Dove’s Real Beauty campaign is absolutely killer. It’s aimed at “art directors and graphic designers” who often distort the real beauty of women in favor of unrealistic airbrushing. Surprisingly, a little touch up here and there actually does a lot more damage than we’d think. Mass society distorting the image of self, one .psd at a time.

The brand’s already won a Grand Prix at Cannes back in ’07 for this campaign, but we think it still deserves attention. Lovely to see a big brand continually holding a mirror against itself – and not just for commercial purposes. Definitely worth 2 minutes of your time.

From Hong Kong, a ground-breaking creative approach to marketing called “Chok!”. Ad-man Mark Kong and team blended interaction design with advertising to rethink the consumer -brand relationship. Is this a sign we’re one step closer to a completely crossmedia future? I sure as hell hope so. The day we stop paying millions of dollars for celebrities to just “pop-up” in a commercial will be a good day. Unless that celebrity is James Franco…

Anyways, check out the video and let us know what you think about interactive TV gaming promotions in the comments.

Alright. I have a new goal for 2013: visit this Starbucks. Yeah, you heard me right. My #1 goal is to visit a Starbucks. What’s yours?

But it’s not just any Starbucks, as design milk notes. This one’s designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, famous Japan architects who have used 2,000 (or so) wood sticks to give this coffee shop a very peaceful and unique atmosphere. Suited, as its actually right next to the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in the Fukuoka Prefecture. So I guess I could visit that place too. But that Starbucks? That’ll be the event. Just goes to show that even if you’re corporate doesn’t mean you can’t go for cool. Artistic creativity can, and should, express itself in many shapes and forms.

Can file-sharing really be sexy? You bet. WeTransfer‘s service is not only dead-simple (and free up to 2GB) but flat-out stunning. Not to mention, in a world where the value of traditional banner ads is sinking faster than thumb rings, WeTransfer offers a unique alternative where brands’ adverts not only encourage click-thrus but generate goodwill. Yup, this hidden gem won’t last long so jump on it while you can.

Perhaps the most valuable thing a brand can accomplish is emotional engagement. When it’s done well, there’s an attachment formed and you really feel like a brand gets you. This Warriors Of Radness video did that for me. Stereotypical California lifestyle humor always make me smile and it’s got me dreaming about burritos, babes and sunshine. That makes me sound incredibly simple-minded, but hey, we all have our vices. I also happen to like some of their threads and that the lookbook appears to have been shot on film. Total time warp. What brands make you feel something?

It doesn’t get better than this. And don’t forget, always double down on an 11.

File this under: brilliant prank. You gotta love the indie musician who isn’t afraid to turn to gorilla marketing tactics to get noticed. Watch the video below and you’ll agree, there’s nothing not to love about Gavin Slate’s performance.