Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, mirrored on Vietnamese DVD

While browsing through the net, sometimes we stumble across these little gems which brighten up our day. Today’s for me is this Vietnamese war DVD, which completely mirrors the imagery from the hit game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Have a look for yourself below, I think you’ll agree that this is far from coincidental.


Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare



Vietnam War: Rain DVD Cover


Hats off to Jon Cook for the tip!!

Aborted Bond film titles

To celebrate the release of the next installment of the James Bond series, Quantum of Solace, the media have gone Bond crazy with some very amusing and interesting articles, competition, and campaigns. One in particular which caught my eye was featured in London's free weekly men's magazine Shortlist, and features the Bond film titles which never made it to our screens:

1. 'Longitude 78 West' - The working title for Thunderball

2. 'Bond 19' - Which later became 'The World Is Not Enough

3. 'Commander Jamaica' - Which became Dr No

4. 'Licence Revoked' - Apparently got as far as the posters being printed before being amended to Licence To Kill

5. 'The Undertaker's Wind' - Became Live and Let Die

6. 'From a View To a Kill' - The end of Octopussy declared, "Bond will return in From a View To a Kill." Technically he didn't.

7. 'Fire and Ice' - The early title for The World is Not Enough

8. 'Man's Work' - Which became For Your Eyes Only

9. 'Tomorrow Never Lies' - Alegedly a typo led to this becoming Tomorrow Never Dies

10. 'Bond 2000' - Again a working title for The World is Not Enough

Tim the Tortoise - Creature Discomforts viral game (3 of 4)

As part of an ongoing awareness campaign, starring a series of four online games featuring Aardman Animation’s hallmark plasticine creations, Leonard Cheshire Disability have released their third instalment.



Sweetshop Sweep introducing us to Tim the Tortoise, requiring the user to help Tim jump through the Sweet Shop in order to gather sweets for his children. As with the earlier instalments players are competing for the chance to win one of five fantastic prizes (a signed and framed print of the Creature Discomforts character featured in the game).



Earlier in the month I posted on Funkadelic Advertising about the other games which can be found here. The first featuring Callum the Chameleon (Creature Discomforts viral games launched as part of ongoing Leonard Cheshire Disability campaign), and the second starring Millie the Mouse (Millie the Mouse - Creature Discomforts viral game (2 of 4)). Enjoy!!

Cookalong Live with Gordon Ramsay – anyone interested?

Cookalong Live came back to our screens on Friday night, with Gordon Ramsay cooking up a storm with the nation once again. To celebrate this Channel 4 has added some additional features to their 4Food YouTube channel, using Gordon Ramsey to promote the channel to YouTube users.



As well as being able to watch the show at your leisure, YouTube users are now also invited to submit their videos of them cooking along with Gordon, to be in with a chance of appearing in the Friday night live show. Channel 4 has also maintained a fine collection of previous mouthwatering videos to occupy food lovers, or anyone who is a fan of Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.



I think this is a great way to keep the viewers engaged between shows, and is also a very user friendly way of getting everyone involved. Personally and rather annoyingly I never remember to watch on a Friday night, and even with the invention of PVR’s, still manage to forget, however this gives me no excuse to catch up, or even prepare the meal myself (and pass it off as my own… as if anyone would believe that).

X-Factor Fanalists 'Hero' tipped for number one!

Last night on the X-Factor results show, the X-Factor Finalists sung their cover of Mariah Carey's Hero for the first time. The single already tipped for number one in next week's chart was released in order to raise money for the 'Help for Heroes' charity, which provides support for wounded servicemen and women.



The performance on last night's X-Factor results show can be viewed here - 'X-Factor Finalists Hero'

On last night's show however two acts were missing, as Ruth Lorenzo and Daniel Evans were stuck backstage when a studio door malfunction left them unable to make the stage on time.

The twelve finalists which perform on the single are Austin Drage, Eoghan Quigg and Scott Bruton (for the 14 – 24 boys), Laura White, Diana Vickers and Alexandra Burke (for the 14 – 24 girls), Daniel Evans, Rachel Hylton, Ruth Lorenzo (for the over 25s), and Bad Lashes, Girlband and JLS (from the groups).

Earlier this month it was posted on Funkadelic Advertising that to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day a Memorial site, Lasting Tribute, have created an online poppy field of remembrance to raise funds and honour fallen soldiers - Online Poppy Field created by Lasting Tribute.

Routan Baby Maker 3000 invites you to make a baby, without actually making a baby!!

As part a new VW Routan campaign in the US, Volkswagen have released the Routan Baby Maker 3000, a microsite which allows you to upload a picture of yourself and your partner to see what your offspring would look like.



This is a very similar idea to the Dole Baby maker, Funkadelic posted in August 'Dole shows how to make a baby online', with the added bonus of having the created baby's eyes follow your cursor around the screen. Once the user has created their baby, they can announce the birth, send to a friend, or even make another baby.



The microsite plays on the fact that there is a 'Routan boom', with an increased need for German engineering. Actress Brooke Shields introduces the site through a tongue in cheek video which sets the scene.



This is an amusing campaign, with a lot of thought put into it. The babies created are still slightly terrifying, and the added movement element may give some people a few sleepless nights, but the message is clear, and the site is very smooth and easy to navigate.

Fonejacker Facebook Song

As part of the launch for the latest series of Fonejacker on E4, a series of videos were released around the Internet to give everyone a taster of what was to come. Two of the videos take the form of comical snipes at Facebook, and Bebo, and have since been integrated into the popular Wednesday night show.

In last night's episode, we saw the introduction of the Fonejacker Facebook Song, which has already this morning seen an increase in views on YouTube. The video below sees the Fonejacker singing a ode to Facebook, followed by a sketch of the Fonejacker posing as the head of the site writing to the viewers of the show.



Another one of the videos as mentioned above included a similar sketch targeting Bebo which can be viewed below.



Last month it was posted on Funkadelic that E4.com released a widget for the new series of Fonejacker, the widget titled 'Go Jack Yourself', allows users to upload their image and appear in one of three scenarios. To view the post click here, Go Jack Yourself – E4.com launch Fonejacker widget

YouTube Screening Room - The way forward in modern cinema?

Imagine what the largest movie theatre in the world, well this is kind of it! Unveiled in June 2008 YouTube Screening Room is a viewing platform for the latest independent film, with four new movies released every two weeks.


The Chestnut Tree - As it appears on YouTube Screening Room



The Chestnut Tree - Hand drawn animation set to piano music by Chopin. A film by Hyun-min Lee.


With shorter films originally taking most of the slots in the YouTube Screening Room, it is interesting to see that there is a shift towards more long-form content taking place. With films such as Wayne Wang's new film, The Princess of Nebraska, debuting in the YouTube Screening Room.

Although there was some debate originally regarding how independent filmmakers would make money from the Screening Room, press releases explained that YouTube would try to integrate "Buy Now" buttons, and allow filmmakers to link to websites that sell DVDs and digital downloads of their films, which certainly gives the impression that the YouTube Screening Room is here to stay.

With movies such as The Princess of Nebraska giving us all a view of the way things may be moving, could this be how we will be watching all movie premiers in the future? I would think probably not, but it’s still quite interesting to think about.

Call of Duty: World at War – Is this the last time we see World War II?

It has been reported that Call of Duty: World at War may be our last visit to World War II in the Call of Duty series. Treyarch’s Noah Heller, the senior producer on Call of Duty: World at War, was reported in saying to the Official Xbox Magazine (UK) “I won’t let your readers read into the comment too much, but we are showing the final battles of the Pacific and the European Theatre and that lets us put a close to the war. I’m sure game companies will be making World War II games for years to come and World War II is a very classic war. But we’re happy that we put the war to bed.”



Following the feedback for the recent Call of Duty: World at War beta demo, this is going to come as a great relief to some Call of Duty fans. With the hope of further instalments such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The Call of Duty: World at War beta demo was released roughly a two weeks ago with mixed reviews, judge for yourself and view the gameplay video below:


'Call of Duty: World at War' gameplay video

Apple hits out against Microsoft "I'm a PC" ad campaign

Following the news of the Microsoft $300 million makeover, Apple has released their own ad. The ad hits out with the claim that Microsoft is spending the majority of their budget on advertising, instead of investing the money back into Vista.


Microsoft - "I'm a PC" advert



Apple - Spoof "I'm a PC" advert


This is certainly not the first time brands have released ads, or viral messaging to tarnish another brand’s lime light, and will not be the last. Take a look at some of the previous efforts by brands (or the general public) below:



Chevrolet Aveo - Spoof of Citroen C4 "Transformers" ad



Apple - Apple Vs. Microsoft advert



Nintendo - Nintendo Vs. PS3 advert



Wonderbra - Cadbury Gorilla spoof

FT uses empty billboards in attempt to drive the importance of advertising

The FT is to launch a new campaign on Monday (20th Oct 2008), which will see them using empty billboards as a canvas to drive a debate very close to our hearts. The campaign will go up across outdoor sites on Monday, and will involve selected billboard sites being stripped back to their boards, with the question: "Global downturn. What's the first mistake businesses make?" placed in the top corner.



The campaign drives people through to www.ft.com/budgets, which contains case studies on why advertising still remains crucial in times of economic downturn. I think this is a brilliant idea which should cause much debate among businesses and agencies alike. The execution is very impactful, and is definitely something new and eye catching.

Dead Set E4 Viral

Picture the scene... Britain is overrun with Zombies, and all hell is breaking loose. The dead are returning to life, with those they kill getting up to kill also. You are a Big Brother contestant who is tucked away safely away from reality, blissfully unaware of what is happening outside. That is however, until one fateful eviction night!!



This is the story to to 'Dead Set', the new five-part horror thriller written and directed by British comedy writer Charlie Brooker, coming to our screens this Autumn on E4. 'Dead Set' starring Jaime Winstone, will bring us an array of character appearances by TV celebs such as Davina McCall playing herself, as well as a host of personalities made famous by Big Brother itself, including Brian Belo, Imogen Thomas, and Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace.



The 'Dead Set' website has everything you would expect, to raise the excitement levels prior to the series, including videos, games and galleries. With a nice viral (www.unseenscreen.com) for all of those who are still in two minds to watch. Personally i cannot wait.

Millie the Mouse - Creature Discomforts viral game (2 of 4)

Earlier this month it was mentioned on Funkadelic that as part of an ongoing Leonard Cheshire Disability campaign, there is a series of four online games featuring Aardman Animation’s hallmark plasticine creations, being released in order to raise further awareness and support the other activity - Creature Discomforts viral games launched as part of ongoing Leonard Cheshire Disability campaign.



The second in the series 'Peanut Pickup' featuring Millie the Mouse, requires the user to guide Millie around the elephant pen throwing peanuts to satisfy his hunger, with the chance to win one of five fantastic prizes (a signed and framed print of the Creature Discomforts character featured in the game).

Chris Morris Spoof Terror Film Funding Appeal

Yes, you heard me correctly, there could be a Brass Eye movie coming to a cinema near you. It has been confirmed by Warp Films, that Chris Morris' comedy about British jihadis is being made by Warp Films as an independently funded cinema feature.



The idea was apparently rejected by by both the BBC and Channel 4 after originally being planned for TV. Film4 have now put up some of the money needed for funding, but the film makers are appealing for Chris Morris fans to put up the rest. The site says that they are running a number of investment schemes including donations which give you the chance to be in the film.


Chris Morris - Brass Eye

The Warp Films site asks fans to donate £25 to the fund, which could see them in a piece of cult history.

The email address for any enquiries about the project is - fundingmentalism@warpfilms.com

YouTube moves into affiliate arena

It was revealed yesterday that video sharing site YouTube, is to partner with Amazon and iTunes in new music deal which will allow viewers of certain music videos to click through to purchase the music they have been watching.



The 'click to buy' buttons are currently available with EMI and Universal Music, who are the first record companies to join the programme. Electronic Arts the computer games company have also signed up to push the new 'Spore' game.



I think that this is a brilliant and interesting move forward, and as long as the user experience is enhanced, and not disrupted, i can see this idea easily rolled out to other areas.

Cybersquatters dine on Pasta Hut domains

It was revealed today by Brand Republic, that cybersquatters have focused their attention on Pasta Hut. Following the news earlier this week that Pizza Hut is to change its name, opportunists have been quick to snap up web addresses such as, Pastahut.com, Pastahut.net, Pastahut.info and Pastahut.org have been registered and the sites filled with Google-style pay-per-click links, according to domain name specialist NetNames.



Luckily for Pizza Hut, the Pastahut.co.uk has already been registered, and ranks far higher than any of the other sites in terms of page ranking on any search engines.

For anyone who feels strongly either way about the change of name, Pizza Hut have also put a poll on the site for consumers to let them know.

‘5 Friends Vote’ - Hollywood stars in video encouraging the American youth to register to vote

Today I saw this ‘5 Friends’ public service announcement created by Leonardo DiCaprio, will.i.am, Tobey Maguire, and Forest Whitaker, to encourage the American youth to register to vote.



According to the YouTube description the non-partisan ‘5 Friends’ public service announcements, produced by DiCaprio’s Appian Way, were created to engage young people, inspire them to register and vote, and participate in the upcoming election. The video encourages the viewer to pass on the viral to 5 friends, who will in theory then pass the video to 5 friends also, and so on.

The ‘5 Friends’ public service announcement drives viewers to www.maps.google.com/vote, where users can type in their address to find out further information about registering to vote.



The list of celebrities appearing in the ‘5 Friends’ public service announcements is massive, with names such as: Amy Adams, will.i.am, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Connolly, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher, Adam Levine, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Tobey Maguire, Demi Moore, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Ethan Suplee, Kyra Sedgwick, Michelle Trachtenberg, Usher, and Forest Whitaker.

Online Poppy Field created by Lasting Tribute

Memorial site, Lasting Tribute, have created an online poppy field of remembrance to raise funds and honour fallen soldiers. This year sees the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day, held on November 11, which started at the end the first World War in 1918.



Users visiting the site can create their own poppy, dedicating it to someone special they knew, or an unknown soldier. The poppy then act as a point of remembrance, with people given the opportunity to leave their special messages, comments, and photos. To dedicate a poppy will be £5, with £2.50 going straight to the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal.

I think this is an extremely good idea, and looking at the profiles, and messages left, really drives home the true meaning of what the day represents.

Monster Munch Launch Retro ads as part of 'Find Our Monsters' campaign

Monster Munch the popular children's snack has gone back to its roots in a bid to relaunch the brand, and remind everyone just how great they were. The new campaign titled 'Find Our Monsters', invites the public to try and hunt down the three monsters, famed for their 80's ads, and appearances on the packets of the flavour of Monster Munch they represented (roast beef, pickled onion, and flamin' hot).



To support the 'Find Our Monsters' campaign Monster Munch have released a series of TV adverts featuring 80's children's TV legends appealing for the public to Find the Monster Munch Monsters. The TV stars include Timmy Mallett, Geoffrey Hayes from Rainbow, Funhouse presenter Pat Sharp, and Get Your Own Back host Dave Benson Phillips.



The lucky winner will earn themselves £5,000, with those taking part updated regularly by a Monster Munch 'Find Our Monsters' blog. Don't worry however, if your memory is not what it was, as Monster Munch have also created a YouTube Channel dedicated to the campaign, where we can view the 80's ads (below).



This is a brilliant way of reminding the public that the brand is as fun as we all remember, whilst allowing our nostalgic sides to run wild for a while. The different elements of the campaign work well with one another, and create a buzz around the activity.

Creature Discomforts viral games launched as part of ongoing Leonard Cheshire Disability campaign

Disability charity Leonard Cheshire Disability have launched the first of a series of four online viral games to support their ongoing awareness campaign featuring Aardman Animation’s hallmark plasticine creations.



The first in the series 'Flyzzz' features Callum the Chameleon, and requires users to catch flies in the allotted time with the chance to win one of five fantastic prizes (a signed and framed print of the Creature Discomforts character featured in the game). There is also a brilliantly thought out 'audio only' feature that allows accessibility to the game for the visually impaired.



There will be a new game released every fortnight, with a grand prize draw at the end of the activity, offering the lucky winner a special 'money-can't buy' Aardman Animations related prize (soon to be announced).



This is an excellent continuation from the current award winning campaign, with the Aardman Animations characters adding an extra level of engagement to the game. I will certainly be looking out for the future releases.

Top to Toe Exhibition arrives at the V&A Museum of Childhood

Do you remember Bell Bottoms, Tube Tops, Hypercolour T-shirts, Shell Suits, or the infamous Tank Top? Did you have the misfortune of having a childhood photo taken with you and the clothes of yesteryear? Well the Top to Toe exhibit at the V&A Museum of Childhood may be the exhibit for you.



The V&A Museum of Childhood is asking members of the public to upload their childhood pics in order to build upon their already impressive collection of childhood fashion through the ages.

The exhibit running from 4th October 2008 – 19th April 2009.

Upload your photo’s here - Top to Toe: Museum of Childhood