MTV’s gross new reality show, Jersey Shore, goes too far into offensive stereotype land as far as Domino’s Pizza is concerned. After seeing the first episode last week, the pizza chain asked MTV to stop airing its ads during the show, apparently before anyone starts complaining. But really, there’s no way you can eat Domino’s and maintain abs so ripped that you call them “The Situation,” so maybe it’s for the best. [More]
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Who Is This BNE Guy Putting Stickers Everywhere?
By 12.7.09
Who is BNE? Why are cities of the world covered in stickers bearing the graffiti artist’s initials? And why is McDonald’s his biggest rival? [More]
Noid Sick Of Being Avoided, Coming Back
By 12.7.09
Domino’s has been missing something for the past decade-plus, and that something is the Noid. But that’s about to change, because the red-suited mascot is on the way back, AOL reports. [More]
New Study Suggests Drug Ads Ineffective, But Expensive For Consumers
By 11.30.09
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver looked at sales figures and prices for the blood thinner Plavix after direct-to-consumer advertising started in 2001. What they found was that the campaign was largely ineffective at increasing prescribing rates, but that the price of the drug shot up 12% almost immediately to cover the cost of the marketing campaign. [More]
New Jersey Wants Marketers To Stop Mailing Unsolicited Checks
By 11.30.09
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty wants direct mail marketers to stop sending out those “free money!” checks that auto-enroll you in expensive programs when you deposit them, while a senator has introduced a similar measure. “Instead of relying on tricks, companies looking to sell their services in New Jersey should go back to the old-fashioned way: earning consumers’ trust,” said Moriarty. [More]
Robots Play Trick On McDonald's Advertisement
By 11.27.09
This is what happens when you let robots select up-and-coming stories for your banner ad on Digg. Although now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’d ever let a Digg story be assigned to my brand, automatically or otherwise, without looking at it first. (Thanks to Jeff!) [More]
1936 Thanksgiving Camel Ad: Smoke After Each Course!
By 11.25.09
This advertisement for Camel cigarettes appeared in the November 23, 1936 edition of LIFE magazine. It earnestly demands that you smoke a Camel after each course of Thanksgiving dinner — “for digestion’s sake.” [More]
Google Bans Scammy Advertisers From Network
By 11.22.09
At last, someone has taken a stand against the tooth whitener ad menace. It’s no tiny or obscure ad network: it’s Google. The company has decided to live up to its “don’t be evil” motto and ban advertisers who place ads that lead to sites peddling products like scammy free trials, get-rich-quick schemes, and malware. Previously, they would ban individual ads, but not advertisers. This was akin to playing a massive game of whack-a-mole with thousands of identical “local moms” who had identified the secret to weight loss. Or tooth whitening. Or stretch marks. Or…
Judge Refuses To Pull Verizon's "There's A Map For That" Ads
By 11.19.09
As you probably know, AT&T is currently suing Verizon over the “There’s a map for that” ad campaign. The big blue death star says that the maps depict different things, whereas Verizon says the maps are truthful and “the truth hurts.” A federal judge says the ads can stay up — for now.
Read Disclaimer Before Taking GameStop Offer
By 11.16.09
Jeremiah is happy he double-checked a strange GameStop ad that lists games eligible for an offer that lets you trade two games in to get certain new releases for $20 or New Super Mario Bros. Wii for $10.
If Yours Isn't Good Enough, He'll Get Some At The Office
By 11.16.09
Marketers had a message for the housewives of the 1950s: they weren’t doing a good enough job at home. Their husbands had to resort to going elsewhere for it. Why, even the girls at the office could do it much better.
The Manliest Pants Of All Time
By 11.12.09
Yes, they’re Barracuda pants—the only trousers that remind you, and anyone within eyesight, that you have a penis.
Reporter Actually Measures Noodles In Campbell's Soup
By 11.6.09
32′ of noodles is about 10 yards, so a reporter from KING5 in Seattle decided to lay them out, end by end, starting at the 10 yard line of a fooball field, to see if he could score a noodley touchdown. We applaud this effort.
Campbell's Brags About Its Noodle Length
By 11.6.09
Campbell’s wants you to know it packs 32 feet of noodles inside every can, and it’s paid for a Times Square billboard to teach that fact to you, AdAge reports.
AT&T Sues Verizon Over "There's A Map For That" Ads
By 11.4.09
AT&T has had it with Verizon’s “there’s a map for that ads” and have filed a lawsuit. The big blue death star says that the ad is misleading because while the blank spaces in Verizon’s map actually show places where there is no Verizon service at all — the blank spaces in the AT&T map may still have voice and data coverage — just not “3G” coverage.
Gawker Duped By Malware Gang, Serves Up Infected Suzuki Ads
By 10.27.09
Scammers pretending to buy ads for Suzuki tricked Gawker’s ad sales team last week into running malware-laced ads that installed spyware and crashed the browsers of some readers before they were caught and pulled.
DirecTV Resurrects Chris Farley In Questionable Ad
By 10.26.09
Is anyone else skeeved out over the DirecTV ad? Based on the movie Tommy Boy, in which Chris Farley — who died in 1997 due to a drug overdose and heart complications — the spot shows Farley doing his famed Fat Guy in a Little Coat Dance as co-star David Spade re-dubs his character’s dialogue.
