Consumerist
3g
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absurd
Brooke Shields Has Hypotrichosis
Oh no! Brooke Shields used to have stringy, stick-figure eyelashes! I figured this out after watching Consumer Reports' video dissection of a new commercial for Latisse, the glaucoma medication that has been rebranded as an expensive, temporary eyelash enhancer with side effects. More » -
badvertising
Bumblebee Tuna Tricks You Into Watching Commercials At The Grocery Store
Must we put video screens everywhere? Reader Grey says that he was fooled into pressing a button above a tiny video screen at his local Safeway — only to be subjected to a very low-res commercial for Bumblebee Tuna. More » -
inventions
HD Sunglasses Use The Power Of Stupidity To Increase Real World Resolution
Did you know your eyes have probably been viewing things in only 480 vertical lines of resolution? Thankfully someone out there isn't as stupid as the rest of us, and realized that if our television sets can be upgraded to HD, so can our eyeballs. At least they can with the help of these special sunglasses. More » -
funny
Comic Duo Offers To Make Free Commercials For Local Businesses
Love local commercials? So do Rhett & Link, a couple of comics who film ads for local businesses everywhere. The spot below, for example, makes a delightfully inappropriate plea for racial unity while plugging North Carolina-based Red House Furniture ("We make furniture for black people and white people!"). More » -
media whoring
Chris Walters On BBC Tomorrow
Consumerist's Chris Walters is slated to be a live guest on the BBC's "World News Today" tomorrow morning at 7:30 am Eastern, shown on the BBC America and BBC World News cable channels. He'll be talking about those talking ads in the Sept 18 issue of Entertainment Weekly which combine singing greeting card technology with tiny LCD screens. Set your DVRs, and bust out the tea and crumpets.
PREVIOUSLY: Gird Yourself, Video Advertising Is Coming To Print Magazines
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marketing gimmicks
Gird Yourself, Video Advertising Is Coming To Print Magazines
Here's one horrible thought about the steady advance in display technology: there could be a future where a noisy, hyperkinetic commercial plays as you turn the page of your magazine, and your Tivo remote will not be able to save you. More » -
beer
Not So "Drinkable?" Sales Of Bud Light Are Dropping For The First Time Ever
Sales of Bud Light are down, probably because of the recession, but we hope it's because of the aggressively annoying "Drinkability" campaign. In any case, AB has decided to roll out more than 15 new "Drinkability" commercials in the coming weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal. More » -
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nothing to see here
We Have No Comment About This Exercise Device
A friend of ours has just shown us this video for an allegedly real exercise device called the "Shake Weight." We have no comment about it. More » -
badvertising
Hardee's Biggest Franchisee Refuses To Show Anus Spot On TV
Remember Hardee's anal-centric "a-hole" ads? Even if they never aired in your area, they've been floating around online for a few weeks at least. Ben Mayo Boddie, who operates 350 Hardee's restaurants from his home in North Carolina, has had enough of a-hole this, ball muncher that, and he's refusing to air the spots. More » -
microsoft
Office 2010: The Movie - Where Bill Gates And Jerry Bruckheimer Meet
What happens when Microsoft hires a small digital ad agency to help promote the next version of Office? You get Office 2010: The Movie, an action-thriller interpretation of Microsoft Office. Does it work? You be the judge. More » -
infomercials
VIDEO: Behind The Scenes At Tristar's Informerical Command Center
The reality show "Pitchmen" gave us a behind-the-scenes look at infomercials produced by and starring the delightful duo of Anthony Sullivan and the late Billy Mays. (Oddly, the program made me less wary of infomercial products. But I'm still not about to actually order any.) But wait—there's more! Check out this video to see what goes on behind the scenes at another direct-sales powerhose, TriStar Products. More » -
propaganda
Banks Consider Running TV Spots Against Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency
Remember Harry and Louise? I don't, but apparently they were a fictional couple in an early-90s TV commercial, produced by the insurance industry to help sway opinion against the Clinton health plan. Now banks and other financial companies may be pooling resources to create a new "Harry and Louise" style ad to convince Americans that Obama's proposed agency to monitor abusive financial practices will limit choice and ruin lives. More » -
infomercials
Can Billy Mays Move Product From Beyond The Grave?
Next week, direct-response marketing juggernaut Telebrands will roll out a new ad campaign for Jupiter Jack, a tiny gadget intended to turn your car radio into a giant cell phone speakerphone. The star of the spot is recently deceased pitchman Billy Mays.
Why run the spot? For starters, both Telebrands and the Mays family know that Billy would have wanted it that way. More »
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tributes
Billy Mays: A Look Back At A Television Legend
HI CONSUMERISTS, LAURA NORTHRUP HERE FOR THE BILLY MAYS TRIBUTE POST! Billy is no longer with us, but his oeuvre remains. Let's take a look back at the ads, products, and gentle self-mockery that made Billy a master among pitchmen. More » -
infomercials
Ten Stupid Infomercials Will Shake Your Faith In Capitalism
The best thing about YouTube is that it lets us see wacky commercials and insipid infomercials without the inconvenience of watching TV. Where would the Comfort Wipe be without it? More » -
funny
Jake Hunts For A Good Laptop
Funny or Die has a pretty funny, nsfw parody of the current Microsoft "You find it, you keep it" commercials. Jake's in the market for a decent laptop that can meet his needs, which include a big screen, the ability to go online, and enough cash left over for some subscriptions to certain adult websites. It's basically what the real commercial would look like in a world without TV censors. More » -
badvertising
Hate Loud Commercials? Well, They May Be Outlawed Soon
Good news for those of you who hate loud commercials — a bill currently bouncing around in Congress would force the FCC to "preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program material they accompany." More »
