Now Here's An Interesting Approach to Advertising

[via ViralMeister]
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Nokia Spinning Kitty Ad Created by Ad Agency But Not Approved by Client

So the Nokia Spinning Kitty Ad was, in fact created by an ad agency but not approved to air by Nokia. The ad agency in question apparently decided to release the spot anyway. The following is a press release from Nokia:

Nokia is aware of the video material portraying a cat and a Nokia mobile phone, which is being distributed on the Internet. The footage has not been used in our advertising and it is not an official Nokia advertisement.

The offending footage had been proposed to Nokia by an external party but we had categorically rejected it as it neither complies with the ethical standards of the company nor reflects the policies and principles of our advertising.

While the external creators who have created the material have assured us that trick photography was used and no animal was harmed, this does not detract from the distasteful nature of the content. In any event, we deeply regret the discomfort and concern that the circulation of this material may have caused.

Following investigations on the matter, Nokia�s external advertising agency has apologised for the oversight made by their subcontractors and for the embarrassment that this may have caused.

"They have also assured us that they will take all necessary action to ensure that circulation of the video material is stopped and that all further production and material created for Nokia will adhere strictly to Nokia�s ethical standards and advertising policies", said Kari Tuutti, Vice President, Communications, Nokia Mobile Phones.

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The Granny Crotch Shot

No, this isn't your grandmothers ad for Gucci. It's a spot for For Eyes in which a snotty eye salesman gets his due.

This, and other spots from this weeks Ad Age TV Spots of the Week roundup.

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The Switch is On: Scripted Television is Back

Development meetings last week between the networks and media buyers yeilded a very different outlook on programming for the upcoming TV season: More scripted shows and less reality series. Hmm...when did network execs get smart enough to anticipate the impending reality TV backlash?

More...
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Point and Counterpoint on Reality TV

Paul Gough of Media Post today writes two articles about reality television. The first discusses why it is a viable business and the second discusses why it is already old are tired.

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BadAds Calls to the Carpet Misleading Ad Practices in Magazines

The ever watchful (have I used that phrase before) BadAds.org writes about an advertising practice in magazines whereby the ads are disguised as editorial. We have all the fairly innocuous "Adververtorial" which is usually labeled as such but BadAds digs further into the Fitness segment of the magazine industry. BadAds explains how some magazines run multipage articles that are, in reality, ads:

Scott Puckett offers another example of hidden ownership in his fantastic article for Clamor Magazine titled "How Much Did You Pay for Your Identity?". As Puckett explains, in addition to covering cool, socially conscious topics such as Zapatistas, AIDS in Africa, and environmental racism, The Fader magazine has featured bands such as The Strokes, Outkast, Finley Quaye, and Roni Size � musical groups who all happen to be represented by Cornerstone Promotion, publisher of The Fader.

Says Puckett, "It's really quite a brilliant strategy. Cornerstone bills its clients for publicity. It sells ad space in what amounts to a catalog for its clients and then sells the product to consumers who think they're buying a magazine. Unless you poke around Cornerstone's site and start reading The Fader's masthead, it's unlikely that you'll ever learn otherwise. And it's really quite simple: people who read The Fader are reading content that can't even pretend to be objective. Frankly, The Fader's readers would find more objectivity in a press release. At least you know where a press release comes from."

Advertising and PR have their place but at times, they do cross the line.
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