Staten Island is not having a good week. In addition to the outrage over the weird ad copy appearing in part of a Virgin Mobile campaign, the borough’s president has also called for an ice cream boycott. Last Friday, a perturbed James P. Molinaro wrote a letter to Scott and Kim Myles, husband and wife co-owners of the Queens-based 5 Boroughs Ice Cream company. Someone had shown Molinaro a copy of a flyer printed off the 5B website, meant to help persuade local specialty food storeowners to carry the ice cream. There are currently eight 5B flavors, all made in small batches; each is named after a NYC locale or neighborhood. For Molinaro and many Staten Islanders, the offending ice cream flavor is Staten Island Landfill- a swirly mix of brownies, fudge, crunchies, and cherries in a vanilla base. Molinaro objects to what he considers old hat outer borough typecasting; the Staten Island Advance quotes his letter to the company as saying "I am hard-pressed to think of a more insulting and derogatory attack in the name of consumerism.” more ›

Virgin Mobile's "You Rule" campaign has been in town for a few weeks, but the confusion still runs high. Ad agency Havas McKinney developed an ambitious outdoor campaign that involves specific posters and billboards to praise residents of various New York neighborhoods, such as Chelsea, Murray Hill, Lower East Side, Upper East Side, and Bed-Stuy. more ›

In one of the more odd press releases we have received this week, we learn that Sir Richard Branson and Kevin Federline will be teaming up to "save the U.S. penny from annihilation". Yes, the two unite with Common Cents Policy Director Matthew Eggers to put emphasis on the value of a penny (that K-Fed really is simple isn't he), in the face of its possible legislative elimination. more ›

Fallon, the advertising agency with clients like Time magazine, Virgin Mobile, and Citibank, is closing up their New York office. According to AdAge, it turns out that the president and top creative decided to start their own venture, and hence Fallon Chairman Pat Fallon's statement:

While we have loved doing business in New York, and have a great group of talent, the truth is that New York is not a necessary part of Fallon's U.S. offering. We believe our clients will be best served by a single office.

Semi-related: The Christina Aguilera Virgin Mobile ad that won't run in the states. more ›