Coast Medical Care, a Canadian organization that helps the mentally ill with housing, employment and emotional support launched, with help from Grey, a campaign that centers around the invented word, psychosiphobia. The campaign consisted of local newspaper ads, radio, television and a street campaign. The street campaign involved painting the word psychosiphobia on the pavement at a Vancouver intersection that is the dividing line between a business district and a troubled neighborhood rife with homelessness, drugs and prostitution.
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Contextual ad buffoonery isn't limited to the online world as clearly illustrated by the placement of this ad, sent to us by FishNChimps, for online supermarket Sainsbury's on the page opposite a story in yesterday's edition of the UK's The Independent about the Amish killings. What's even more buffoonish about this particular instance of buffoonery is that the ad appeared on page three of a printed newspaper which, one would assume, gets seen by human editors before it goes to print. We're guessing there was a big, collective "oops" heard 'round The Independent offices once that issue hit the streets.
 Recent speculation that Wal-mart and other big box retailers may stop using free standing inserts in newspapers is predicted to cause a giant stampede to the newsstand as the public realizes it can actually read a newspaper without having to wade through an inch thick pile of irrelevant advertising just to catch up on the status of Paris Hilton's ass flap or whether Dick Cheney still exists. While newspapers are said to be in a state of shock over the impending doom, many fail to realize people might actually agree to pay for their product, thus increasing circulation thus increasing ad rates thus increasing revenue, if they could actually find the editorial buried beneath that orgy of advertising known as the FSI. OK so that's cracked logic but, on the other hand, if newspaper publishers finally realize the importance of deodorant that costs five cents less pales in comparison to the important news of who George Clooney will date this week to foil paparazzi, this recent news might not be so hard to swallow. OK, that's cracked logic too but...oh forget it.
Copyranter pokes fun at yesterday's New York Times Magazine Leadership on Diversity advertising section which served as a platform for companies to pontificate about their sensitivity to diversity and the actions they've taken to insure they are fair to all. Copyranter particularly liked the ad from the Department of Homeland Security which featured an image of a Muslim woman. While poking fun, Copyranter also points out a truism in our industry, writing, "Half of the ads lamely crammed the word Diversity right in the headline, as some very junior (and very white) copywriters just outta ad school spent about five pissed off minutes working on this lowly assignment before handing the first two lines that popped into their heads into their creative directors. Whew. That's outta the way. Onto the much more important men's body spray print ad."
Very white indeed which is why Adrants has partnered with Business Development Institute to host the Advertising Industry Diversity Job Fair and Leadership Conference to tackle the currently very hot topic of diversity and what agencies are doing to make sure they are fair in their hiring practices. Now, it's been said other industries offer much higher pay and much better future opportunity than advertising so what minority (or majority for that matter) in their right mind would choose advertising over, say a Wall Street job? Well, that's what the conference hopes to explore - is the industry all white because it is being exclusive or is it because that's the natural order of things in the old boy's network?
Like a scene out of Mallrats, four guys in this commercial for the Alltel Wireless My Circle plan plot a way to stop the "call ten friends for free no matter what plane they are on" feature because, after all, who could possibly have more than ten friends? Created by Campbell-Ewald, the spot is part of the wireless company's second campaign called "Sales Guys" which follows the initial "Icons" launch campaign. Beyond television, the campaign will include radio, print, event marketing, online advertising and webisodes. Be sure to check out the geeks on the Alltel website along with "Chad" who attempts to get in touch with competing wireless company CEO's to tell them about the My Circle plan.
Here's a witty ad campaign for a pizza joint called Toppers from Shine Advertising. With copy like, "Every pizza is made with tender loving care. The exact same way we treated your girlfriend last night." Not exactly family friendly Bertuccis but way more fun. See the work here.
Never one to accept the fact on screen guides have crushed their print business, TV Guide is getting together with Orvill Redebacker popcorn in a TV That Pops promotion that will place dollar off coupons and a chance to win eight complimentary issues of the magazine on boxes of the popcorn. The promotion will be aided by FSIs, POS displays and online ads. There's also a "TV That Pops Sweepstakes Challenge" that will award one lucky person a trip to TV Guide's After Party in LA following the 2007 Emmy Awards.
 For years. we've seen the very utilitarian ads for that closet shelf company, California Closets. That utilitarian approach always seemed appropriate since closet shelving is, well, utilitarian. It seems someone over at California Closets got bored just showing pictures of their shelving in ads which were usually placed unceremoniously in the back of many newspaper's Sunday magazine. A frustrated California Closets marketing person apparently stood up and said, "Dammit, we want some far forward right hand page action!" to which the Sunday magazines replied, "Dammit, we don't want any crappy utilitarian closet shelving ads ruining the front of our preciously wannabe culturistically fashionista-like magazine pages" to which California Closets screamed,"Dammit, we need to get ourselves some hip, vapid looking, ridiculously dressed models and drape them across the ad and, like, just kinda show our shelving in the background" to which the Sunday magazines said, "Cool, we'll take your money now for this ad we know people are gonna look at and go 'what the fuck are they selling here?'" To which we say, well, we've said enough.
- Copyranter hates, really hates Niche Media publisher Jason Binn and his prickish self importance. W don't know him but we think we hate him too after reading about his recent behavior
- Smaller sized newspapers are better. Especially if your laying in bed and your spouse needs a hand.
- BlogAds Founder Henry Copeland marvels at the Washington Post's description of its new blog ad service as "the next big, slightly-outside-the-mainstream idea."
- Intentional or not, the upside down version of this ad brings a whole new meaning to this flooring company's slogan, "Laid by the Best."
- Not at all related to marketing - unless, of course, it turns out to be some stealth promotion for the next zombie flick which it won't because it's just a fun little flash mob gig - but a mob of zombies attacked San Francisco Saturday. And Vancouver.
Perhaps thinking he'd suddenly stepped out of a time machine when he saw this Ryanair ad in today's Daily Telegraph, FishNChimps notes this ad's twisted ue of terrorism to promote air flight.
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