If you were wondering about the legacy of those Tom Ford ads…we might have something.

The German exotica shop Condomi must have decided their old bags weren’t eye-catching enough, so they designed totes depicting thong-clad crotches, with a particularly well-placed handle. It’s a good way to spread word of mouth, but we can’t help but wonder how many of their more timid customers are turning down bags at the register.

And if this is what they do with a bag, we’d hate to think what they do with a billboard…

We ran across this highbrow Volkswagen spot from the same dour German ad house that brought you the suicidal calorie. The tagline is “Absurdly low consumption,” but again, we didn’t expect things to get quite this bleak.

This time around, it’s more of an existential bleakness. Gas station attendants leave empty, headless lives while (in the Dalí version) pumpmen cry glass tears into a desert pond. See the nightmarish dreamscape that fuel efficiency has created! SUV ads always seemed to resemble sitcom interstitials, so VW is going the opposite way, creating a world with no cars, people, or even buildings.

Then again, we always love a good Magritte homage.

See their take on Dalí»

Advertising tends to traffic in generically comforting scenes—a sun-dappled Dr. Pepper-equipped picnic, for instance—but you can’t stay on the bright side forever, and occasionally things get genuinely dark. Usually in Germany.

This ad, from Berlin’s BBDO, emphasizes Pepsi Max’s one calorie by illustrating the bleak, soul-deadening isolation of the one remaining calorie. (The caption reads, “One very very very lonely calorie.”) By printing the ad on what looks like the outside of a paper bag, they also manage to pin down the “eccentric loner” demographic, something Pepsi usually struggles with.

We assume it’s the same firm that brought you the Home Depot slogan: “Because she’s never coming back.”

It’s been a long, long time coming…but Diddy’s cologne is finally here. It’s called “I Am King,” and so far, the marketing strategy seems to be coopting as much civil rights language as he can…but, you know, on a yacht.

The TV spot—which, Diddyblog informs us, is dedicated to Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr.—looks a lot like a late 90s rap video. Diddy was probably running out of excuses to ride jetskis in a tuxedo and nuzzle awkwardly with heavily coiffed models. (Good thing he had something to fall back on.)

But it’s not all social progress. Mr. Combs also describes it as his “audition tape” for becoming the new Bond. Of course, he may have to do a bit more than stare blankly towards the camera if he’s going to clinch the post. And we imagine Mr. Craig might have something to say about it.

(This post is dedicated to Rick Astley, Ty Cobb, and U Thant.)

See the spot for yourself»

Canadian Club just released an update to the Goldwater-chic ad campaign that caught our eye back in January. This time, they’re circulating stirrers with mustaches at the top, so you can give yourself a small Poirot-style ‘stache or give a bit of hair to your favorite magazine fodder.

We’re glad to see anything that brings more mustaches into the world, but this has more behind it than you might think.

Get the full story here»

As it turns out, this doesn’t come from Apple itself but from a very devoted Japanese farmer who put stickers on them halfway through the season. Still, it’s only a matter of time before the marketers of the world get their hands on our fruit.

Maybe we’ll just eat the logos first.

Quiksilver isn’t the only line with a forward-thinking label coming along for the ride. Adidas has managed to pull the same move without going to the bother of actually producing any shoes, or even designing shoes could possibly be produced. After all, why go to the trouble of putting together samples when all you really need are a few shiny pictures to send around the blogosphere?

Vagant let us know about this promotion, which comes courtesy of German sneakerhead Fritz Träumer. There’s the ultra-green sneaker, the Kraftwerk-inspired sneaker, and a few more, but we couldn’t help wondering…weren’t you supposed to put these on your feet at some point?

See the rest of the sneakers»

Although you might not know it from the copy, advertising is spreading out. It’s not just television and print anymore; it’s viral stunts, sponsorships, naming rights, and product placement. The world is getting more media from more angles and advertising is coming along for the ride. Anything you can do, you can do for advertising. All you have to do is tack a logo on the end.

Given that, we’re happy to see videos like this. We’d never heard of Bowmore before, but they just showed us the perfect way to polish our shoes.

And that has to count for something.

See the video after the jump»

Ah, perfume ads. Just when you think they’ve hit their peak…it turns out they’re just getting started.

It looks like the lovely Ms. Mendes’ banned Calvin Klein ad kicked off a whole new genre of fragrance ad: the black and white softcore bedroom shot. This version comes from French marque Guerlin, who chose a nude, reclining Natalia Vodianova to showcase the mysterious effects of their new Shalimar scent.

Of course, the ad is French not American, so they skipped the controversy and went straight for the nude banquette shots. Ah, la vie en rose…

See the video here»

Agent Provocateur has been pushing the envelope with interactive promotion (with good and bad results), but they’ve finally outdone themselves. Their latest temptation is a video choose-your-own-adventure, guiding you through a mansion of decadence inhabited by a coven of scantily clad witches, a bleeding tomato, a virgin in peril, a half-nude albino and a conquistador. The goal is to save the virgin without succumbing to sexy enslavement but the real point is just to admire the scenery. As you can imagine, there’s a lot to take in.

Look a little closer»

The tastefully oblique web video is quickly becoming a requirement for fledgling labels. Luckily, we’re always looking for something to watch.

The latest one, for Justin Timberlake’s upcoming William Rast line, finds Mr. Timberlake and model Erin Wasson trying out their Tennessee accents and handheld camera skills, while sporting a slightly dated military look. So far, they’re just professing love for each other and repeating the name “William Rast” over and over, but only three of the nine clips have been released.

Of course, Wasson broke her foot filming the spots, so we can expect some action at some point. The third clip lifts its music and voiceover from Badlands, possibly hinting at the direction the next six clips will take, but we don’t expect anything too dark from the former Mouseketeer.

At least, not until the next Timbaland collab comes through.

See Mr. Rast in action, after the jump»

The Be Kanye website has finally launched and we feel we can now say, without fear of contradiction, that Mr. West has proved himself a master of web design, as well as rap production, product placement, lyrics, television, men’s style, and (why not?) polevaulting. We’re especially impressed by the “Not Tested on Animals” button in the lower left that rolls over to a tiger.

We were impressed when the ads first dropped, but Kanye appears to have a few more tricks up his sleeve.

Not all of J. Crew’s collaborations are on the racks. This week, they launched a microsite with GQ dedicated to “rebel style,” with J. Crew merch giveaways on the side. (At least you’ll know where to spend it.)

The premise of the microsite is a 30 day crash course in becoming a “well-dressed rebel.” We aren’t sure if Shia LeBeouf is quite what comes to mind when we hear “well-dressed rebel,” but their guest, Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders, is a little closer to the mark. The biggest saving graces are the Vice Records soundtrack and bizarrely Godardian titles, both of which give the enterprise a lot more cred than it deserves.

There are a few unexpected tidbits, like Sternberg’s preference for short-sleeved dress shirts, but so far, the advice is pretty much what you’d get from the magazine—like popping the top button, sticking with upscale cotton suits, and curveball footwear. Then again, the site only releases one video a day (starting the day you sign up), so we’ll have to wait until September to get to the thrilling conclusion.

With sponsored mini-films becoming increasingly popular, it’s worth taking notice when one really works.

Our pick would be The Key To Reserva, a short for Friexe Champagne directed by Martin Scorcese and written by the typically meta-textual Ted Griffin, previously responsible for 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven. The short has been around for a while, but it didn’t get as much notice as it deserved, and it’s past due for another look.

As you might expect from his AmEx commercials, Scorcese steals the show by playing a slightly more jittery and nonsensical version of himself. As he explains to Griffin (also playing himself), he’s stumbled on three and a half pages of a lost Hitchcock movie called The Key to Reserva, and he’s planning of filming it as an act of film preservation. If you’ve ever wondered what three minutes of out-of-context suspense looks like, you’re about to find out.

More on the bizarre short»

It looks like Kempt favorite Eva Mendes has dabbled in advertising once again, this time in a nipple-baring spot for Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession. In the grand tradition of perfume ads, the product is the least interesting part, but this particular one was so “provocative” that it managed to get rejected by every network, and subsequently barred from broadcast. Oops…

Gawker suggests, the ad may have been intended as unairable to cause a scandal and raise more publicity for the brand. If so, we can only applaud it as a step in the right direction. Any marketing strategy that involves showing beautiful women’s breasts to the internet is all right in our book.

See the ad for yourself»

David LaChapelle has done a lot—from a very respectable MTV catalog to a long, long history taking pictures of beautiful women—but this is the first time he’s turned his attention to a liquor bottle.

The bottle in question is Remy Martin’s V.S.O.P., a cognac aimed at the nightlife crowd, so it makes sense that they turned to Jazz Age icon Josephine Baker for inspiration. The overall effect may be more Miami than Paris, but we aren’t complaining. In fact, we like the way this trend is headed. Before too long, we’ll be seeing Takashi Murakami’s take on a Sapporo can and Belvedere bottles decorated with Terry Richardson’s nudes.

We can’t wait.

We like to think of ourselves as above most advertising head games. A shoe is a shoe, and all the flashy endorsements in the world won’t change what it is.

But these are still pretty sweet.

Liquid Generation’s latest video covers the best of the last 20 years of sneaker commercials, from Patrick Ewing’s Adidas line to MC Hammer’s British Knights spot.

And, of course, high-top after high-top.

He’s had incarnations as a DJ, scenester, and teddy bear, but Mr. Lagerfeld has finally managed to render us speechless. We will refrain from translating the text, except to say that the ad touts the necessity of neon-yellow vests. And we don’t understand it any more than you do.

Karl Lagerfeld has been comfortably dwelling in self-parody for some time now, but even this seems excessive. We can only assume this is part of the sentence for the French equivalent of a DUI…either that or the man has finally taken leave of his rocker.

With Lagerfeld, it’s impossible to tell.

We’ve seen a lot of weird endorsements, but we’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Ostensibly, it’s an ad for Absolut Vodka, but the Absolut name isn’t mentioned until the final shot and vodka isn’t mentioned at all. It looks like an infomercial but the product is not just imaginary but also impossible. And why are there flying tigers? How could this have happened? How could a video this strange not only come into existence, but be produced and aired on a commercial scale?

The answer, of course, is Kanye.

We examine the curious Mr. West»

Our friends at UrbanDaddy have a set up a little site with Belvedere Vodka called Keys to the City with video interviews from New York nightlife pros. Our personal favorite among the stories comes from the Pink Elephant guru David Sarner, who takes the cake with his story of working as a bouncer at 54 while he was still in high school. There’s also a contest involved, which you might want to check out if you happen to be in New York.

More on the Keys to the City»

First Gorbachev and Keef, and now the Coppolas. That’s right, LV has netted another one.

The Louis Vuitton Core Values campaign rolls along, this time scooping up the estimably rotund Francis Ford Coppola and his winsome daughter for yet another Annie Liebowitz shot. The core value this time around is travel, contrasted with earlier themes for Andre Agassi (a well-shaved head) and Keith Richards (healthful old age).

More on the father/daughter ad»

Labels tend to stomp around the fashion scene without much attention to us mortals. More often than not, they’re more concerned with keeping their lapels straight than endearing themselves to the average consumer. After all, what have they given you? You know, aside from all the clothes.

Well, 55dsl is getting ready to give a little back. On June 1st, they’re going to be hiring for the always-vital position of Junior Lucky Bastard, which means spending the summer traveling the world, drinking in the sweet nectar of youthful lust, and absorbing the jealousy of deskbound flunkies everywhere.

How to apply»

It looks like Mr. Teller is up to his old tricks again, seducing the lovely Ms. Maya Arulpragasam into this voluptuous pose for the latest Marc Jacobs campaign.

That’s M.I.A., for the non-Pitchfork-educated. She’s been climbing the charts, soundtracking movie trailers, and getting big-upped as this year’s future of rap (according to Nas, the future of rap circa 1992). Add in a little subcontinental glamour and she should be the perfect spokesmodel, right? Well, almost»

Today, PSFK points us to another web gem. This time it’s a post about pre-experience design. That’s (apparently) what brainy ad folk call your expectation of the product, built up by the various things you’ve heard about it. The shining example is the ubiquitous iPhone ads that made everyone want to be able to turn their phone sideways and “pinch” to zoom. Creating the experience starts before anyone buys an iPhone, the argument goes. If you really want to enjoy that wine, he suggests, you should start by buying an expensive glass.

What all this has to do with style»

Apparently Mrs. Bruni’s marriage—and less-than-savory photographic past—hasn’t dimmed her prospects as a model. Apparently the UK supermarket chain ASDA has dumped their current spokesperson in the hopes of landing the French First Lady. Maybe they’re after a break on their export taxes.

More on Ms. Bruni’s future endorsement gigs»

Marc Jacobs’ ads have been eye-catching since the start, and we’re starting to get curious about the man behind the lens. For the curious, his name is Juergen Teller, seen in the picture above discussing aesthetics with the incomparable Charlotte Rampling.

More on Mr. Teller»

The same lingerie line that brought you Kate Moss’ magnum opus has come back with another provocative ad concept: the interactive peep show.

Agent Provocateur’s “Peep in Paris” is the game in question. Sadly, it’s all drawings, but they still manage to fit in some pretty exciting material. The game itself is essentially Strip Simon, with windows in place of colored lights. You do your best to copy the order the windows opened, and the Provocateurs do their best to reward you when you get it right.

Luckily we’ve always had a good memory for those things»

You don’t often hear the “core values” and “Keith Richards” in the same sentence. But we’re always open to new ideas.

Fresh off their Gorbachev campaign, Louis Vuitton has decided to side with another crumbling icon for their “core values” campaign. Other than embodying a kind of boho shabby-chic, we doubt anyone would have chosen Richards as a style icon, but Vuitton sees him more as a lifestyle icon. This pic, photographed by the legendary Annie Liebowitz, captures what seems like a fairly typical moment in Keef’s existence: he is killing time in an anonymous luxury suite, with objects of luxury scattered carelessly around him. And, naturally, the closest object is his Louis Vuitton guitar case, which doubles as an impromptu tea tray.

More on Keef and Louis»

Like ideas, brands can come from anywhere. All you need is an advertising budget, a storefront and a dream.

It turns out JC Penney has all three. They’re starting up their largest product line ever, American Living, with an ad push unlike anything a department store brand has ever seen.

The line is designed by Ralph Lauren, but the ads are the real show»

In the midst of rebranding, The Gap has launched The Sound of Color to help the kids really get to know those colors. Apparently red sounds like electro-pop and green sounds like Swizz Beats, who, fittingly enough, sounds like money.

It can’t help but seem familiar, but this ad (or microsite, if you prefer) takes a different tack than the old Salvation Army color scheme. Instead of trying to help the Gap’s brand—although they’re doing a little of that too—they’re trying to brand the colors. (“Hey, this sweatshirt’s green! I’ve heard about green!”)

It’s an interesting idea, but it’s wrong for a couple reasons»

Sex, drugs, rock & roll—they aren’t exactly hallmarks of mature sophistication, or at least not yet. But there’s no act so wild it can’t be cleaned up by a few well-placed changes. Case in point, Rock Ambassador/Designer John Varvatos’ Spring ‘08 Converse by John Varvatos ad campaign.

It seems that Danny Clinch, the man who managed to make even Alice Cooper look dapper, has handed over the lens to hipstographer Ryan McGinley in the Get Chucked campaign. We’d gladly spend the day browsing McGinley’s portfolio of gloriously happy nudes engaging in normal daily activities (yes, even communal bathing), so we’re excited about the direction he’ll take the ads, especially since they’ll actually revolve around clothing.

Everyone loves a challenge.

Oops…