So in order to write about this video, I Googled Sony Bravia -- and discovered that the reason the name sounded familiar is that Sony Bravia's last big viral ad was the Jose Gonzales-scored Superball spot. That two-minute piece, capturing a gorgeous slow-motion waterfall of bouncy balls, was a whimsical delight -- that also didn't really say anything about the product.

So, um, way to create branding, Sony. Job well done. Now I just need to figure out what you're selling. I guess Bravias are TVs? Well, that was my second guess. Right after color printers.

It's just as effective a message as the Dove Evolution short, but the fact of the matter is that this is a marketing campaign, not a public service announcement. It's a very well-intentioned marketing campaign, but would the Dove brand be so heavily associated with these messages if it were purely altruistic? No. I'm glad that the folks at the Unilever Corporation are thinking outside the box when comes to their advertising. But it doesn't make me more likely to buy their skin tightening cream.

LIZ: Oh, hey. Alicia Silverstone is naked in this new ad.

SPENCER: Really? Batgirl? Link, please.

...three minutes later...

SPENCER: Ohhhh.

LIZ: What?

SPENCER (disappointed): It's for PETA.

LIZ: Yeah. Sorry.

SPENCER: Yeah.

My only complaint is that the damn thing is so small that we don't really have a good view of Leslie Feist's sexiness (but you can see the whole adorable music video here). They should have used the song for iPod touch commercials so we could get some full-screen action. Think, Apple, think!

I can't do it full justice -- you really have to watch it -- but there's some scientist guy, and he's rapping, and then he shrinks for a while, and there are some dancing elephants, and then he's full sized again, and... seriously, just watch it.

And if that alone doesn't convince you that insanity was spreading through Microsoft's ad department like wildfire, have a look at this promo for Windows 386. (Don't be fooled by the first couple of minutes; the crazy kicks in at about 2:15.)

I don't... and why... and with the.... <sigh> My head hurts.

If I ever get my hands on a time machine, the first thing I'm doing is going back to the pitch meetings for these two promos, so I can witness for myself the ad guys acting them out as a delighted Bill Gates shouts, "YES! I LOVE IT!" After that, I'll go kill Hilter and do a bunch of other stuff. But first, I'm finding out what's with Microsoft and all the rapping.

Clearasil has abandoned their wholesome image in favor of a new campaign themed "May Cause Confidence." In the spots, teens are emboldened by their Clearasil-powered flawless skin, causing them to be zanily risque. In "Ms. Kelly," the commercial getting the most heat, a young Lothario hits on his friend's newly single mom. (Ms. Kelly, by the way, is appalled.)

In "Baby Photos," a girl responds to the naked baby photos her mom is showing her boyfriend by saying, "you should see me now." The mom has a conniption and the girl's boyfriend looks wildly uncomfortable.

And in "Picture Me Naked," a teen tells a nervous lecturer, "if it helps, you can..." well, you guessed it. Then he turns to the girl next to him and says, "You, too." Granted, the girl gives a small giggle, but still, I wouldn't say the commercial's a ringing endorsement for the behavior.

Unlike, say, Axe ads -- which seem to imply the product is essentially a sprayable combo of roofie and Spanish Fly -- the Clearasil spots don't show the teens necessarily getting what they want. Honestly, distilled down to the basics, what the commericals really seem to be saying is, "Confidence makes you act like a dumbass."

Therefore, as sexy scandals go, I'm going to have to rate this one a solid "meh."

After watching, you'll wonder how the post-production team was able to create the seamless shifts in the weather, moving from sun to snow in the blink of an eye. The green-screen and rotoscoping help create an intense visual experience, unlike anything you've seen before -- off or on the field.

The iPod Touch is outfitted with a superswank WiFi system that not only lets you cruise the web with Safari-powered ease, but also hooks you into the brand new iTunes WiFi store, letting you search for, preview, and buy music from just about anywhere. Not bad.

As an added bonus, Starbucks will soon be teaming up with iTunes WiFi as well. When you walk into a participating Starbucks location, you'll be instantly connected to the iTunes WiFi store for free. You'll also be able to identify and buy the song currently playing in the store, as well as the last ten songs on the playlist. Groovy.

The rest of the fifteen-minute-long guided tour is mostly devoted to explaining in handholding, button-by-button detail the use of a device that was essentially designed to be self-explanatory in the first place. In fact, for the average Joe, the iPod Touch itself may be a bit like that -- a great-looking doohickey that gives you a lot of cool stuff you didn't particularly need to begin with.

But for hardcore music lovers, technophiles, and loyal Starbucks customers, today is a very good day.

This video is actually a collaborative effort created by people from around the world. Several weeks ago Google posted their own video showing how a Gmail message goes from Point A to Point B, and then invited everyone on the web to film their own ideas and post them on YouTube. Over 1100 videos were received and then whittled down into today’s final cut. You can visit YouTube to see all of the videos, including ones that didn’t make the cut. Also, this Google blog has a rad map that shows where each of the videos came from. Overall it’s a cute bit of promotion, but again it begs the question: how well can Google really be doing if they’re subcontracting their advertising out to John and Jane Q. Public? I predict a WorldCom style collapse within the next three weeks. When it happens, just remember that you heard it here first.

A cubicle dweller in a Japanese office is handed a report and asked to have it finished by the next morning. From the expression on his face, it's clear that he's already at the end of a long day. Sigh. Thankfully, inspiration strikes.

He makes a few sketches and notes on the report and sends it off in the fax machine. Now, because Ricoh's got a global network, with local support everywhere they sell, the Little Report That Could proceeds to jet from time zone to time zone, getting changes made in India, then France, then New York, all while our worker bee has a delightful evening with his friends. Then, in the morning, he pops over to the fax machine, picks up the (great-looking) completed report, and hands it to his boss.

All in one minute. One minute to tell you that if you use Richoh products, your offices will never close, because you'll have the world working for you 24-7. Plus your work will look fantastic and you'll have time for karaoke with your buds.

If I had anybody to fax, I'd be buying a Ricoh fax machine right now.

A soliloquy of Shakespearean proportions follows, as the forlorn fellow relates how the "Skittles touch" keeps him from holding his son, dressing himself... and how it resulted in a most unfortunate fate for a man he met on the bus. Talk about bringing a new meaning to the word "bittersweet."

But seriously, though -- all the Skittles you could ever want, any time you want them? That's pretty cool. Plus, I can think of a few people I'd like to lay the Skittle mojo on.

Still. Those Skittle marketing dudes are effed up.

In the spot, "Old School" rocker Dan Finnerty strolls through a cubicle maze, crooning about his software and IT problems of yore, before meeting up mid-office with indie artist Rob Giles, who's done up for the occasion like the unholy spawn of Axl Rose, Ozzy Osbourne, and, uh, several other unholy people. Together they rock the place out with lyrical tales of the magic things that happen with hardware-based remote managability.

Did I leave the experience knowing more about the topic than when I started? Not so much. But I was left with a powerful urge to forth and look stuff up about it. So there you go. Plus, I dig that one guy who can't get his lighter to work. Hee.