Quick Pic: Marketing Done Right

"Marketing Done Right" by Bondfan007

On one hand, I love merchandising displays like this. It makes me feel like I'm a character inside a game of Minecraft. On the other hand, every time I see this, I can't help but reflect upon the fact that I'm paying such a gi-normous mark-up on water with a few drops of flavoring that there are people whose only job is to stack cases of that water in visually attractive displays.

Quick Pic: Dead Pool Billboard

Source: Imgur via Reddit

It took me a minute to figure this one out, but it does my heart good to see Deadpool marketing being done right.

Quick Pic: Star Wars Oranges

"Disney needs to calm the f*ck down." by DieZauberer

Source: Imgur via Reddit

That awkward moment when you realize that Disney's marketing has gone too far.

Quick Pic: The Force Awakens Banner

The Force Awakens Banner at the TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theater

Source: ChineseTheatres Instagram

Banner just went up at the Chinese Theater!  I've got chills.

Video: R2-D2 and C-3PO Meet BB-8

"Star Wars The Force Awakens C-3PO & R2-D2 meet BB-8" by moviemaniacsDE

UK telecommunications services provider O2 has begun airing a new commercial which features our old trusty droid friends R2-D2 and C3PO, who are wandering the desert planet of Jakku in hopes of finding help. And help they find, in the form of BB-8, the new droid from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The footage does not appear to be from the movie itself, but any droid-fanatics out there might find themselves in cuteness overload watching this new television spot.

Quick Pic: Fallout4 Bus

Fallout4 Bus

Source: Fallout Intel Twitter Account

Do an Arkham Asylum Batmobile next, please.

Quick Pic: iPhone 6 Billboard

Source: Tom (@taknil)

"I went to check, the bent iPhone 6 poster in Berlin is real an hilarious."

I'll say this for Apple: They are hella quick to turn a flaw into a feature.

Short Film: It's Payback Time

"It's Payback Time" directed by Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith of Nexus

An alien world comes under attack from a mysterious blue substance.  The citizens are struck down in their millions, splatted where they stand or run.  What is the cause of this catastrophe?  Can anything stop its inexorable progress?  This short was created as part of an advertising campaign launched by Channel 4 on behalf of Cancer Research UK for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign.

"We wanted to create something that would empower people to stand up and throw cash in cancer's face. We did this by literally giving cancer a face. An unpleasant, pathetic, terrified and destroyable face,” explained John Allison and Chris Bovill, heads of 4Creative, the creative team behind the short film. "Then what better way to show the epic destruction of cancer than by utilising all the tropes the modern disaster has to offer. In your face cancer.

The initial brief was to turn the table on cancer, depicting the disease as a civilization spreading aggressively – unable to prevent its own Armageddon in the style of a disaster movie.

The main challenge was how to visualize the cancer cells. We wanted to steer away from the obvious route of showing cells as a bunch of grotesque alien germs, but we were also acutely aware of not making them too human or cute."

Illustration: Taking the Piss

"Taking the Piss" a BANKSY quote

Illustrated by Gavin Aung Than of Zen Pencils

[ Previously: A Cartoonist’s Advice ]

Posters: Drunk Superheroes

"Drunk Superheroes" by Fabio Obando

Here’s a powerful set of anti-drunk driving ads created by Costa Rican art director Fabio Obando for Volkswagen.  They feature superheroes (The Hulk, Superman, and Wolverine) that have been involved in drunk driving collisions.  Personally, I think I would have chosen characters who A.) were know for driving vehicles and B.) were not celebrated for their invulnerability.  I mean, all the planning in the world isn't going to save Batman if he's in a wreck, right?

Ad: Attack on the Real

"ATTACK ON THE REAL" ダイジェスト / Titan Projection Mapping 《公式》 by KODANSHAcojp

A new video goes behind the scenes to show how the celebratory 200-Foot Attack on Titan projection went down last week.

Ad: Patlabor's Life-Size AV-98 Ingram

"AV-98 INGRAM" by darwinfish105

Videographer darwinfish posted a recording of the full-size AV-98 Ingram robotic mecha being wheeled into and erected at Tokyo near Kichijoji Station on Sunday. The life-size model is one of two created at the cost of several tens of millions of yen (several hundred thousand US dollars) for the live-action The Next Generation -Patlabor- project.

Ads: Morgan Freeman GPS

"Morgan Freeman GPS commercial" by joshrobertthompson

If we could have any voice for our nav system, we'd choose Morgan Freeman. YouTuber Josh Robert Thompson envisions a GPS that not only sounds awesome, but also provides sage advice.

Ads: Evian Spider-Man

"Evian Spider-Man - The Amazing Baby & me 2" by EvianBabies

The Evian brand continues its long-running viral campaign by partnering with a movie blockbuster. 
The campaign began with roller-skating babies, then led to some breakdancing, and then morphed into "Baby & Me" featuring adults looking at mirror images of their much younger selves.  The campaign is returning with a superhero version of "Baby & Me," featuring your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.  The results are adorable.

Ads: Generic Brand Video

"This Is a Generic Brand Video" by Dissolve Footage

This Generic Brand video is the greatest thing about the worst advertising has to offer.  Stock video footage firm Dissolve put its product to good use to call out lazy marketers peddling empty ideas using Kendra Eash's brilliant McSweeney's piece as a voice over.  

Think the video is a little too over-the-top to accurately capture the nature of the commercials its trying to lampoon?  Think again.  Compare the spoof to some real-life advertisements from Suncor and Cisco below.

Mash-Up: Social Game of Networks

"A Game of Social Thrones" directed by Evan Aagaard for HootSuite

HootSuite created this lovingly-crafted promotional video in imitation of the opening sequence of HBO's fantasy epic, Game of Thrones.   In HootSuite's version, each of the Seven Kingdoms are re-imagined as social networks.  Each company's related services, such as YouTube for Google, are arranged across the map like bannermen.

"At HootSuite we're big fans of HBO's Game of Thrones and with the 4th season of GoT just around the corner we wanted to do our own rendition of the iconic opening titles. After all, uniting warring kingdoms is a story we know a thing or two about."

Ads: Titanfall Mech

Life-Sized Titanfall Titan in Berlin

Photographed by DunkinNico and Lepotatoe

This life-sized mech, the Atlas model Titan "Betty," is part of the "Titan Tour," a roving marketing campaign for EA Games' Titanfall.  These photos were taken in Hauptbahnhof (central railway station).  SlashGear has a story about other events promoting the game across Europe.

Quick Pic: Game of Thrones Ad

Game of Thrones Ad by KieranJWalsh

Source: Twitter via Nerd Approved

Neatorama calls this an "Advertising Fail," but I suspect a marketing exec with a wicked sense of humor knew exactly what he was doing.  Clearly, this photo was destined to go viral.  It's just too perfect.

Ad: Live-action "Attack on Titan"

"Live-action "Attack on Titan"" by Subaruforesterlive

Ad: Ryu Destroys a Car

"Kaskosuz Sürücüye Aduket Şoku" by Anadolu Sigorta

Ryu from Street Fighter destroys a car in this ad from a Turkish car insurance company.