While many might look at these ads(1, 2, 3), which have been out for a while we believe, and call them a horrific glorification of unfortunate word events. Other might say, "Hey, shit happens. Get over it. It's just an ad campaign." Of note, these ads were created in China by Saatchi & Saatchi according to Ads of the World and their world view is quite different than ours. Though, the fact they are Chinese ads written in English always causes one to wonder whether they are actually real or leaked fakes. If someone at Saatchi wants to confirm or deny their existence, we're all ears. If they are real, we think they step over the line just a wee bit.
Nodding to that covert blog thing that didn't go so well, the American Cancer Society visibly sponsors The Quitter, a blog written by a generic representative (they hope) for smokers at large.
We like a good message but the blog tries so hard it's almost farce. With terminology like "Ya know," "I'm really craving a cig" and "this ain't their first rodeo," we couldn't help looking around and wondering, Are they serious? Or are they fucking joking? The video blog nailed it in: they are really trying to do this with a straight face. In consternation we left for a smoke break.
Yes, we know smoking is marketed as cool but really isn't. We have to hand it to Big Tobacco for doing a better job at hawking cool than the ACS, who visibly struggle with this whole "get down with our peeps" thing. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Adrants reader Dresden directs our attention to the super-classy Draft FCB congrats ad to all the winners from last summer's Cannes ad festival.
Dresden wryly notes, "Perhaps they should be the first to receive the 'Neal French Award' for non-creative, derivative, tacky work trying to pass as advertising..."
Ooh, that burns going down. Bottoms up to Draft. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
PETA recently launched PETA Kids in an attempt to make the volatile group more kid-friendly. The site is loaded with fun little ways to propagandize the usual message, like stencils to decorate the nearest public loo with images of animals begging "love me" - yes, like a psychotic ex.
PETA is also promoting Fast Food Nation and Happy Feet, which happens to be in bed with Tamiflu, which, by the way, is now linked to sometimes fatal but generally psychotic behavior among kids.
Clearly PETA has not done its homework about children the way it has with pigs, puppies and penguins. Want to cozy up to kids? Liaise with companies that aren't already liaising with companies that happen to be compelling your target demographic to fling themselves off condo balconies. Isn't that, like, common knowledge? - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Inspired by the video of a UCLA student getting repeatedly tased by cops in the school library, which was too sadistic even for us, Ad Freak decided to research how taser companies hawk their wares. What they found was this video depicting Taser execs zapping the shit out of each other to demonstrate a taser's non-lethal but efficiently trauma-inducing capacity. "If only your boss showed this kind of commitment," Ad Freak observes.
We're guessing university cops don't test tasers on themselves before dashing out the door with them in the morning. If they did, they might discover it doesn't quite tickle - though we might consider getting tased ourselves if it means a mind-blowing settlement from UCLA and watching some dumbasses get fired. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
This November 27 and 29 Fox airs the OJ-sponsored special, OJ Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened. We'll tune in for the same reason you'd stop in traffic to watch a grotesque accident or drug bust - how can you not?
In two hours OJ gets to let his imagination run wild with Judith Regan (who's in charge of his book deal) over how he would have done Nicole and Ron in if - that is, if - he actually committed the murders we all know and believe our smiling football hero didn't commit.
"This is [...] the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century," says Mike Darnell, who's Fox's executive VP of alternative programming. Alternative. Yeah, that's a handy label.
Steve puts it most aptly: "Nothing like admitting guilt without admitting while admitting you're not admitting what you already did!" And if you can follow that sentence, maybe you should have been in court trying to piece Cochran out. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Apparently, Dewar's and Time Warner Cable are in cahoots and have made a currently running Dewar's ad unskipable during playback. Several Radar Online employees have reported their Time Warner CVRs simply refuse to fast forward through the ad. The unit will fast forward through anything else but not the Dewar's ad. Can anyone say "1984 by George Orwell?"
UPDATE: Despite it occurring over and over among many peole, it's just a technical glitch that has to do with fixed text on he screen for an extended length of time as in the Dewar's commercial.
It seems a lot of businesses in this world need a slap in the face when it comes to the double meanings their company names and logos connote. First, we have pediatric doctor's office signage that alludes to pedophilia. Next, we have get rich quick wackos who like to embed their sexual preference in their logos. Now, we have a store in Brookline Massachusetts that likes to create visions of a certain bodily fluid with its unfortunate name KumOn. Perhaps everyone really is as bad at proofreading as we are.
Perhaps directing some of the attention away from Edelman who was behind the Wal-Mart fake blog (flog) thing, are two new blogs for McDonald's, but not labeled as such. The co-promote with Monopoly. The Consumerist points to 4railroads and McDmillionwinner (link goes to Google cache as someone inside McDonald's apparent said "oops" and pulled the blog) and explains how the two sites are inter-related. Even though they carry dead giveaway copy written not by bloggers but by copywriters, the two blogs do not mention any association with McDonald's or Monopoly.
It's not that the blogs were launched in a clandestine manner. In fact, an October 19th press release makes reference to the 4railroads blog. It's just that things should be marked as they are. There's nothing wrong with cute, teaser campaigns but to pass something off as something it's not because it's thought slapping a brand name on it will lessen it's effect is, well, just not right.
Underscore Marketing President and blogger Tom Hespos sent us this help wanted ad for a sandwich shop which we just couldn't resist sharing with you. While preparing salad is a much needed skill in a restaurant, wording the need for such expertise can, in this case, be a bit misleading.
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