Tim’s got discount prices, Eric’s got premium prices. No, they’re not selling goods and services at discount and premium prices, they are selling actual prices. “Get $39.99, for forty dollars!” Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric parody discount super-stores and crappy local ads. NSFW for crude gestures, sexual remarks, and a horse beheading a man. [More]
marketing
Video: Kotex Apologizes For Years Of Euphemistic Ads
By 3.24.10
In this new Kotex ad, the 90-year old tampon company sends up, well, Kotex. “How do I feel about my period? I love it…Usually, by the third day, I really just want to dance,” says the actress as trio of women frolic and twirl. “The ads on TV are really helpful because they use that blue liquid, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s what’s supposed to happen.’” It’s to launch their new line of feminine hygenie products called “U,” which pander to women’s desire to feel like they’re not being pandered to. [More]
Toyota Probably Should Have Written This Spam's Subject Line More Carefully
By 3.11.10
“Amazing Incentives For Select Toyotas That Will Not Last Long.”
Reader Maida did a spit-take when this email from a Toyota dealer offering 0% APR for 60 months landed in her inbox. Yeeks, talk about a syntactical pileup.
"Mad Men" Barbie Dolls Launch
By 3.10.10
The cast of Mad Men just got Barbie Dollized. For only $74.95 a pop, you can have just as much fun toying with Don, Betty, Roger and Joan as they have toying with each other. Sorry, only G-rated accessories; they will not come with any cigarettes or martini glasses. However, fans will be glad to know that just like in the show, the characters will be trapped inside plastic coffins and their movements determined by powerful external forces. [More]
Lindsay Lohan Sues E*Trade Over Talking Baby Commercial
By 3.9.10
Does the milkaholic baby named Lindsay in the latest E*TRADE commercial remind you of a certain celebrity? Lindsay Lohan says it’s supposed to be her and is a jab at her own milkaholism, and she’s suing the company for $100 million and seeking an injunction to get it off the air. I agree that the baby playing the milkaholic doesn’t give a very good performance, but I always assumed it was supposed to be Lindsey Buckingham. [More]
Will You Wear A $600 Disney Dress Based On One Of Its Movies? How About In 5 Years?
By 3.8.10
The future of Disney merchandising will hit a lot more demographics than the mostly kid-oriented stuff of today, if Disney has any say over it. Disney has already angered theater chains by shortening the theatrical release window on its new movie-like product Alice in Wonderland, cutting into theaters’ profit models in order to bump up the DVD release date. But CNBC notes that it’s also launching the “most wide-ranging array of consumer products ever” for a Disney flick–and that includes thousand dollar necklaces, nail polish, and dresses that cost as much as $600. [More]
New Book With Foreword By Ben Popken
By 2.26.10
Marketing blogger Joseph Jaffe’s new book. “Flip The Funnel” preaches some of the same new religion we do at Consumerist and uses as examples some of our favorite stories, like United Breaks Guitars and boogers in the Domino’s. Joe is all about how customer service should be the first thought, not an afterthought. He warns how if companies don’t stop being like Delta and start being like Zappos, if you don’t make retention the new acquisition, social media will kill you. I like Joe’s rap and I happily agreed to pen the forword, and I thought I’d share the results with you: [More]
Come On Down To The Ugly Furniture Store!
By 2.10.10
Want ugly furniture? How about a teardrop filled with frog eggs? Want an ugly table to put ugly stuff on? We’ve got that! This is a parody commercial for a real store filled with hideous furniture. [More]
Dealership Ad Fail
By 2.4.10
Bill found negotiating with the dealership to be a little one-sided. [Craigslist via Failblog] [More]
Comcast Rebranding Itself As "Xfinity"
By 2.3.10
Comcast has decided to give up and rebrand its cable and internet offerings as “Xfinity,” which to us sounds like a company that would make porn. Sorry, but it does. [More]
Tyson Chicken Settles Class-Action Suit, Will Pay $4.4 Million To Consumers
By 1.14.10
If you bought Tyson chicken from 2007 to 2009, you may want to start keeping tabs on the new settlement being considered by Tyson to settle the class-action suit against it. The agreement was filed earlier this week, and a review is scheduled for tomorrow. If approved, approximately $4.4 million will supposedly be available to disburse to consumers. [More]
The Guy Who Created Spaghetti Os Has Died
By 1.13.10
Donald Goerke, the Campbell’s executive who created Spaghetti Os, has died. [More]
Pumpkinhead New Raisin Bran Crunch Spokesthing?
By 1.13.10
When I first watched Pumpkinhead–an Alien-style monster who’s rampaged through a few B-level horror movies–go on and on about finding inner peace and online dating, I thought of The Office. Now that I think about it, it’s probably closer in style to Aardman’s Creature Comfort animations. Either way, if you like horror movies, breakfast cereal, British accents, and very silly advertising, you’ll appreciate this clip. [More]
Facebook Founder Says People Don't Even Want Privacy
By 1.11.10
Mark Zuckerberg thinks you don’t even really care about your privacy anymore because the “social norm” has changed. This makes it OK for his company to change the privacy settings of 350 million users. [More]
China Introduces "Made In China" Campaign
By 1.8.10
China has caught on to the fact that it doesn’t enjoy a stellar reputation over here as a manufacturer of quality goods, especially after the tainted food and product stories of the past few years, so it’s doing what any good profit-minded business would do: running an image rehabilitation campaign. [More]
Ah Yes, Facebook Flavored Vitaminwater. We Needed That.
By 1.8.10
Coca-Cola has announced the debut of a Facebook-flavored Vitaminwater called “Connect.” Facebook apparently tastes like “black cherry-lime,” which, by the way, does not sound delicious to us. [More]
Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine Meals Have More Calories Than Advertised
By 1.8.10
If you’re a fan of using frozen Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and South Beach Living meals to control your caloric intake — you might be interested to know that a news study says the dinners have eight per cent more calories than the labels said. [More]
