So B-Reel and agency Eleven Inc is giving Union Bank fans a shot at thirty seconds of fame.

30 seconds? What happend to fifteen minutes? Sheesh.

The idea is, Because Union Bank allows customers to customize their plans, they might as well go ahead and customize the TV spot, too. Supposedly it's the first of its kind, with the interactivity and the chance to create over 40,000 different commercials.

So there have been a few books written about branding.

Martin Clunes, the british actor perhaps best known as the star of Men Behaving Badly , and Doc Martin also is the spokesman for Churchill Insurance.

Sorry. I meant "was."

According to The Daily Mail, he was dropped as car insurance
spokesman "after he informed the company he had reached 12 points on his licence for speeding offences and was banned by magistrates under totting up rules."

Spotted in L.A. this weekend, a Sprite Out Of Home "spectacular," as they call it, seems okay in this at first, if not very expected idea, and something Mountain Dew might have done in the mid to late 1990's.

However. The "extreme" idea when translated from film to static billboard, is a bit of a yawn. Also, the skateboarder dude is so freaking small it's a hard read without the instagram filter on it. By light of day with no retouching, the skater becomes a silhouette blob. I can't help but think if they had made him a wee bit bigger it would have been a quicker read. I mean we're already not dealing with reality here, so why keep it to actual person size?

The Drum reports that 'New international reports will name and shame brands which advertise on websites that feature pirated film and music content' and OMG that is GREAT. If it'll work.

It's called "The USC Annenberg Advertising Transparency report" and it is an attempt to damage the amount of advertising spend that goes to pirate movie and music sites around the world. No small feat that, since it seems these pirate movie and music sites are popping up and going down like a game of whack-a-mole. Usually all run by the same guy from some semi-exotic South American island.

PETA are at it again, with their usual woman-hate. No surprises there, but once again they have recycled their own idea. You know how one visual execution with three different models pains me, as that's not really a campaign. There's one thing I think is worse, and it's doing the same idea, over and over again, expecting a different result. Even Einstein knows that's insane.

This post on the ever-increasingly Buzzfeedy Fastco design features Pentagram designer Matt McInerney redesigning logos for all NFL teams. Hm. Six of these teams haven't been around that long.

Quote the article:

He’s (McInerney) careful to point out that the effort is just a fun side project, and he knows that unsolicited redesigns often include elements that might not, in his words, "stand up to real world scrutiny." But several of his marks seem like they’re nearly ready for primetime.

Tool is adding a major talent to its roster with the addition of acclaimed director and writer Scott Hicks. A lauded feature film director who frequently crosses over into the spot and documentary realms, Hicks brings his diverse skill set to Tool, where he will continue to create in the commercial and digital arenas.

Skullcandy headphones have announced that 100% of the online proceeds received through Skullcandy.com on November 10, 2012 to aid in the Hurricane Sandy relief. Bonus: Free shipping, no minimum all over the US. Now, headphones is one of those things that you know you need extras of - or OK maybe it's just me - because sooner of later you misplace them or break them. I know I'd be all over these headphones, if I wasn't scrounging to pay server bills here first. You go get some, ya hear?

The Economist's cover leader this week argues that Obama must now swallow his pride and work with the Republicans. The leader also explores how a budget deal would help the president, his opponents, his country and the world.

But the best part is the cover. It's the most shared image of all time on Facebook, the image that kicked Justin Bieber off the throne of most retweeted image, a candid moment during the campaign where Barack hugs Michelle. Now hug a republican. Make hugs not partisan war?

"Because only you can make Presidential history."

Production house Superfad has created a series of webisodes to walk us through little known (or well known if you have any knowledge of American Presidential history) facts about Presidential elections from days of yore. Like the fact that William Henry Harrison gave the longest Presidential inauguration speech in history only to have the shortest presidency, dying of pneumonia just a month later.

Last week, we reported how Duracell made a great targeted ad online in the wake of hurricane Sandy that devastated the eastern seaboard (and Cuba, and Puerto Rico) but specifically in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Via Adfreak we find that the Canadian agency Grip Limited celebrated their tenth anniversary by putting ten year olds in creative charge of their accounts. The kids suck down juice, eat pizza and sugar packets, bounce balls and play around most of the day, and somewhere they also manage to find the time to create radio ads, posters and tv-spots to present to the clients whose name they can't remember.

In stark contrast to American Apparel, the clothing chain Brooklyn Industries this morning sent out a more heartfelt and much less blasé letter concerning the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

They're a bit more relevant, considering they have both shops and warehouses in the city. It's interrupted the flow, and there will be delays. I'm a bit suspect that people in the city are worried about where their latest plaid shirt will be coming from, the rest of the country is a different story. They're doing double duty by reassuring and conveying pertinent info.

The biggest storm in years, a death toll above 30 , as of October 30th, and stretch pant and t-shirt maker American Apparel decides to do the tired and true social media ploy of trying to cash in via controversial statements.
What? You were expecting something less sleazy?

I warn you against believing that advertising is a science. -Bill Bernbach

The quote can be applied to a brand as much as the ads created for them. Few things are better examples of this than Virgin America .

Back in days of yore, flying was awesome. People used to get dressed up as opposed to wearing sweat pants and slippers. The food was good, and not the butt of every amateur stand-ups' jokes. Problem is, the flying from days of yore happened before airlines were deregulated, a move that ushered in the era of low cost airlines that cared little for nostalgia and more for the bottom line.

Lena Dunham, the creator of HBO series Girls makes one big innuendo of a political ad to get out the vote for Obama because apparently he deflowered her or something.

In it, Dunham rambles like she's taken too much Adderall. It has a very creepy Generation Instagram feel to it and the music reminds me somehow of those Mac vs. PC ads. Just when we get to the point where the constant run on sentences and bad jump cut edits are making me want to scream, Dunham finally slows down and says:

As Dabitch says, advertising is information in the right context. And if that's the case, Duracell should get an ad of the week award.

The worst storm in all of creation is about to hit the Northeast. Cataclysmic. A mixture of rain and maybe snow, and high winds, and probably raining frogs and locusts, too. Hurricane Sandy, as she's called, as been dubbed Frankenstorm. Just for halloween.

Following its widely praised production of The Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards in 2011, Phoenix returned to the event on October 17th, leveraging its experience and creativity for yet another successful show.

Back when Kidsleepy lived in Atlanta, Mellow Mushroom was the place to get some serious pie. It was also the place that had stoner mushrooms as mascots. Not much has changed, thankfully. The southern chain is still getting its strangeness on, in over 100 cities. Fitzgerald+CO aims to get more people following Mellow Mushroom on Twitter and Facebook, by having Mellow Mushroom follow them back. Literally. And with good reason: winners will get free pizza for a year. Imagine the munchies you could quell….