McDonald’s has apparently given up on the idea of associating its food with even moderately enjoyable moments in life. Instead, the fast food giant decided to go dark — like, really dark — for a recent ad that markets the chain’s fish sandwich as some sort of replacement for a dead father. [More]
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Crackdown Coming For Stealth Social Media Ads
By 8.5.16
We’ve seen Warner Bros. get in trouble for paying YouTubers to hype a new game without properly revealing they were paid, and we’ve seen Lord & Taylor caught paying Instagram influencers to shill for a new dress. Yet our social media feeds are still overflowing with celebrities and semi-celebrities pushing products without disclosing that they are receiving a paycheck to do so. [More]
Wendy’s Ditching “Now That’s Better” Motto For Something “Deliciously Different”
By 2.5.16
While McDonald’s and Burger King have dominated the fast food slogan wars over the years with memorable phrases like “You deserve a break today,” and “Have it your way,” Wendy’s hasn’t really had a hit since the “Where’s the beef?” mania of the 1980s. But that hasn’t stopped the company from trying, as it ditches “Now that’s better” for the new “Deliciously different.”
[More]
Twitter Reportedly Working On Platform That Turns Users’ Tweets Into Ads
By 1.12.16
Take a quick look at Twitter at any given time and you’re sure to see a slew of brands, or celebrities and other influencers, shilling products and services with short 140-character messages. While promotional Tweets might be easy to spot now, they could be more difficult in the future, as the social media platform is reportedly working on a new product that would turn everyday users’ Tweets into ads for brands. [More]
Microsoft Takes Back Its Naughty Ad For The Kin
By 4.17.10
Perhaps in an effort to show that the iPhone isn’t the only super sexy young hip fun phone out there, Microsoft had a bit of a misstep recently with a commercial for the Kin that seemed to promote sexting, the act of sending graphic content via camera phones (aka the ultimate fear of teenagers’ parents everywhere). [More]
Meet Guest Bloggers Carrie McLaren And Jason Torchinsky Of Ad Nauseam And StayFree
By 6.24.09
I’m stoked that Carrie McLaren and Jason Torchinsky, co-editors of Ad Nauseam: A Survivor’s Guide to American Consumer Culture (which I blurbed, my first blurb!), will be guest-blogging, tag-team style, with us this week and next. Carrie was editor of the awesome Stay Free! Magazine, which alternately skewered and threw cream pies at our marketing-drenched society. Jason is an artist who also writes for the Onion News Network, but just for sport. Please give them a warm welcome and enjoy the show.
A Word From Our Sponsor… Scientology
By 3.22.06
But questions remain, like, where’s the kid in the wheelchair?
Fashion vs. Style in FCUK Lesbo Catfight
By 2.20.06
We’d be remiss to neglect the ladies in detailing homosexual shopping experiences, so here’s a video for clothier FCUK pitting Fashion against Style in a hand-to-hand sapphic scenario, after the jump. Beware, it autoplays.
