'TV Guide' Begs For Readership With Popcorn Promotion

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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.

by Steve Hall    Aug-28-06    
Topic: Magazine, Newspaper, Online, Packaging, Point of Purchase, Promotions



Closet Shelving is A Fashion Statement, Dammit!

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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.

by Steve Hall    Aug-21-06    
Topic: Creative Commentary, Magazine, Newspaper, Strange



Binn Hated, Hand Needed, Flooring Fingered, Zombies Attack

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- 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.

by Steve Hall    Aug-20-06    
Topic: Newspaper, Publishing



Airline Says Stop Terrorism by Flying With Them

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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.

by Steve Hall    Aug-18-06    
Topic: Newspaper, Strange



Chipotle Honest About Serving Dead Animals

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It isn't usually expected that a restaurant be so honest in its ad campaign as to admit the product it serves kills animals but that's exactly what part of this Chipotle campaign does in a humorous manner. The campaign tag, "Honest Ingredients," ha s double meaning. It refers to Chipotle's goal of serving only meat that is "naturally and humanely raised and free of added growth hormones and antibiotics." It also refers to the company's progress towards these goals as reported in the print advertising, which states that given current availability and market pricing, "all Chipotle pork, about one-half of Chipotle chicken, and about one-third of Chipotle beef meet these standards." Check out all the creative here.

You can even create your own billboard copy at this site which has nothing to do with the company other than to have some fun with the ads.

by Steve Hall    Aug- 4-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Consumer Created, Good, Magazine, Newspaper



LA Times: We Used to Publish Editorial, Now We Publish Ads

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Now that one newspaper has done it, they're all going to do it. Just like an agency account director who tells her AE, "Ah, fuck it. Just add another $20K to that quote. They'll never know the difference," the LA Times is getting greedy (or needy) and will now accept ads on the front pages of many of the paper's sections. The paper hasn't completely bent over to advertiser's wishes though - which is the reason Publisher Jeff Johnson is giving to the paper's employees versus the truth: the paper needs more money - and will not yet accept ads on the front page of the paper as some other papers have. That move will take some serious lubrication.

by Steve Hall    Aug- 1-06    
Topic: Newspaper



Nike Ad Likened to Crucifixion, Garners Complaints

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Professing not to know why Nike would do such a thing (uh...hello? publicity), several have complained about a Nike ad featuring Wayne Rooney partially painted red with his arms outstretched. Church groups are likening it to Christ's crucifixion and British MPs think it's horribly war-like. Wieden + Kennedy, creators of the ad, defend it saying it has nothing to do with the crucifixion and was intended to celebrate Rooney's return to his team after an injury.

A Nike spokeswoman explains further, telling the Daily Mail, "If we have offended anyone on those grounds, we would stress it was unintentional and we apologize. It is not meant to be an aggressive picture, either. It was a case of catching the mood of the nation as everyone urges Rooney on to great things, and of course our slogan puts it perfectly. The red paint is not meant to be blood, it's just echoing the body paint which fans cover themselves in and the rest of Wayne's body is painted white. It's the flag of St George, and nothing else. We have had nothing but positive reaction to the poster and a lot of people have been asking if they can buy it. We have no plans to produce it as a poster."

by Steve Hall    Jun-22-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Newspaper, Outdoor



Virginia Bans Liquors Ads From College Papers, Students Protest

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Commenting on a recent Virginia ruling banning liquor ads from the state's college newspaper and the subsequent lawsuits filed by V Tech and University of Virginia students against the ban which the American Civil Liberties Union supports, Jossip wonders which came first: drunken college kids of liquor ads. Jossip even puts forth a tagline Bud Light might consider: The more college girls drink, the hotter they get.

by Steve Hall    Jun-16-06    
Topic: Newspaper, Policy



Neil French Creates Award Show, Works With A Woman!

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With a bit of sleuthing, Ad Age has learned killed-by-blog, women-are-crap, families-are-for-sissies Neil French will launched a new - as if we need another - global award show for print advertising. Apparently, he seems to have softened his viewpoint on women because he's (gasp!) working with a woman, London International Awards Owner and President Barbara Levy, to develop the awards. Due to some URL and business registration information dug up by Ad Age, the name of the awards may be World Press Awards which, oddly, makes it sound like a public relations award show. And yes, as we read the Ad Age article, they're still doing that ad impression increasing, automatic page reload cheating thing. For shame.

Anyway, newspapers and magazine are likely very happy an entity has been created to celebrate their, shall we say, not so healthy industries. No date has been set for the show but Ad Age says a call for entries is expected around September.

by Steve Hall    May-25-06    
Topic: Industry Events, Magazine, Newspaper



People Are 'Getting It' In Austin

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It seems the Texas heat is causing people to get it all the time in Austin. The Austin-Statesman is running a promotional campaign with the tagline "How Do You Get It?" to promote the Austin newspaper and its online properties. One women gets it from her assistant, Ricky, on her desk. One basketball player gets it in the locker room. One student gets it from her guidance counselor. Hmm. One guy gets it from his dog. Yuck. One hottie got it her first week of college. One dude got it from his best friend's Mom. Uh, no thank you. Anyway, it's one of those campaigns that does cause you to go "hmm" and pay attention for at least a few more seconds than you normally would.

by Steve Hall    May-22-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Newspaper, Online