Post Advertising

For decades, the jolly (read: fat) giver of gifts has delighted uncynical children on Christmas morning by dropping by to deposit some stuff and eat a cookie. Then, he received a mysterious gift: The latest handheld doohickie from Palm. And everything changed forever, starting with his name. Don't call him Santa; call him Claüs.

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When talking about storytelling, we often reference film. It's a good analogy. It can be easier to make people understand authenticity - would De Niro have got that Oscar if he hadn't learned a Sicilian dialect of Italian for The Godfather? It can help people understand the importance of all the detail - would Blade Runner have had such power without the strange announcements and dialects in the background and the giant video screens?*

Some po-mo filmakers will even tip a wink to the audience and carry out a bit of co-creation, rewarding the geeks. For example, the opening scene of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day features a sleepy monitoring station with REM's "End of the World As We Know It" playing in the background.

Which brings me to Mr. Emmerich's latest diaster film, 2012. Catch the trailer after the jump, then help me figure out what the hell is going on.

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Just like Team USA, Nike has LeBron James. And when Lebron gets the rock anywhere inside the three point line, you can't stop him from scoring. In this newest spot from Wieden+Kennedy for Zoom, LeBron VI kicks, he drives inside the lane of our basketball-loving hearts hard and slams down the Nike love with aggression. Check it:

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Our friends at Boost Mobile, having already produced some memorable ads, may have given us an apt symbol of the American recession: George Washington reimagined as a middle-aged schlub—unshaven, sorta overweight, and perhaps dreaming of hip-hop stardom. He tells us that a low-cost phone plan has made his declining currency feel valuable again. I think a foreclosure sign in front of GW's house would've catapulted these ads into the realm of high art, but perhaps I'm asking too much. Seriously, though, they're funny and well-made spots. Check them out:

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In this time of financial turmoil and tight credit, it might be easy to vilify credit card companies, especially one that caters to the landed classes. But I actually think that credit card companies have a very compelling story to tell: They help us strive. And AmEx has been better than most at telling that story. Take this new ad by Ogilvy for the company:

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Any Ivy League college kid who's anybody has apparently heard of GoCrossCampus, a social network/MMORPG* that's seeping slowly into the mainstream. Essentially it's a huge game of Risk that takes place in real time (each turn is a day), encourages you to sign up your friends, and involves real-life locations as territories. The marketing model is to seek sponsor companies, who get to "present" tournaments and sections of the site, etc., and piggyback onto the positive buzz.

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Ewww! But also: Ahhh. Why? Because what you are about to see, what is about to completely gross you out, is also a great content marketing play by directors Sibling Rivalry. SFW? I'm not even sure if it's SF Anything:

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For $7.99, you can download the VH1 Mobile application, VH1 Watch and Discuss Live Chat. Hey, I hear that's Brandi C's hourly rate! Whoa! Too early for hooker jokes? Okay, okay. Or it goes at the monthly rate of $2.99. That's what she said! That doesn't even make sense. It's Friday, people. Time to get a little slutty.

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At trade shows and events, every brand needs a character. Whether its your regional salesman setting up shop with a conventional booth or a gaggle of hotties passing out free neck lanyards like leis with your logo on them, brands are represented by characters at these events every day. But can't they do better? And how many brands have expertise in theatrics? Not many. Enter Barbara Michaels.

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Jason Sadler is selling his body. The top half, at least.

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Media companies have it easy when it comes to advertising in the post-advertising age. They already have packaged stories and are able to use them well in service of their brands. Eidos Interactive's Tomb Raider series is a property with a highly developed story, including two cinematic, live action releases starring Angelina Jolie.

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For the second time now, Dell has joined forces with a team of graffiti artists to tag the sh*t out of a Volkswagen. Last time it was a Vanagon, this time it's an old-school Beetle. For some reason, Dell thinks that sponsoring some graffiti will cool up its Dell Studio laptops and that they should give VW some free juice in the process. Does it work?

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