CVS Coupon Offers $4 Off Stomach Purchase

A Binghampton Binghamton, New York CVS has been distributing a cash register coupon which offers $4 off "on any stomach purchase of $15 or more."

Apparently in a hurry to boost sales of stomach remedies, someone was too quick at the keyboard on this one.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




Votergasm Encourages Voting And Having Orgasms

B.L. Ochman points to Votergasm, a group that encourages young Americans to vote, has launched a website where citizens can pledge to have sex with or withhold sex from their partners based on there voting plans. Vote and you get sex. Don't and you don't. The group seeks to get 100,000 first time voters to the polls and to "catalyze 250,000 orgasms by the morning of November 3."

If we do our math correctly, there's a few multiple orgasms in there.

Or at least multiple partner action going on. All good.

According the website, "Votergasm is a non-partisan nonprofit campaign formed to simultaneously reverse two disturbing trends in American society: low voting rates among young people, and unacceptably low rates of youth sexual activity. The focus of Votergasm.org is to encourage young people everywhere to pledge to have sex with voters on Election Night, and withhold sex from non-voters until the next presidential election."

We have absolutely no problem with that approach. More orgasms are great for reducing stress and political correctness desease. Be sure to check out the collection of hilarious pictorials ("Letters to members of Congress, Dawn reflects, are like skirts: they get the most attention if they're short, tight, and clear" and "Rod and Mercedes love to have sex on the beach--but, because of the tides, the beach keeps moving! High tide, low tide, high tide... it drives them crazy. They want change. They've written to Congress, but have had no luck. To stop the tides, it seems, they'll have to form an advocacy group.") mixing sex with tongue in cheek political interests. Brilliant.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




NRA to Launch $1 Million Ad Campaign

The National Rifle Association has plans to launch a $1 million, 1,000 newspaper buy claiming undecided voters are newspaper readers. In typical NRA, gun-loving language, NRA Director of Public Affairs Andrew Arulanandam said, "You go hunting where the ducks are."

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




Steve Stoute Opens The Elusive Subculture Door For Marketers

As marketers continue to seek access to the ever cooler, increasingly elusive consumer, many are turning to cultural insiders like Steve Stoute, a former record exec who now enables marketers to enter consumer realms previously off limits. Stoute puts on events and links marketers to subculture most marketers never knew existed. He's currently helping Hewlett Packard and arranged a post MTV Music Awards party hosted by Sean Combs that involved plenty of liquor and plenty of HP products laying around for party-goers to check out. He's also helped Reebok as well as hooking McDonald's up with Justin Timberlake to create the "I'm lovin' it" theme. Basically, he helps covert marketer's perception of their cool factor into actual cool factor.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




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Booty Shotz! Promotes Booty Snacks

Booty Shotz!, a website that may or may not be associated with the snack food company Robert's American Gourmet, features picture of people, celebrities included, displaying their love for the product. Booty lovers can submit their pictures to various categories and have them rated. Via MetaFilter.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




New Technologies to Effect Current Advertising Models

A panel at yesterday's MediaPost Forecast 2005 discussed how emerging technologies could affect current mass media models, particularly television. Mediasmith's Dave Smith put forth the notion to the panel that "Emerging technologies will completely break down the last vestiges of mass media and mass marketing." While panel;ists agreed technology such as addressable advertising a TiVo are having a drastic effect on business models, the panelists, at the same time, agreed changing currently entrenched models won't happen overnight.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




Audi Launches Personalized Viral For New A3

Audi has launched a very ominous looking viral video to promote its new A3 Sportback. The video, which is customized to the viewer, is filled with imagery you might see in a medical thriller, futuristic horror flick or a combination of the two. It eludes to the car being specifically engineered for the individual and ends with links to the website and a page to request further info in the form of physical mail. The work was done by 20:20 in London. Good stuff.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




Adrants Billboards: Burnett Brings Martha Stewart to TV

  • Former Zentropy Partners Executive Gillian Guiterrez has headed over to BIG Interactive as vp, director of account services. She'll oversee the FOX, Suzuki and Kellogg accounts, among others.
  • Gruner & Jahr Publishing has announced its intent to sell the teen title YM and has hired AdMedia Partners to do the deal.
  • Paramount is searching for a new agency to handle its media and has met with three companies - Initiative, Mediaedge:cia and MediaVest - over the past few weeks.
  • Panelists at MediaPost's Forecast 2005 wonder if the ad business is dead.
  • As if we need another television show fawning over a celebrity, Mark Burnett will now develop a series based on Martha Stewart. Burnett has definitely jumped the shark.
  • Seems Advertising Week, for all its good intentions, will lose $300,000.
  • Clear Channel Outdoor blows off Houston billboard zoning law by bending the rule.
by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




Marketers Can No Longer Ignore Weblogs

Intelliseek CMO Pete Blackshaw says marketers can no longer ignore weblogs as powerful influencers and commenters on their brands. Every claim made by a marketer will be shredded to pieces by what is now becoming "citizens media." If a marketer makes a claim, they had better well be able to back it up one hundred percent. Blackshaw puts this succinctly asking, "Can a wireless provider spending millions to tout customer service escape scrutiny when bloggers can readily provide links to thousands of disgruntled consumers providing evidence to the contrary? Can a pharma company afford to gloss over the fine print in advertisement when bloggers elect to super-size the untold message? Can an auto manufacturer pushing a "safety" message on TV risk having consumers type their brand into Google and have it punch back a loaded shelf space of contradictory messages by consumers?" No, no and no are the answers to those questions. Marketing has forever become a conversation - a dialog between marketer and consumer. With weblogs, it's been proven consumers are ready to have that dialog. It's not so clear whether marketers are ready to join that conversation.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04    




George Clooney Featured in Fiat Commercial

Admitting the potential for over exposure but questioning the need for the extra cash, we note George Clooney in a new commercial for Italian Fit. For years, Japan has been the place American celebrities go to start in cheesy looking Japanese commercial a la Bill Murray's Lost in Translation. You can see them all in action at Japander.

In this commercial, Clooney, who is on vacation in Germany, jogs by a new Fiat Idea, sees an open passenger door and gets in to check out the interiort. Just when he's beginning to get real comfy, the owner of the car returns, quickly locks the doors and speeds off with the trapped Hollywood star. The ad closes with the tag, "George not included." The ad is currently airing in Italy and will begin airing in Germany in a month or two.

Clooney's appearance in this commercial is another example of American stars lending their fame to audiences abroad without diluting their popularity here in the States. Thanks to Adrants reader Oliver Bentz for the tip and translation.

by Steve Hall    Sep-23-04