If advertisers and websites would play fair with their readers, we wouldn’t need to apply various filters and blocks to them. But when you’re trying to read an article and every sixth word is hotlinked with a pop-up ad, while the FavIcon in the browser window blinks at you like a traffic light, while loud video clips start auto-playing when the page loads—well, it’s time to shut it all down. Lifehacker has put together a great list of all the ways to reclaim your sanity when you’re online.
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A Guide To The Bull#$@% They Say In Car Commercials
By 8.31.09
The folks at Bankrate and Yahoo! Finance have put together a guide that translates the silly things that are often said in car commercials.
GamePro Names Five Best Console Wars
By 8.31.09
The history of video game console competitions reads much like that of New York’s crime families — you see powerful leaders making bold, risky moves to snuff out their rivals and fierce, tribal alliances that breed clashes between vocal factions.
Some 71 Percent Of Newspaper Advertisers Stick Around
By 8.28.09
Enough with all the negative news about the newspaper industry. Let’s get positive, folks. For instance, instead of parroting this Bloomberg report that newspaper revenue plunged by 29 percent last quarter, let’s emphasize that 71 percent of advertisers stuck around.
Comcast Won't Let Me Watch Cartoons!
By 8.26.09
According to reader Chris, Comcast in South Florida has been cutting into TV programming with commercials, preventing viewers from watching various kinds of shows. Reader Chris H. writes:
Study Finds Booze Sellers Are Using Cable To Ply Teens
By 8.24.09
Alcohol ads pop up on cable programming that’s popular with teeagers at a suspicious rate, a study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth and UCLA found.
A Brief History of Ads Targeting African Americans
By 8.22.09
Slate has posted a slideshow documenting ads since the 1970s, when corporations starting heavily targeting African-American consumers. Check it out.
Gird Yourself, Video Advertising Is Coming To Print Magazines
By 8.20.09
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.
Documentary Looks At Origins Of Greatest Ad Slogans
By 8.20.09
The new movie “Art & Copy” reveals the origins of memorable ad slogans, such as Nike’s “Just do it,” Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?” and milk’s “Got milk?”
Poll: Does A Company Pulling Ads Off A Show Affect Your Opinion?
By 8.18.09
We mentioned last week that some companies have pulled their ads off Fox News host Glenn Beck‘s show in response to comments Beck made and the controversy that followed. Now there are reports that even more companies are pulling their ads from the show. We’re curious whether any of this actually affects consumer opinion of a company, so we made a poll. Take it!
New Jersey Lawyer Placed Ad Flyer On Rape Victim's Car
By 8.17.09
Ambulance-chasing lawyers are nothing new, but a New Jersey lawyer may have stooped to a new low in his direct-marketing efforts to land a client.
Ad Campaign Out To Stop People From Using 'Gay' As Pejorative
By 8.13.09
A new ThinkB4YouSpeak school-focused ad campaign is out to stamp out the hurtful practice of referring to things as “gay” in a negative way.
If Print Is Dead, Is TV Next?
By 8.13.09
Newspapers and magazines aren’t the only media suffering from dwindling advertising. The TV industry is also readying for a downfall, reports The Atlantic.
Black Blogger Alliance Hits Talk Show Host Where It Hurts
By 8.12.09
After Glen Beck called Barack Obama a “racist” who “has a deep-seated hatred for white people” on a Fox News show, a coalition of black bloggers went after the controversial talk show host, causing Procter & Gamble and other advertisers to pull ads from Beck’s talk show, Mediabistro’s TV Newser reports.
Financial Advertising Through The Years
By 8.11.09
Slate has put together a sarcastic look at financial-type commercials through the years. We like the one with Samuel L. Jackson and the centaur.
Not So "Drinkable?" Sales Of Bud Light Are Dropping For The First Time Ever
By 8.11.09
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.
Save Water, Urinate in the Shower
By 8.5.09
A new ad campaign in Brazil urges citizens to pee in the shower as a way to conserve water. “Xixi no banho” translates to “Pee in the bath.” I don’t speak Portugese or I’d give you a play-by-play on what is going on this largely inscrutable PSA.
