Why the Death of the Ad Critic is a Bad Thing

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Bob Garfield? Quit. Barbara Lippert? Fired. Lewis Lazare? Fired. Stuart Elliott? Oddly, the last major ad critic standing. What's going on here? Is there no value seen in advertising commentary? No credence given to intelligent analysis of what works and what doesn't in this business? Or have all the ad blogs and the proliferation of social media rendered the ad critic unnecessary?

According to Bob Garfield, the reason behind the exodus of ad critics, well, at least his, may be quite simple. It's pointless. When Bob left Ad Age, one of the reasons he cited for leaving was frustration. Another was disgust. He wrote, "...despite the best of all forums for evaluating ad strategy and execution, my core principles espoused over a quarter century (and codified in my book 'And Now a Few Words from Me') seem to have had little or no effect on the practice of the craft. I continue to be awed and humbled by the best of what the industry produces. But I also think billions of client dollars every year are being squandered by narcissists, con men, naifs and a number of blithering morons."

Well, he's certainly right about a number of things here. Chiefly, his last sentence which calls out the industry for being a collection of idiotic morons who refuse to learn from their mistakes. But is it really that bad? Are people in the industry really that moronic?

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by Steve Hall    Mar-31-11    
Topic: Opinion



National Cleavage Day Unleashed Advertising-Style

Depending upon the source, today is National Cleavage Day. Or maybe it was March 26. It really doesn't matter. Thanks to Wonderbra, we now have this annual celebration of the female breast. So in celebration of such in important event, let's take a look back at some of the bra busting ads we've covered here on Adrants over the years.

Most recently, the Chinese, increasingly fixated on big boobs, came out with an ad for what can only be described as boob clamp lingerie. A woman adorns herself with the slinky satin and then pulls a few string and BAM, her boobs are suddenly twice as big.

Right in line with Asia's general fixation with boobs, comes this extremely weird commercial for ice cream in which a deliciously endowed Asian girl whose breasts are far too big for her tiny bikini top frolics with a pair of ice cream cones.

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Jacques Magazine hooked up with Jonathan Leder and the stunningly endowed Lauren Young for a couple of videos to hype the magazine. In the first, Young plays Squash. Or tries to as her bulbous breasts bounce inside the confines of her cute, pink outfit. In the second, Young dons some very tight blue pants and a bra that's two sizes to small for her globes of glory. She then illustrates just how exciting bowling can be. That or how impossible it is for her to keep herself from caressing her curves until, well, until she reaches the inevitable completion.

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Let's be clear about something here. It's not just men who "leverage" boobs for their own personal gain. Miss Fit, a UK-based lingerie specializing in clothing, lingerie and swimwear for women lucky (or unlucky depending upon viewpoint) enough to possess DD cup or larger breasts, signed a deal with the very curvaceous X Factor star Maria lawson.

Lawson is a perfect fit for Miss Fit. More than twice the size of a DD, Lawson straps herself into a 36JJ bra when she gets dressed in the morning. Miss Fit is owned by a woman.

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by Steve Hall    Mar-31-11    
Topic: Events, Opinion, Racy



Hipsters Displace Boomers at Denny's

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While Denny's is still doing quite well with the 50+ demo, following the debut of the brand's web series, Always Open, the restaurant chain has seen a marked increase awareness among 18 - 34 year olds according to YouGov's BrandIndex, a consumer brand perception index.

Since the show's premiere at the beginning of the month - which has featured Sarah Silverman and Jason Bateman so far - Denny's has seen its Impression score rise from 6.2 to 25.4 - a number that has surpassed the score for the 50+ demo.

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by Steve Hall    Mar-31-11    




Jack & Jones Fitness Gives 'Oral' Mouth to Mouth

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Copyranter has unearthed a gem from Jack & Jones Fitness. The brand lives within the world of irony and has a very unique way of hyping its fitness club. In one video, the tables are turned and a guy is seen as a sex object complete with all the stereotypical complaints you here from women about sex.

In a second video, men are seen as a new line of Spring fashion. Or is it that the women are so hot they make the men pass out thereby needing resuscitation? Or is it that the men are so out of shape they can't have sex without a trip to Jack & Jones Fitness?

Either way, it's humorous to see a woman give mouth to mouth to a guy's dick. And come to the realization Jack & Jones is actually a fashion brand.

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by Steve Hall    Mar-31-11    
Topic: Racy, Strange



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