Moving beyond just billboards, here are 10 clever campaigns that have stood out for their unique approach. Some of them do seem too clever by half. One is a traditional billboard by Google, that starts a chain of puzzles which, when solved, results in an invitation to submit your resume to Google. One wonders if using Google to solve the puzzles is permitted.

The photo above is a "paint by number" poster, where the paint is really intended to be gum. This was sponsored by Hubba Bubba, nominally to fight the problem of people leaving gum on the street. That may seem altruistic, but certainly Hubba Bubba saw it more as an opportunity to raise awareness of their various flavors, regardless of their "official" reason for the campaign.

OK, I'll admit to being a sucker for creative consumer campaigns (at least for purposes of posting them here - not necessarily for letting them influence my strongly-formed brand preferences). Several in this post on WebUrbanist have been shared already, but there are a few new ones, like this from McDonald's, helping you identify when it's, say, Egg McMuffin o'clock. The Sony PSP transparent billboards are also innovative, more so than the similar Nike ones.

For a little Friday afternoon fun, a reminder that good copywriting requires soul. Or wait, I'm sorry, I mean having no soul.

Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America, Kentuckians, Tennesseans and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as ‘HILLBILLIES.’ You must now refer to them as APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS.

And furthermore:

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. She is not a ‘BABE’ or a ‘CHICK’ – She is a ‘BREASTED AMERICAN.’

2. She is not ‘EASY’ – She is ‘HORIZONTALLY ACCESSIBLE.’

3. She is not a ‘DUMB BLONDE’ – She is a ‘LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY.’

4. She has not ‘BEEN AROUND’ – She is a ‘PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION.’

5. She does not ‘NAG’ you – She becomes ‘VERBALLY REPETITIVE.’

6. She is not a ‘TWO-BIT HOOKER’ – She is a ‘LOW COST PROVIDER.’

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. He does not have a ‘BEER GUT’ – He has developed a ‘LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY.’

2. He is not a ‘BAD DANCER’ – He is ‘OVERLY CAUCASIAN.’

3.. He does not ‘GET LOST ALL THE TIME’ – He ‘INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS.’

4. He is not ‘BALDING’ – He is in ‘FOLLICLE REGRESSION.’

5. He does not act like a ‘TOTAL ASS’ – He develops a case of ‘RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION.’ (Loved this one!)

6. It’s not his ‘CRACK’ you see hanging out of his pants – It’s ‘TROUSER CLEAVAGE.’

Please update your language regarding market segmentation to reflect the above "new realities". Especially if you target market happens to be "Total Asses".

Miss Celania (presumably, not her real name, but I've never researched any deeper) shares the value and potential everyday uses of Venn and Euler diagrams. These are great communication tools for showing relationships between sets. However, I would advise against using them in discussing the nature of your relationship with your significant other, especially as described above.

Obviously, this post points out that Venn and Euler diagrams have comedic value as well.

Love these lists of bad names and logos, and this one is more comprehensive than most. Outstanding research, Will. Warning, a few of these may be mildly offensive if you are easily offended.

One company on their, Fuchs Lubricants, is a major player (sorry, couldn't resist) in the metalworking coolant market, so this isn't just a list of Mom & Pop shops.

Nothing invites a lawsuit from Disney like a pornographic recreation of one of their most cherished properties. The producers of this beer ad deserve a "Real Men of Genius" spot from Bud Light.

And, no surprise, GM makes the list. I thought the whole series of commercials they did after their bailout, some featuring Ed Whitacre, were pointless at best, harmful at worst. This is what you get for putting Bob Lutz in charge of marketing. Favorite Bob Lutz comment ever, on why GM kept Saab even though they knew it would never make money: "we just loved the marquee and the cars."

And this post contains some other key facts about punctuation:

" 1. Punctuation became standardized by early Europeans so that natives could read the Bible before being raped and pillaged.
2. The period is the most commonly used English punctuation mark. Aside from separating sentences, it is also used to form obnoxious acronyms like A.S.I.N.I.N.E. (ASsociation of INnovative INtellectual Egalitarians)
3. As humans slowly phase out the need for physical activity, punctuation is becoming overlooked by texters and bloggers who see the practice as an archaic exercise for the "mouth talkers.""

An interesting visualization on the elements of information design and sharing. The observation that combining 2 elements usually leads to something important (an experiment or proof of concept, for example) but combining 3 results in something undesirable (ugly or useless). If anything, this may be useful as a diagnostic tool when something is not going right with your communications; this could help identify the missing element.