Follow-up: "That Girl Emily"

Or should we say "That Hoax Emily?" Still not sure what they're advertising or marketing, but as Wizbang points out, they've spent a bunch of money on identical billboards in NY AND LA. Not the best way to run a viral campaign in the world of blogs, rapid-fire-google research and consumer criticism.

I've pasted another photo of the same billboard on an entirely different building (this one in LA). Will, at "What is Will Thinking," had a good list of reasons of why the whole campaign was suspect from the start, all of which I heartily agree with. So, last question, what the hell are they selling? (Curbed seems to think it's something for CourtTV.)

Update: ABC News says, yeah, it's for a cable TV show.

That Girl Emily...

So, I've been looking into the shady blog of "That Girl Emily" and the billboard she commissioned about her lying cheating husband, Steve (Click the photo for an enlarged, easier to read, version). She joined Blogger in June 2006, and by July, she's discovered her husband's cheating on her and takes massive steps against him. It makes for sensationalist reading, but is it real?

Definitely not.

But what's the story behind it? Any smart gal or guy can figure out that this is some form of marketing, but what exactly are they hawking?

A number of other blogs, mainly written by women who've been through something similar, feel this Emily's pain, and wonder what the deal is. It doesn't sit right with a lot of readers, but if it is fake, it mocks a lot of real pain that couples go through when they part ways.

German Invasion of Grand Central: Invest in Germany (or else!)

There has been a recent blitzkreig of advertising to Invest in Germany.... It's all part of a new campaign to bring business and investors to Germany, esp. after the publicity and fanfare of the World Cup. How would you choose to get the message out? Maybe something Germany's known for? How about German-born supermodel Claudia Schiffer? Now we're talking!

Wrapped in a flag and posted on almost every available wall space in Grand Central Station in NYC, Schiffer shows her national pride and does her part to help get the word out about Germany. I find the campaign a little intimidating-- Schiffer's eyes stare out at you, daring you not to invest, and her body is plastered everywhere, making it hard to avoid her gaze.

Interesting that Germany would pick her as their hottest export, but it does lend a bit of buzz and humanity to a campaign that otherwise might be full of BMW's and lederhosen. It'd be nice if you could have a successful campaign that wasn't based on a hot blonde wrapped in a flag, but if that's all Germany has.... well, perhaps we'd better invest.

Tease: Axe for Women, with all its hang-ups.

Adrants' uncovers this little gem of a bodyspray... What was the brief? Probably something along the lines of "Axe for Women." While the site might ask"Why play hard to get, when you can play hard to forget," I think we can all agree this campaign is certainly easy to forget.

*Tease Special Challenge: How many phallic objects can you spot? Bonus if they're pink!

*Extra Credit Essay: Describe how tips on flirtation, differing levels of coyness, winning smiles, and bedroom eyes will slowly erode the women's lib movement. Extra points if you can link Tease to the Stupid Blonde Girl movement.

'Boards honors Ad Women

'boards is honoring Advertising Women of Excellence (or AWE), looking for women who've made a difference creatively, in production, or as business leaders. You can nominate people (specifically, women) here. The "gala celebration" will be held in September '06 during NYC's Advertising Week.

We won't unless you do...?

Adrants released this tidbit of news from Gillette here. Evidently, Gillette's Noscruf campaign is using celebs and unshaven women to scare men into shaving. If the guys are gonna bother us with a 5 o'clock shadow (or worse), why should we bother with nicks and cuts for them? Nice idea, but if you want to get really feminazi about it, you could claim women (and for equality's sake, I guess men) shouldn't be forced by societal norms to shave anyway.

Personally though, I'll stick w/ the razor. Other girls can take up the fight.

Sure's Super Woman

New spot for Sure deodorant from agency Lowe London- check it out here. It's fun, it's perfectly timed to capitalize on Superman Returns, but it makes me wonder how much the average woman is supposed to do in a day. At least this mom has superpowers! (And, on a more bitchy note, why isn't the dad helping out more, if there's a dad around? And why does the Super Woman have blond hair? Don't brunettes ever save the world?)