the little blue box grows up

Kudos to the most uppity jewelry brand of all time. Tiffany & Co. has released a new ad around their "Will You?" campaign that highlights a variety of couples entering one of the most monumental phases of their life. A follow up to the recent print ad featuring a same-sex couple, the TV spot beautifully displays very different couples all capturing modern day romance. A new spin for a very old, traditional, and iconic brand is refreshing and hopefully paves the way for others.

chatty cathy

Many of you know the long-running Sunday newspaper comic, Cathy. She is funny, she complains about the simple things in life, and she's overweight - not entirely dissimilar from famous comedian, Louis CK. So what happens when her comics and his standup get together? Probably the most epic comic of all time. Introducing: Cathy CK - the most hysterically appropriate mashing of two ridiculous people. Check out Artist Eric Simmons' Tumblr for all the Cathy - Louis mashups!

"Hekla Yeah!"

Well, Icelandair is quickly becoming the coolest airline ever. The airline created a new plane called the Hekla Aurora, which has been designed from the inside out to recreate the famous Aurora Borealis experience. As many jet-setters know, Iceland is one of the best places in the world to catch the breathtaking Northern Lights. In honor of this national phenomenon and as a tie-in to their #stopover campaign, this specially-designed plane is outfitted with LED lights inside mimicking the Northern Lights sky. Brands elevating their products / services to meet experiences is a total win.

the creative director douche test

We all know there are some super fun, super brilliant creative directors out there . . . and we all know there are some super douchey creative directors out there too. Although it's pretty damn easy to tell which is which, there's this handy little Creative Director Douchebag Detector Device just in case. The tool allows you to determine just how much of a douchebag your creative director (or one you'd like to higher) is. And let's face it, don't expect a 0%, we're all a little douchey deep down inside. Yeah, I'm talking to you account people. I kid, I kid.

via

the right ingredients for social content

Just like most of you, we have mixed feelings about brand's shoe-horning their way into pop-culture happenings like the Oscars--when done right it can be awesome, but done wrong, it's pretty lame. We also have mixed feelings about McDonald's recent campaigns. That being said, this simple, clever, little piece of social content from McDonald's during the Oscars works perfectly!

Barbie says hello

Remember when we were kids and we played with Barbies (or maybe action figures) and we imagined up thousands of crazy scenarios and conversations between dolls and acted them out with all our creative energy? Welp, for better or worse, those days are gone. Children's games and toys are getting more and more technologically advanced and interactive, so much that even Barbie's jumped in the game.

Meet Hello Barbie. Hello Barbie (from Mattel and TalkToy) is so advanced that she can hold full-on, coherent, two-way conversations with children. Whoa! How they do it is pure magic, check it out here.

Oscars + brands = real-time tweets

We all knew it was coming. Just like we did with the Grammy’s, Super Bowl, etc. Brands love inserting themselves into the convos around the biggest events of the year. Some did it better than other, but here you go, the best of Sunday’s Oscar tweets. Well played Dos Equis, well played.

award your worst employees

Rather than firing your worst employees, Cannes Lions is asking you to send them to their festival this year as a delegate. It’s cheaper than severance, according to the new tongue-in-cheek campaign. The idea is to grow the creative world by encouraging companies to let their lesser performing employees attend the festival to become inspired. Sure it's a stretch, but it’s also pretty damn funny. So if you’re a Bridget, Jean-Pierre or Nisha, you may be going to south France this year!

the future of advertising

Not really. Well Maybe. Nah, couldn’t be. Or could it? Parks & Rec could be on to something here. They recently aired some parody ads poking fun of the ad industry in the distant future (2017). They’re certainly giving The Onion some competition in terms of satire. Enjoy these hilarious fake, but slightly true, ads.

Are the Oscars still a big deal? I guess so, because Apple decided to air a new ad just for the occasion. And they do so with a voice over from iconic director Martin Scorsese. It is a strong offering from Apple selling the creativity that can be found by using the iPad. So, prepare to see a lot more 'artistic' videos from your mom.

petsmart lets the crazy out

Weird works, right? Think about The Most Interesting Man, the Old Spice Guy, or that uncle that you had when you were a kid that no one let you be alone with. Well, PetSmart is getting a little weird with a series of new ads which spotlight awkward/unusual/uncomfortable situations for pet owners. The are all truly top notch. Check out more!

should sony kill anything that isn't games?

Sony makes a ton of products, and at it's leading edge is the PlayStation. Sure, they make good TVs, cameras, and decent phones and tablets, but in reality it's big moneymaker is the PlayStation. So, is it time for the company to kill all that other stuff and just geek out on it's gamers? Or, is all that other stuff really worth it to round out the Sony home? The Verge has an opinion on the matter. Check it out.

interactive sexy trailer

Marketing that is creative, engaging, and interactive seems to be the holy grail for brands. Everyone is trying it (*cough* McDonalds *cough*) and there are hits and misses. Enter sex toy brand LELO. They are getting in to the movie business and have posted a trailer that is all about being connected. The trailer can be viewed on mobile devices, the key being 'devices' in the plural. In this case, it takes two to make a thing go right. Check out more PlayTogether.

bacon wrapped pizza

The pizza game is getting a little out of control. First we have the Hut stuffing all sorts of things in the crust, then they made their crust in to breadsticks, and now they are trying to trick us in to eating pretzel crust. What happened to just making a solid, tasty crust for a pizza? Wait, there is a bacon crust pizza? Forget everything I just said. Little Caesars, you have cracked the case. Feel free to continue to experiment!

new castle fails to change history

It seems that New Castle Brown Ale has caught the marketing bug. A little taste of success and they can't get enough. Now they have got in bed with History channel for a little 'brand integration' deal. They are certainly getting the laughs, and this actually isn't a fake deal. New Castle is working with A&E networks. If you didn't figure it out, this is a fake integration... just so we are clear.

a whole new way to wander-lust

How many times have you seen your annoying jet-setting friend(s) snap selfies in the most beautiful vacation destinations and thought to yourself, "Man, I wish I were there." Well, Conrad Hotels is trying to make that a reality by utilizing the technology by Like2Buy to make Instagram an e-commerce platform. Simply clicking on the hotel chains photos on their Instagram account allows users to book that very destination within a few steps. It's undeniable that the hospitality and travel industries rely on visualization to entice travelers - my question is: what will happen when travel websites like Expedia, Booking.com and Trip Advisor get a hold of this technology?

Ithaca is...cold as %^&*

Well, this isn't something you see every day. I always figured that the people who run Tourism websites were some of the most unimaginative people on the planet. But that isn't true for the Ithaca Convention & Visitors Bureau, who blatantly recommended that visitors divert down to Florida instead due to the "ridiculously stupid weather" the Northeast has suffered this winter. Now, if you were planning on visiting Ithaca during the winter, there is probably something wrong with you anyway, but we're glad VisitIthaca.com has a good sense of humor!

go directly to the wall, do not collect $200

Board game nerds: rejoice! Finally, the official Game of Thrones Monopoly is here and ready to be conquered. So don on your golden armor, your Valerian steel swords and prepare for battle. The collector's edition board game will be available for purchase from the HBO shop this year. So for all you GOT junkies, Winter is coming, and it's going to be expensive.

Virgin knows how to do it right

No thats not an oxymoron. We all know that Virgin’s flying experience is one of the best in the world, but what about their new hotel experience? From the looks of it, pretty damn fantastic. Their creativity and attention to detail is unlike any other. Read up on all the unique features that will make you want to book a stay, like the comfy chair bed or the clock projector or the universal connectivity or the cheap snacks or the simplistic design…need I go on?

brands describe love in four words

It has been established that brands love using hashtags on social media. They particularly love participating in the fun hashtag games. Well I wanna know what love is, I want them to show me. Oh that’s right, they already did using #WhatIsLoveIn4Words. It looks like they definitely love themselves. At least they’re having fun. More here.

the magic of branding

What is branding? Let David Brier at Fast Company describe it for you. Check out the video and learn about the magic of branding.

a valentine's day breakup

It's a little cheesy, but a little cute too - Microsoft teamed up with m:united to create a Valentine's Day themed commercial featuring an emotional breakup between a man and Siri. He then continues to boast about his new love. Any guesses on "who" that may be? It may not be the funniest ad we've seen, but it's certainly relevant and nicely timed. You can see Microsoft's other ad, playing off a similar scenario, here.

good girls gone bad

Clearly, this man is sexually deprived and may have some repressed issues. An anonymous illustrator has "reimagined" our favorite Disney couples and placed them into some erotic scenes explicitly detailed from Fifty Shades of Grey. Warning: You cannot un-see these. I will never think about Cinderella the same way again after I've seen her hog-tied and ready for Prince Charming to violate her. But just to add some colorful commentary: if you didn't realize it before growing up, these Disney men are HOT.

who says girls can't drive?

A hot blonde, a Mustang, and a hot blonde that can drive the crap out of that mustang? Sounds like the total package to me. In a recent Valentine's Day stunt, Ford unveiled their new "Speed Dating" commercial featuring an undercover professional stunt driver taking out unsuspecting guys for the ride of their lives. Let's just say... this chick is way out of their league!

etsy knitting millionaire

The internet is a beautiful thing. Regular people can take their ideas strait to the consumer through sights like Etsy, Ebay, and others. Alicia Shaffer is proof of this. She makes upwards of $80k a month from her knitting hobby turned business. She now employs 15 other moms to pump out hand made stuff. Amazing! Go internet (please stay neutral)!

niche twitter marriage

If there is one thing that we all need more of it's sponsored content from 'celebrities' in our twitter stream. Twitter knows this and as a result they have purchased Niche. Have you heard of them? "Niche connects influential people on Vine and Twitter with brands to create sponsored content for sharing on their own channels." Wait, I take back my cynical take on this. Perhaps they can actually help get some cool content out there that isn't just the same old thing.