While fast forwarding through the ads in a recent episode of "The O.C.," an ad from the Office of National Drug Control Policy's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign caught our attention with it's DVR-resistant, slow-cut tactic. The ad, with only four "segments" is called Smushed and is part of the Office's Above the Influence effort. Apart from catching our attention by appearing as a "still" while fast forwarding, the imagery of a girl who looked like she'd just stepped out from under an industrial compression-like machine also caused us to stop, rewind and watch the ad.
The ad itself dealt with issues of peer pressure to be cool, to fit in, to drink, to get high, to be popular, to never say the wrong thing. This ad is one of six currently running on MTV, Fuse, The N, FOX, The WB, UPN and others. The online component appears on Yahoo, GameSpy, IGN and print ads appear in 23 magazines including Teen People, Skateboarder, J-14 and Playstation. The entire collection of spots, all of which are very good, and print ads can be seen here.
Gawker has the full details on who and what will get cut from Time Inc.'s Guild Union. Among the cuts are 13 from Time, nine from Fortune, seven from Sports Illustrated, four from Money, seven from Pictures Collection, one from Fortune Small Business and none from People or Life. The full memo detailing Guild cuts can be read here.
As if the magazine's own website wasn't enough nor the 345 billion barely-dressed pictures of hot women freely available on the Internet weren't enough for the male species, FHM magazine is making a digital version of the print magazine available online via Zinio for $4.99 per issue. Now FHM's pictures will get stolen and distributed even more then they are now with a simple screen shot.
Normally, we wouldn't give a crap about a magazine increasing its frequency and distribution but when the PR reps sends along an image of the magazine's cover with sweet looking bikinied babe on the front, our editorial crap detector simply ceases to function and other determining factors take charge.
So, Wave magazine, a South Florida-based boating and watersports activities publication backed by Knight Ridder, announced today it's doubling its publishing frequency to monthly and going national as it celebrates its second anniversary this month with a 132-page February issue. There. Everyone happy?
Now here's an ad that clearly makes its point. The copy reads, "Almost like the original. Almost . Pirate CDs spoil good music pleasure." Of course, unlike sex dolls, pirated music sounds just like the original so perhaps this ad isn't as powerful as it could be.
South Florida lifestyle magazine, Ocean Drive, according to MediaBuyerPlanner, has partnered with Vegas' celebu-bash Beacher's Madhouse hosting their appearance February 13 at Miami's Mansion nightclub. The mag will also celebrate their anniversary with a Grey Goose, Just Like Me by Parris Hilton and PURE nightclub-sponsored invitation-only party at the St. Regis Bal Harbour. Someone please invite us.
While we know there's all sorts of metaphors for human body parts and the selling of such parts, we don't seem to recall seeing a grocery store liken it's produce to body parts in quite this particular manner. In these ads, asparagus, pears, bananas and, yes, melons are compared to the various body parts one might envision when thinking about such produce.
While parents may not need yet another parenting magazine, advertisers, apparent;y do. With close to 70 pages of advertising, including a double gatefold from Hasbro, Disney Publishing Worldwide, on February 14 at a newsstand near you, is launching Wondertime, a magazine "designed to help moms understand how children are learning and growing." Hmm. That sounds like the premise of just about every other parenting magazine out there but no matter. I'm sure you know a freaky, over-involved, over-protective, over-coddling, over-concerned parent or two who just loves to suck this stuff up.
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Kuwaiti Art Director and Ad Blogger Tata Botata (or whatever his real name is) pointed us to this Kuwaiti IKEA ad on the back of a local dining guide that shows Filipinos, apparently the predominant wait staff in the country, portrayed Swedish maids. While Botata tells us its very common to see Filipino wait staff in Kuwait, he took issue with IKEA dressing them up in stereotypical Swedish garb and headlining the ad with, "Enjoy the Swedish hospitality at IKEA store."
We don't pretend to understand all the cultural ramifications of this but we prefer our Swedish maids blond, buxom and holding beer St. Pauli Girl-style. Then again, that's got its own nasty, sexist, stereotypical baggage.
Certainly, it was destined to happen sooner or later. Afterall, if Playboy goes after Wal-mart hotties, they're sure to see better luck with hotties found on MySpace given that most can't seem to post a fully clothed picture if their life depended on it. Playboy is seeking "the sexiest women of the MySpace community to pose for a nude Playboy pictorial." The only requirement, of course, is that the girl must be hot and at least 18 years old. No doubt, Playboy will receive millions of submissions for this and will likely be its most popular "Girls of..." issue ever.
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