:: adgruntie :: Monday morning roundup

+ From AdLand: "Glenfiddich has a new campaign running in the US featuring an imaginary man named "Brock Savage". Who is this man of mystery? And more importantly why should we care who he is?" Go read more- there's pretty pictures there too.

+ Are there too many advertising agencies? Mark Wnek says no. "Actually, the advertising market is, as ever, massively undersupplied ... by good agencies."

+ Style wins over value when it comes to choosing a credit card in the UK.

Around 16% admitted that they opted for their card based on the brand’s image, 15% because of its attractive or ‘stylish’ design and 14% for its advertising and marketing hype, the survey by the uSwitch.com website found.

And 15% of 18-24 year olds picked their credit card simply because they perceived it to be a ‘status symbol’.

This is compared to only 10% of consumers who chose their credit card because it had a low APR and fewer still (8%) whose decision was based on the fact that their card had the longest 0% introductory period.

+ Chicken Jerk and Alien Bees from the NY Post takes a look at viral online advertising.

Whether it's chicken tenders or cars, that's the dilemma for marketers everywhere: trying out "viral" campaigns — hands-on advertising that is meant to spread via word of mouth or be forwarded in e-mails.

With companies desperate to cut through a cluttered ad landscape, more are jumping on the "buzz" bandwagon.

In the race to come up with cutting-edge ideas, there is growing concern that these campaigns are becoming too weird, deceptive and confusing.

"This is where I find a lot of the disconnect," said Dave Balter of the ad agency BzzAgent. "Often, there is a big disconnect between the brand and the spot, and it loses effectiveness."

YES! Just like in any advertising campaign, you need to keep the message relavent to the message, brand, and consumer. Those who do weird for the sake of weird are not going to be a successful as those who integrate the weird into the message or some how relate it to the overall brand. (hat tip to Clay.)