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Beyonce Too Sexy For British TV

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Beyonce's commercial, which launched earlier this year, for her fragrance Heat has been banned (during the day) by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority for being "too sexually provocative" and because her dress is continuously "slipping away" during the ad.The ad must air in nighttime dayparts only.

The standards body has a point. Beyonce, with her dress unbuttoned to her waist, her breasts almost fully exposed, her body seductively gyrating, her voice crooning desirously...is basically saying, "I'm hot and you know you want to fuck me."

Not exactly the type of message that's appropriate for everyone.

more »

by Steve Hall    Nov-17-10    
Topic: Celebrity, Commercials, Policy



SafeAuto Flashmobs, Madonna Replaced, Energy BBDO Awarded

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- Yawn. Yet another flashmob. Lots of hotties though. Oh wait, the hotties are like 12 years old. And that jingle at the end? JFC! That was terrible!

- After two years, Dolce & Gabbana has replaced Madonna with four supermodels for their upcoming ad campaigns.

- Today's Chicago Tribune named Energy BBDO one of Chicago's Top Workplaces.

- Matt and Kim love TuneUp.

by Steve Hall    Nov-16-10    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity



Taylor Momsen Didn't Always Wear Black Eye Shadow and Slutty Clothes

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Before she was a Gossip Girl. Before she had raccoon eyes. Before she hooked up with Madonna. Before she was Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Before she played Gretal in Hansel & Gretal. Before she fronted The Pretty Reckless. Before she went bad girl. Before the slutty clothes. Before pissing of parents who wish she'd just be a nice role model for kids. And before blaming her parents for the whole mess...

There once was a sweet, innocent little three-year-old named Taylor Momsen who sat in front of a camera and ate Shake'n Bake chicken. My how she's changed.

more »

by Steve Hall    Nov-16-10    
Topic: Celebrity



Consumers to Spend $500 Billion on Black Friday

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Y&R consumer guru John Gerzema says spending should be quite healthy this holiday season. He expects "less mindless spending" on gadgets and more "mindful" spending on higher quality, luxury goods. It's quality over quantity this year, Gerzema predicts. Here's a few of his predictions.

- Brands like ETSY, offering alternatives in 'handmade Christmas' gifts including digital and artisinal choices, will be hot this season, as 65% of Americans are more interested in learning new skills since the recession, so they can do more themselves and rely less on others;

- Look for Zappos.com to win the online shoe retailing war with its celebrated customer service, while brands like Foot Locker decline (down 20% in usage). Even though Black Friday shoppers are deal-oriented, 72% of American shoppers are now willing to pay more for products/services offered by companies with solid customer service reputations;

- Premium brands expect a surge, i.e., Burberry up 15% in brand strength; Theory up 59% in usage and Whole Foods up 10% in usage;

- Mass market mainstays may find decline, i.e., Old Navy (down 15% in usage); Safeway (down 23% in usage), and Nestle (down 17% in usage);

- Expect Walmart to exceed expectations this Black Friday. Why? In part because 65% of American shoppers are now willing to pay a premium for companies that contribute to their local community -- the success of Wal-Mart's locally grown food initiative and independent brands is proof.

by Steve Hall    Nov-16-10    
Topic: Research



'Days of Our Lives' Riddled With Horrific Product Placement

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The Denver Egoist gathered up a few product placement clips from the soap Days of Our Lives. We have to say, these placements are the most heavy-handed, in-your-face, horrifically written product placements in existence.

Seriously? The brand and the writers couldn't have worked together to come up with a more subtle and effective placement? These placements literally transform the daily drama into a full on commercial. And a really bad one at that.

Granted, the writing on soaps sucks so perhaps expecting a well crafted product placement is asking too much but an illiterate imbecile could have come up with a better solution than the writers of these disasters did.

Some of the worst advertising we've ever seen.

by Steve Hall    Nov-16-10    
Topic: Product Placement, Worst



LinkedIn Bests Facebook in Infographic Grudge Match

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Playboy's The Smoking Jacket took a long look at Facebook and Linked in, pitted them against each other in an infographic grudge match and determined LinkedIn would come out on top. As it turns out, it's a battle between the tween/teen set and corporate stiffs. Unsexy as it may be, the corporate stiffs still have the upper hand.

See the full-on battle here.

by Steve Hall    Nov-16-10    
Topic: Social



Polish Politician Pimps Political Prowess in Bikini

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Hey, if you're hot, why not use that hotness to get you elected to political office? Shoving aside the notion people might not take her seriously, Polish pop singer Sara May, also known as Katarzyna Szczolek, posed in her bikini for a series of ads.

She hopes the ads garner her the attention she needs to get elected for local office. In one ad, she appears laying on a beach wearing a bikini along with the copy, "Beautiful. Independent. Competent." Another, obviously going after animal lovers, shows her holding a puppy with the copy, "Honest. Sincere. Uncompromising."

We suggest an additional concept. Picture May, shot from behind, her ass clad in a thong as she peers back over her shoulder atop the copy, "Dedicated. Delicious. Open for Business."

by Steve Hall    Nov-15-10    
Topic: Political, Racy, Strange



Infographic Compares Mad Men Era to Today

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An infographic from shopping transaction and activity research company Buysight takes a look at the differences between today's advertising culture and the one glorified on AMC's Mad Men. In a post on the Buysight blog about the infographic, the author writes, "Marketers are content creators and publishers are increasingly like agencies. Audiences, too, play an active role now, from debunking false claims to spreading the word about great brands.

Several industry experts comment on the post with Personal Life Media CEO Susan Bratton writing, "Biggest trend: The marketer as content publisher. . . Curating and creating content for search optimization and social media are now crucial components of an online marketing platform. No longer can we buy ads in someone else's content, we must be the content creators to have a voice in the digital domain, which frankly, for most brands, is where the war is won in the 21st century."

What do you think the biggest changes have been since Don Draper walked the halways of Madison Avenue?

by Steve Hall    Nov-15-10    
Topic: Trends and Culture



Beckinsale, Deschanel, Larter Drop, Twist and Bleed For Absolut

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Continuing its Drinks campaign for Absolut, TBWZ\Chiat\Day New York is out with a bus shelter installation campaign crafted by photographers Ellen Von Unwerth and Amanda De Cadenet which features Kate Beckinsale, Zooey Deschanel & Ali Larter. The campaign touts Absolut's Lemon Drop, Twist and Bloody drinks.

If you have to wait for the bus, you might as well have a nice looking place to sit. The campaign offers that to commuters in Chicago. See the other two ads here and here.

by Steve Hall    Nov-15-10    
Topic: Celebrity, Outdoor



Victoria Justice Joins Photoshop Disasters For Got Milk Campaign

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If you've never heard of Photoshop Disasters its a blog dedicated to hunting down and shaming poorly Photoshopped photography in ad campaigns. In creating a recent Got Milk ad which features actor and singer Victoria Justice it seems the creative behind this campaign couldn't decided which version of Justice's boot laces to use.

In the ad, Justice stands in front of a three-sided mirror. In the three views, one can clearly see three different styles of boot laces. But, hey, people are bound to make mistakes when what you see in ads aren't really what was standing in front of the camera during the photoshoot. Thankfully, there's enough errors in this business to support an entire website.

by Steve Hall    Nov-15-10    
Topic: Bad, Celebrity



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