Back in November we reported Kate Upton would play the role of “object of sesire” in a Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl commercial. Well, the teaser is out and it’s the lamest piece of trash we have seen in, perhaps, forever.

In the ad, Upton, dressed extremely conservatively, is the furthest thing from an object of desire. In fact, she’s hardly the focal point of the teaser.

The ad kicks off with a title card that reads, “Kate Upton Washes the New Mercedes CLA in Slow Motion.” That statement is a flat out lie. Kate Upton doesn’t come even close to washing the car in slow motion. What we do get to see is some slow mo love of the vehicle along with a few shots of three dumfounded guys (fully dressed, no less) washing the Mercedes while staring at Upton…who doesn’t even look all that hot in this ad.

Now, we get that this isn’t a Carl’s Jr. ad and we get that Mercedes is unlikely to run an ad with a bikini-clad Upton slathering herself all over the hood of the Mercedes like Paris Hilton did with a Bentley in a 2005 Carl’s Jr. ad. But for God’s sake, could the ad’s creators, Merkley + Partners, have been any more misleading?

And given that all Upton has done and what she stands for, was she really an intelligent choice as spokesperson for the brand? Whomever made this call certainly wasn’t thinking of the brand’s heritage.

Back in July, LA Art Center College of Design student Andrew Kim proposed a redesign of Microsoft branding. His idea, encapsulated on this website, went viral and Microsoft took notice. And hired him.

Yes. Microsoft has hired Andrew Kim. Of the news, Kim wrote, “I’ll be designing for Microsoft as of summer. I promise that I’ll make the my greatest work ever while I’m there.”

Apparently plenty of other companies like Kim’s work. Since he proposed the rebranding, Kim has received several job offers but he held out for Microsoft.

Kim will work with Microsoft’s Xbox division and help craft its new identity.

All well and good. Hopefully Kim won’t become disenfranchised with the inevitable corporate crap that comes with the design by committee mentality of most large organizations.

– The new American Airlines logo is great and all but could people really see it from the ground?

– The One Club’s Annual Creative Hall of Fame event that is taking place in NYC this coming Tuesday night. This year, Advertising Legends Steve Hayden, Martin Puris, Jim Riswold and John Webster are being honored for their lifetime of achievements in the industry.

– BBDO New York has, for the sixth time, placed number one on The Directory Big Won, a directory of most awarded agencies

– Swedish ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors has been chosen to design the concept for this year’s Webby Awards.

– Flingo, a large publisher of Smart TV apps, today announced a partnership with Innovid, a video technology platform, to offer advertisers interactive pre-roll video ads on Smart TVs.

– Domino’s delivery guy takes a slingshot ride to “get out of his comfort zone.”

– Hulu AdZone is gearing up for this year’s Super Bowl.

– Vitro has just become the agency of record for Red Robin. Previously, the account was with Periscope.

Just what the hell is this new Mono-created Target ad attempting to convey?

Climbing a ladder in heels is difficult? Women are “challenged” by ladder climbing? Life throws many curve balls in a woman’s path? Women don’t know how to screw and unscrew a light bulb?

And how about the rest of the ads in the series?

Opening a jar of pickles, squeezing an orange and making Moist Supreme (yea, we got that) muffins and cake are akin to having a gigantic squirting orgasm? Pregnant women are demanding little bitches who binge eat unless they take prenatal multi-vitamins? Doing laundry is like blissfully floating in the clouds? Cooking meat will make you a sexy matador? Only sexy cowgirls can change a diaper? Oatmeal needs to be prepared with yet another orgasmic allegory; a fire hose?

The approach, which aims to – and humorously achieves in some respects – parody fashion advertising, simply reinforces long-held stereotypes many would like to see eradicated.

One YouTube commenter wrote, “What I find so troubling is that it isn’t only one ad that Target has created in this misogynistic fashion. It is at least five of them! All of them aired during the Golden Globes – which means millions of viewers at once. This is the beginning of 2013 and the message for women is that they must conform to their outmoded gender roles – and do so beautifully! Does anyone else see the trend here?

What do you think? Frivolous faux fashion folly? Or yet another perpetuation of misogynistic stereotypes?

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This contributed article is written by Jacob Beckly, VP of Innovation at Fusion92, a full service digital marketing agency located in Chicago.

Is direct mail dead? Is it on its way out? What’s the future? Many marketers are being asked these questions from their clients on a regular basis. Whatever the response, direct mail still accounts for over 50 percent of the US marketing spend according to the DMA and, on average, still pulls the best response rates out of any other marketing medium.

Technological advancements and the growth of digital marketing have provided an opportunity for direct mail and marketers to adapt competitively. With the use of short URLs, consumers can now easily remember or type in a URL to provide additional supportive online content. In the same way, QR codes provide a relatively simple gateway to additional online content. And with the release of NFC enabled handheld devices, consumers can wave their devices over direct mail pieces, incorporating NFC technology, giving them access additional content on their mobile devices.

Smart marketers are evolving with these direct mail changes, and marketers are getting more insight into their consumers’ behaviors and trends. The same principles that apply to direct mail marketing are being applied to digital marketing: clear call-to-action, great offer and an exceptional list. By leveraging the already effective direct mail piece as a gateway to enhanced digital content, marketers are able to provide consumers with a more cohesive brand experience while capturing previously unknown analytics and metrics.

Whether you believe there is a future for direct mail or it’s a dying medium, direct mail will exist throughout the foreseeable future. The gap between direct mail and the digital world is continually shrinking as technology advances. Soon, we may see marketers bringing digital content into home via direct mail, digital calls-to-action, instant conversion and real-time tracking and analytics.

Jake began working with Matt, Fusion92’s Founder and President & CEO, in 2001. Since that time, Jake has helped the company expand its roots in the interactive space to become a full-service marketing agency. Today, Fusion92 is one of the fastest growing full service agencies in the world.

Having trouble pronouncing some ad agency’s names? Well, never fear. The Agency Pronunciation Guide is here. Yes, it’s as stupid as it sounds but it’s mildly funny. And in case you’re wondering about the taxonomy of agency names, check out this infographic from British creative team Rob Donaldson and Joe Dennett.

The duo broke down agencies into five main categories (Founders, Alpha Numeric, Inanimate Objects, Place and Living Things) and several subcategories. Check out both the pronunciation Guide and the Agency Taxonomy below.

A new campaign from perennial purveyor of deodorant for prurient-minded middle school boys, Axe, is recruiting 22 people for its Axe Apollo Space Academy. The brand even hired Buzz Aldrin to announce the campaign in a video.

An additional ad in the BBH London-created campaign, which illustrates just how preferable an astronaut is to a fireman, snubs a fireman who, after saving a woman from a fire, gets dumped for an astronaut because, well, according to the campaign, “nothing beats an astronaut, ever.”

The campaign’s no Red Bull Stratos but the appearance of Aldrin does lend some seriousness to the silliness of whether or not an astronaut is, indeed, more desirable than a fireman…who risked his life to save this foolishly fickle woman.

It would appear The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco is the new ad babe. Hot off signing a deal to appear in a Super Bowl ad for Toyota, Cuoco will appear in a new ad for Priceline. And Shatner is back after having been dropped from a bridge during last year’s Super Bowl.

The new ad, which begins running January 14, has Shatner driving to the top of a mountain with a little girl and dropping her off in front of a dojo. Decades later, he returns to pick her up and she is revealed as his daughter, played by actress Kaley Cuoco. After years of training, Cuoco is highly skilled in the art of finding the best travel deals. And she’s got some new travel deal tricks to show dear old dad.

Of her work in the ad, Cuoco said, “It’s definitely exciting working with Bill, and being part of a campaign and a brand that I’ve pretty much grown up with. He has single-handedly built the Priceline Negotiator into a pop culture icon. I think there’s a lot of overlap in our fans, who will appreciate seeing us together as a father and daughter team. And who wouldn’t want to be William Shatner’s daughter?”

Who wouldn’t, indeed!

Social media is a competitive landscape that many argue can make or break a company’s marketing.

Social Media in the U.S. has increased 356% in six years. These days the question isn’t should you use social media or not. It’s is your use of social better or worse than your competitors?

Inbound marketing company HubSpot has published an eBook, How to Crush Your Competitors on Social Media in 30 Days, which will teach you the following:

• How to compare and benchmark your competitors social presence
• How to grow your reach and followers faster than your competitors
• How to create engaging content people love to share
• How improve your social strategy with cross-channel campaigns

Download the eBook now and get crushing!