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Holiday

Hmm, So Just What is Mother Up To for Mother’s Day? (Update: Now We Know)

For now, your guess is as good as ours, but apparently, a great reveal is on the way some time today from Mother, which for obvious reasons celebrates Mother’s Day (which is this Sunday, the 12th in case you forgot) as if it were Christmas. Case in point, we’ve been told that the agency is even closing shop this coming Monday so we’re assuming some Sunday revelry will be in order. We’re not sure what the hell that all entails exactly but in the meantime, see the teaser above to get a glimpse at what agency’s got in store today. We’ll update with the full reveal once we receive. We don’t know about you, but a “Momtract” kinda scares us.

Update: Well, the agency seems to have been delayed a bit, but as promised, here’s a full clip promoting Mother’s “Momtract,” which, yes, still scares us, as it’s a contract that “gives mothers back the power they woefully lost as their children aged.” Well, we do remember at a certain point in high school the folks saying that “just because you’re taller than us, doesn’t mean we can’t tell you what to do” (for real). Yep, this just refines that notion, we think. See promo below and, if you dare, draw up your own “Momtract” here:

 

Mediabistro Event

Deloitte & Tango Join Inside Social Apps

ISAExplore the latest trends and opportunities in social and mobile apps at Inside Social Apps, June 6-7 in San Francisco. Newly added speakers include Val Bauduin of Deloitte & Touche, LLP and Eric Setton
Co-Founder and CTO of Tango. Don’t miss the chance to add these valuable contacts to your network. Register today.

Energy BBDO (We Think) Tracking ‘God’ Nods on Social Media (Updated)

We’ve been told that Chicago’s Energy BBDO is behind this rather busy, yet timely site called “God Was Here,” which comes to us a ahead of one of the holiest of days and tracks mentions of “god” on social media–mainly Twitter–seemingly in real-time. We figure this is a good way to wind down Good Friday, so feel free to click around on this silly, but somewhat intriguing entry.

Update: We’ve been told the “God Was Here” site is actually a side project from folks across multiple agencies, not just Energy BBDO.

Bob Marley Passover Lights Up Hebrew Text

 

Rabbis around the world just collectively shuddered, but the conservative kids who struggle to sit through a Passover seder have something unique to look forward to. The Haggadah, the prayer book that tells the story of Passover, has just been remixed by Nathan Phillips, a senior writer at SS+K. You may be familiar with a Lena Dunham ad he wrote and directed for Barack Obama‘s reelection campaign last fall. Now, with the help of Art Director and shiksa Jessica StewartPhillips has unleashed a cool, creative affront to Jewish grandmothers: Bob Marley Passover.

Yes, Bob Marley Passover…as in, Bob Marley Passover. So brazen, it just might work. You can see the project site and download the haggadah here. Don’t forget to #BobMarleyPassover, which is further evidence that hashtagging has gotten way out of hand. But the haggadah itself is legitimate, if not light-hearted and full of a sense of humor bound to clash with almost anyone over 30.

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Carrot Creative Finds Ideal Way to Wrap Up 2012, Welcome 2013: Whiskey

For those of you still woozy from New Year’s, how about a little whiskey-filled clip to soothe what ails you? Here’s a little ditty from those organic foods-loving folks at DUMBO-based Carrot Creative, who celebrate their apparent success in 2012 and bring good wishes in 2013 by gifting whiskey to those who’ve helped them along the way. The woozy, melancholic music from Matt & Kim fits the bill rather nicely as we watch Carrot staffers slowly brand and package the spirits, which were provided by their fellow Brooklynites at Breuckelen Distilling (who keep on truckin’ despite being “significantly affected” by Hurricane Sandy). Sure, it’s lethargic, and rightly so, as we imagine many of you out there aren’t feeling any different at the moment.

And Now, 2012 Summed Up Succinctly

Yo ho ho and a bottle of eggnog, here we are at long last – the final Friday before the agency world shutters for a few short moments in remembrance of Christ’s birth, or more accurately, the Pagan holiday for sun worship (I think). Whatever you celebrate, make sure it includes a nice tall glass of your favorite booze or alcohol free beverage. Raise your glass to friends and family near, far, and gone. Take a moment to reflect, if your memory allows it, on those few fleeting moments from the last year that meant something. That furtive kiss from a now-lost lover; the hope of a better tomorrow, tomorrow; and the knowledge that whatever happens in this world, one day it will all be forgotten – so make every moment last. Because as they say, a man dies twice – once when his heart ceases to beat, and again when the last remaining man on earth who knew him breathes his last breath.

The Apoc is thwarted, but that changes nothing. Live, friends, in the knowledge that we’re all on a path to some final end, somewhere. In an elevator shaft, a movie theater, a war zone, a school room, or in a death bed in your sleep. It’s coming, so let this be a reminder to you – to take risks and enjoy whatever comes of them. You’re worth more than all this, and we here at AgencySpy love you. In the now-famous words of Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers, famously sung by country starlet Lee Ann Womack, “I hope you dance”. Dance in the snow, or in memory of it. Dance with your mothers and your fathers and sisters and brothers and cousins and aunts and uncles and old friends. Dance because your feet demand it, your eyes delight in it, and your heart deserves it. Dance, friends, and be happy if you can. We’re all counting on it – the world needs it. Happy days, friends. We’ll see you soon.

 

T3 Brings Holiday Cheer with 3-D Printer, Stop-Motion Animation

When I first saw that T3′s holiday card involved a 3-D printer, I hoped that it would finally answer the question, “If you use a 3-D printer to create budget $1 sex toys, at what point do you start making a reasonable profit?”

While T3 disappoints in this sense, it succeeds in being adorable. With the aid of their 3-D printer, T3 creates a miniature version of Santa’s workshop, complete with stop-motion storytelling and elves pitching holiday-themed copy. It must have cost a damn fortune to make, which is why they should still consider the $1 sex toy thing. But, it’s cute, and that’s what matters. That’s always what matters.

New Outback Holiday Spot Doesn’t Pass The Smell Test

There are two versions of Outback’s “12 Days of Leftovers” commercial: a shorter 90-second video where talking leftover foods like Fuzzy Macaroni and A Half-Eaten Leg of Turkey sing an annoying riff on “The 12 Days of Christmas,” and  a ridiculously long version that drags for 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Christmas songs are already annoying, but with this new holiday push from Deutsch New York, you will hate them passionately.

Never before has the phrase “Congealed Creamed Corn” sounded so ugly. Also, when does macaroni turn fuzzy? Serious questions to ponder when your mind wanders during that long version.

Just a lazy effort to drum up support for a restaurant that offers low prices and the Bloomin Onion. It’s too bad, because when I think of enjoying the holidays, I used to think of Outback Steakhouse. Now, all I can see is the Slab of Slimy Ham. Credits after the jump.

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Ah, So This Explains That AKQA Pic from Two Weeks Ago

Well, we were perhaps onto something when we were sent a random image a couple of weeks ago featuring a mini-orchestra lounging in AKQA’s San Francisco office. We threw out the idea that there was some holiday tie-in to this (others had more dire theories) and as it turns out, the musicians in the pic are part of the Pacific Chamber Symphony and were playing the role of “Mobile Orchestra” as part of AKQA’s holiday effort. To experience it in full, you need to gather at least one friend and go here to get in the spirit of things with some “Carol of the Bells.”

Havas Chicago Celebrates New Year’s Drunkenness with ‘Buzzed Buzzer’

A party favor with a built-in breathalyzer may sound like entrapment, but it’s actually designed to encourage binge drinking. Thanks to Havas Chicago, office drunks around the world can now create their own Buzzed Buzzer.

The faux-infomercial (above) advertises the newest holiday-themed make-believe product/service. Apparently at the agency quarters, you can tell a person is drunk if he/she wears a lampshade like a hat. This strikes me as a more formal way to get wasted. No longer do we have to worry about bros icing bros, but now we can bring in the new year with lamp shades and noisemakers. I’m not sure which is more annoying, but if you’re curious, Havas Chicago included instructions for building your own Buzzed Buzzer. Make sure you don’t use the soldering iron while intoxicated.

The infomercial ends with the thoughtful warning: “If your Buzzer Works Don’t Drive!! [sic]” So, as long as you aren’t driving under the influence, you might as well be blowing under the influence when the ball drops.

Mekanism Goes 60s Sci-Fi for Holiday Card

What does this little Grindhouse-meets-Plan 9 From Outer Space faux-trailer have to do with the holiday season? Well, nothing, to be perfectly honest. But, it did afford the folks at SF-based agency Mekanism the chance to dress up in ridiculous spandex suits and have fake laser fights. If that’s not a gift from your CEO, I don’t really know what is.

Mekanistas‘ plot is a bit lost on me, but I can safely assume that after shooting wrapped, Mekanism’s employees all wore their suits out to a bar where they got pretty hammered and probably lost their blaster toys. Fuck it, it’s Christmas. Have fun while you can.

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