Social media has opened up a seemingly endless number of new venues for advertising. You can buy a Twitter background, or get your name into all those free iPhone apps, or slather yourself all over a YouTube clip. But it's all fun and games until you whisper the phrase "sponsored post." Paying blogg...

You would think an economic downturn would make people focus on the necessities in life. But why worry about food, shelter and savings when you can throw your money away on pointless retro kitsch? Today, we've got four fine examples of bizarre pop-culture mashups that have evidently struck a chord, ...

Anyone can talk about making a "viral video," but the reality is that it takes a lot of great content, planning and hard work to make it happen. That's why it's no surprise that more than 16 million viewers have watched this clip produced for rally racer Ken Block, DC Shoes and Subaru. This stunning...

It's a hard time to laugh about the state of the advertising industry, much less the economy as a whole. But let's face it, we're in an industry where dark humor is never in short supply. The seeming randomness and emotional toll of recent layoffs have led our friend Leigh "Advergirl" Householder to...

Aw yeah, take a look at what’s about to claim a place alongside my coveted Alex Bogusky commemorative plate. This limited-edition homage to Pennsylvania's Groundhog & Shadow tourism campaign continues Red Tettemer’s impressive track record of bizarre promotional gimmicks—sausage foosball, ...

In a baffling act of litigious bullying, Virgin America has filed a lawsuit against the popular advertising blog Adrants for posting and commenting on a parody ad. The spoof ad showed a picture of that US Airways jet floating in the Hudson River, alongside the message "Fly Virgin." Adrants initially...

It's hard to top Microsoft Songsmith for absolute grating terribleness, but the Southern Food Brokerage definitely holds its own. This retro Super Bowl-themed disaster, based on the Chicago Bears' infamous "Super Bowl Shuffle" from 1985-86, is truly something to behold. I especially like the dedicat...

Up until a week ago, I had never heard anyone ask for help warming up their lunch. Then it happened again. And again. The reason? Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers seem to add a few steps too many to the mid-day microwaving process. So, I was a bit surprised to see this ad, which mocks anyone who would da...

The ad industry has long felt besieged by DVR technology, which has given more and more TV viewers the ability to fast-forward through commercials. But what if the viewers are actually the big losers in this trend? What if commercials actually make TV more enjoyable? Counterintuitive as it sounds, t...

In a glorious celebration of the long struggle for gender equality, a new Danish ad features hundreds of women skydiving topless (safe for work, as long as your boss enjoys lots of flagrant nudity) to promote a great deal on washing machines. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington locked in his Lifetime Ach...