Ass kebabs #FdAdFriday

What is it with the obsession with asses in Brazil? They have somehow merged it with their love of barbecue in a bizarre pastiche of animal snuff and food porn.

Personally, I would rather not thing about an animal with an arrow up its bum when considering where to get some meat on a stick. But maybe that's just me.

Via Ads of The World

These book ads tell the wrong story

The artwork on these ads from Brazil's Paz Comunicação Estratégica is beautiful. But what is it saying?

This is supposed to be a campaign to convince people to donate old books to a charity, rather than throwing them out. But the homeless fairytale characters seem to be telling another story altogether.

Is the creative team equating the homeless with discarded objects? If so, wouldn't this idea better serve that cause instead?

I know I'm like a broken record on this issue, but as a social marketer I am constantly annoyed by agencies that use their client's cause brand as an excuse for showcasing irrelevant creative executions. It's a waste of any money the client may have ponied up for production, and is harmful to their brand and their cause because it makes them seem like they don't "get it".

Eye candy, like any candy, is lots of fun. But that doesn't mean it's good for you.

Via Ads of the World

The clown makeup turns the creepiness up to 11 #FdAdFriday

Three observations:

1) I'm pretty sure that even pedophiles are aware that sex with children is a crime.
2) Was the clown makeup tie-in to Carnival necessary?
3) The body copy's broken English is really awkward.

Via Ads of The World

John Lennon murdered again, this time by Brazil's Fischer & Fischer

Via I Believe in Advertising

Dear non-English ad agencies of the world:

We, the English-speaking world, acknowledge that not everyone speaks the same language as we do. If we are to be totally honest, most of you speak our language while a shameful few of us speak yours.

That said, nobody is forcing you to translate your ads into English just to get the attention of international ad bloggers and awards jury members who are too lazy to figure them out.

But if you do choose to go to the bother and expense of translating and redesigning your ads for international and anglo viewing, FOR GOD'S SAKE SPEND THE $100 BUCKS TO HAVE A NATIVE ENGLISH PROOFREADER LOOK AT THEM FIRST!!!

Especially when your client is Rolling Stone.

All the best,

- Tom

UPDATE: They fixed it.

Another creepy campaign against sexual abuse of children

I saw this ad on I Believe in Advertising. A little Googling got me two more, in original Portuguese, from Creative Society:

They are all very upsetting as they should be, given the subject matter. But somehow I often find the effort to find creative ways to express the issue just end up creeping me out without adding to my awareness of, or concern for, the issue. It's as if the agency is exploiting tragedy for PR.

Is that too harsh?

The corpse of Michael Jackson wants you to save water

I get the insight. But the execution just makes me think of his shrivelled corpse.

The fact that he played a zombie in that suit doesn't help.

The other two in the series — Madonna (alive, sort of) and Elvis (dead longer than many of my colleagues have lived) — are less creepy, but also awkward.

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Harley Babyson

That is one freakishly long umbilical cord — and one freakishly old newborn.

While I get the strategy of this Brazilian campaign, I think the execution is needlessly off-putting.

There's another one that's a little cuter:

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Ham and WHAT sandwich?!?

Via Ads of The World

The naughty little microbe in the Brazilain public health ad is sorta cute.

I'm more disturbed by my fear that some guy seems to have mistaken this innocent ham sandwich for a sex toy. If the food's that "good looking" you've probably spent too much time without female company.

What a brilliant (stolen) concept!

I just saw this campaign in Ads of the World:

Really awesome concept. But not an original one. The ads immediately sent me searching through my blog archives to find the originals, in an art photography series by Argentinian photographer Irina Werning:

The ad version is by an agency called Propeg in Salvador, Brazil. The creative team is Ana Luisa Almeida and Emerson Braga (CDs) and Edson Rosa (AD).

So here is my question for photographers and ad creatives alike: Is it right to rip off someone's personal art project for ad glory and profit? Is it "inspiration" or outright theft?

An Ottawa radio station is currently running ads that use the Sleeveface meme. But that's a collaborative and tongue-in-cheek project that uses already copyrighted work. This, on the other hand, is a clear ripoff in concept, style and content — with only the addition of a product placement — Irina's Back to the Future and Back to the Future 2. Is it even legal?

Opinions welcome. I have e-mailed Irina as well.

Healthy bread makes you... brain dead?

It must be something unique to Brazilian culture that associates the line "Break free from guilt" with a slice of bread killing your mind like an old-school villain. Or perhaps that's the evil bread (although its brown colour looks pretty good to me) that the hero bread is about to free your mind from?

I am so confused. But at least the illustrator got paid.

Via IBiA

A pants-shittingly good DM

This Brazilian direct mail campaign by Publicis invited journalists and bloggers to the 10th anniversary of Hopi Hari Horror Hour, a scary themepark.

The copy that came with the gender-specific gift below says, "You'd better be prepared."

Is it just me, or do Brazilian men's underpants look like women's panties?

This is perfect old-school direct marketing: A simple but true insight, executed memorably. (Plus, a day with free underpants is always a good day.)

If you're interested, here's the show. Rammstein has never seemed so... Broadway.

Tip and pics via Ads of The World