No two things go hand-in-hand quite like a car and a drive-in movie theater — especially in the context of American nostalgia. The shift toward digital film, however, threatens to send the drive-in the way of the dodo. Stepping in to help keep this American icon from utter extinction is automaker Honda.

By the end of 2013, Hollywood is expected to stop distributing 35 millimeter film to all U.S. movie theaters. While most indoor theaters have already made the switch to digital projection — a move that costs roughly $75,000 per screen — hundreds of drive-in theaters will find it difficult to manage such an expenditure, given their limited ticket sales (most drive-ins close during the colder months, after all).

Part of Honda’s goal is to raise community awareness of the perilous situation in which beloved local drive-ins find themselves. The campaign’s website, projectdrivein.com, features a video (below), which visitors are encouraged to share via social media. Supporters are also asked to pledge to see one movie at their local drive-ins. Read more

What does HTC stand for, anyway? “Hold This Cat,” perhaps?  Could it be “Hipster Troll Carwash?” Or maybe, “Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran.”

These are just a few of the possibilities suggested by HTC’s new spokesman, Robert Downey Jr., in the company’s just-launched “Change” campaign, the tagline for which is: “Here’s to Change.”

See what they did there?

New ads featuring Downey Jr., who has signed a two-year contract to be HTC’s “Instigator of Change,” will debut first on YouTube on August 15th and will also appear on television and in pre-movie spots. The first few ads will be mostly dedicated to playing out some of the far-fetched interpretations of the HTC acronym (yes, “Hold This Cat” will actually be a thing), while later spots will focus on HTC products like the One smartphone and software features like BlinkFeed, Video Highlights, and BoomSound.

The “change” comes roughly six months after HTC retired its “Quietly Brilliant” tagline, and is the company’s first attempt at refreshing its brand since doing so. HTC has invested a great deal in this rebranding, and says that the accompanying social media campaign is the largest it has ever crafted. Read more

Our lives are non-stop — we hear it all the time. If we’re not in a meeting, running an errand, cooking dinner or squeezing in a workout, then we’re probably on our smartphones either planning these things, doing them virtually, or posting about them on social networks. We, as a society, have forgotten how to be still.

Enter Amstel beer and its own take on the smart vending machine trend — stand perfectly still for three straight minutes and this harbinger of serenity will reward you with a free beer. The message is pretty clear: take a break from your hectic life with an Amstel. Simple, yet perfectly on point.

If this sounds like an easy way to earn a free beer, take three minutes of your Friday and try actually remaining perfectly still (no checking Facebook, no fidgeting, no phone calls) without getting antsy — it’s harder than you’d think! But it is rewarding (even without the free beer).

Here’s the associated commercial out of Bulgaria:

We usually like to make you smile on Fridays, but I’m afraid the only smile this new musical Mercedes ad will bring to your face is the Oh-God-I’m-So-Uncomfortable-Please-Make-it-Stop kind.

The new Mercedes-Benz Service Song, sung from the point of view of a Mercedes car in desperate need of the sort of…um…handling that only a Mercedes repairman can provide, features lyrics like: “I like them to be strong, that they can catch me when I skid/Like them to turn me on, I thought that some of them did/But just as I needed a helping hand, so many men were ‘out of service,’ not like you … You only give your best, won’t stop until I smile.”

Oh, and in the 5-minute extended version (yeah, that exists AND we listened to the whole thing) nearly a full 30 seconds is dedicated to throaty, over-the-top “oh yeah’s.”

The atrociously cheesy, over-wrought song is accompanied by an equally terrible video, chock full of overly-Photoshopped images of heroic mechanics, smiling families and glistening sunsets. It seems the ad is trying to be nostalgic, sexy and epic all at once, and failing miserably on all counts. Read more

Remember Dunkin’ Donuts’ breakfast sandwich that replaced a bagel with two doughnuts? Well, just in time for the hottest part of summer, Carl’s Jr. is unveiling its own frosty version of a sandwich between non-traditional bread substitutes, and is doing so in truly epic fashion. In the latest promo from the burger chain (below), the Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich (a mouthful in more ways than one!) receives a debut befitting a modern marvel of mythic proportions…which, of course, it is.

The ad, created by agency 72andSunny, pairs the immediately recognizable and unquestionably epic theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” with rave reviews from notable sources like The Huffington Post. The viewer is then given an up-close view as the tantalizing treat is assembled by hand, and is completed (in all its glory) just as the music reaches its climax.

We must say, even though we were taken in by the intensity of it all, we were left wondering one thing: Weren’t we just given detailed instructions on how to construct such a wonder of epic deliciousness ourselves out of things we probably already have in the kitchen (a pop tart, an ice cream scoop, and some ice cream)? Read more

Can a woman really be completely satisfied in only seven minutes? Liquid-Plumr promises she can.

Turning mundane daily routines into hyper-sexualized hunk-fests seems to be the tactic of choice for some female-targeted brands like Kraft’s salad dressing and Clorox’s Liquid-Plumr. The latter’s latest spot, titled “Quickie“, leaves behind the double entendres of their “Double Impact” ad (two sexy plumbers clean out your pipes for the price of one!) in order to market its Urgent Clear formula — for women who “need it now.”

The ad (below) depicts a busy woman selecting a bottle of Urgent Clear from a hardware store shelf, and then immediately lapsing into a fantasy about a hunky plumber arriving at her door as she is on her way out. “I hear you need it now,” says the dreamy handy man. “I only have ten minutes,” giggles the rushed woman, to which the plumber seductively replies, “I only need seven.”

The viewer is then informed by a Barry White-esque voice that the formula “penetrates…to leave you satisfied in only seven minutes.” Read more

M Booth PR’s blog Word. went live this week with a Google Glass edition, filling a Pinterest board with clips and commentary that’s entirely Google Glass created or related.

Lauren Martiello was the firm’s “Google Glass Explorer,” and she visits everything from gardens in the skies of NYC (above) to art exhibits and the workspaces of various creative types. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

I also had the chance to take Google Glass for a test run and found it to be a bit too much. I get the hands-free nature of it. But do I want to have a device on my face and a screen in my peripheral vision in order to achieve that hands-free-ness? Not really. Of course, technology has a way of becoming necessary once it’s out in the world for a bit and its utility is fully sussed out. As for PRs, you can probably get a few cool stunts out of it. Clients would certainly be happy.

If you have thoughts on Google Glass do share. After the jump, ICYMI, Google’s own clip about the experience of using the device.

Read more

Does the name Clive Palmer mean anything to you? Unless you keep tabs on Australian mining tycoons, the answer is probably “no.” But if you’re one of the countless movie fans who’ve dreamed of visiting a real-world Jurassic Park, you’re about to become a bit more familiar with Mr. Palmer.

The Australian billionaire (and apparent fan of blockbuster movies from the 90′s), already made headlines this past winter when he announced his plans to build his own working replica of the Titanic, set to be completed in 2016. Now, Palmer is building his own version of Jurassic Park, complete with over 100 limb-moving, eye-blinking (robot) dinosaurs, 40 of which have already been delivered to his coastal resort.

“Work is well underway at the site to ensure the dinosaurs blend seamlessly into the natural vegetation and create a realistic prehistoric environment that will be entertaining, informative and educational,” reads the resort’s website. Read more

Vending machines are no longer just logo-covered boxes that trade coins for products. Over the past few months, we’ve covered everything from Hot Wheels’ tweet-powered vending machine to Coke’s slender, patriotic, and peace-seeking ones.

Now, coffee roaster Douwe Egberts has equipped one of its java-dispensing machines — which resides in a busy South African airport — with facial recognition software, enabling it to recognize when a person yawns. When a sleepy traveler approaches the machine, he or she is given a complimentary cup of joe.

The catchphrase attached to the accompanying campaign, created by Joe Public, is simply: “Bye bye, red eye.”

Forget blocking Facebook…a yawn-detecting coffee dispenser might just be the office productivity-booster the world’s been waiting for!

Last month we discussed the major buzz generated by Cheerios‘ “Just Checking” commercial, which featured an interracial family. Somehow, in 2013, this sweet, simple ad garnered enough inflammatory responses on YouTube for the site to shut down the comments section.

While some adults were losing their cool over the “controversial” portrayal of what could easily be the family next door, many children, it seems, were having an all-together different reaction to the same ad.

The below video, part of a Fine Bros. series that has kids, teens, and elderly people react to viral videos, news stories, or trends, features children reacting to the commercial. After giving their take on the spot (hint: not one mentions an interracial couple), they are told that the video they just watched really, really upset some people, a fact that totally flabbergasts them.

The kids are then told why the ad was controversial, and their reactions are priceless. Read more