• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, June 21, 2006

Jay-Z boycotts Cristal, loves HP. Update your facial hair. Pontiac is sexy. Let's launch!

Miller Lite has launched two more ads as part of its "Men of the Square Table" campaign. "Can Debate" shows the table of men (why Burt Reynolds, why?) arguing about the manliness of crushing a beer can on your forehead. After weighing the pros and cons (it took about 20 seconds), the final outcome is that this action is no longer manly, so the rule is added to the list of "Man Laws." Click here to watch "Can Debate." "Clinking" broaches the age-old question, when clinking bottles, do you clink tops or bottoms? The guys observe that clinking bottle tops means a swapping of spit, so that's a no-go. Clinking bottoms easily becomes a Man Law. Click here to watch "Clinking" The highlight of these ads is Aron Ralston. If you don't recognize his name, Google him, for I guarantee you're familiar with his story. The spots are running on cable and network TV throughout the summer. The campaign includes a Web site, ManLaws.com, that enables men to post their own Man Laws. Some highlights: "Real men may never wear Capri pants" and "It is acceptable to settle important decisions between men by rock, scissors, paper." Crispin Porter + Bogusky created the campaign and Starcom handled the media buying.

Do you have a co-worker, husband or boyfriend suffering from poorly groomed facial hair? Look no further than the SharpsBarber Brigade. If you're not comfortable telling someone to rid themselves of dated facial hair let BarberBrigade.com do it for you. Through the site, you can send someone in need an e-mail that begins with "Hey Scruffaluffagus! Amy thinks your facial hair is as outdated as Hammer Pants. To view your message from the Sharpsmen..." The e-mail brings recipients to the Barber Brigade Web site where visitors can read about and purchase products, send an e-mail to a friend and entertain themselves. Be sure to click on the duck, the giving antlers, and anything else that speaks to you. Wexley School for Girls created the site.

I loved the first HP ad featuring professional snowboarder Shaun White, aka the Flying Tomato. The company's latest ad, that debuted during the NBA Finals, features rapper Jay-Z. I still prefer Shaun White's version. The 60-second spot, part of HP's "The Computer is Personal Again" marketing campaign, shows a day in the life of Jay-Z and his computer. He uses his HP for making music, editing an ad campaign, downloading vacation pictures, organizing tour plans, and tracking his finances. Stay tuned for two more ads to launch in the upcoming weeks. Watch the Flying Tomato and Jay-Z ads here. The Jay-Z ads will run until mid-September on AMC, A&E, Bravo, BET, Comedy Central, E!, ABC Family, TBS, TNT, USA, Nick@Nite, MTV, MTV2, MTVU, HGTV, Lifetime, MSNBC, SCIFI, and Spike, to name a few. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners created the ads and Zenith Optimedia handled the media buying.

Pontiac has launched two TV ads on national Spanish-language networks, part of its ongoing Hispanic marketing campaign. "Diseñado Para Seducir" or "Designed for Seduction" ads launched yesterday and they are a sexy pair. "Grab" shows a woman who can't keep her hands off her man's... car keys. Click here to watch "Grab." "Traffic Stop" shows a man that's pulled over by a policewoman, only to have his Pontiac fully inspected. Click here to watch it.Accentmarketing created the ads and GM PlanWorks handled the media buying.

Not as sexy as Pontiac, but still entertaining, the Volkswagen GTI is commonly referred to as the "original pocket rocket." Speedy Gonzales meets his competition in a Hispanic-themed campaign that launched earlier this year. "Speed bump" shows two test drivers taking a GTI for a spin. They go so fast that they run over Speedy. "Cats" shows a man driving his GTI while a hoard of stray alley cats follow his every move. The reason? Speedy is in the back of the car mooning the cats. CreativeOndemanD created the campaign and MediaCom Latino handled the media buying.

TravelersInsurance launched two TV spots last week, a print campaign and a new tag line, "Insurance. In-synch." "The Big Fight" shows a boxer vigorously training for an upcoming fight only to be knocked out by a falling microphone right before the fight. The voiceover says, "Your risks can change quickly. Make sure your insurance stays in-synch.""Bridge" is funny. It shows a man from an old world country walking to the town bridge where he tests a pair of wings to fly. The townsfolk are shocked to see that the man can fly, watching him glide over a river, but one townsman leaves the scene saying "but he can't swim." The ads are running on network primetime, early morning, and network sports, such as U.S. Open Golf, British Open, Wimbledon and Major League Baseball. Two additional spots are launching in September. Nine different print ads will run in newspapers, insurance trades, and mass audience magazines such as TheWall Street Journal and Business Week.Fallon Minneapolis created the campaign and Starlink handled the media buying.

Redhook Brewery has launched an interactive Web site detailing its bevy of flavored ales. The site brings visitors to a bar, and clicking on the various ales on tap reveals a separate section that explains in great detail how the ale tastes, its availability, its color, grain variety, and hop variety. The site also contains useful information on touring the breweries (this section reminded me of my tour of the Guinness factory in Dublin this past April) and a section called "Ask the Beer Guru," where users can e-mail product and company questions. Seven2 Interactive created the site.