Schin Water in Brazil puts plastic bottles into countless hands. Since many people don't recycle, the brand wanted to raise awareness about the importance of recycling by using unconventional means.

Sometimes subtlety doesn't cut it when it comes to cause marketing; aggressive, in-your-face advertising is the key to stimulating change. Take an awareness campaign for the Weingart Homeless Center, for example.

Countybank, located in Greenville, South Carolina, was looking for a way to promote BizKit, a new business banking package customized for individual business needs. But how does a bank convey trust, security and understanding at a time when people's mattresses resemble a more practical banking option? The answer lies in the product name: BizKits. Biscuits.

Look no further than Swaggerizeme.com, a Web site created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland on behalf of Old Spice Swagger. The microsite allows users to create fake online articles "that make you look awesomely awesome."

In this down economy, brands both large and small possess smaller marketing budgets -- and often, less is more. For example, Shiner Beer used limited resources to create a presence at last year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. Here's the catch: the three-day festival already had an exclusive, paying beer sponsor.