the smartest grill ever

Labor Day's upon us which means it's time to burn the shit out of some steaks, burgers and hot dogs.

Not so fast! T-fal has created the OptiGrill, which senses and notifies you if your steak is rare, medium, or well done. Not cooking steaks? No problemo - you can specify on the device what type of meat you're preparing.

Now pick one up and go all Iron Chef on your friends this weekend.

how do you like them potatoes?

This isn't the first time marketers have pulled this trick, but sometimes dusting off an oldy-but-a-goody is the way to go.

For 8 weeks, in grocery stores across The United Kingdom, McCain will be pumping in the smell of baked potatoes with the goal of selling what the British call "chips."'

Yum?

taco bell punks impatient canadians

Some folks in Canada were tired of waiting for the Locos Tacos to appear at their local Taco Bells. So, naturally, they bitched about it on Twitter.

Taco Bell took note and invited these customers to a "special fan event," where complainers were served Locos Tacos imprinted with their verbatim tweets. Touché.

would you share your last chocolate square?

Everyone loves chocolate, and this chocolate bar offers a lot more to love… or share. Milka uses their product to push the envelope and represent their brand message “Dare to be tender.”  Their latest campaign offers consumers the chance to experience the brand message by testing their tenderness. They produced millions of chocolate bars with one missing square, and then they offered people the chance to reclaim their missing square or send the square with a special message to someone else. Brilliant!

social media camera

Let's face it. We live in a society that likes to have things "right now"...as in yesterday...as in why hasn't it happened already? For those who love photography and things in "real-time," this camera is for you. theQ It syncs to 3G so you can have your photos instantly added to your social platforms. Plus it comes in nine fun colors!

album released in chopping block

Buy this album and you’ll get more than you had in store. Irish band Bell X1 sets out to prove that you can still benefit from physically buying the album rather than digitally downloading it. To do so, they encased their new Chop Chop album in a practical chopping board. 

groovy XXX lip balm, baby

Ok, that is an Austin Powers reference, but this line of lip balm, called Balm Chicky Balm Balm, is inspired by 1970s adult films. From the names (Huge Cucumber, Juicy Melons) to the sales (you can a threesome of balms) there is no shortage of puns. Naturally.

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i ain't afraid of no ghostwriting

Anyone remember the TV show Ghostwriter? Anyone? Well Keiler, an agency in Connecticut, has gone to ghostwriting and created a Twitter account that is 'written' by a ghost who apparently haunts their offices (which includes an old farm house from the 1700s).

A creative, simple way, with a side of kitsch, to get your local agency's name out there.  

every time you use comic sans...

Aw, poor comic sans. But be honest - you agree, don't you?

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welcome your overstay?

A popular luxury hotel chain in Australia asked their agency, Naked, to help them generate revenue and maintain occupancy during the off season. Rather than come back with a clever marketing strategy, they came back with a MUCH bigger idea--a business strategy that would buck the norms of the hotel industry.

The idea was to allow people to overstay (for free) past checkout (because who the heck wants to pack up and head out by 11AM anyway?) for as long as the next person needed to check-in to that room... even if it was a week. A risky strategy to say the least, but it paid off in spades according to this case study.

Proof that sometimes the best marketing strategy is a new business strategy.

breaking Belize

If you're watching Breaking Bad, you may recall last week when Saul suggested Walt send someone (no spoilers) "to Belize" meaning he should kill them. If you're not watching Breaking Bad, you have bigger problems.

When the Belize Tourism Board saw this on the show, they were flattered to get a mention, but were concerned about the context, making it sound like an awful trip, when it fact it's an amazing one.

But instead of getting defensive about it, they instead tweeted out a well-crafted invitation to the cast to visit the country at no cost. Hopefully they all responded with a heck yes.

weeeee miniiiiiii cooooooper

MINI wanted people to know that driving their cars are a lot of fun. But instead of telling people that, they showed people with a pretty break-through stunt.

First they converted three MINI Cooper S models into roller coaster carts, then they strapped people on top and drove (one behind the other) around Toronto with hands in the air, screaming and all.

Point proven.

put the phone down!

We all use our Smartphones way too much. Many would argue that our phones are taking the place of face-to-face human interaction. Check out this eye-opening video of how we’ve become as a society, and see if you agree.

“reality has no filter”

In an effort to drive awareness of its country’s homelessness epidemic, Chile’s People of the streets Foundation has developed an app named InstaWeather - combining Instagram with current weather conditions.

Although the objective of the campaign is to generate awareness for new members, volunteers and donations, it may also cause the rest of us to think about those less fortunate while struggling to pick a filter for the photo of our Sunday brunch.

a new solution for your dog's separation anxiety

Are you a pet owner who feels guilty every time you go away and leave Fido all by himself? Now, with a PetziConnect, you can dodge that bad pet-parent guilt, and stay out as long as you want!

Marketed as a “Skpe for pets”, this contraption has a microphone, speaker, camera and a treat dispenser that can be connected to Wi-Fi, making it accessible from a smartphone or computer anywhere. So for $170, you can tell your dog to "sit" and "stay", even when on the go!

behold: a room in a box

Would you believe that the contents in the above trunk create the room you see below? You should.

Hotello: Portable Room was developed to help aid those in disaster areas by providing temporary accommodations (a bedroom, workspace, etc.), as this often becomes a big problem for the displaced.

The ingeniously designed room even features a light and sound absorbent curtain to provide added privacy. Bravo to designers Roberto De Luca and Antonio Scarponi.

perhaps the smartest car yet

Lots of people have trouble parking in small spaces, and that's because their car doesn't fold in half.

The Armadillo-T not only shrinks from 110 inches to 65, but you can adjust the way it's parked using an app on your smart phone.

50% car. 50% video game. 100% awesome.

candy & colors

Do you like candy and matching colors? If so, then boy does Emily Blincoe have a treat for you!

"Sugar Series," which is part of the "Colors Organized Neatly" project, takes a whole bunch of different candies from different eras and matches them up neatly according to color.

What's your favorite candy color? FYI: The answer to that question is "Blue." If you said something weird like Yellow, then just get the hell out.

muffin top cupcake molds

Fill these little jean cupcake molds for some delicious muffin tops!  As delicious as they look, they’ll probably deter your urge. Eat too many of these and you might get your very own muffin top!

personalized billboard from coca-cola

Consumers love receiving personalized messages from brands, but how would you feel if that message spanned across a billboard? Well in Israel, Coca-Cola created just that through an interactive billboard. Via a smartphone app consumers entered their name, which the location-based app was then able to identify where the consumer was located. That way, their name was automatically transmitted on the billboard as they passed by – plus they received the notification on their phone.

edible meat men

Who says butchers can’t be creative? The butchers at UWAJIMAYA supermarket in Seattle know how to attract attention and show off their talent. They cleverly display two ground meat options, pork man vs beef man. Playing with food is not just for children!

the man card

Finally A real Man Card! Now you can truly take something away from your friends who do unmanly things. The Man Card’s strength comes from the 16 GA stainless steel its crafted from, so you can be sure it will hold up to any kind of wear and tear a true man can dish out. Bonus, The mustache also serves as a bottle opener! Last but not least, if your man card is revoked you can always buy a new one here.

signs for the homeless

Artists Kenji Nakayama and Christopher Hope decided that the homeless could benefit from some typographical assistance. So the duo spent time in cities like Boston and created beautiful hand painted signs that mirrored those held by the homeless they encountered. The result is a series of touching photos of those whom that we all too often turn a blind eye towards.

See the full series and the stories behind the subjects here.

every saul bass movie poster ever made

Film.com has put together this lovely collection of every movie poster that legendary designer Saul Bass ever created. Known for his bold use of color and simplistic yet beautiful design, Bass' influence can be seen in the hundreds of minimalist movie posters being created and shared on the interwebs.

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feel and smell like a fighter

Seriously. How have personal care products, especially deodorant brands, not thought of this before? 

Truly brilliant innovation by an 11-year old boy, and possibly the future of the personal care industry. 

toys in soap = clean hands

How many washes does it take to get to the center of a bar of soap? Kids in South Africa are finding out thanks to the campaign "Hope Soap," created to encourage kids to wash their hands (and reduce the spread of disease) by placing toys in the middle of bars of soap.

Simple yet smart. 

history never looked so good

Abandoned boy holding a stuffed animal. 1945.

Japanese Archers. 1860.

Thanks to the sub-reddit Colorized History where people digitally color old black and white photos to bring them to life and to imagine what the scene may have looked like if you were there, often times taking historical data into account to make them as accurate as possible.

The transformation of these photos are impressive if not magical. 

underwater drones search for lost WWII soldiers

Dozens of WWII pilots who were lost at sea finally be discovered, over 70 years later. Last year, local spear fishermen diving on Palau’s western barrier reef stumbled upon an entire lost plane. This discovery prompted the creation of the BentProp Project, a team of researcher who believe there could be at least eight additional planes to be found.

The fusion of history and technology is downright awesome.

“Girls” blamed for increasing Brooklyn rent

Believe it or not, rent in Brooklyn is once again on the rise, and according to an article published by The New York Times, HBO hit “Girls” could be to blame. Bushwick residents are being priced out of their apartments partially due to the allure surrounding the neighborhood Lena Dunham has made famous. Hey, does this mean prices in Manhattan are going down? Nope, not a chance.

hacker discovers Facebook vulnerability, lets Mark Zuckerberg know on his wall

A Palestinian hacker recently discovered a Facebook bug that allows any user to write on anyone else's wall, whether or not they are “friends”. After notifying Facebook and not receiving an answer, he then decided to instead demonstrate the vulnerability by writing on Mark Zuckerbrg’s wall.

Unfortunately for him, this decision caused Facebook to deny him the $500 that is awarded to those who find software bugs. Maybe next time he will follow up with an email instead.

abandoned psychiatric hospital made creepier

Not possible you say? Well you haven't seen then you haven't seen Brazilian street artist Herbert Baglione's creeptastic 1000 Shadows project. he’s been painting black silhouettes on the walls, floors and ceilings of abandoned buildings in São Paulo and Paris, but Baglione's creepiest location to date is this abandoned psychiatric hospital in Parma, Italy.

useless plastic box

Recently Los Angeles-based street artist Plastic Jesus secretly installed a fake product on the shelves of five LA area Best Buy stores. The small plastic box, complete with an official-looking product tag that reads “Useless Plastic Box 1.2." According to the artist, 'If you are dumb enough to buy it you deserve all you get.'





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first flight of the phantom

First Flight of the Phantom is an amazing view of NYC as seen from the Gopro Camera outfitted "drone" quad copter of Nicolas Doldinger. Forget crane shots and helicopters, could this be a technological advance in film making on par with the invention of the steady cam? So cool...



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not your typical barcodes

Packaging is always more fun through creative eyes. Barcodes are ubiquitous and often times entirely overlooked by most people who don’t have a creative eye. Check out these fun barcode designs from Irish illustrator Steve Simpson.

billboard tests your phone's playlist

Put your music to work! Billboard magazine encompasses all things music focused, so it only makes sense for them to use your phone’s music files as an indicator for free samples. Plug in your phone, let the machine review your music and if you have 20 songs by the person featured on the cover… you get a free Billboard magazine.

tour sicily through virtual robot

Dream of traveling the world? Well, here’s a step in the right direction if Italy is on your list. The latest SanPellegrino campaign allows you to virtually tour Sicily through the eye of a robot. This offers Facebook users the ability to control the robot and interact with locals through a translation system, or live the experience through a Skybot. Experience the 3 minute virtual Italian vacation by visiting their Facebook page.

the legend of sneakers on a wire

We've all seen 'em before. Sneakers hanging suspiciously from power lines and telephone wires in city, suburban and rural neighborhoods alike. We've all asked someone about them, pondering their deeper meaning. And we've all heard the stories: they mark drug dealer hotspots, they represent dead gang members, they're mafia related... and so on.

Thankfully, So Closer productions is on the case with this compelling documentary made up of donated photos, videos, stories and call-ins.

recycling has never been so entertaining

Vending machine marketing is HOT right now. This latest one from German beer brand, Astra, rewards people in the red light district for depositing their bottles in the machine for recycling with a live show. Yes, live people are actually hanging out in the vending machine, waiting to perform for you. That's a first... and super cool!

Facebook powered robot hits on chicks

The issue with some PR stunts is the people that experienced them in real life love 'em, while rest of the world feels left out of the fun. But not this stunt for San Pellegrino. This stunt puts funny looking robots in the middle of Taormina, Italy and lets Facebook fans from afar control the robot live for 3 minutes. In those 3 minutes fans can walk the robot down the streets, get a 360 view, chat with people (using your profile picture and a live mic), even hit on cute girls. Now go get yo'self a hottie Italian.

click your pantone high heels 3 times...

Creative shoe enthusiasts unite! Well, not quite yet. This collection is the pipe dream of creative Christian Goldeman who wants to create a collection with Pantone and Christian Louboutin...the red soul of Louboutin may not go great with every pantone color (ok - let's let the creatives decide on that), but there would be a very avid consumer audience of creatives around the world who would eat these shoes up. 

funniest food truck - ever?

Seen in New York: a hot dog truck inspired by Anthony Weiner's sexting alias and highly publicized shennanigans. Yes - this just might be the funniest, or greatest, food truck ever. Although, it might make you pause before ordering an Anthony weiner, too...

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