Have you ever noticed how those fast food commercials’ pictures make the food look really good.  Ever notice what you actually get at one of these fast food joints?  It usually doesn’t look anything like what they show you on TV.

Well, we uncovered a great website that displays the food taken from a commercial, versus the actual food that was purchased at the fast food restaurant.  Below is an example of the Beef and Cheddar sandwich from Arby’s

Visit Fast Food: Ads vs Reality to check out the other great pictures.

As gas prices rise rapidly lately, many people are feeling the pinch in their finances.  The above is a very funny picture of an Exxon gas station sign that puts the current gas prices in a humorous light.

Mattel, Inc,  which is the company that makes Barbie and Ken dolls, has launched a digital marketing campaign to reunite the two famous dolls.  If you were not aware, in 2004, on Valentine’s day, Ken and Barbie split up, and have been separated ever since.

What Mattel has done is create kenandbarbie.com where you can go and vote on whether Barbie should take back Ken.  Since the split in 2004, Ken and Barbie had let separate lives, but now Ken wants Barbie back.  So the digital marketing and social media campaign has begun.

Ken and Barbie first met in 1961, and had been dating throughout the decades until 2004 when they decided to split up.  Ken started to date Blaine, who was an Aussie surfer.  Apparently Ken’s true love is Barbie, and now you can decide!

Mattel has created Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare accounts for both Ken and Barbie.  Barbie has nearly 1.9 million likes on Facebook, while Ken only has 30,000 likes.  Clearly, the world has a love affair with Barbie.

I think that Mattel has an interesting concept using digital and social media marketing techniques.  This can definitely go viral as Mattel has the money to invest to spread the word.  We all know that it only takes a small percentage of users to become aware of something to start spreading it to their friends which then goes viral.

So, How are people voting?

Cupidtino is a beautiful new dating site created for fans of Apple products by fans of Apple products! Why? Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common – personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and of course a love for technology. Here’s a clever ad they have right now…

Japanese DJ duo Hifana altered Nike’s brand-new flexible Free Run running sneakers into musical instruments just for this japanese promotional video. The video clip displays the duo configuring the boots or shoes to work as sound triggers in order that when flexed, the shoes produce a pre-determined audio.

The shoes have been outfitted with audio plugs and connected to a sampler. after working out the sounds and rehearsing, hifana is all set for a final piece. in this final performance the duo basically play the shoes, twisting and turning all of them to produce a totally developed tune. This video displays the group’s sound and the versatility of nike’s new sneakers. the project was developed by wieden kennedy, tokyo.

Here’s an advertising campaign for Decathlon from April 4 to April 28 created by ad agency Young & Rubicam Paris. France. The photo above has a tagline “Nothing stops a runner”.

Tagline: “Explore new worlds”. Decathlon ad from April 19 to May 3 Bike Promo

Tagline: Make room for hiking. Decathlon ad from April 30 to May 17

Located in the city of Stockholm, Hunt is a hunting store that speaks to the urban hunter in an urban way. Hunt position itself as a brand that brings an urban mindset to the forest.

Brief: Create attention and interest for Hunt (Stockholm based Hunting Store) and their Hunting Certification Exam.

Solution: The whole forest is a huge take away full of game – and if you take a hunting certification exam it’s always open.

Advertising Agency: Jung von Matt, Stockholm, Sweden
Art Director: Jacob von Corswant
Copywriter: Petter Dixelius
Photographer:Sven Prim
Designer: Calle Cassel
Published: February 2010

A clever way to recruit gay rugby players using one of the oldest prison jokes.

Caption: Now Recruiting
Join Toronto’s gay rugby team. info@muddyyork.ca

Advertising Agency: GJP Advertising & Design, Toronto, Canada
Creative Director: Lisa Greenberg
Art Director: Lisa Greenberg
Designers: Scott Leder, Lisa Greenberg
Copywriter: Lino DiNallo
Photographer: Jesse Senko
Published: February 2010

Advertising campaign just for Adam Le Adam, a charitable organisation for the Seniors, with the aim of parenting public consciousness of the alarming idea that each year an ever-increasing number of elderly folks commit suicide. More than Fifty percent of all suicides are made by elderly individuals.

They designed the arresting photo of an elderly woman knitting a noose to be able to convey the distressing phenomenon of elderly suicides.

Caption says: “Over 50% of all suicides are committed by senior citizens”