26 Songs, 98 Years: A History of Whistling.

You may remember Joe Sabia (@JoeSabia), who teased us last year with "A History of Lyrics that Aren't Lyrics." He's built on that since, and with the launch of this latest video, he's debuting Collective Cadenza, entirely dedicated to creative musical video experiments.

That kicks all the ass! We've already seen some of the other stuff they've got on the pipeline and readily assure you of how awesome this is going to be. You might even get into chamber music, who knows?

Follow his ear candy adventures alongside us, and if you liked "A History of Whistling", download the MP3.

'HAVE A BREAK ... HAVE THE MESSIAH.'

We sometimes forget that chain letters remain a popular way of destroying, in one fell swoop, the respect others have for you while commandeering an unenjoyable 2.6 minutes of their lives.

Kit-Kat didn't, though. AND BOY DID IT WIN SOME POINTS IN THE NETHERLANDS. Break me off a piece of that JC.

Dry Erase Quitter a Hoax, and Maybe a Lesson

This may be fiction after all, but it's springboarded aspiring actress Elyse Porterfield to internet infamy and validated the ability of brothers John and Leo Resig to "create" a viral. More than once.*

Humor me ››

AdVerve Episode 43: Viralosity

Play the show now.

Everything you wanted to know about "virals." Josh Warner of seeding firm Feed Company joins us to talk about why a cool video isn’t enough to guarantee viralosity. You thinking backflipping into jeans and catching Ray-Bans with your face is enough? It takes magic. Or a really good integrated marketing plan. One of those.

Humor me ››

He's On a Horse!

And I want every man I ever love to smell like him. Which is a lot to say in defense of a brand my dad (and my grandpa!) wore.* Man, taking that batshit-wacky turn with Bruce Campbell, and never looking back, was the best thing you ever did, Old Spice.

See making-of (courtesy of M. M. McDermott over at the Renegade Agency Confessional):

More advert-orgasmics right here. Work by Wieden + Kennedy.

Humor me ››

I Hereby Demand Hugs from Everyone Alive

I noticed the other day that people on Facebook were running searches for their names on urbandictionary.com and posting the definitions in their status bars.

Didn't think much of this until Ben Kunz said the meme was a viral stunt that originated from Urban Dictionary itself.

This changes everything!

(Also via.)

Red Alert 3 Remix

"The only thing I can say about that is ... oh, snap."

Love this. 77,775 views and counting on YouTube, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars (665 ratings total). Find out why.

Whopper Freakout.

I realize how late I am to the ballpark, but I wanted it on record somewhere in the universe that I think Burger King's Whopper Freakout was clever and brave and just generally neato.

What, you mean you didn't know? Silly you. Get this:

• For 24 hours, BK told customers the Whopper was discontinued.
• For another 24 hours, BK slipped equivalent burgers from McD's or Wendy's into people's bags when they ordered Whoppers.

Both instances caused outrage, dramatic angst, and multiple instances of my favourite red-faced phrase, "I'd like to speak to your manager, please."

The "manager" is the King in full regalia, creepy plastic head and all. He comforts the moody, the hurt and the generally freaked-out with a Whopper on a tray.

And BK is validated -- on camera and all.

Read Robert Gorell's reasons why this is among the best TV and web campaigns EVAR (emphasis added by me).

Blogtag: 5 Coveted Secrets

Lea Salonga as Kim in Miss Saigon

Looks like I caught a bug. David Dahlquist and Tony Chung over at Geek What just tagged me in a game of secret divulsion. Once tagged, the person must write 5 things about him/herself that others may not know. Here are all the goodies you can convict me for later:

1. I walk on tiptoe, even barefoot.

2. I was and remain a Spice Girls fan. I thought it was over for me once they disbanded, but I watched a throwback documentary a couple of years ago and got teary-eyed.

3. In my childhood I performed classic Philippine courting songs like "Dahil Sa Yo" and dances like the tinikling for social gatherings. I hoped to one day be a star of Lea Salonga caliber and often practiced her Miss Saigon parts in preparation for my broadway debut.

4. I once told an ex-boyfriend I slanged in high school as part of an elaborate plan to get him to date me. I broke the truth about two in a half years into our relationship.

5. I knew for sure I was married to marketing when I saw Levi's "Lola" ad, the sex-infused spot with the girl who paints the jeans of her notches and hangs them in a gallery. I was hooked forever. If I could find it I'd probably have a braingasm.

The 5 bloggers I’m tagging:

• Ariel, Shake Well Before Use
• Bill, Make the Logo Bigger
  
• Jimmy, Tight Sainthood
• Mike, Retrospect for Life
• Jesse, Fresh Fodder

I hereby exempt any and all who've been tagged in the last 6 months. Otherwise I think you've garnered up some juice by now. =)

Cheers and a happy new year to one and all.