Second runner up: "I wonder if my calls for change will go through," by commenter blogylonian (assist by Dorothy Mantooth). Good and Obama-like. This one could actually be in a real, respectable ad.

First runner up: "Inexperience isn't just for Virgins," by Clarence Rosario. This one had the good sex angle, the company's name, and the rap on Obama, all in five words.

And the winner: "No more dropped 3 a.m. calls," by Michael Jahn. This one, admittedly, did not have the sexy sex twist, but it's timely, kind of funny, and also steals part of a competitor's slogan as an added bonus. Congratulations! Your prize from us is, of course, nothing, but here's the email to Virgin Mobile—we'll let you know what we hear.

Hello— we heard about your new ad featuring scandalized NY governor Eliot Spitzer, and asked our readers to come up with good slogans for your upcoming ad featuring Barack Obama. Needless to say we received dozens of witty suggestions from our clever readers, but we have selected a winner, which is:

"No more dropped 3 a.m. calls," by commenter Michael Jahn.

We know it doesn't quite have the sexy angle that your Spitzer and Hillary Clinton ads had, but it's nice and pithy and timely, too (let us know if you don't get the America-centric reference).

We can't speak for the commenter who submitted it, but we're fairly sure he'd be happy to fly to Canada for an appearance, or just to receive any large royalty check you might want to bestow upon him. We can put you in touch. If you were to pay us a large finder's fee as well, we'd probably give it to charity. To summarize: Barack Obama, a slogan, and a chance for you to have a new ad with an Obama slogan, courtesy of us. Let us know when the ad runs!

Thanks,

Hamilton Nolan
Gawker.com

Virgin Mobile, unlike the big carriers, rents a wireless network rather than owning one, essentially gussying up and reselling Sprint's service under its own name. It's a challenging business model, known in the trade as being a "mobile virtual network operator" or "MVNO." Disney and Amp'd, among others, have failed to make a go of it.

Renting one's network means lower capital costs, and according to the Wall Street Journal, Virgin has 4.83 million subscribers and actually made a small profit this year. Virgin Mobile has plenty of revenue, but with a flat IPO today and loads of debt, it is unclear if it can make itself into a viable company.

Disney Mobile shut down last month and Amp'd burned through hundreds of millions of dollars with nothing to show for it. History does not look good for Virgin, but with strong name recognition among their target market and clever advertising, we don't put it past Sir Richard to succeed where others have failed.

(Photo by AP/Jacques Brinon)

Kate Moss Signs New Contract [Virgin Mobile]
Putting Humor to Use in Some Reputation Rehab [NYT]