I’d hate to post a commercial here outside of the Super Bowl, but this one’s special. The old Spock and the new (namely Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto) star in this nerd-tastic extended advertisement for the Audi S7. Titled “The Challenge,” the spot features Quinto placing a fun bet with Nimoy and along the way you’ll hear “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” and you’ll witness the Vulcan nerve pinch at work. Don’t ask, just watch.

A million users isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion users.

Today Mark Zuckerberg announced that there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month. In his own words through a short but sweet blog post:

This morning, there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month.

If you’re reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you.

Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.

I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for you, and hopefully together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too.

Whether or not this incredible factoid will help boost the social network’s failing stock, it’s something to really think about. What this means is that one in seven people all around the world log on to Facebook and actively spend time there for at least a month. Zuckerberg tagged his post with a fact sheet that spits out other impressive bits of info like… there have been over 1.13 “likes” since the site’s launch; 219 billion photos uploaded; 17 billion location-tagged posts; 62.6 million songs have been played 22 billion times; Facebook now has 600M mobile users; the median age of the user is about 22 (close your account, mom!); and the list goes on.

To celebrate the milestone, Facebook teamed with ad agency Wieden & Kennedy to produce a minute-and-a-half “brand video” entitled The Things That Connect Us. In an interview with Ad Age, Facebook’s head of consumer marketing Rebecca Van Dyck shared the inspiration behind it. ”What we’re trying to articulate is that we as humans exist to connect, and we at Facebook to facilitate and enable that process. We make the tools and services that allow people to feel human, get together, open up. Even if it’s a small gesture, or a grand notion–we wanted to express that huge range of connectivity and how we interact with each other.”

The ad is embedded after the break. (Click here for more…)

It’s official: Mad Men returns to AMC from its (insanely long) hiatus on March 25. More good news: the season 5 opener will be the series’ first two-hour premiere. Take in the minimalist and grand new artwork above; it features a free-falling, silhouetted Don Draper displaced from the show’s famous title sequence. Now whip out your calendar and mark the 25th of March in red and black, you know you want to.

That last post detailing the launch of the 2011 Nike Mag Back to the Future sneaker is filling to the brim, so I’ve decided to make a new landing for all the latest on the greatest shoe never made (until now, that is).

The auction kicked off September 8 at 8:30PM PST and it will last for ten days. Every day 150 pairs of the sneaker will be made available at eBay. Here’s a link to the Nike Mag-eBay portal. There you’ll be able to view and bid on the shoes, ranging in size from 7 to 13. After a quick glance, most of the shoes currently hover around the $2,500 price point. But don’t let those early tallies fool you; British rapper Tinie Tempah won the first Mag on-site at the Nike launch event with a winning bid of $37,500, and bids on eBay have reportedly reached the $75,000 mark. So unless you’re willing to drop thousands for the shoe from the future, pass your time by drifting your eyes to the next paragraph.

Last night Michael J. Fox appeared on the David Letterman to detail the shoe and it’s release. After showing it off, he announced that Google founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki have offered to match all donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation up to $50 million through the end of 2012. So even though you sit there in frustration knowing that owning the Mag is a pipe dream, you can rest assured that all of the money exchanged over the course of the 10-day auction is going to a great cause. If you’re itching to donate to Parkinson’s research in other ways, visit www.michaeljfox.org. Watch Fox’s Letterman appearance after the break.

And finally, the last topic that must be discussed is the marketing campaign behind the Mag release. Check it:

When the original Back to the Future creative team learned of Nike’s desire to support Fox’s foundation with the release of the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes, Executive Producer Frank Marshall joined the effort. A concept was hatched to develop a ‘Lost Scene’ to honor the original Back to the Future films and characters, capturing Doc Brown’s efforts to make Marty ‘fit in’ during his visit to 2015. [via Nike]

And so Back For The Future was born. BTTF executive producer Frank Marshall directed the short film and Robert Zemeckis (helmer of the trilogy) came back to EP. Also returning is the mad scientist himself–Christopher Lloyd as Doc Emmett Brown and Donald Fullilove as salesman Goldie Wilson III. SNL castmember Bill Hader and basketball star Kevin Durant also star in the video embedded after the break. Below, find even more stills of the glorious Mag.

(Click here for more…)

While the initial run of Xperia Play ads were extremely creepy, these on the other hand are really funny. Sony Ericsson has tapped the talented comedian Kristen Schaal (of Flight of the Conchords fame) to promote the upcoming PlayStation-certified handset. My favorite one resides above, but make sure to click after the break to check out the others. Ads in general suck, but these are totally worth watching. Schaal nails it every time.

[Via Engadget] (Click here for more…)

The Lonely Island–aka The Dudes, aka SNL’s Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer–were recently appointed “Creative Directors” for Swedish imported ROKK Vodka.  Apparently they will be “responsible for the brand’s consumer engagement, which includes creating digital material to market the brand and help introduce ROKK, the premium priced, freeze filtered vodka.”  Says head Dude Andy Samberg: “Most people ask us to just make videos, but Diageo asked us to be Creative Directors, which sounded fancier. Anyone who’s seen our videos knows we’re fancy guys, so we said yes. And they also gave us a bunch of ROKK Vodka, which we enjoy drinking with our mouths.”

Watch the group’s first “ROKK video short” above.  Additional content is expected to hit the ‘Net soon.  Full PR after the break.

[Via PRNewswire] (Click here for more…)

In collaboration with ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, Sony has developed a peculiar new advertising campaign for the Latin American market.  In the two commercials Sony is hoping build awareness of the PlayStation, along with the recently released PlayStation Move motion accessory.  All I see are freakishly giant MAN-BABIES.  But here’s how Sony explains it:

“The first commercial…features a baby as a depiction of the emotions that are often associated with the purest form of entertainment. It reminds us of a time when even the smallest actions, sights and sounds can provoke unhinged and constant entertainment.”

Riiight.  Look after the break to watch another commercial starring MAN-BABIES!  Oh Sony, you never fail to awkwardly impress.

[Via PlayStationBlog; Joystiq] (Click here for more…)

Microsoft has finally got it right with their latest Windows 7 ad.  The cutesy animation paired with an Avatar cameo captures an appropriate (albeit bizarre) aesthetic that informs viewers about Windows 7′s Blu-ray playback support in a fun, creative way.  Apple, the ball’s in your court.

[Via Gizmodo]

Here we go!  Microsoft has officially begun the marketing blitz for Kinect.  At the center of all these commercials is the philosophy that you don’t have to have any previous knowledge of playing video games; you are the controller, so it all comes naturally.  Look after the break for two more ads featuring flailing children in large, brightly lit living spaces plus an extended commercial highlighting Xbox Live with Kinect functionality.

[Via Joystiq] (Click here for more…)

iPhone, Android, BlackBerry–watch out.  WP7 is almost here.

[Via Engadget]

Sure, it’s a fake app but the advertisement is very real and it’s downright hysterical!  This ad for the “Anti Knock-Up Application” was entered into the Cannes Future Lions 2010 competition that challenged designers to “advertise a product from a global brand in a way that couldn’t be conceived five years ago.”  This ad does a pretty damn good job at showing how such an app could scare young men into using condoms.  Ah, what a hoot!

[Via AdFreak; Gizmodo]

Watch this collection of ad spots for new porn network Amour.  They’re hysterical, and safe for viewing (no nudity).

[Via @johnandrewwalsh]

According to the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo is spending between $75 million to $85 million to run a new ”It’s You” ad campaign that’s obviously directed at Google.  The gloves are off, let the games begin.

[Via WSJ; Gizmodo]

Sony’s advertisement go-to guy Kevin Butler is back, this time from the future where PlayStation Move is a huge success.  The commercial is filled with mockery against Nintendo’s Wii motion (in)capabilities: “You’ve got the controller and a camera with microphone working together to give you total control over your gaming experience.  Not just like this [he moves his hand side-to-side in 2D space] but this way too [he makes a forward-moving jab in 3D space].  Because real boxers to hit like this [he humorously flails his arms in front of his chest].”  He also makes sure to troll Microsoft’s upcoming, controller-less Project Natal: “PlayStation Move is not only crazy precise, its also got what we in the future call buttons, which turn out to be pretty important to those handful of millions of people who enjoy playing shooters and platformers, or, well, anything that doesn’t involve catching a big red ball.”  Oh, it’s on.

[Via Kotaku]

Rhys Darby of Flight of the Conchords fame (he played Bret & Jemaine’s boss Murray) stars in HP’s latest ad campaign.  The $40 million “Let’s Do Amazing” ad campaign includes a series of commercials that appear to reintroduce the HP brand to consumers in a new, different, and quite humorous way.  Dr. Dre lends a helping hand, making sure to promote his Dre Beats line of headphones and HP laptops.  Look after the break for a second commercial.

UPDATED: You’ll find all the current HP “Let’s Do Amazing” commercials featuring Rhys Darby, plus an interview with the FOTC alum and the “Internal Launch” video, after the break!

[Via Engadget]

(Click here for more…)

Check out this Pedigree Dogs advertisement shot in super slo-mo, 1000 frames per second.  Shot by Jordan Kretchmer.

[Thanks, Tim S.]

The very first iPad commercial aired last night during the Oscars.  Per usual, Apple found a very catchy song to pair with it.  It’s called “There Goes My Love” by Danish band  The Blue Van.  And if you were wondering, Steve Jobs did attend the Oscars, likely cheering on Pixar’s Up.

Nike is back with an all new baller commercial for its Sportswear products.  Per usual, the production team does not disappoint.  The new mantra?  “Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?”

I caught this a couple times during NBA All-Star weekend.  It’s just so freakin cool.

And just when you thought the Verizon Wireless and AT&T ad war was cooling down…Verizon is back with more!  Check out this latest spot that rips off the current vampire craze.  Twi-hards will surely get a kick out of it.

[Via Engadget]