We’ve written before — most recently about JCPenney — about retailers who mark up the original price of an item in order to make the “sale” price look better than it is. Some may say this is harmless marketing, as the retailer is going to charge that price regardless. Others say it’s a deliberately deceptive act intended to lure consumers into thinking they are getting a deal. [More]
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Adblock Plus: Internet Heroes Or Banner Ad Shakedown Artists?
By 5.14.13
Most of our readers are familiar with Adblock Plus, the browser extension that does what the name describes: blocks ads. For some people, it’s the only thing that makes browsing the Internet tolerable; for others, it’s an evil entity strangling the media industry. What you may not know is that the open-source extension is allowing some advertisers access to your eyeballs…but only if users deem them acceptable. Oh, and some large sites have to pay. [More]
How Unscripted Are Those Kids’ Responses In The AT&T Ads?
By 5.10.13
We’ve certainly made no attempt to hide our distaste with some of AT&T’s business practices, but we are all stupidly charmed by those seemingly improvised AT&T ads in which youngsters in a classroom respond to questions like “Who thinks more is better than less?” But considering how amusing some of these ads can be, we’ve been curious about just how scripted those kids’ replies are. [More]
JCPenney Admits Last 18 Months Were A Huge Mistake, Begs You To Come Back
By 5.1.13
The last thirty years are filled with horrendous missteps that were ultimately dismissed as one-off errors in otherwise reliable track records — New Coke; the 11th season of Saturday Night Live; Neil Young’s Everybody’s Rockin’; Highlander 2: The Quickening — and now JCPenney is hoping that the Ron Johnson era will fade into memory with a new ad that basically admits the company made a mammoth oopsy. [More]
Pepsi Pulls Mountain Dew Ads Following Complaints Of Racial Stereotyping, Violence Against Women
By 5.1.13
A bizarre online ad for Mountain Dew, featuring a talking, abusive goat and a bruised and battered woman has been pulled by parent company PepsiCo following complaints. [More]
How Foursquare Is Turning Your Check-Ins Into Ad Revenue
By 4.30.13
We never really understood the idea behind Foursquare. Then again we’ve never felt the need to broadcast our whereabouts to the rest of the world. Regardless, there are still plenty of people checking in at stores, bars, restaurants, and anywhere else you could imagine. But what’s in it for Foursquare? [More]
Advertisers Are Now Tracking Your Behavior Across Various Devices
By 4.30.13
Think that your mobile browsing habits exist in a different world than the content and ads you view on your PC? Until recently, you’d have been correct, but now advertisers are coming up with ways to identify consumers across platforms in order to provide them with ads they might actually click on. [More]
Kellogg Denies Having Anything To Do With Pringles Reddit Posts
By 4.29.13
Getting thousands, maybe millions of Internet users to view, like, share, and talk about your product isn’t easy. Any number of companies have tried to anonymously post “viral” content in the hope that it will spread quickly (and without having to pay for additional ads). And following a rash of funny/interesting Pringles photos popping up on Reddit, some users claim it’s a blatant marketing gimmick. [More]
Microsoft Includes Free Disposable Wifi Router In Forbes Magazine
By 4.29.13
“I still like print magazines, but I wish that they functioned as a portable wifi hotspot,” said no one ever. This wish came true for some people last week when they received a special edition of Forbes magazine in the mail that serves as a disposable wifi hotspot as well as a disposable news delivery device. [More]
Sometimes You Don’t Want Your Brand In A Popular Movie
By 4.23.13
Companies fork over untold piles of cash to have their products featured on a TV show or in a movie — even going so far as to digitally insert ads in the far background of a sitcom rerun, but there are some cases where brands would probably rather not be identified with what viewers are watching. [More]
Wendy’s & McDonald’s Teach Readers Disappointing Lessons In Ads Vs. Reality
By 4.18.13
Most of us know that what we actually get from a fast food eatery is never identical to what’s shown in the ads, and sometimes is similar in name only. We got used to knowing that a cheeseburger will never look as perfect as it does in the commercial, but with the recent addition of supposedly fancier menu items consumers are learning to prep themselves for more disappointment. [More]
Be Careful What You Tweet About Because It Will Now Determine The Ads You See
By 4.17.13
UPDATE: A source at Twitter tells Consumerist that there are behind-the-scenes systems in place to try to prevent ads being served to users who have posted negative Tweets about a particular advertiser. Users can also report promoted Tweets that they feel are inappropriate or counter to their interests. [More]
New IKEA Online Ad Combines Redecorating With Epic War On Garden Gnomes
By 4.16.13
It’s spring in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that it’s time to rake your lawn and perhaps haul your grill and outdoor furniture out of storage. In a new IKEA ad airing in the United Kingdom, a family picks up some new furniture, and the local garden gnomes declare war. [More]
Want Ad-Blocking Apps On Your Android Device? Don’t Expect Google To Sell Them Anymore
By 3.14.13
Until yesterday, Android users could go into the Google Play store and find a bunch of apps developed to block ads from showing up on your wireless device. But now Big G has decided these types of apps violate its policies. [More]
FTC Says Social Media Ads Have To Be Held To Same Rules As Traditional Ads
By 3.13.13
One of the important duties held by the Federal Trade Commission is making sure ads don’t mislead consumers. Yesterday the FTC set out clear rules for short-form ads on social media like Twitter and Facebook as well. Namely, they have to be held to the same basic requirement as other advertising — be upfront about what’s going on. [More]
Former Lovers T-Mobile And AT&T Now Blasting Each Other In Bitter Ad War
By 3.7.13
Way back in 2011, everything was coming up roses for AT&T and the object of its affection, T-Mobile. The two companies were trying to merge, and the air was filled with sweetness and light. Love songs wafted over the radio and — you get the point. It didn’t work out, and the two parted ways. Cut to this year, when T-Mobile CEO John Legere included a dig at AT&T at the Consumer Electronics Show saying its network was crap. Oof. [More]
Is Greenville, SC, Actually Getting Jetpacks Or Is This Just Cruel Viral Marketing?
By 3.7.13
Earlier this week, billboards started popping up around Greenville, SC, advertising a new mode of transportation — or at least a form of transport that has been promised to us since the 1950s. [More]
Internet Unmasks One Of The People Behind Charmin’s Poo-Obsessed Twitter Feed
March 6, 2013
The official Charmin Twitter feed is notorious for its constant stream of poop-related musings, ranging in quality from sophomoric to brilliant (insofar as fecal humor can be brilliant). Now the Internet has revealed at least one of the people behind Procter & Gamble’s filthiest social media campaign. (via AnimalNewYork.com) [More]
