Everyone knows by now that the Scrabble Billboard from Ogilvy Mexico was disqualified for a Press Grand Prix and had to make way for AlmapBBDO Brazil's press campaign for Billboard magazine. Reason? Scrabble had been submitted to Cannes last year and thus was too old to play. Bummer for Mexico.

But wait, what about The Cheer Dark campaign that can be found in Press Lions as a Bronze winner 2010?

Isn't that the same exact campaign that can be found in the Cannes Lions Press archives of 2009?

Granted, they got no award then, but then neither did Scrabble last year.

But wait, there's more! Bronze-winning Havaianas from ALMAPBBDO this year....

Looks pretty much exactly like the no award submission of Havaianas from ALMAPBBDO last year. Hmmm.

Last year we had those sexist beer google ads for Coopers Premium Light Lager by JWT in Singapore win Bronze, but Frank Akers of Coopers Australia says they were never commissioned nor approved. Gee, who woulda thunk it?

But this year we have another mystery contender - on the shortlist this year was PUBLICIS THAILAND for VISTAALACARTE.COM "trip designer", and the only image I can get (thanks to French badland ninja joelapompe who had more energy than me when it came to snapping pictures), is this image.

The credits on the shortlist read: Type of Entry: Newspaper
Type of Entry: Product & Service
Category: Travel, Transport & Tourism
Title: PARIS
Advertiser/Client: VISTA A LA CARTE
Product/Service: TRIP DESIGNER
Entrant Company: PUBLICIS THAILAND Bangkok, THAILAND
Advertising Agency: PUBLICIS THAILAND Bangkok, THAILAND

I can't make out what the visual deal is here, pregnant woman is prevented from yelling at her husband by a statue of an angel? Or is the cherub shushing the unborn in her womb so that the baby won't hear the parents fighting?

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Whichever, the mystery isn't the image, it is that http://www.vistaalacarte.com/ is a site under construction. This design-your-own-trip service has print ads in the newspaper before the service has even launched? I think not. That's a ghost ad, my friends. Good thing it only made the shortlist.

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