Saatchi Turns Anti-War Manifesto into Diaper Jingle

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It's a rare thing when marketers get pissed-off about the appropriation of meaningful symbols to sell stuff. Isn't that, like, what we do?

But the Beatles and the Vietnam war (particularly in the context of our current overseas "disagreement") are somewhat sensitive topics. So if you're going to use "All You Need is Love" to push diapers, expect to be swathed in shit.

See the first spot for All You Need is Luvs. We have to admit it's sort of cute.

In defense of its use of the Vietnam-inspired tune for a Luvs Deluxe campaign, Mark Rolland of Saatchi & Saatchi said, "The song itself was chosen to help create a stronger connection to the Luvs brand and awareness of its core benefit--leakage protection for less."

Stick to ripping IKEA ads, man.

by Angela Natividad    Jul- 6-07    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Worst



MPAA Dirties Hands with Fake Torrent for Pirate-Busting

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There's nothing dirtier than a self-righteous agency that dips into unarguably unethical practices to nail, uh, unethical practices.

So with that completely objective introduction, we present you with Miivi.net. "Hey," you say. "That site doesn't exist." That's because it was taken down after a "D'oh!" by the MPAA, which realized, the hard way, that pirates - real pirates - stick together.

With help from an equally pompous agency called Media Defender, the MPAA launched fake movie torrent Miivi, which promised "fast and easy downloading all in one great site." The real purpose of the great site was to catch sinners in the act of sinning. There was even an app that simplified the downloading process.

Pirate Bay called shenanigans, leaking news of the gross deception to ZeroPaid. The site got pulled shortly thereafter.

Dumbasses.

by Angela Natividad    Jul- 5-07    
Topic: Online, Policy, Worst



Client Demands AE Ask Permission to Take Vacation

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AdPulp's David Burn points to anonymous ad blog Agency Tart on which the writer castrates his (or her) client for telling him permission should have been requested when he told the client Monday he'd be out of the office this Wednesday through Monday...but fully available via Blackberry. We all know some clients like to keep their agency folk on a tight leash but after laughing at the client thinking the whole thing was a joke, Agency Tart minced no words over being treated like a kid and wrote, "[the client] proceeded to tell me that he expects me to clear it in advance with him any time I plan to take off, as it might not 'coincide with the company's needs.' You gotta be kidding me. While I'm gone, I'll scour the souvenir shops looking for a device that will help him get his head out of his ass."

Clearing your vacation with your immediate supervisor, yes. Sharing your vacation plans with your client, yes. Being required to ask your client if you can take time off like a second grader asking his teacher to go to the bathroom...um, not so much.

by Steve Hall    Jul- 5-07    
Topic: Agencies, Strange, Worst



Dove Draws Men to Forbidden Coves, Repels Us from Its Aisles in the Process

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With all the work it's done to court the "we are woman, hear us roar" demographic, we harbor serious doubts that this viral for Dove is the genuine article. Really, do they even sell deodorant cans like that anymore?

It certainly gets the point across (only amazing sensory deception could bring a sexual partner that, uh, close), but we'd be understating if we said the ad only made us a little sick. (And what's with that chick's teeth?) Then again, we really liked the idea of man omelet, so...

by Angela Natividad    Jul- 2-07    
Topic: Racy, Spoofs, Strange, Viral, Worst



Time Warner Cable Kills Band's Career With Horrible Commercial

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We're hoping the geniuses behind this Time Warner 1-800-OKcable commercial knew, in advance, they were creating something fully intended to be "wink, wink, nudge, nudge, we know this is horrible but we're doing it anyway." We also hope the Tri-State band Future 86 was paid a whole lot of money for the privilege of never being taken seriously again.

by Steve Hall    Jun-21-07    
Topic: Cable, Commercials, Strange, Worst



There's No Time For Health Talk When You're Selling Nesquik

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Good nutrition? Healthy food? Bah. Who has time for those minor details when you're creating a commercial for Nestle Nesquik? OK, so the stuff now has 25 percent less sugar but awarding kids chocolate milk in response to their finicky dislike of vegetables, whole grain bread, fruit and fish is questionable at best. "It's OK Susie, you don't have to eat that awful, healthy stuff, Just have some Nestle's chocolate milk and by the time you're 13, that muffin top you'll be sporting will totally be in style."

We think the food police will be giving Nestle a call soon.

by Steve Hall    Jun-20-07    
Topic: Worst



Newsflash! Leaked 'Transformers' Footage Shows Altoids Transformer

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Um, yea right. This YouTube video of an Altoids transformer which claims to have been captured on the cell phone of a dude who visited his brother, employed at the special effects company for the movie Transformers, was clearly planted by the marketers behind the movie or the folks behind Altoids. While the video's description apologizes for the "bad quality," the quality is far from poor. In fact, the second half of the video displays vivid slo-mo action, something a cell phone just isn't capable of producing.

As usual, the person posting the video joined YouTube the day the video was posted. So lame. Yawn.

by Steve Hall    Jun-12-07    
Topic: Consumer Created, Video, Worst



Penguins and Cavalier Uptalk Do Not an Original Idea Make

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Okay. Anybody douchey enough to rip the premise to Patrick Suskind's Perfume, with penguins, and pass the idea off as "uncharted territory" (they SAID this! We SWEAR!), should be chained to a wall, completely naked, and shaved once weekly until the end of time.

Insult to injury, the supposed YouTube debate that the video triggered is completely contrived and thrown-together by a bunch of people who either joined on the same day or don't have profiles.

We're actually scandalized. This is one of those "I CALL SHENANIGANS", like, from-the-rooftops! moments.

Oh yeah, the video is called Penguin Love and it's for Columbia Sportswear.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 8-07    
Topic: Brands, Online, Worst



London Olympic 2012 Logo Video Causes Epileptic Fits

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As if the crap the London 2012 Olympic Organizing Committee received over this week's release of its much-maligned logo weren't enough, now eight reported cases of epileptic seizures caused by the logo's supporting video have caused the organization to pull the video. Epilepsy photo sensitivity expert Graham Harding explained, "What it appears has happened is that the flash rate of the diving sequence contravenes the Ofcom guidelines." Odds makers have given the logo 10-1 odds it will be replaced by year's end.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 6-07    
Topic: Brands, Worst



The London Olympic 2012 Logo Trashed, Questioned, Praised

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Creativity is subjective at best but we think we'll have overwhelming support when we say the newly released London 2012 Olympic logo sucks. On the other hand, creativity is subjective at best but also we think we'll have overwhelming support when we say the newly released 2012 Olympic logo is brilliantly infused with modernity of motion and the mastery of motivation. You choose. We can't.

Viewing the logo, designed by Wolff Ollins, initially caused an immediate WTF? Letting the logo sink in while viewing the illustrative brand video behind the logo causes an entirely different reaction. The support for the brand direction could have easily gone down the ill but well traveled road of Olympic fist pumping, rather it quite eloquently examines what motivates humans to achieve. Interestingly, it wasn't for quite some time, we realized the logo's imagery visually represents the numeric date 2012.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 4-07    
Topic: Best, Brands, Creative Commentary, Opinion, Worst