the happiest ending of all

As someone who works in marketing, and not to sound too pompous, but would consider himself more ad-savvy than the average consumer in terms of getting sucked into promotional campaigns, I must admit, I found myself with my credit card in my hand to purchase a Handjob...and I didn't even have to buy her dinner first!

Obviously not what it looks like, but this is in fact the hottest as-seen-on-TV product this side of the Slap Chop dude...and not even he could have beaten one out of that lady-friend of his he got charged for.

The product is obviously ridiculous, but the plan is to have viral push the product...and obviously it is working like a charm. You can be sure loved ones across the world will be waking up to Handjobs early on Christmas morning, so they can give and receive convenient handjobs time and time again.

And as for my purchase...I held off in the meantime, only really out of fear what the labelling looks like. I may already be on the Canada Border Services blacklist as it is, but this would certainly push me over the top, no?

Ingrid Newkirk is like my uncle

...in that, like that one uncle we all have, that we share that special love/hate relationship with; at times we want to kill them for being so ridiculous...while other times we love them so unconditionally, we want to hug them and never let go.

Right about now, I'm feeling the latter.

Newkirk's PETA has come out with new ads to promote pet adoption, featuring model, Playboy covergirl and uber-hottie Joanna Krupa wearing nothing but her birthday suit, covering up with a very strategically placed cross, in atypical controversial PETA fashion.

While there is a bit of a corny headline featured, and an awfully-Photoshopped (yet creepy-looking) barrage of puppies sitting below her, the ad seems to have little to nothing to do with animal rights in general, and seems almost more like just a rip on Christianity. And it worked like a charm, as the Catholic League is up in arms over the ad, even though Krupa herself is a known Christian, and she is at least featured with halo and cross...it's not like she's peeing on Jesus or anything!

But outside of the general shock value of getting people to consider PETA's message, this ad seems a tad misleading. Sure, PETA wants to push the envelope, but why in this way of all ways? Why not attack actual opponents of the group? The big meat companies? Michael Vick?

I am all for pushing the envelope...when the circumstances call for it. But in this case, PETA stepped beyond thinking outside the box, and just simply went outside the box.

That being said, however, the visual content of the ad is a whole different story...