From Australia: horror-movie-style posters are at the heart of a new campaign from Volkswagen to promote the 2021 model of its Tiguan. The idea came out of research that showed that most Australians have driving anxieties. The company is pitching its IQ Drive- an intelligent driver assistance system- as the answer to conquering those fears.
From Mexico: a new spot for Burger King shines with creative brilliance as it portrays a Hollywood-style gang war in which artificial ingredients get literally beaten up and executed.
From Singapore: a series of spots for KFC’s Double Down that unapologetically tout its high calories, and the absence of a bun and veggies.
Two outspoken American pro-gun activists were recently conned into speaking at a fake school graduation ceremony, in front of a sea of empty chairs, meant to represent students who didn’t graduate because they were killed in shooting incidents. Extracts from a BuzzFeed report:
Former National Rifle Association president David Keene and author and gun rights advocate John Lott were both duped into giving graduation speeches to a field of more than 3,000 empty chairs in a stunt that was organized by anti-gun violence group Change the Ref.
Keene and Lott were invited to speak at the graduation of a fictional high school called James Madison Academy to film addresses for the fake Las Vegas high school’s 2021 class of graduates.
"Ironically, had the men conducted a proper background check on the school, they would have seen that the school is fake," a Change the Ref spokesperson said in a press release.
Link to speech videos:
SERIES REVIEW
There are prison dramas. And then there is Time.
What makes this mini-series so special? It feels real. It has great performances. But most of all, it is the writing. It is a heart-wrenching examination of human frailty and resilience, and of the hard choices that one should never have to make. And it has something to say about penal systems.
It tells the parallel stories of two men- one, a prison officer, the other, a prisoner. They have an unexceptional working relationship with no particular fondness for, or animosity towards each other. What connects them, apart from their shared environment, is their humanity, and their stoic acceptance of the consequences of their choices. The writing shines in its nuanced depiction of these men, and the people and events that dot their storylines.
Here’s a link to a clip of the opening 7 minutes.
From Canada: a turban for Sikh motorcyclists that is “layered with impact resistant materials”.
A new campaign for the Mini transforms the wings in the logo into design elements that highlight key features of the car.
As shared by readers of The Guardian:
I smoked for 40 years and decided the best way to quit was to get new teeth. So, I invested £3,500 (in Budapest – it’s even more expensive in the UK) to have 26 crowns replace my smoke-inflicted teeth. I haven’t smoked in the four years since and my teeth look amazing.
Pete, hospitality worker, Leith
After decades of unsuccessful attempts at quitting my smoking habit of up to 20 a day, I took up painting pebbles. The idea was that, if I had a paint brush in my hand, I couldn’t hold a cigarette. It proved to be phenomenally successful and very therapeutic. It took about three days for the nicotine cravings to subside and I haven’t smoked a single cigarette in more than three years. I treat myself often with the money I save from not buying cigarettes – and my painting hobby has progressed to painting on canvas, too.
Elaine, retired, Greece
I had a 40-a-day habit that I started aged 15. Here are my tips for quitting. 1) Recognise the triggers that make you want to smoke and know they will pass within two minutes. (One of my biggest triggers was opening the car window, as I used to open it to flick the ash out.) 2) If you are really gagging for a cigarette, take a shower – there will be no trigger there, as it’s impossible to smoke in the shower. 3) Relaxing massages help. I managed to stop smoking on my first try, aged 46.
Andrew, graphic designer, Peak District
A Colorado house that was vandalised by its tenants, and left with broken windows, soiled carpets, and a non-functioning refrigerator with rotting meat- none of which seem to have been mended as yet- is up for sale for $590,000, and seems to have no shortage of potential buyers.
I guess some of that may have to do with the way in which it has been listed. Some extracts from the listing description:
This formerly majestic 5 bed/4 bath/3 car garage home was once the seller’s pride and joy. Now it’s every landlord’s nightmare and needs someone with firm resolve to appreciate its potential. If you dream of owning your own little slice of hell and turning it into a piece of heaven, then look no further! This house is not for the faint of heart but for that special person who can see through the rough diamond to the polished gem inside.
You will also notice there is not one surface of the home that has not been enhanced with black spray paint or a swinging hammer - damage done by an angry departing tenant who didn’t want to pay rent. But don’t let that slow you down. It’s not nearly as daunting as the freezer in the basement that’s full of meat and hasn’t had electricity to it for over a year. So be sure to wear your mask. Not for anyone else’s protection but your own. You may not be able to endure the smell if you don’t.
The upstairs has a catwalk, large master with soaking tub and dual sinks, plus two additional bedrooms and bath – all covered in black spray paint, vulgarities, and other substances which are no longer identifiable. The basement is amazing – or at least it will be once all the debris is cleared out, the floor coverings are replaced, and the obscenities are painted over.
Link to news clip which features the agent who is selling the house.
Link to 8 minute video in which the agent gives a complete virtual tour of the house and candidly explains how it came about to be the way it is.
According to this report:
Since the 1988 Seoul Games, hundreds of thousands of free condoms have been distributed at the Olympics, to encourage safe sex as the world’s elite athletes mingle at close quarters. While organizers are still expected to hand out 160,000 at the pandemic-postponed games, which start next month, virus rules should limit interaction in the Olympic Village. The rulebook for athletes specifically warns them to “avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact,” leaving some wondering why condoms are being distributed at all.
Games organizers say distributing condoms is meant to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, and that the International Olympic Committee has asked for the handouts to continue this year, despite the pandemic. “The distributed condoms are not meant to be used at the Olympic Village,” the organizing committee said. Instead they are supposed to be “brought back by athletes to their respective home countries and to help them support the campaign to raise awareness,” they added.
From Denmark: streaming service TV 2 Play is promoting its forthcoming extensive coverage of Wimbledon with a side-splitting spot featuring legendary streaker, Mark Roberts.
Extract from a recent comment by frequent CNN contributor, Ana Navarro on Jeffrey Toobin’s act of self-stimulation on a Zoom call, eight months ago:
In this case, he was not sexually harassing anybody. He didn’t have the intent to sexually harass somebody. He was sexually harassing himself… maybe.
From Network (1976): the famous speech.
Here’s him talking about life and movies in a 1986 interview.
From France: KFC taps into the excitement around Euro 2020 with this delightfully wacky spot.
In a recent press release, Amsterdam’s city council said that it plans to take extra measures this summer, against “nuisance visitors”. One councillor elaborated on that, saying this:
If it is your intention to see the most beautiful city in the world this summer, come to Amsterdam. If your intention is to booze and misbehave, dressed like a penis, look elsewhere!’
In a new spot running across France and Belgium, Burger King fondly remembers its more difficult customers.
From Australia: a smile-inducing campaign for KitKat transports its signature slogan into a world of wizards on Zoom calls.
Spot 1: Remote Meeting Magic
Spot 2: Breaking My Concentration
Spot 3: Breaking and Not Entering
From Spain: a tale of love and resolve. As reported in The Guardian:
Manuel Souto, an 82-year-old retired lathe operator, decided to find somewhere for his wife to sit and rest on their daily walks. María Souto, who is 79 and has osteoarthritis, walks with a stick and finds her morning exercise increasingly difficult.
After efforts to lobby the local council to install benches along their usual route came to nothing, Souto took matters into his own hands and headed to the local DIY shop.
“The bench took me about half an hour,” he told La Voz de Galicia. “I got some wood but I had a saw at home because I still have my workshop. It was just a matter of sawing and nailing and I finished almost straight away.”
An American Congressman from Texas is in the news for asking this question to a representative of the US Forest Service:
I understand from what’s been testified to, the Forest Service and the [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. I was informed by the past director of NASA that they’ve found that the moon’s orbit is changing slightly and so is the earth’s orbit around the sun. We know there’s been a significant solar flare activity, and so — is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit, or the earth’s orbit around the sun? Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate.
As reported in the Lancashire Post:
A crowd of 150 people gathered at Preston Bus Station on Sunday (May 30) whilst a Lancashire artist filmed the group howling together in the name of art.
In the words of the said artist:
A lot of the work I make follows this idea that when we gather we become powerful. So as soon as we've been able to, I've wanted to use a simple idea to bring people back together and howl for the last wolf in England and howl and mourn for the people we've lost during the past year and the time that we've lost.
I think people understood the idea of it immediately - we come together and howl. And that's what people have done. We actually ended up with 150 people and it's a really cathartic experience to become a pack again.
Sometimes it's really difficult to explain to people what you do, but this piece really resonates with a lot of people.
That’s how male sex toys brand, Arcwave, is describing its cheeky hiring notice. It certainly doesn’t beat around the bush, if you don’t mind my saying so, in explaining the role requirements on its website.
It may have been Trump’s first public appearance in a long while but the foremost question on many people’s minds was this: was he wearing his trousers backwards?
A glimpse of his chilling performance in 52 Pick-Up (1986): Bobby’s Talk with Doreen.
A new ad for British pet care retailer, Pets at Home, perfectly captures the joys and the challenges of owning pets.
A recent letter to The Guardian, that was shared on Twitter by a former editor:
On Saturday, you published a photo of the UK prime minister above the headline “A dangerous cult now runs Britain” (28 May). I was pleased to see that, despite the constant turmoil of the modern world, some things, such as the Guardian’s famed penchant for typos, never change.
-Tony Mabbott
Rotherham, South Yorkshire
The menu of a London restaurant is getting some attention after someone pointed out a rather irreverent item on its list of burgers- The Farage. This is how it is described:
Empty plate with a side of gammon, despicable lies and a face like a slapped arse.
For good measure, it is the highest-priced item on the menu.
A new spot for Abbot Laboratories mixes humour with empathy in highlighting the challenges faced by diabetics.
From a report in The Copenhagen Post:
“Aaaah, hmmm, can you tell me what you’re seeing now?” asks Radio4 journalist Louise Fischer while moaning. ‘‘I see a delicious woman who is f**king me good.”
Yes, you read that right. Fischer had sex with her interviewee. It might sound strange, but while reporting on the reopening of a swinger’s club in Ishøj, Fischer thought it made sense to go all the way and interview swingers while she was having sex.
According to her the swingers wouldn’t have had let go as much as she wanted them to, if she had just interviewed them at the bar and watched.
What did her bosses think of that?
Prior to the recording, Fischer’s executives had given her the green light, but it was her own decision. “They thought it was [a] fresh [angle], and they fully trusted that I only did what I wanted and could invent myself,” she said.
With Fischer as a participative actor, the executives thought it was a good way to obtain entry into an otherwise closed world, as well as a surprising reportage. “I think it’s cool when our reporters experiment with making journalism in a different way,” Radio4 program chef Tina Kragelund told Jyllands-Posten.
From this report:
Soldiers with the 173rd Airborne Brigade mistakenly seized and secured a working olive oil factory in Bulgaria as part of a large-scale NATO exercise aimed at deterring Russian military aggression in eastern Europe.
Extract from the US press release:
We always learn from these exercises and are fully investigating the cause of this mistake.
We will implement rigorous procedures to clearly define our training areas and prevent this type of incident in the future.
For my money, this tweet summed it up the best:
They just can’t help themselves when around OIL!
— ᒍᑌᒪIᗩᑎ (@vocalOrthodox) May 30, 2021
Yet another ad- this from the Philippines- that keeps you wondering about what may be its message. Plus, it’s entertaining to boot. But it’s also strange- at least that’s what I thought- in the way it downplays the seriousness of what it is pitching. Just make sure you watch it right till the end.
From Argentina: a new campaign for online travel portal, Turismocity, that keeps you guessing about its message… until it hits you with a blunt but rib-tickling punchline.
Spot 1: Plant
Spot 2: Frog
Last week, an American Congresswoman, who has been in the news for her ludicrous and offensive comments, put out this tweet:
My pronoun is “Patriot”.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 25, 2021
Not surprisingly, she got roasted with responses such as these:
It’s a noun. So is “idiot”.
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) May 26, 2021
The epitome of what an investment in education or lack thereof can offer American society.
— john (@john86ofsfsd) May 26, 2021
