The Future of Ads

Hidden ASCII Art Generates Buzz For Dante’s Inferno

When the team behind the Dante’s Inferno video game hid ASCII art in the source code of many popular websites and then waited for that art to get discovered, they were taking a huge risk, but sometimes big rewards can only come to those that are willing to take equally big risks.

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Carl’s Jr. Uses YouTube Stars For Online Video Success

One of my advertising rules of thumb is this: Content that works well online is not the same as content that works well on television. To see why, let’s look at Carl’s Jr.’s latest ad campaign for their Portobello Mushroom Six Dollar Burger.

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Lexus Takes You Inside Their House Of Cards

With simple ideas, the little details can often make a big difference in the success of a campaign, taking it from good to great.

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Burger King Lets People Sacrifice Friendships For Whoppers

Burger King’s new Facebook application, called Whopper Sacrifice, asks users to take on a controversial task: ending 10 Facebook friendships in order to receive a coupon for a free Whopper.

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Never Hide Films Are Viral Successes For Ray-Ban

To help promote their line of sunglasses, Ray-Ban created a series of viral videos called Never Hide Films. With 11 total videos to date, they’ve seen multi-million view successes, and four-digit failures, so it’s an interesting look at what works well as an online viral video, and what doesn’t.

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Chalk Shows Nike Understands The LeBron James Market

Nike has stayed on top of their game not because they’re willing to sit back and reap the rewards of previous successes, but because they’re willing to push the limits of what’s possible with brandvertising, and prove to the world that they’re not just on the cutting edge; they’re defining it.

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Controversy Makes Whopper Virgins A Success For Burger King

Burger King is giving the taste test a twist, and documenting the process with a campaign that they’re calling Whopper Virgins.

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When Life Steals Your Lemons, Advertise For Lemonade

To get fans excited about Monday Night Football, ESPN created a fantastic series of ads that featured real NFL turf "as a reminder that pigskin can help you get through a crappy Monday". Almost immediately the ads started to disappear.

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