Misguided Intent + Lawyers = Social Media Disaster

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Didn't we just go though this with Google or something? Facebook's TOS has been revised to state, basically, they own all your content forever and ever and they can do anything they want with it forever and ever. From the TOS:

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by Steve Hall    Feb-16-09    
Topic: Policy, Social, Worst



Canada Says No to Toronto-Based Adultery Dating Service

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Ashley Madison Agency, the company that openly promotes having an extramarital affair and has created a dating service specifically for interested adulterers, is making a spot buy during the Super Bowl. Sadly for Ashley Madison, the spot will not air in the company's home country, Canada, because CTV has dubbed the commercial inappropriate. It will, however air in several U.S. spot markets.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-30-09    
Topic: Commercials, Policy, Super Bowl 2009



Wake Up Ad Agencies! Cyrus Mehri is on The Loose Again

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On Thursday, January 8 at 11 AM, the NAACP and the civil rights law firm of Mehri & Skalet will announce the Madison Avenue Project, an initiative created to address the advertising industry's alleged "long history of widespread racial discrimination."

As the first step in the project, they will release a new study (first announced here prior to its completion) conducted by the research firm Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants that is said to confirm initially released results that "prove racial discrimination" within executive ranks in the ad industry pertaining to pay and advancement.

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by Steve Hall    Jan- 5-09    
Topic: Agencies, Policy, Research



EA, Nintendo Take Flack For Xbox 360 Footage in Tiger Woods Wii Ad

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When is a Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Wii commercial not a Wii commercial? When it features the golfer swinging the Wii controller in front of a background from the Xbox 360 version of the game. At least that's what viewers in England thought after watching the ad.

While the ad did contain the disclaimer, "Available on all formats," people still felt misled and logged complaints with The Advertising Standards Authority which ruled the ad misleading and in breach of advertising standards. In a statement, the ASA wrote, "The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form."

EA admitted the ad did contain xBox 360 footage but said the disclaimer was intended to avoid confusion.

by Steve Hall    Dec-17-08    
Topic: Brands, Celebrity, Commercials, Policy



Donny Deutsch Caught Kissing Married Woman

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We love our schadenfreude and we love to kick a man when he's (going?) down. Because it's what we do. Because it's what we're expected to do. Right? So it's no surprise Donny Deutsch is getting a lashing not only for recently losing his CNBC television show, The Big Idea, but also for fooling around with a married woman.

Deutsch, according to the New York Post, was reportedly caught on camera by a private investigator kissing Lisa Sandler, the wife of hedge-fund manager Andrew Sandler. After wondering whether or not his wife was stepping out on him, Andrew hired the private eye to see if there was anything to his wonderment. Seemingly there is, as the pictures are said to show Donny and Lisa kissing.

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by Steve Hall    Dec-11-08    
Topic: Agencies, Celebrity, Policy



GLAAD is Sad, Dentsu Grabs McGarry Bowen, Cannes on DVD

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- Burger King does the dropped wallet thing. Hey, it's a whole lot more fun that shoving coupons in people's faces.

- Even though you've already seen all the ads months ago for free, you can now pay for a DVD of the Cannes Lions Titanium and Integrated Lions. Go ahead. Open your wallet. Or try to. All we got was "not available yet" when we went to check the price.

- Gotta love nefarious Boards of Directors. The Commercial Closet Association, founded by former Ad Age staffer Mike Wilke will merge with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. It was a planned merge. What wasn't planned was the Board's outing (not the gay kind) of Wilke while he was away on vacation. Wilke was supposed to maintain his position after the merge. No he's suddenly out of work. Not nice, GLAAD.

- McGarry Bowen has sold its sole to Dentsu.

- And so it continues. In today's layoff news, Conde Nast has said goodbye to 36 staffers.

by Steve Hall    Nov-12-08    
Topic: Agencies, Policy



Social Media is Real! Formation of Trade Group Proves It!

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Those following the social media gospel must be storming the altar like fanatics after a faith healer, following the announcement of the formation of The Social Media Advertising Council.

Yes! Yes! YES! Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! Hallelujah and yee haw! The segment of the internet that has spawned an endless procession of conferences, self-made gurus and a lot of hot air will now recede from the Wild West into a more subdued entity with...OMG...rules and standards!

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by Steve Hall    Sep-17-08    
Topic: Policy, Social



Stuff Freed, Sun Slams, ANA Complains, Axe Does Disney

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- The Sun slams Australia for winning fewer Olympic medals than Britain with a knock off Australia's tourism campaign, "Where the bloody hell were you?"

- Classmates.com and NetZero have teamed to launch Free Internet, a site on which people can take advantage of free offers, coupons, discounts and other free stuff.

- MySpace and TheWB.com, today announced a content partnership to bring the new digital series "Sorority Forever" - created by director/producer McG and the producers of the Internet series "Prom Queen" - from TheWB.com to MySpaceTV.

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by Steve Hall    Sep- 9-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Newspaper, Online, Policy, Promotions



Photographer Claims BBDO Athens Copied Work For Dexim Ad

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Old friend The Reverse Cowgirl points to yet another example of an ad agency's use of an artist's work without obtaining permission or providing credit. Writing on Constant Siege, Clayton Cubitt claims BBDO Athens created a direct rip off of photographer Jamie Nelson's work for an ad they did for Dexim. The photo used in the BBDO-created Dexim ad bears a striking resemblance to a photo Nelson took in 2006 and had published on the cover of July/August 2007 issue of Blink.

When contacted, Nelson provided Adrants with an armful of information supporting the notion BBDO Athens did, in fact, closely copy her work. BBDO Athens has been contacted but they have not yet responded. Likely BBDO Athens fully intended to mirror Nelson's work but somehow the permission process was mistakenly overlooked. I'll reserve final judgment until I've made contact with BBDO Athens to hear their side of the story.

UPDATE: We mis-reported (bad source information) the agency in question was BBDO Atlanta. It is actually BBDO Athens. Thanks to Atlanta-based Brent Terrazas for pointing out the error.

by Steve Hall    Aug-29-08    
Topic: Agencies, Bad, Policy



Radio Campaign Touts Marijuana's Medicinal Benefits, Pushes Legalization

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Either a brilliant ploy at circumventing the IM/email/Twitter clutter or an odd throwback to pre-email days, a press release arrive via fax - yes, you read right, a fax - touting a new radio campaign from the Marijuana Policy Project. The campaign aims to educate the public about new U.S. marijuana laws and the use of medical marijuana.

Behind the cloud of educational and medicinal benefits, the group's goal - let's be honest here - is to get marijuana legalized. Oh yes, they're all for regulation along the lines of alcohol but what they'd really like is for us all to be able to smoke the stuff whenever we want. Not so surprising they chose to align with alcohol rather than smoking. A good thing. No one wants another crappy truth-like campaign touting the dangers of weed.

The radio spots feature former New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson and California Superior Court Judge Jim Gray.

What, you want to hear the spots? Wouldn't we all but the URL in the fax is unclickable and actually typing URLs into a browser just isn't done any longer.

by Steve Hall    Jul-31-08    
Topic: Policy, Radio