nontraditional being one of their strengths.


Taxi
Canada
This billboard is so cool because it changed over time.  The block of cheese would get smaller and more would come out of the grater.  I'm really digging the visual, but I think the copy is sort of ...let's say cheesy?  




LaComunidad
Buenos Aires, Argentina

I like that the faces are blank in these ads since the whole concept is creating a new identity.



22Squared West Wayne
Tampa, Florida

I love the copy in these ads.  It is so funny and clever.  They actually have some of these ads up at their restaurants, which is really fun to read while you wait for your food.  



Modernista
Netherlands

Even though I like these, I wish they weren't spitting out water each time.  Haven't we all heard the phrase 'milk shooting out of my nose"?  Where is that?  A little more variety would have been nice, but on the whole, I think this is fun.  



David & Goliath
California

These are really funny and I love the lighting in the pictures.  It adds a sort of reality tv vibe to the whole shot.  I don't like that they put the room rate on the bottom, though.  And I also don't like how the casino name is rotated.  I think it's hard to read and all of that copy makes the ad seem crowded.



Large Independents

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The Richards Group
Dallas, Texas

It's pretty...but I just think it's a little too much copy.  I really don't want to read everything on the left, especially everything at the bottom.  I think all of the information at the bottom could be assumed.  I feel like all of the text makes this layout really cluttered and cumbersome. 


Bartle Bogle Hegarty
New York City, New York

Sometimes ridiculous is the way to go.  This doesn't really make a bit of sense, but I'm obsessed with it.  I don't know why Sebastian is stuck in our world right now and I don't know why his immune system is so great, but I know I will probably forward this to my parents and my sister and see what they think.  And I think that is how ads like this work.  People forward them because they are ridiculous and then more people get exposed to the product.  




Weiden +Kennedy
Amsterdam, Netherlands

This is the most literal translation of the benefit of Coke Zero.  Your buds won't believe what your eyes see.  It is really a great piece of work.  I don't quite understand why each body part has a different accent, but you know what?  I'm for it.  I am really looking forward to seeing what other ideas branch off from this concept!



Dentsu
Beijing, China

There is a lot of drama in this shot.  It calls for an urgent action, which is appropriate considering the cause.

Doner
Toronto, Canada

When you think of addiction, you usually think of cocaine or heroin.  You don't typically think of a gambler needing rehab.  However, it is a big problem that a lot of people face.  This campaign does a good job of equating a gambling addiction with a drug addiction and making it a more serious issue.  My favorite is the one with the die coming out of the pill bottle.  I think it is more dramatic and disturbing.


Cramer-Krasselt
Chicago, Illinois

This is just plain fun.  It is interactive and really clever.  In Dr. Alvey's class last semester, I saw advertising similar to this.  It was for a ballet school and the flyer was a tutu and the part that stuck out was the full part of the skirt.

MDC

11:23 AM Edit This 0 Comments »
Cliff Freeman & Partners
New York City, New York

I really hesitated to post this ad because it is really graphic.  When I first saw it, I rolled my eyes and thought it was stupid and gross.  When I saw the character begin to get sick, I thought it was an excellent idea.  It really caught me off guard, which I think is the essence of the idea.  People are promiscuous and carefree until something like HIV catches them off guard.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Miami, Florida

I thought this was such a fun addition to the BurgerKing website.  What's crazy is it actually works!  It's so fun and a great little way to kill some time.  I think everyone has done this at some time or another (and later made it their Facebook profile picture).  



Kirshenbaum Bond
New York City, New York

Tab is definitely a woman's drink.  My mom always told me how she would drink Tab with the other nurses before scrubbing in on surgeries at the hospital.  These ads to a great job of catering to the correct market.  I really like how the copy is sassy and is something that every woman can relate to. 




Vitro Robertson
San Diego, California

This is almost like Philip Morris advertising the evils of smoking to teens or Budweiser/Heineken telling people to drink responsibly.  I really like when companies tell consumers to use their equipment judiciously.  It makes me think they are more human and thus, makes me want to support them.  






Havas

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Arnold 
New York City, New York

I don't really like using definitions in ads.  I feel like they are overused and cliche.  I don't think this is very powerful.  For what the message is, the approach needs to be shocking and groundbreaking.  I think using definitions is a cop out and it doesn't get the job done. 
Boston, Massachusetts

Wow.  It's an ad for a sports channel and it is copy-driven.  Bravo!




McKinney
Durham, North Carolina

This really cuts to the heart of the issue at hand.  Prisoners are still people and no one deserves to be sexually violated.  However, part of me wants to see one picture of a person that is cut in half...one half is 'normal' and the other half is a prisoner.  I just think it looks awkward to have the side by side comparison.  


This brings me back to the whole tongue in cheek approach to advertising tough subjects.  Here, McKinney has successfully played on the whole "don't drop the soap" joke.  We laugh at first, and then force ourselves to examine why we're laughing at such a bad thing.  




Euro RSCG
Singapore

This is probably one of my favorite campaigns.  I have found that usually camera ads are all the same or ridiculously stupid (think Ashton Kutcher's Nikon fiasco).  This ad works because it focuses (pun intended) on one feature and doesn't overwhelm the consumer.  Most camera ads try to be too serious and dramatic, but these are fun and great.   




Publicis Groupe

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Team One Advertising
Warsaw, Poland

I have a very weird sense of humor so I really think this is hilarious, even though I don't have a clue what the product is.  It really reminded me of the opera singing rabbit from those Skittles ads.  I think that sometimes ads can be completely random and weird and still work for the product because they become cult classics.  People don't intend to see what the product is; they just want to see the weird ad.  However, they are still exposed to the product.



Publicis
Dallas, Texas

I really hate celebrity endorsements.  I think it is an easy way out so advertisers don't have to push themselves to come up with a truly interesting and creative idea.  Who really believes that Michael Phelps swims like he does because he eats Powerbars?  I don't mean for that to sound trite, but I really think the whole idea behind using celebrity endorsers is bogus.  We, as consumers, deserve more credit than that.  




Saatchi and Saatchi
New Zealand

The art direction in these is really powerful.  You see just enough of the copy at the top and bottom to know what it is.  I really like the last 2 because they play on general misunderstandings...a lot of people always talk about how they saw a log but then it started to move, or someone claims they saw Nessy, but everyone else knows it was a hoax.  When you play on common knowledge or experiences like these, people feel really connected to the product when they see the ads.  
  





Kaplan Thaler
New York City, New York

This viral campaign is hysterical.  The guys in it are so believable...I love how they are so excited to have safe sex after they finish the walk.  It really reminds me of Amelia Bedelia.  She is a maid in a children's book series who takes everything extremely literally.  When her bosses tell her to change the towels in the bathroom, for instance, she takes scissors to them in order to change their appearance.  I feel like there are a lot of organizations that do a good job of educating us about the dangers of unprotected sex, so I think now, it's all about reminding people about it.  Little videos like this are great for that.  
    



Fallon
London, England

Cadbury gets away with really wacky ads.  The drum playing gorilla, for example, is a huge hit and people still e-mail it to me.  I like that that's Cadbury's personality.  They don't really sell chocolate in their ads; they sell weirdness and I'm way into that.  




Leo Burnett
Bogota, Colombia

This is a very 'sweet' way to handle a gross topic.  I really like the copy.  Its double meaning takes the gross edge off of the whole 'fiber issue'.  I'm a big fan of how this agency has handled the AllBran campaign.  Everything they have done has been really classy.  N0t once do they mention butts or farts.  They do approach this topic with humor, but in a different and unexpected way.




Interpublic

9:28 AM Edit This 0 Comments »
TM Advertising
Dallas, Texas

I believe they parked this car in a bunch of different places as a means of nontraditional advertising.  I know I saw a picture of this car by a Mexican restaurant and I think that's in poor taste.  Who wants to see bird poop when they are eating a burrito?  Not me, that's for sure.  Other than that minor faux pas, I think this is okay. (This is for Verizon Superpages)

Draft FCB
Hamberg, Germany

This is neat because it has a double meaning.  I read up on Miracle Whip and found that a lot of people prefer it not only because it is lighter in fat content, but it has a nice and light texture/flavor to it, too.  Also, the see-saw imagery makes people think if they eat Miracle Whip over Mayo, they won't weigh down their end.  Overall, I like it...pretty cute.  

Campbell Mithun
Minneapolis, Minnesota

This is such a great idea.  I really love ads that don't need copy because the visuals are so powerful.  It is so simple and easy to understand.  I really LOVE it!  I think a lot of the time people view their yards as an onerous chore to maintain when they should be an oasis for them to relax in.  This ad helps to remind us that our yards have the potential to be more soothing than our reading chairs or bathtubs.



Dailey and Associates
Los Angeles, California

Sure, this isn't groundbreaking creative work, but who doesn't love seeing a dog gargle?    



Lowe
Cairo, Egypt

This campaign is really cool.  I like how it is strange when you first look at it, but once you know what the product is, you have a light bulb moment.  I like how they have combined the slope of the pan with the spherical representation of the food to really tie the concept together that the pan is nonstick.

Bangkok, Thailand

I think I am beginning to favor Lowe's work.  They have really simple visuals that deliver a big idea.  I think both of these are really interesting and really work well.   



Carmichael Lynch
Minneapolis, Minnesota

This ad is pretty cool...(pardon the pun).  I really like that on top of the water, the explanation is very simple, but as you go deeper into the water, you learn more and more about what happened to the Titanic.  The parallels between the Titanic's demise and the nature of icebergs is a really interesting thing to examine.



Deutsch
New York City, New York

I don't think I'm the only person who is sick of the typical digital camera ad.  I hate how most of them are just really pretty shots and the copy is just something to the effect of "buy this camera, automatically assume the skills of a seasoned photographer".  I really like this nontraditional campaign simply because it is different from what I usually see.  I think the coffee cup and the collar are great ways to show the features of the camera.



McCann Erickson:
Brussels, Belgium

The basic thing I have to say about this ad is that it's sooooo true.  Even the most innocent of searches can end up in the worst ways.  I really like the "3-D" approach to this concept.  It really helps demonstrate how even the simplest of intentions can take someone to a dark and perverted place.  



The Martin Agency
Richmond, Virginia

Simplicity is king.  How inexpensive must this have been?  Seeing ads like these remind me that bigger is not always better and sometimes, the most effective solution is the least intricate.    



Hill Holliday
Boston, Massachusetts

Origami is way cool.  My great aunt was from Asia and she was really into origami.  She used to make gift bags out of pretty magazine ads and send them to me and my sister.  I always thought that was pretty neat.  I feel like it is something everyone can relate to.  Whether you devote certain hours of the day to making swans, or you find yourself folding up the test  you just got back in class to a paper airplane, everyone knows what it is.  The thing that is cool about this campaign is that it plays on that idea.  When you are bored or not using something, you fold it up and make a "3-D doodle".  You can take something you are not using and make it into something different.  In this case, you can take money that you don't use and turn it into clothing for the needy.





Mullen
Boston, Massachusetts

Our society is so desensitized that we must resort to different approaches to pull at a nerve.  This tongue-in-cheek approach is funny and really effective.  I think it's effective because you feel badly for laughing at someone with a mirror sticking out of his head, and then you force yourself to analyze why it's not that funny.  





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