Several major advertising trade groups announced yesterday that starting in 2010, they will implement a new set of self-imposed guidelines on how they collect and use your personal info, in an attempt to prevent the government from handing down federal regulations.
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Hardee's New Ad: Our Food Tastes Better Than Someone's Anus!
By 7.1.09
Not to be outdone by Burger King‘s “fellate our new burger” ad, Hardee’s restaurant has launched a similarly juvenile campaign with its new “biscuit holes.” You can probably guess where this is going.
Facebook Encourages Open Marriages—Just Ask Dan's Wife
By 6.24.09
One thing I personally hate about Facebook is how the ads co-opt my friends’ pictures and use them to try to sell me stupid stuff. Dan received one of those types of ads yesterday, only the combination of text and photo selection was a little… um, let’s say “open minded.”
Jake Hunts For A Good Laptop
By 6.18.09
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.
DC Area Mall Pulls Ads That Turn Vietnam Memorial Into Store Directory
By 6.10.09
Tysons Corner, an upscale mall in the Washington, D.C. area, just pulled down over 400 ads that were recently posted in the city’s metro system because they looked an awful lot like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, except instead of names of soldiers they had names of famous retail stores. We’re sure they would have gone with soldier names if any of the soldiers offered great deals on today’s hottest fashions. This is really on you, America’s Finest.
Car Ad On Craigslist Has Hidden Paragraph On Hitler
By 5.25.09
Our commenter Zorantor discovered a weird, uh, can you call this an Easter egg?, buried at the bottom of a Craigslist post last night:
Bear Grylls Loves Post Trail Mix, When He Can't Grab A Handful Of Goat Balls And Spiders
By 5.11.09
-That’s why you’re a junior account manager, Chuck. You don’t think outside the box.
BK's Texican Whopper Ad Too Spicy For TV?
By 4.14.09
Mexican officials have taken issue with a new Burger King ad that suggests Mexicans aren’t as tall as Americans and use the national flag as a poncho.
Meet Jumpsnap, The Ropeless Jump Rope, The Dumbest Infomercial Product Ever
By 4.7.09
This is the Jump Snap. It’s a ropeless jumprope. Because having to jump over an actual rope is too hard. Sometimes a rope might hit stuff. Plus they require coordination. This requires no coordination, or even the ability to jump, as the infomercial tells us. You can just bend your knees. Plus it counts your calories and makes a realistic rope-whipping noise when you swing it! Wooee! Retails for $40 on Amazon, the most expensive jump rope you would ever buy, and it doesn’t even have rope.
Smart Mop Holds Up To 20 Times The Crazy Of A ShamWow
By 4.6.09
The people behind the new Smart Mop infomercial have clearly studied the success of the ShamWow guy, and they’ve taken the infomercial genre to a new level of silliness. Their new ad is so ridiculous that it seems designed more for YouTube than primetime, but since it’s funny and entertaining (for an infomercial) we’ll take the bait and post it.
What Is Wrong With Quiznos?
By 3.27.09
Seriously, what’s up with them? Their new ad features an oven that begs a Quiznos employee to “put it in me, Scott,” as the camera pans over what it calls a Toasty Torpedo. There’s also a subliminal flash of a periscope jutting up from the flames at one point, as our eagle-eyed reader Bbender pointed out.
How To Opt Out Of Google's New Targeted Ads
By 3.16.09
Last week, Google introduced its new “interest based” ads, which is based on tracking your browsing activity and targeting ads based on that behavior. Fortunately, there are several ways to opt out.
Dan Hesse, You Can Keep Making Commercials Forever
By 3.13.09
Tonya emailed us a video clip of a cute little piggy with a robot voice complaining about being trapped on hold. We appreciated the rant, but were even more fascinated with the technology that allowed her friend to turn a long, written diatribe into an instant cartoon. You know who needs this? Dan Hesse, shunned pitchman and CEO for Sprint! You’ll never have to stop making commercials now. Also, we’ve decided to make you British.
Icon Parking Accidentally Reveals Why Their Service Is Cheap
By 3.13.09
Eli Lansey took photos of recent Icon Parking ads on NYC subway cars and posted them on his blog. They promise customers “$10 for up to 10 hours” of parking at various lots in the city. Wow, that’s a good price! On the same ad they have a help wanted section that says they’re looking for employees, “no experience necessary.” Ah.
The Easier It Is, The Safer It Seems
By 3.10.09
Self-identified rational people take pride in the fact that they can’t be easily manipulated, but of course that’s the pride part of their dumb monkey brains talking. Here’s an interesting study that measured whether hard-to-pronounce words were perceived as riskier than words that were easier to pronounce—in this case, by comparing fake additives in food and asking which ones were more likely to be harmful.
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Our reader Hank Scorpio, while taking a break from plotting to take over the world, suggested an awesome web tool earlier today: Readability. Drag the bookmark to your browser’s bookmark bar, then click it when you’re on a badly cluttered page and watch magic happen. [via Hank Scorpio]