Take TNT’s new dramatic entrance into the Belgium market.  If you have ever been to Belgium, you would know it is one of the safest and most peaceful countries in the world.

Well, TNT has literally brought drama to this tranquil country with the placement of a big red push button in the small town square of Flanders. A sign with the text “Push to add drama” invited people to use the button. People daring to push it were confronted with a flash mob of ambulances, fist fights, police shootouts, bikini-clad motorcyclists, and finally a banner that reveals the message, “TNT. Your Daily Dose of Drama.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

As you expect, there is a video of the flash mob that has gone viral (as seen above) and it has already racked up over 28 million views in less than a week.

Of course, flash mobs and viral videos are not new.  Last month in France, a young woman in Paris sampled the new Q10+ Nivea cream and ended up being encircled by a flash mob of handsome flower vendors, joggers, policeman, firemen, and even a modern day shining knight on a white horse.

Needless to say, this execution was a huge viral hit with the French ladies with nearly a half-million hits.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Meanwhile, in Germany, Mini launched the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman (JCW) with “Thrill Bench”, a guerilla B2B campaign that ran during the recent Geneva International Motor Show.

A special designed “Thrill Bench” was placed at bus stops and in front of luxury hotels to raise awareness to the trade press and automobile managers. As soon as people sat on the bench, a MINI John Cooper Works Countryman drove up and triggered the bench seats to magically rumble, synchronized to the powerful sound of the JCW engine.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What I love about all three of these advertising ideas is that they are based are product benefits creatively brought to life through fresh, non-traditional executions.  Talk about engaging consumers in a fun, memorable way.

Once again, this is a good reminder that today’s most successful ad agencies are in the ideas business, not the advertising business.

Germophobes beware: what you are about to read may cause a serious freak-out. There is now such thing as a ‘lickable’ elevator.

Still with us? An elevator (or since this takes place in the U.K., a lift) adorned with 1,325 McVittie’s Jaffa Cakes (sponge cakes with an orange filling and crispy chocolate glaze) has been tempting sweet tooths at Engine, a communications company in London. The marketing stunt for U.K. baked goods company McVittie’s, was created by the aptly titled Mischeif agency in London, who took four weeks to install the puck-sized cakes in a pattern like candy buttons. For those brave enough to indulge, the apparently need not fear the double lick––once a cake is tasted it’s replaced with a fresh one. Would you risk a lick?

It’s latest simple solution is the Amplifiear, a non-electric sound amplification device for the iPad. The premise is simple: it clips to the corner of your iPad and reflects and projects the sound forward (instead of backwards) towards the user. Pretty ingenious.

Let the time wasting begin!

Go to Smart Argentina’s Twitter page.

It’s one of the key reasons why Apple is now the most successful and profitable company in America. Consumers are replacing big-ticket items with music, movies, video games and, of course, electronic devices to play them on.

After all, what else creates a better emotional bond to brands than associating them to music, movies or sports? Pop culture connects people and makes them feel like they belong.

It’s the same kind of emotional bond that has created the success of online video games like World of Warcraft to international sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup.

It’s no coincidence that Visa aligns itself with the Olympics, Pepsi with the Grammies, Coca-Cola with Walt Disney Parks, and Nike and Budweiser with almost every sporting event. By hijacking the powerful, bigger than life image that radiates from a rock star, a popular movie, a TV show, a theme park, or a major event, these brands form powerful connections with consumers and in turn can become pop culture icons themselves with a halo effect.

As we all know, Nike didn’t become number one by selling Chinese and Korean shoes and sportswear.  It sells inspiration. Just like Pepsi doesn’t sell carbonated beverages. It sells a feeling. And Visa doesn’t sell a plastic card. It sells an experience.

Even politicians are using pop culture to elevate their personal brands. Besides seeking the endorsements of music, TV and sports stars, political candidates are constantly searching for PR opportunities at cultural events from NASCAR races and March Madness to Walt Disney World and late night talk shows. In 2008, President Obama even placed outdoor boards in the EA video game Burnout Paradise.

Truth is, whether you’re a teenage girl, an ad agency, or a multimillion dollar brand, you want people to think you’re “cool.”  And nine out of ten times, it means riding the wave of someone else’s cool.

Ironically, in today’s digital and social media age, the smarter brands and ad agencies are creating content and engaging consumer experiences that are becoming a part of pop culture just like movies, TV, music, and sports.

When I worked on the recent relaunch of the $1 billion refurbished Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort, we wanted to position the property as a bed of glamor, art and pop culture. So to kick off their grand opening, the hotel hosted the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,  featured live performances from Usher and Mariah Carey, and invited the A-List of Hollywood, sports and the music industry. Today, Fontaienbleau is known for its art galleries, five-star restaurants and Las Vegas-style night life, and has re-established itself as Miami Beach’s 24/7 cultural icon.

Welcome to the branding circle of life.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nike FIFI World Cup Commerical

If history serves as any indication, the best work will come from the big breweries such as Molson in Canada and Budweiser in the U.S. as well as a few image-driven brands such as Bauer, Nike, and Visa.  However, most of the other ads will fall into the latter category and will fail to engage.

It will be the same tired motifs of past ads—parents driving their kids to hockey practice at the crack of dawn, quick cuts of menacing players on the ice, and, of course, the hockey celebrity spokesman—instead of fresh new concepts.

Fortunately, I am happy to report at least one exception. A new campaign for the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame titled “Most Hockey Dreams Die” is based on a human insight that speaks to all of us who dreamed as kids to play professional hockey.

Instead of giving us the typical, happy Disney ending, the documentary-style, sports campaign shows us the reality of trying and failing, but in a very entertaining and humorous way.

Cheers to Taxi Toronto for the fun ride and taking us on the creative road less traveled. Well done.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hockey  Hall of Fame – Robbie

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hockey Hall of Fame – Oliver