Boston’s mayor has asked Nike to stop its use of questionable phrases on a line of new t-shirts. The phrases “get high,” “dope” and “ride pipe” all have double meanings pertaining to drugs, the mayor complains. An anti-drug group sent a similarly themed letter to several members of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. [More]
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3 Wacky Tales From Our Crypt
By 5.18.11
A selection of stories from our past archives with evergreen appeal, and aftertaste. We bring you horrific tales of The Hellraiser Sneaker, The Cellphone Call That Destroyed My Speakers, and I Bought A New Punching Bag That Turned Out To Be Stuffed With Dirty Underwear. [More]
Study: Putting Celebrities In TV Ads Only Makes Them Worse
By 1.14.11
Do you buy Activia because Jamie Lee Curtis says you should? Or a Sony TV because Peyton Manning is their pitchman? What about that stash of Extenze you keep in the bedside table — did you purchase that on the recommendation of Jimmy Johnson? A new study shows that the answer to all these questions is probably a big “no.” [More]
Rush To Snag New Air Jordans Leads To Maced Shoppers
By 12.24.10
In a scene similar to some of the bloodthirsty throngs at post-Thanksgiving doorbuster sales, shoppers at a Texas mall grew impatient with waiting for Nike’s new Air Jordan 11 Retro sneakers to go on sale. And thanks to some rotten apples, many in the crowd ended up with mace in the face. [More]
Who's Behind Michael Jordan's "Nike" Skates?
By 6.1.10
With the heathen sports fans in Chicago going a little overboard in celebrating their first Stanley Cup finals in something like 128 years, they recently decked out the famous statue of Chicago Bulls basketball biggie Michael Jordan in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform, complete with a pair of Reebok skate blades attached to his Air Jordans. But somehow, over the weekend the Reebok logo was suddenly stickered over with the Nike “swoosh” logo. Is this good-natured pranksterism or cold, greedy brand management? [More]
VIDEO: Tiger Woods' Creepy New Nike Ad
By 4.8.10
In case you have been comatose since Thanksgiving, Tiger Woods has been in the news a lot because the Masters will be broadcast in 3D or something. In advance of that golf tournament, Tiger Woods has returned to the world of being a human billboard with this new ad from Nike, which resurrects the golfer’s dead dad. [More]
Will Tiger Woods Regain His Status As Walking Billboard?
By 2.19.10
Now that Tiger Woods has come out of sex rehab hibernation — if only momentarily — to beg for a bit of forgiveness from the public that once loved him, the question still remains: Will he ever get close to regaining his status as the poster boy for poster boys? [More]
Tiger Woods' Off-Road Adventure Cost Shareholders $12B
By 12.30.09
A new study says that Tiger Woods spectacular fall from grace has cost shareholders of the firms that used him as a spokesperson to lose $12 billion in value. [More]
Advertiser Stuck With Ironic Tiger Woods Ads Fires Him
By 12.14.09
Remember this ad? It was in the Wall Street Journal the day after Tiger Woods crashed his car and unleashed a torrent of trashy mistresses on an unsuspecting nation? Yeah, it was for Accenture. Now that company has decided that Tiger Woods is bad for its reputation. [More]
Best Buy, Nike Make List Of 99 Top Ethical Companies. Wait, What?
By 4.13.09
A business ethics institute named Ethisphere has released its annual list of the 99 “World’s Most Ethical Companies.” We have to take exception to some of their choices.
What Hell Must You Go Through To Return A Defective Running Shoe?
By 11.13.08
Neal Templin at the Wall Street Journal had a defective running shoe. Within 4 months of buying the shoes, an eyelet failed, so he took the defective shoes back to the store. This is where his tragic tale of rejection begins.
Nike Customers Angry After Woman With Fastest Time Doesn't "Win" Marathon
By 10.24.08
There’s a bit of a backlash brewing against Nike after the woman with the fastest time in the Nike Women’s Marathon wasn’t declared “the winner” because she wasn’t among the elite group of marathon runners who start separately from the rest of the pack.
$25 Million Counterfeit Goods Ring Busted In NY-NJ
By 4.17.08
If you live in the NYC area, one thing you probably won’t be spending your stimulus check on now is a pair of shiny new fake Nikes—or ersatz Louis Vuittons, packs of imitation Duracell batteries, or faux-Timberland boots.
Knockoff Products Smuggled Into The U.S. Labeled "Refrigerated Noodles"
By 12.6.07
Federal agents have announced that they’ve busted a smuggling ring that brought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of knockoff products into the US, says the NYT.
By 12.6.07
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First there was jeans and shirts. Now Nike is reissuing old sneakers “already-vintaged.” Will they fall apart in a few months, just like the real thing? [Nice Kicks via Don’t Believe The Hypebeast]
The Sports Authority And Nike Pulling Michael Vick Merchandise?
By 7.27.07
Reader J tells us that The Sports Authority and Nike are pulling all their Michael Vick related merchandise, due to Vick’s recent indictment for running a dog fighting kennel. The charges are pretty gruesome. The indictment includes stories of dogs being put to death by electrocution for not passing “tests” to see if they were mean enough fighters, etc. Vick faces up to 6 years in prison if convicted.
America's Least Wanted: Top 10 TV Product Placement Offenders
By 3.26.07
Product placement is annoying. You can’t TiVo through it, it’s distracting, and you can’t get rid of it. Neilsen has compiled a list of the top 10 shows with the most product placement advertising as well as the top 10 offending advertisers. Quite unsurprisingly, FOX’s American Idol comes in at the top spot with 4,086 occurrences of product placement. Yuck.
