Finally, a non-derivative ad from AppleFor a while there, as you may recall, this blog was the official home of the Apple/Lugz controversy, and we also joined in on stirring the pot over Apple’s kerfuffle with Postal Service. However, in the interest of giving credit where credit is due, the new “iPod + iTunes” spot, featuring Wynton Marsalis, which aired on the Grammys last night, is way cool. Best of all, though it does a terrific job of evoking the Jazz Era, it doesn’t appear to be a ripoff of anything. Here’s a link to it. Enjoy. —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (8) |
Nicole Richie set to bathe New Yorkers in Diet Dr PepperFor New Yorkers who already despise Valentine’s Day, here’s more bad news: We’ve just heard that Nicole Richie will be leading an army of Cadbury Schweppes drones on Tuesday in handing out free samples of Diet Dr Pepper all across the city. We’re all for “falling in love with great taste,” as the press release puts it, but we don’t get where this “Hollywood sweetheart” (also from the press release) fits in. A brand manager at the company says he wants to emphasize that “there’s nothing diet about Diet Dr Pepper.” If you don’t want people thinking “diet,” why hire a skeleton? Unfortunately, there’s no map available of Ms. Richie’s route, so you’ll all just have to fend for yourselves. —Posted by Tim Nudd Photo: Jacqui Wong/AdMedia/Newscom |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
Movie viral helps you ‘uglify’ your friendsThe British movie Nanny McPhee was just released in the U.S. in January, but the DVD is already set to roll out in the U.K. on Monday. We really have very little idea what the plot is, but apparently it has something to do with people being ugly, judging from The Uglifier, a viral campaign promoting the DVD release. Working under the solid assumption that virals work best if there’s an element of ridicule involved, the site allows you to upload photos of family and friends, “uglify” them and e-mail them on. It’s another decent effort from New Media Maze, whose previous work has included the great Ring Two viral. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Romantic getaways for the jet set“Valentine’s Day may ostensibly be about love, but we all know it’s really about commerce.” Oh, those hopelessly romantic Forbes reporters. That’s the opening line of Sophia Banay’s Forbes feature on Most Romantic Hotels 2006. (Ms. Manay’s last article for Forbes was on the Most Expensive Perfumes, so you know what you’re getting into.) “Feeling a bit amorous ourselves,” she writes, “Forbes.com has compiled our annual list of the most romantic hotels.” The slide show includes love nests in Morocco, Italy, French Polynesia, France, Mexico, Hawaii, India, the U.S. and Bermuda. If you don’t have plans for Tuesday, and you have lots of spare cash, this story is for you. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
And the Grammy for worst network self-promotion goes to ... CBS!I’d never begrudge a TV network’s right to use the big events it broadcasts as platforms to hype its programming, but at times, like during last night’s Grammys on CBS, the right to do so is mindlessly abused. It’s one thing to pummel the primetime schedule into the audience’s head during the commercial breaks; it’s entirely another to not at all subtly slip the network’s stars into the programming. What was Jenna Elfman doing on stage last night other than to remind everyone she’s got a new comedy on CBS? And as for Ghost Whisperer star Jennifer Love Hewitt presenting an award with Black Eyed Peas? Puh-leese! —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor Credit: Ron Tom/Touchstone |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
No. 1 with a bullet? Hard to tellNot sure what to make of this, but we’ll post it in case one of you does. We received a —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Steelerbaby basks in Steelers’ gloryThe Super Bowl may be over, but Steelerbaby is just getting warmed up. A few weeks ago, we wrote about the world’s youngest Pittsburgh Steelers fan and his (her?) Web site. The site has now been updated with a slide show and a couple of movies. In “Free Time,” Steelerbaby is seen frolicking near Heinz Field. In “Babyfood,” he (she?) gets to enjoy what may be a blendered Primanti’s cap and cheese. (We’ve never seen a cap and cheese, much less eaten one, so we really have no idea.) You wanted more Steelerbaby, and you got it. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
In Milwaukee, a hairy back is a good thing“Does it look like you are wearing a sweater even when you have your shirt off? Do you have more hair on your back than you do on your head? Well, my furry friend, Friday night at the Admirals game is the perfect time to let that back rug of yours pay off in a big way!” Yes, the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League are hosting a “Hairiest Back Night” promotion this Friday. The winner gets a trip for two to Las Vegas. As minor-league sports-team promotions go, this a pretty good one—up there with the Columbus Destroyers’ Dynamite Night. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
Beware: It's KISS, overcaffeinatedAt the risk of becoming known as the beat reporter at AdFreak on KISS, here’s another news flash about the marketing genius of the makeup-obsessed heavy metal band: it plans to open its first branded coffeehouse later this year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. However, the idea, although KISS-sanctioned, was not the brainchild of marketeer and self-described discoverer of Van Halen Gene Simmons—it was thought up by Brian Galvin, who is described in this story as a 31-year KISS fan. (One wonders if he’s also keeping up with the months, days and hours of his fandom.) And BTW, did you know that over the years, KISS has put its name on “bowling balls, checks, a coffin, ceramic tile and silver coins”? —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor Credit: Photo by Mercury Records/ZUMA Press/Newscom |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
Agent Provocateur posts racy Figgis filmAfter months of teasers, “Tied Up at the Office,” the eight-minute short film by Mike Figgis for lingerie maker Agent Provocateur, has finally been posted online. (It’s very not safe for work, although it’s entirely in black and white, which makes it look all arty and not really like porn.) Will it get passed around the Internet? Of course. It has bondage and spanking. It also has no dialogue (thankfully) and precious little plot. Maybe Mr. Figgis has a real future in soft-core. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 9, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Nothing says love like a flower arrangement made to look like boozeFor the woman who loves flowers but would not forego alcohol, here’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gift: the Lime Floral Margarita and Strawberry Floral Margarita arrangements from 1-800-Flowers.com. They’re part of a special Fresh Flower Happy Hour series. There’s also a third liquor-themed arrangement simply called Love Potion. “It’s an unforgettable gift that will keep the party going,” says the Web site. Neither arrangement contains actual booze, so if you were looking for a little help in sweeping her off her feet, you’re out of luck. Then again, if you’re in the market for one of these, we’re guessing you’re not often short on alcohol anyway. Arrangements are not yet available in a highball or pint glass. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 8, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
For the client that wants to get stepped onThe world isn’t cluttered enough. Here comes Parking Stripe Advertising, a company that will put your sales pitch on the white divider lines in parking lots. It’s a “patent-pending” process, so it must be good! “Who is the genius that thought of this idea?” asks one of the questions in the company’s FAQ. It’s none other than Mr. Greg Gorman, who was previously involved in developing some of the Budweiser frog, ant and Clydesdale commercials. How the mighty have fallen. “Look at any parking lot and you’ll see cracked paint—they look horrible,” Gorman tells the Associated Press. “We come in with our stripes, and the lots look like they’re freshly painted 24-7, 365 days a year.” I guess it depends on what you consider an eyesore. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 8, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Becoming more literate, one product placement at a timeSo yesterday, while visiting BMW.com (we were looking for a link to the iPod-compatible BMW; we are most assuredly not in the market for the car), we came across information about BMW's new line of audiobooks being produced in conjunction with Random House. Audiobooks? From BMW? One, if not both, of our eyebrows raised. According to this story, the books, which are available even to the impoverished among us as a free download, feature 45 minutes of fiction from authors including Don Winslow. Think of it as a hybrid (car metaphor alert!) of BMW Films and BMW's Great Summer Read of two summers ago, in which the company sponsored The New York Times' reprinting, chapter by chapter, of classics such as The Great Gatsby. We are all for people listening to books in the car—particularly as opposed to reading them, especially when driving—but this seems a bit affected to us, especially when we read that the audiobooks include BMW product placement. —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 8, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
‘Life takes Visa’ set for grand premiereThere are a bunch of stories today about Visa’s new branding campaign and slogan, “Life takes Visa.” The work, from TBWA\Chiat\Day, will break during the Winter Olympics. The New York Times explores the genesis of the campaign, explaining that the tagline was actually developed four years ago by BBDO. The new campaign is MasterCard-esque in its appeal to emotions. “Using snapshots of universal moments like getting married or learning to dance, Visa hopes to tug at heartstrings as much as purse strings,” says the Times story. Our friends at Adweek quote Visa marketing chief Suzanna Lyons recounting the moment when TBWA\C\D’s Lee Clow embraced the new slogan. “He walked into a room in his sandals and shorts where we had hundreds of taglines posted all over. He pointed to ‘Life takes Visa’ and said, ‘That’s a good one.’” It’s unclear if Clow was bathed in a halo of light at the time, or if music swelled. A new Web site, LifeTakesVisa.com, doesn’t seem to be active yet, but ClickZ News says it will feature “short-form videos that attempt to capture ‘little universal truth moments,’” including “one video [that] depicts guys having a pillow fight.” Guys having a pillow fight is a little universal truth moment? I had no idea. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 8, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) |
Hybrids may be hazardous to your healthWhat with all the commercials that position hybrid cars as the salvation of Planet Earth, it’d be nice to see the technology taken down a peg or two. And that’s just what we get from an article on Motor Trend’s Web site (hat tip: Slate’s Mickey Kaus) that reveals the menace hybrids pose to public safety. The item focuses on “one of the dangerous drawbacks of driving a hybrid: It’s so quiet that pedestrians can’t hear it when it’s starting up or idling, and they often walk right into the path of the moving vehicle.” By contrast, pedestrians can hear an ordinary SUV revving its gas-guzzling engine a mile a way, which gives them ample time to scamper up onto the sidewalk and begin scowling. Well, at least you’ll have the consolation of knowing a hybrid isn’t polluting the environment as it silently mows you down. Next week in AdFreak: The Hidden Terrors of Tofu. —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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February 8, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3) |
Do we really need our cereal catered?So, it’s not on the level of our iPod infatuation, but some of us here at AdFreak have been pretty obsessed with the high-concept café chain Cereality. But even we are puzzled at the fledgling compay’s latest development: catering. Last month, the company said is ready to provide its breakfast fare for events both near and far. “Cereality Catering provides a memorable and efficient solution that’s easy to order and manage whether you are down the street here in Chicago or planning a wedding in Miami,” says CEO David Roth (who’s only a “Lee” away from being übercool). Pardon us for sounding too much like avowed cerealphile Jerry Seinfeld, but what’s the purpose in that?! Why would you need to have something catered when it’s already in your house? And the corporate idea doesn’t sound much more appealing. Who wants to sit around a boardroom slurping cereal and wiping milk while talking about the next quarter’s goals? Maybe they’re just following the lead of Kellogg, which has inexplicably found some traction with an office worker eating cereal in its Raisin Bran Crunch spots. —Posted by Aaron Baar |
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February 8, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
GoDaddy girl is not going to Disney WorldNight owls were “treated” last evening to a Tonight Show appearance by Candice Michelle, the GoDaddy.com “actress” fresh off her lame appearance during the Super Bowl. Aside from seeing fellow guest Terry Bradshaw’s eyes pop out cartoonishly when Michelle appeared, it was a boring (or do I mean ridiculous?) segment, matching the spot itself. Michelle did discuss the “director’s cut” of the commercial, which is a bit more racy, with her antics causing the old guy to collapse with a grin on his face at the end. He might be dead; it’s not entirely clear. The ad that ran had the same effect on viewers (minus the grin), but at least it was better than this “Web-only” version. Michelle also revealed to Mr. Leno that she—wait for it—wants to —Posted by Mae Anderson |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) |
Bud Light’s ‘Bottle Opener’ resurfacesFor those who felt like there wasn’t enough inappropriate humor in this year’s Super Bowl, have a look at this Bud Light spot. Called “Bottle Opener,” it has an empowering message for beer drinkers everywhere: Who needs a bottle opener when an anus will work just as well? The spot is a few years old but seems to be making the rounds virally this week. Here’s the plot: Bartender leaves bar; patron jumps behind bar to get Bud Light; bartender returns; patron hides under bar with ass sticking up; barkeep begins opening bottles in unorthodox manner. Commercial Closet, the group devoted to “bringing GLBT sensitivity to corporate advertising,” has this to say: “This commercial is unusually sexually daring and brutal. It strikes the darkest fear of many heterosexual men with the idea of being raped. While no one would find this situation pleasant, the negative comparison to gay male sex is unavoidable.” —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
iTunes eyes 1 billionth downloadMuch as my love of dear little iPod knows no bounds, I'm a little wary—and maybe weary, too—of Apple's current promotion celebrating the impending download of the 1 billionth iTunes song. I mean, it's a big deal for them, but for me, all I really care about is how long I can hold out before the cult of iPod pressures me into buying a video iPod, even with my 20-GB one not yet full. (Oh, and when Apple is going to drop the name iTunes for something more suitable.) The prizes seem a little quirky too, with the exception of the free iMac. A $10,000 iTunes gift certificate? Well, I guess, but it seems somehow exhausting. Ten 60-GB video iPods? You wouldn't have to buy gifts for the family for a while. And what about this "prize"? "Apple will create a full-ride scholarship in your name to a world-renowned music school." What if the winning downloadee's (made-up word!) tastes run toward Celine Dion? Now here's my idea of a grand prize—an iPod-compatible BMW. Endowing a music school can wait. Link via TUAW. —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
British bloody furious about Diana dollNow, for a limited time (or maybe a not-so-limited time), you too can be the proud owner (or maybe not-so-proud owner) of this impressive (or maybe offensive is a better word) talking Princess Diana doll. The 12-inch-high doll, made by a Texas company called Time Capsule Toys, says things like, “I sit here in sadness,” “I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts” and “There’s far too much about me in the newspapers, far too much.” Britons generally despise this new product. Says the Mirror: “She has bandy legs, a huge behind, hair like a crash-helmet, wild makeup, a hooked nose, no chest and ankles that make her look like she’s got two club feet. Still, if you could blow the doll up, most men would choose to have sex with it before Camilla.” —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Grizzly bears still more funny than scaryAfter the relative success of the Werner Herzog documentary Grizzly Man, you’d think people might develop a more sober, respectful view of grizzly bears. Instead, grizzlies remain a freaking laugh riot, at least in advertising. Timothy Treadwell wanted to save them; advertising writers prefer to kick them in the junk (the classic John West Salmon ad) or else use them as punch lines to sell car insurance (the Geico salmon spot) and now beer (the “Save Yourself” Bud Light spot from the Super Bowl). Of course, even Grizzly Man was ripe material for parody. Check out this Grizzly Man spoof. So wrong, yet so right. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Larry Flynt’s ads causing problems againIt was a year ago that ads on coffee cups for Larry Flynt’s Hustler Clubs got some Manhattanites all hot and bothered and tested the mettle of New York Daily News headline writers (“Some want their daily grind without a bump”). Now, people in New Jersey are upset that a giant billboard advertising the clubs has gone up right next to an elementary school. A 16-year-old who picked up his 7-year-old sister from the McKinley School in North Bergen sums up the sentiment: “When I first saw it, I was like, ‘Whoah!’” Stripping is a theme for billboards in the area, apparently. Recently the McKinley School had to deal with the Howard Stern ad that read, “Let freedom ring. And let it be rung by a stripper.” —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Swedish spoilsports reject ‘We love boobs’It’s simple and to the point and hardly offensive, but the tagline “We love boobs” won’t survive the scrutiny of Sweden’s transit system, which has rejected ads bearing that line from a fashion company advertising its new bras. “We have said no to the text for roughly the same reason that they want it there—because it is intended to attract attention,” a transit rep says. The clothing company, Lindex, doesn’t understand what the big deal is. Says a rep there: “We are a female company with a female target group and would never do anything which could be considered sexist.” —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
‘Sex and the City’ just won’t go awayTaking a page from the Who’s marketing manual (“How to Repackage Your Work in Hundreds of Ways to Squeeze Maximum Dollar from Consumers”), HBO has released “customized” DVDs of its wildly popular series Sex and the City. Described in the press release as “unique collections,” these are four Sex and the City Essentials DVDs available as a set for about $60 or individually for a suggested retail price of $14.98 each. (Why not make it an even $15?) Each disc has three episodes that revolve around a single theme: romance, Mr. Big, lust and breakups. Still, it might make for a good sampler gift to introduce oneself or a loved one to the series, which debuted on the cable network in June 1998 and ran until February 2004, for a total of 94 episodes. And because we’ve paid hand over fist for various iterations of material from the Who over the years, we have to at least tip our hat to HBO for this marketing tactic. Cynthia Rhea, svp and general manager for HBO Video, tells us, “We think there is a Sex and the City fan in everyone and repackaging this great show into themed collections gives fans a chance to own their favorite episodes in a new way.” —Posted by Kathleen Sampey |
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February 7, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Barbara Lippert on Super Bowl XLOver at Adweek, our friend Barbara Lippert has posted a comprehensive, entertaining critique of the Super Bowl ads. A brief excerpt: “The biggest problem with the commercials this year was the complete lack of payoff. Many of the spots had decent setups that were intriguing and interest-piquing, but went nowhere.” Check out Barbara’s story for more on the FedEx cavemen, Kermit, Fabio, Leonard Nimoy and more. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 6, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Super Bowl XL, other thoughtsMore Super Bowl XL ad wrap-up: What professors at Western Michigan University thought about this year's Super Bowl ads. (WMU News) • In: cartoonish violence; out: non-cartoonish non-violence. (Associated Press) • Canadians apparently watch Super Bowl ads too. We thought they were better than our cheap, lowest common denominator humor. (Canada.com) • Stuart Elliott credits the unlikely troika of Steve Jobs, Al Gore and Janet Jackson for what he saw as a good crop of Super Bowl ads. (The New York Times) • Reporters at the Philadelphia Inquirer disagree. —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 6, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
The not-so-many faces of Harrison FordWhen I saw the poster for the new Harrison Ford movie Firewall (detail in upper left), something about it seemed vaguely familiar. That’s because it looks exactly the same as every other poster for every other Harrison Ford movie in the past 10 years. Does this man even have another facial expression anymore? —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 6, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (9) |
Soxaholix deconstructs the WhopperettesThanks to Bob Shiffrar for pointing us to this great comic-strip critique of Burger King’s Whopperettes ad on Soxaholix.com. (There’s much more than this single panel.) I guess sometimes we’re guilty of not reading into these commercials enough. This critique doesn’t have that problem. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 6, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (6) |
Some Super Bowl XL comic reliefWe were supposed to spend this morning searching for insightful commentary about the Super Bowl ads. Instead, we are tired and crabby after last night, and decided instead of look for stuff that would make us laugh. So here are a few comical Super Bowl reactions found completely randomly in the blogosphere: —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 6, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) |
Bud Light tops ‘USA Today’ ad meterReliable, stupid humor and treacly sentiment beat out grand productions and boobs in last night’s ad contest, at least according to the USA Today ad meter. As you can see, Budweiser and Bud Light ads took six of the top 10 spots, with the secret-fridge spot leading the way. The FedEx caveman spot came in at No. 3. Both Ameriquest ads scored in the top 10. Sierra Mist mysteriously ranks No. 4. Among the ads that were most hyped before the game, GoDaddy’s finished at
No. 32 and No. 40, and the Whopperettes ended up at No. 25. The spot
for the Gilette Fusion razor finished dead last. Click here for USA Today’s story about the ads. You can also see all the ads on Yahoo!, AOL or NFL.com. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 6, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) |
Super Bowl XL, fourth quarter
Steelers win 21-10. We're going to sign off for tonight, and do some post-game wrapup tomorrow. Thanks for visiting us tonight. —Posted by Deanna Zammit |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3) |
Super Bowl XL, third quarter
OK, so I'll do my best here with the third quarter, but a case of hysterical blindness, brought on by seeing too much of Mick Jagger's septuagenarian fish belly, may hamper my efforts. (Seriously, that was far more offensive than Janet Jackson's nip slip. If ABC isn't flooded with letters demanding that the pickled foursome be sent out to sea on an ice floe, then America isn't the maniacally youth-obsessed culture that advertisers have come to count on.) —Posted by Deanna Zammit |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3) |
Super Bowl XL, halftime show 8:04 p.m. |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (14) |
Super Bowl XL, second quarter First, let me get my primary prejudice regarding the Super Bowl out of the way: I tend to have a problem with any sport in which the game is talked about for longer than it's actually played. That peccadillo of mine doesn't make me a big fan of football. In case you're wondering—or engaging in your own prejudices—it's not a chick thing; I still consider Game 6 of the 1986 World Series to be one of the greatest moments in my life. But let's move on. Not to overlap—or potentially disagree—with Tim, but here are my minimal impressions of the ads in the first quarter. 1) There's no law that says the food seen in fast-food advertising needs to be—I don't know—anatomically correct, but the burger in the Whopperettes commercial looked like a chunk of asphalt. 2) Doesn't FedEx know that dinosaurs pre-dated cavemen? 3) Leonard Nimoy was much better in the Priceline ads playing opposite William Shatner. |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (10) |
Super Bowl XL, first quarter 7:07 p.m. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (8) |
Super Bowl XL, pregame show 6:25 p.m. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Super Bowl XL, pre-pregame
4:51 p.m. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
It’s the Manimal, stupidIn this ever-alarming world, President Bush raised a new specter in his State of the Union speech that many of us had never considered: the Manimal. “Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research ... creating human-animal hybrids,” Bush urged Congress. To help the cause, a new Web site, humananimalhybrid.net, is raising funds through the sale of T-shirts, coffee mugs and other paraphernalia depicting the most dreaded forms of “Manimal,” including the Man-Pig (pig with a human head), the Bull-Sapien (bull with human legs and feet, complete with wing-tip shoes) and the ManRoosterBeast (rooster with human legs). The sum of all fears, no doubt, is the Beast Family—a mom, dad and two kids with normal bodies and animal heads and tails. If you want to include Manimal's best friend in the campaign, you can even buy a cautionary sweater for your dog. —Posted by Richard Williamson |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
iPod partnerships: First Bono, next Bonavox?For an incredibly popular item, the iPod seems to come with plenty of side effects. First, it was news that the dangling white cords make you a mark for muggers. Now, a Louisiana man is suing Apple for not taking steps to prevent its products from making consumers deaf. Needless to say, lawyers are starting a class-action case. But they might have a point: The Who’s Pete Townsend, who knows a thing or two about hearing loss, warned there’s “terrible trouble ahead” for the iPod generation. Since there’s already a $1 billion business in iPod add-ons, it only stands to reason that iPod hearing aids are on the way. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
AdFreak set to blog the Super BowlIf your idea of fun at a Super Bowl party is to sit anti-socially at a computer while everyone else has a good time, then we’ve got just the thing for you: Check out AdFreak’s live blogging of the Super Bowl this Sunday. (“Beer, Bob?” “Not now, I’m reading AdFreak.”) We did a live IM chat last year. We won’t be doing that again, but by Sunday we will theoretically have a plan. We’ll probably get started a little before game time and continue until long after anyone’s still interested. The comments box will be open, as always, for your thoughtful and measured feedback. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Evangelista tries reinventing himself as a reality show judgeCould Ed Evangelista be the next Simon Cowell? The JWT ecd will be one of four judges looking for the best new invention in the country on American Inventor, an ABC reality show from Cowell's production company Syco Television. We guess Ed will be commenting on the marketability of the Whiz-o-matic 4000. And hopefully we can count on him to provide sexier sound bites than this bland, self-promoting statement from co-president Rosemarie Ryan. "Since we're constantly striving to create world-class ideas to get people to spend more time with our clients’ brands, it is no surprise that one of our own would be chosen to help propel another world class idea into the marketplace. " Like the Chia Pig? If not, at least it will explain why Evangelista’s not been invited to be part of Cowell’s other, sexier, reality venture: an NBC search for a Las Vegas headliner. —Posted by Mae Anderson |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Hey 'GMA,' the devil is in the detailsNot to nitpick—OK, to nitpick—how hard is it for Good Morning America to, say, get people's names and titles right? We were watching the GMA segment from the other day about Super Bowl advertising (they obviously got first dibs on some clips), and there were three—count 'em, three—mistakes. (To see for yourself, click on this link and then on "See More Ad Clips" part way down the page.) They managed to get the title wrong for Rosemarie Ryan (pictured here), whom they promoted, at one point in the segment, to president of the whole of JWT from co-president of the New York office. Then, in onscreen copy, they misspelled her agency's name—excuse us, its former name—calling it J. Walter Thomson. (The shop goes simply by JWT now; is it a typo if the misspelled name no longer exists?) And the other guest, BusinessWeek's David Kiley, was rechristened David Riley by Robin Roberts. Other than that, we're sure the segment was 100 percent accurate. But maybe George Parker is lucky he hasn't yet made it onto the Today show. —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Place your Super Bowl (ad) betsIt’s no surprise that there are a few bucks riding on the Super Bowl, but now online bingo site MaPau Bingo is offering a shot of adrenaline to those who want to place a friendly wager on the game’s ads. “We look forward to the Super Bowl and its ads every year, but lately things have begun to get a little predictable,” the site reads. So to mix it up, visitors to the site can download less-than-artful “Super Bowl Ads Bingo” cards, with entries like Aleve, Cadillac and Monkeys, P. Diddy and lingerie. Super Bowl bingo bets are limited to the confines of your money-grubbing game party guests, but if you want to take cash from faceless opponents online, MaPau is happy to oblige. —Posted by Deanna Zammit |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) |
2 days to kickoff: Can they play the damn game already?Super Bowl hype is exhausting us now, but we'll continue to give you the latest SB news, until our fingers fall off because we love all of you that much. Another Super Bowl-themed story about a Detroit renaissance. Any coincidence that this story is on the ABC News Web site? (ABC News) • On the other hand, maybe reports of Detroit's renaissance are premature, again. (PR Newswire) • "A newbie's guide to watching Super Bowl XL—ads and all." Are there really any newbies left? (Seattle Times) • ABC will spend its last NFL broadcast after 36 years without a nostalgic look back on "Dandy" Don Meredith. Maybe there is a god. (Slam! Sports) • GoDaddy ad gets approved. Blah. (Bobparsons.com) —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) |
42 Below releases another ‘gay’ Flash adNew Zealand vodka maker 42 Below just doesn’t care if it pisses people off. Particularly gay people. Having already caused a stink with this Flash ad, the company has released another that may be even more offensive. (It includes lots of cursing, and one image that we’ll call too hairy for work.) This ad promotes 42 Below’s sponsorship of something called Hero Party 2006, set for Feb. 25 in Auckland. The irony is supposed to be that 42 Below is actually courting the gay market with this stuff. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3) |
James Patterson’s underwhelming new blogYou may have heard of Amazon Connect, the effort by Amazon.com to host authors’ blogs on its Web site. We’d heard that James Patterson, best-selling author and former JWT creative director, is among those who’ve signed on. And here it is: James Patterson’s Amazon blog. It’s pretty skimpy so far. It seems like he’ll take questions from readers and answer them. There’s one question up at this point—about whether he’s ever written under an alias. “Yes, J.K. Rowling is a name I sometimes use,” he writes. “I’m kidding. So far I haven’t written anything I don’t want to put my real name on. I try to keep aliases confined to the characters in my books.” Yet he does pretty much the same thing in the “Patterson Mailbag” section of his Web site, JamesPatterson.com. So what’s the point of the blog? Can’t he write about the Gastineau girls or something? —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) |
Does anyone actually go to high-school alumni events?I live about 700 miles from where I grew up, but my high school’s alumni association still sends me stuff. Recently they got a hold of my e-mail address, and they’ve been bombarding me with fancy PDF fliers advertising their various “socials.” (This is the one I got yesterday. It could be worse. OK, February is misspelled. And the “Alumni vs. Dr. Wyllie” free-throw contest sounds painful.) As advertisers, alumni associations have a thorny problem. Their target audience is obviously non-negotiable—and it includes scads of people for whom an event like this is almost literally the last thing on Earth they’d ever want to experience. (If you’ve read Sam Lipsyte’s Home Land, you know what I’m talking about.) Plus, the idea becomes less and less appealing the further removed you get from graduation day (16-plus years, in my case). Of course, I didn’t even consider trying to make it to the 10-year reunion, so I guess I’m not that qualified to talk about the supposed appeal of these things. As purely informational curiosities, I guess these fliers are useful. I mean, who the hell decided to rename the old band room the Knights Round Table Hall? —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3) |
Is AOL playing God with new AIM slogan?AOL is using the phrase “I am,” a reordering of the letters AIM, as a sentence opener in current marketing for its AIM instant messenger—“I am instant messaging,” “I am e-mail,” “I am video chat” and so on. What’s the big deal? Some consider the new slogan to be blasphemy. “I am” is also the English translation of Yahweh, the self-proclaimed name of God, according to Exodus 3:13-15. (“And God said unto Moses, I am that I am.”) WorldNetDaily reports that a God-fearing man named Ian Miller sent a furious letter to AOL that read, in part, “This new marketing idea is bad corporate policy. I implore you to change the name of your programs and rebuke the marketing team who came up with this vile idea. I will stop using AIM and urge all of my colleagues to convert to your competitors, if this is not changed very soon.” We can’t imagine there’ll be much rebuking going on anytime soon. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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February 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (5) |
