The cameraphone of reader Thomas points us to a classic American slogan that has been bedeviling consumers for decades, “Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” It is shortened on this truck to “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” Huh? Isn’t that a double negative? Yes, and it was planned this way. [More]
Via Email, HP Apologizes For Sending Too Many Emails
By February 24, 2011
HP apparently sent some customers too many emails recently by accident. So they sent out an apology to them, via email. No doubt they will realize this additional email was an unwanted further intrusion and send out another email to apologize for it. [More]
Drugstores Cross-Promoting Chocolate And Condoms For Valentine's
By February 14, 2011
Drugstores are making it easier for you to get your Valentine’s Day shopping in by putting endcaps of condoms and lubrication on their their chocolate and candy displays. Now you only have to visit one aisle! [More]
Sony's "Kevin Butler" Retweets PS3 Jailbreak Code
By February 9, 2011
“Kevin Butler” is the fictional Sony VP who is the face of its recent PlayStation ads, so of course he has a Twitter account. It looks like whoever is running the account hasn’t been reading the news much. When a Twitter user tweeted at him the code used to jailbreak PS3′s, the entity misinterpreted the series of letters and numbers and made a Battleship joke, retweeting the code in the process, reports Engadget. This is ironic because Sony has been cracking down with legal threats and attacks on anyone they can find disseminating the jailbreak information. I wonder if Kevin Butler will be getting one of these C&D’s… [More]
Duracell Battery Pack Comes With Free Glue Stick. But Why?
By February 8, 2011
Here’s an interesting cross-promo. Reader Ally spotted a pack of Duracells at her lokcal Hannaford that came with a FREE glue stick. It wasn’t something that the store had shrinkwrapped together, but the glue stick was actually in the package itself. What’s the marketing strategy here? Maybe because they’re both supplies you put in your desk drawer. Maybe the glue makes the electrons stick together better. Inquiring minds want to know. [More]
Groupon CEO Responds To Super Bowl Ad Fracas
By February 8, 2011
In a blog post responding to the furor over their Super Bowl ads, Groupon’s CEO Andrew Mason says that “the last thing we wanted was to offend our customers.” Hm, maybe you should have showed the ads to a few of them first. [More]
Were Groupon's Super Bowl Ads Tasteless?
By February 7, 2011
Groupon spent several million dollars offending a lot of people last night with a series of Super Bowl ads that started off as philanthropic pitches, then quickly segued into how you could get a great deal on the endangered entity with a Groupon. The online backlash was immediate and left many viewers wondering if Kenneth Cole was moonlighting as a Groupon ad copywriter. [More]
21 Super Bowl Ad Previews
By February 4, 2011
For some (me), the best part of the show on Sunday will be the ads. But now I don’t even need to suffer through a sport that stole its name from an already established and much better game, which you know as soccer, because Adfreak has got the goods on the Super Bowl ad spots, with 21 teasers and full ads. Darth Volkswagen is already an early contender for best of the night, and first place in my heart: [More]
Spot Fake Product Reviews By Looking For Marketing Speak
By February 3, 2011
Online marketers are constantly trying to game the system by leaving puffed up reviews for their own products on online shopping sites. But they often leave tracks behind. One of the biggest is “marketing speak,” turns of phrase and words that no human would ever use to describe an actual experience they had. Coupon Sherpa says to look for the following red flags: [More]
The Colonel Is Kicking Ronald's Ass In The China Fast Food Wars
By January 28, 2011
Though KFC is struggling stateside, in China it is dominating over all other fast food rivals, even global juggernaut McDonald’s. In some parts of the country, the image of Colonel Sanders is more ubiquitous than Mao’s, reports Bloomberg Markets magazine. That’s no mean feat in a country that has proven resistant to foreign penetration. The secret, is in the sauce, using local ingredients in the food as well as its management team, building up partnerships with local suppliers and catering menus to include regional dishes. [More]
DiGiorno's Pizza And Cookies Combo Is Watershed Moment In American Obesity
By January 26, 2011
DiGiorno is rolling out a new combo box that includes both frozen pizza and a batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough. While you heat up your pizza, why not also make a side of cookies? The only thing this is missing is a side of lard dipping sauce. Yes, you would dip both products in it. [More]
Men Pay More Attention To "Sexier" News Anchors, But Remember Less
By January 25, 2011
TV networks try to boost ratings by hiring comely female anchors and dressing them and shooting them in ways to accentuate their visual assets, but a study finds it actually reduces the amount of information recalled by male viewers. The “sexier” the female anchors, the more attention men pay, but the less they remember of what the news was about. [More]
Google And Mozilla Announce New "Do Not Track Me" Features
By January 24, 2011
Google and Mozilla have posted that they’re adding new features to their browsers that will let users opt out of being tracked by third-party advertisers. The move comes a few weeks after the FTC issued a report recommending browser software developers to implement such a mechanism. [More]
Louis Vuitton Tattoo Sleeve Takes Brand Loyalty Too Far
By January 18, 2011
This is a picture of some cool guy who got a Louis Vuitton tattoo sleeve (that’s what it’s called when you have tattoos all up and down your arm and ending at your wrist, like a sleeve might). Apparently he decided he never wants to be the number one term life insurance salesman. It’s a sick day when people give their bodies up for free advertising for shallow brands, hoping they’ll be able to embed some of the brand’s cachet into their flesh. Why doesn’t anyone ever tattoo pages from Watership Down on their body, huh? [More]
Duane Reade Infilitrates Williamsburg By Adding A Beer Bar
By January 14, 2011
When Duane Reade announced it wanted to open a store in the hip poseur enclave neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, it faced stiff opposition from locals and bloggers who feared it would destroy the area’s charm and drive a nearby local pharmacy out of business. So the pharmacy chain bought over the natives with beer. [More]
Will I Or Won't I Get Wet?
By January 7, 2011
This sign advertising $5 for five minutes of bubble fun is confusing. Not the part where your child is placed inside a giant rubber bubble and then allowed to run around on top of a pool of water. We’re cool with that. But at the top it says, “walk, jog, run, job and have lots of fun on the water… while completely dry!” At the bottom of the sign it says, “YOU MAY GET WET.” Well, which is it? [More]
Finallyfast.com Refunds Thousands In Scareware Suit
By January 5, 2011
FinallyFast, one of those companies with the late-night infomercials promising to make your computer faster, has settled with the Washington AG for misleading and deceiving consumers, and making it hard to cancel or get refunds. One of their tactics was to make the free scan on their site falsely identify harmless files on your computer as being errors. Consumers can now get some of their money back. [More]
Gallery Of Generic Dr. Peppers
By January 4, 2011
Naming a generic version of Dr. Pepper requires a special dose of imagination of the supermarket brand specialist not required by other fizzy drinks. You can’t just get away with “Cola” or “Orange.” There are innumerable variations and several websites have cropped up to document and catalog them. Check out postmyportfolio.com/Generic_Dr_Pepper.htm and Dr Kenton’s Generic Dr Peppers Page to get a pretty comprehensive overview. I think my favorite version is “Dr. Radical.” [More]
