A bus-stop ad in Spain is making headlines worldwide. The client, the Fundación ANAR or Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk, is running two different messages in one campaign: one aimed at adults, the other visible only to those under 4 feet 5 inches tall—the average height of a 10-year-old. 

The innovative outdoor campaign shows two versions of a boy; one clear-faced, that adults see, and the other battered and bruised that's visible to kids' eyes, with a message that reads: "If somebody hurts you, phone us and we'll help you," along with a hotline number.Continue reading...

It looks like Ford isn't the only company that employs rogue advertising agencies. McDonald's U.S. is the latest to be hit by "unauthorized" ads, and in this case, the ad actually made it out into public. 

The ad in question appeared on Boston's mass transit system and was first passed around the web by intrigued commuters before McDonald's corporate got wind of it. The poster features a distressed woman holding her head in her hands, accompanied by the words, "You're Not Alone. Millions of people love the Big Mac." The ad also included an 800 number at the bottom, which reportedly connected to McDonald's corporate.

An obvious riff of a mental health PSA, the ad upset many, particularly blogger David Yamada, who snapped a photo of the ad for his blog, Minding The Workplace. "We’re living in difficult times. There are a lot of people who are struggling with their mental and emotional health. They may be highly stressed out, depressed, or even suicidal," Yamada wrote. "I’m sorry, but the ad is just too close to the real thing to be funny."Continue reading...

When it comes to crowdfunding NASA, the sky's the limit. 

At least that's what a group from the aerospace industry was hoping for when it created an IndieGoGo campaign to fund a NASA PSA to be aired before showings of this summer's Star Trek Into Darkness. 

“NASA recently made an inspiring new online video narrated by Mr. Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, to show the progress being made on these new systems, but the agency is barred by law from buying advertising time for such a spot,” states the campaign page. “Today we’re running a crowdfunding campaign to edit this video into a 30-second spot, and place it in over 50 movie theater screens around the country.”Continue reading...

A Canadian beer brand (ostensibly), in a stroke of marketing genius, has major alcohol brands jumping on its ad bandwagon promoting “Responsibly Beer.”

It’s actually an ad campaign by the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission and there’s no actual beer brand—just pure advertising to influence drinkers to do so responsibly.

The provincial AGLC went all-out with the ploy, creating an age-verification splash page, a Facebook page, Instagrammed "Responsibly" beer cans on Twitter and a Pinterest, too.

“The idea was to play on the very common slogan ‘drink responsibly’ to catch people’s attention, which will hopefully get them to our website enjoyresponsibly.ca to find out more about the concept behind the fictional product," said AGLC spokeswoman Michelle Hynes-Dawson, FoodBeast reports. It's "about giving a definition to 'responsibly' and moderation.”

“In terms of Facebook and Twitter, it worked well with the campaign concept and the demographic we are trying to reach," she added of the focus on young adults between 18 (the province's legal drinking age) and 24 years-old.Continue reading...

NYC judge just ruled on #sodaban, says it's arbitrary and capricious. This is a victory for small business and personal choice in #NYC.

— NYC Beverage Choices (@NYCBevChoices) March 12, 2013

It was doomed to fail, writes the Guardian. Even New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg acknowledged, "When we began this process, we knew we’d face lawsuits." He added, "When you adopt a groundbreaking policy, special interest will sue. That's America."

So the overturning by New York State judge Milton Tingling of Bloomberg's proposed ban on sugary beverages above 16 ounces, which was due to go into effect on Tuesday before being dismissed as "arbitrary" and "capricious" by Tingling, didn't come as a complete surprise.Continue reading...

An estimated 3,000 kids die daily, and more than 3.5 million children do not live to the age of five, largely due to diarrhea and pneumonia – both manageable with soap and water. People worldwide wash their hands with water, but far too few use soap, particularly at crucial moments such as after using the toilet, cleaning a child, or before handling food.

In 2008, Unilever, its Lifebuoy soap brand, and Population Services International (PSI) joined forces to declare October 15th Global Handwashing Day. Last year, the public-private partnership produced a PSA starring actress Mandy Moore, among other efforts.

This year's Global Handwashing Day bring a new partnership with the Millennium Villages Project, a joint effort by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the United Nations Development Program. The PSA simply asks for support for an initiative working with 500,000 people in rural villages across ten countries in sub-Saharan Africa as part of a bigger goal to reach one billion people:Continue reading...

More than 80% of adult smokers in the U.S. tried smoking by age 18, up to 90% by age 20, so the truth, the largest American youth smoking prevention campaign (and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry) is launching truthlive this week, kicking off a series of five free concerts featuring musicians Cobra Starship and Outasight at East Coast and southern universities in a bid to stop the next generation of tobacco addicts.

“truth’s success stems from offering facts and information about tobacco use and tobacco industry marketing practices in channels and through media that are relevant with teens and young people – then allowing them to spread the message themselves with their peers and friend groups,” stated Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, president and CEO of Legacy, the national public health foundation that directs and funds the truth campaign. 

Using music as a ‘passion point’ to connect with students, on-campus activities feature the iconic orange truth truck and truth tour riders, young adults armed with games, interactive activities, dancing, contests and mucho swag, educating their peers on the truth about smoking.Continue reading...

Major League Bseball today released a new public affairs campaign, titled Baseball Believes, featuring a pair of amusing spots starring Steve Carell, Ken Jeong & Colin Hanks re-creating "signature moments in baseball history that led fans across the nation to believe that anything was possible." (Watch the longer version below.)

According to MLB's press release, the campaign was filmed at Boston's historic Fenway Park as part of a longstanding collaboration between Major League Baseball, its 30 Clubs and Stand Up To Cancer — a non-profit initiative of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that rang the opening bell at the NYSE this morning.Continue reading...