Work That Matters

Spexism: Men want boobs, women want diamonds

2012-01-31T15:42:00.001-05:00

Umm...

The first of these spec ads for Baygon bug dope appeared yesterday on Illegal Advertising. Aimed at young guys, and featuring the inevitable boobies, it's actually a pretty interesting reading of the popular proverb, -"If you think something small can't make a difference, try going to sleep with a mosquito in the room."

The Dream from Jerome Genevray on Vimeo.

The Vimeo link leads to a "female" version as well. And while I can have a good laugh at the poor guy in the former getting his dream cock-blocked by a parasite, it seems that women fantasize about something entirely different:

The Bride from Jerome Genevray on Vimeo.

...marriage? Okay, the creative team of Jerome Genevray & Eric Esculier lost me there by playing a trope as old as the hills. Too uncomfortable to show a woman's sexual fantasies, guys? Think they're really turned on by diamonds, and not hot sex as well? At least be equal opportunity in your sex-crazed advertising.

Graceful sexploitation?

2012-01-31T15:29:00.000-05:00

It's a very cool ad, actually, even though its anonymous sexuality evokes the James Bond era of the original series. But hey — the ad's made in Montreal (by BBR). And it's actually a lot classier that the usual exploitation of the series' Canadian female lead, Grace Park.

There's another ad in the campaign, but it's not that notable.

Via Ads of The World

Columbus as Creative?

2012-01-30T10:30:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure the payoff is worth it on this short film promoting the Iberoamerican Advertising Festival, but it still rings true as a message about creative frustration.

Unfortunately, Chris's "brilliant" idea was actually terrible. Although the fact that the Earth is round was well-known in his time, he was convinced that the globe was much smaller than the ancient Greeks had calculated. Since nobody knew the Americas were there, the experts at the time assumed that the explorers would starve to death in a vast sea between Europe and Asia. Finding land in the Caribbean was pure, dumb luck. (Although he may have been tipped off about the existence of Newfoundland by Portuguese fishing fleets.)

In other words, comparing Columbus to a brave Creative is like saying we are deluded egomaniacs who occasionally, blindly, land on something we can exploit.

Hmmm...

via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Scratch and Sniff jeans

2012-01-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

From Selfridges & Co:

"Give your weekend wardrobe a playful twist with Naked & Famous Denim's raspberry–scented scratch and sniff jeans. In the label's tapered Weird Guy fit, these indigo jeans can be scratched to give off a sweet raspberry scent. "

Raspberry scent? I guess it's better than Doritos.

via BuzzFeed

F'd Ad Fridays: Save the Allosaurus

2012-01-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

The Daily What posted this secretly awesome wedding invitation. See the close-ups below:

"mmmmm..."

F'd Ad Fridays: Young Lions — unleash your... creativity?

2012-01-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

Oh, that is some really unfortunate art direction right there. Especially for "Canada’s official representative for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity."

Via Black Bag Career Central

F'd Ad Fridays: Smooth Groove helps women say 'no' to the... you know...

2012-01-27T11:13:00.001-05:00

This is a real product. Think about it: people designed, manufactured and marketed this.

They even made a promo video:

It's not the only such product. Camelflage makes toe-proof underpants. (Complete with "before and after" photos O_O)

It's interetsing the times we live in. "Cameltoe" is the new "panty lines" — except that it describes a much more intimate wardrobe malfunction. In just a few years, the term has gone from porny internet reference to mainstream conversation.

Even Lulu Lemon got in on the action:

via

Is this the end of "decency," an example of pornification of everyday life, or just the natural result of third-wave feminism?

Tip via Racked

F'd Ad Fridays: Not an ad for boots (or cats) but it should be

2012-01-27T10:51:00.000-05:00

Kerry sent me this cool short video:

Admit it, you danced a little while watching that, didn't you? Maybe just twitched your shoulders while sitting at your desk?

F'd Ad Fridays: Johnny Worker Red Labial

2012-01-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

The perfect nightcap to a night of drinking crotch wine.

Via Buzzfeed

F'd Ad Fridays: Those Doritos smell like ass!

2012-01-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure the smell of powdered cheese and spices so much covers the smell of flatulence as disguises it.

Via Adrants

F'd Ad Fridays: Lobster vending machine

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

This really exists, and it's actually sort of awesome.

Via oddee.com

F'd Ad Fridays: This wine tastes like crotch!

2012-01-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

Literally: "taste it!"

I can just imagine the tasting notes for this Abruzzo white: "a musky nose, with hints of camembert"

At least it's not the red...

Via nonconvenzionalenoparty (in Italian)

F'd Ad Fridays: Return of the merkin

2012-01-27T08:49:00.001-05:00

Fanny Hill probably rocked one. Why wouldn't you?

If you've never heard the word "merkin" before, make it your word of the day. Dating back to the 1600s or earlier, the term describes a pubic wig worn by prostitutes who had denuded their pudenda as a precaution against catching and spreading crabs.

Well, in a time when women are messing with pubic perfection like never before, Real Housewife of New York Cindy Barshop is offering fantasy merkin installation at her spa:

Made of dyed fox fur and feathers, these things are the next logical step in the whole "vajazzling" trend. Whatever.

Via Spa Week

F'd Ad Fridays: Boner spray spoofs Charles Atlas

2012-01-27T07:45:00.005-05:00

Adrants posted this rather unimaginative parody of classic Charles Atlas fitness ads starring reality TV model Adrianne Curry.

From the product site:

"Meet Erox, a new approach to functional fragrance design that combines patented compounds, including two human pheromones and Muricin Aglycone, a non-pheromone organic molecule that has been proven to increase excitement and arousal in men and women in a double-blind placebo controlled study. Prior to Erox, this compound has never before been available in a consumer product."

Sounds totally legit to me...

F'd Ad Fridays: Thanks to these posters, my expectations are very low

2012-01-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

I already don't like the "what to expect" series of maternal micromanagement books. These dumb posters for the upcoming movie that look and read like hackneyed internet memes aren't exactly helping me want to see the damn thing.

Via BuzzSugar

F'd Ad Fridays: What what? In the dog's butt...

2012-01-27T07:15:00.000-05:00

Now that's an unpleasant campaign. Ogilvy & Mather, Japan, would like you to know that Sneaker Freaker Magazine is doing something about the urban dog shit issue.

Really:

Tip via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: The grossest film poster you'll come across today

2012-01-27T06:06:00.003-05:00

According to the Anomalous Material blog (via Buzzfeed) this is a "banned" poster created for the Hungarian release of the well-received dirty Steve McQueen movie, Shame.

Eww.

A perfect Harley-Davidson ad

2012-01-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

"Hand-picked by the establishment"

And that's all I have to say about it.

Via Ads of The World

Alex Bogusky came up with a better slogan than me

2012-01-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

This blog is based on a brand statement I developed several years ago for Acart, which is "We're here to do work that really matters." It's been shortened, since, to "work that matters".

Today, I saw that I've been one-upped with a four-letter-word.

Why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, because I'm not Alex Bogusky.

This saying isn’t just important because it captures the reason COMMON exists (to creatively accelerate social change, if you’re curious) – it also keeps us focused, motivated and calm in the midst of our most massive creative suck holes.

It’s ‘Do Shit That Matters.’

But doing shit that matters is hardly just something that we care about. As we’ve so thoroughly discovered in our community’s first year, doing shit that matters is important to almost everyone. Those four words are the reason we like getting up in the morning. They’re the reason we make the decisions we make. They’re the reason working doesn’t really feel like work. Most of the time.

Zahia Dehar sells her body for fashion

2012-01-26T15:18:00.001-05:00

Zahia Dehar made world headlines when it was discovered she was working as a call-girl to several well-known French soccer players when she was only 17.

Now 19, she has found a way to sell her body legitimately (with help from a Hong Kong investor and Karl Lagerfeld) as the "face" of a new couture lingerie line.

As you can see from the video, however, her face is not the focus of the brand.

WWD described this scene at her launch:

"Puzzled guests opened the black boxes left on their seats to discover a miniature pink chocolate rendition of Dehar’s assets, nestled in black tissue paper. Life-sized versions, rendered in metallic pink, were dotted through a pitch-dark space where waiters served Champagne after the show."

Actual product design is apparently not integral to the brand, either:

"...the money poured into the show could not disguise her lack of experience. Models stood on revolving podiums in designs ranging from a black hourglass corset festooned with pink petals to a bodysuit consisting of little more than a giant pink satin bow and matching pasties. With its Manga esthetic, the collection navigated an uncomfortable line between infantile and erotic. A scantily clad Dehar emerged for the finale, flashing come-hither looks as pink petals showered down from above. "

So what exactly is she selling?

You tell me.

Samsung Galaxy Tab ad parody is f*cking awesome

2012-01-26T13:10:00.000-05:00

Seen this Samsung Galaxy Tab ad?

Even if you have, you've probably forgotten about it. Until now. Because someone has gone and redone the audio on it.

Result? Awesome.

Via Illegal Advertising

Real-life ad blockers strike Stockholm subway

2012-01-26T11:49:00.001-05:00

A Swedish activist group posted this video of their shenanigans in the Stockholm subway, removing all ads from a train car and a station.

While I can appreciate a good civil disobedience, and I agree it's nice to have a little break from ad overload, the stunt is pretty obnoxious to anyone involved in public transit.

The group is quoted in Animal NY:

“Public transport is nothing you can compromise about. It is a vital part of the urban nervous system and is a public matter, a premise for the city’s economical and social life to function. The fact that public transport is too expensive is both a structural issue as well as a reality for individual people. It is not fair that a millionaire and an unemployed person has to pay as much for public transport. With tax-paid, fare-free, public transport everyone pays according to how much they can pay.”

I would love for buses, trains, etc. to be able to be fare- and ad-free too. That would be awesome. Seriously. But if even a country like Sweden has to supplement taxpayer funding by collecting fare and selling ad space, you can be pretty sure that is not happening in any capitalist country anytime soon.

I get it. They're anarchists. Me, I just want to be able to take the bus to work. And as a rider, I have a feeling any social action that costs the transit system revenue is going to end up coming out of my pocket.

But hey, have fun sticking it to all the wrong people.

And is this not also an ad?

Steel Panther poster banned in UK for sexy/sexist imagery

2012-01-26T10:35:00.002-05:00

Spinal Tap would be so proud.

Indeed. Steel Panther are yet another parody band who do the material so well that people take it seriously. At least that's what happened when this outrageously over-the-top poster appeared in the UK last fall.

The Guardian reports that the ASA, the UK's notoriously ninny ad standards enforcer, did not accept the argument that that the ads were meant to "poke fun at the ridiculousness of the attitude to women, outfits and music in that [1980s] era".

Here's the ruling in full:

"The ASA noted Universal Island Records' argument that the poster was not meant to cause offence or be seen as demeaning to women. However, we considered that the main image on the poster was overtly sexual. We noted that the pose of the woman showed her with her legs apart, her hand between her legs and her breasts partially exposed and considered that her facial expression was suggestive of an orgasm and sexual activity. In addition to this, we considered that the album title "Balls Out" was sexually suggestive particularly when viewed in the context of the poster, where the woman was seen dangling two silver balls between her legs in a way that we considered was suggestive of male genitalia.

We noted Universal Island Records' argument that the poster was meant to be viewed humorously and not to be taken seriously as it was meant to represent the over-the-top image of the band featured in the poster. However, we considered that most people would not view the poster in this way and even if they had viewed it in that context, the poster was overtly sexual when taken as a whole. Given its placement in a range of public locations, we concluded that it was likely to cause serious and widespread offence, was unsuitable to be seen by children and therefore was not appropriate for outdoor advertising."

Universal had stated that their media plan favoured locations that are "popular with adults for nights out" but since the campaign is over now anyway, it hardly matters.

What is interesting about all of this is the struggle between artistic licence in the pursuit of laughs and real-life standards against sexism, racism, and other social ills. It's such a fine line...

Tip via Adland

Just what America needs: An Xbox controller that feeds you Hot Pockets

2012-01-25T14:46:00.003-05:00

It's long, it's nerdy, and it's kind of terrifying. Technology nerd Ben Heck painstakingly designs a device that amechanically extrudes a Hot Pocket from the top of your Xbox 360 controller so that you can take bites of dough-wrapped greasy goop without having to pause your favourite game.

It's oddly compelling, in a "this is the end of civilization as we know it" kind of way.

Via G4

Sainsbury's has the best customer service person in the world

2012-01-25T10:29:00.002-05:00

Kerry shared this awesome find from Facebook. (It also appears on Huffington Post UK.)

Three-and-a-half-year-old consumer Lily Robinson had a question about one of UK chain store Sainsbury's store-brand food products:

Cute. But what Customer Manager Chris King wrote back should be enshrined in customer service history.

Full text:

Thanks so much for your letter. I think renaming tiger bread giraffe bread is a brilliant idea — it looks much more like the blotches on a giraffe than the stripes on a tiger, doesn't it?

It is called tiger bread because the first baker who made it a looong time ago thought it looked sripey like a tiger. Maybe they were a bit silly.

I really liked reading your letter so I thought I would send you a little present. I've put a £3 gift card in with this letter. If you ask your mum or dad to take you to Sainsbury's you could use it to buy some of your own tiger bread (and maybe if mum and dad say it's OK you can get some sweeties too!) Please tell an adult to wait 48 hours before using this card.

I'm glad you wrote in to us and hope you like spending your gift card. See you in store soon.

Yours sincerely

Chris King (age 27 & 1/3)

And that, my friends, is how you attract customers for life. And it didn't even involve social media. (Until now.)

Is fashion advertising less facile if it lets you know it knows you know it's facile?

2012-01-25T09:57:00.001-05:00

Long headline. But the question remains: is this "short film" for fashion magazine Jalouse, starring model Ashley Smith brilliant in its cynical self-referencing commentary by director Matthew Frost?

Or is this just another level of arrogance?

Personally, I found it entertaining. But as a Canadian, I like anyone who can laugh at themselves.

Via Illegal Advertising

Australia's "Barbie Girl" is not sheepish about shilling for meat

2012-01-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

Sam Kekovich is an Australian sports commentator, media personality and "lambassador" for Meat & Livestock Australia.

To promote heavy lamb consumption for Australia Day cookouts, Sydney agency BMF teamed him up with surgically-enhanced pop singer Melissa Tkautz to perform a carnivorous cover of Aqua's 1997 dance hit, “Barbie Girl”.

Did I mention that he's autotuned? He also raps.

Happy Australia Day down there.

Tip via The Inspiration Room

Cottage cheese thighs?

2012-01-25T07:27:00.000-05:00

"Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine," who are basically a vegan advocacy group, are hating on cheese again.

These billboards were recently erected outside Albany, New York, in dairy country.

Strangely, this is part of a campaign to have cheese removed from (or reduced in) school lunches.

"PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., has written a letter to members of the Albany city school board, asking the city to cut down on dairy products served in schools to help students reduce the risk of childhood obesity.
...
School lunches in Albany include an abundance of cheesy foods. The city’s high school menu, for example, includes dairy- and fat-loaded offerings such as chicken parmesan and lasagna with three different types of cheese. Cheese pizzas are available daily."

I won't defend the nutritional value of crappy school lunches. But as an ad guy, I find PCRM's ads as useless as ever. Eating too much fat makes you fat? Gee... thanks. Quite the medical breakthrough there. Targeting one food as the enemy, however, oversimplifies the issue.

Tip via Sociological Images

History repeats itself. History repeats itself. History...

2012-01-24T06:47:00.002-05:00

Mexico City's Museo Memoria y Tolerancia is an interesting idea. In a place founded on genocide and the clash of ancient empires, the museum stands "to warn about the dangers of indiﬀerence, discrimination and violence for generating, instead, responsibility, respect and awareness in each individual."

These ads, by Mexico's Made agency, paraphrase the George Santayana quote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" and matches it with iconic images of war and violence to amplify the message.

The effect is not subtle, and you could accuse the campaign of relying too much on borrowing interest from some of the world's great tragedies. But the message is, at least, clear. and as important now as it was over 100 years ago.

Via I Believe in Advertising

McDonald's serves up hashtags, gets burned. #McDStories

2012-01-23T13:29:00.001-05:00

Big corporations and social media is a volatile mix. McDonald's learned this the hard way this month when they introduced a special hashtag (#McDStories) on Twitter in an attempt to generate some free customer-generated social PR to go with its new campaign.

The results, for anyone who spends time on Twitter, were predictable. It was a freaking dogpile.

And of course PETA got involved.

While there are ways to deal with this kind of backlash, McDonald's is just too big to give a community manager the power and training to fix it, and to hated to avoid messing it up anyway.

They should have stuck with hashbrowns.

The kettle for people who hate their coworkers

2012-01-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

Don't you hate that awkward moment when you find yourself stuck in the office kitchen, having to listen to a colleague dare to speak to you, while you're waiting for the kettle to boil?

Well, fear not. This ultrafast kettle will cut the awkwardness short in faux Dilbert style.

What a relief.

Ad by BBR Saatchi & Saatchi, Tel Aviv, Israel
Via I Believe in Advertising

The sickest tooth whitening ad you'll ever see

2012-01-23T07:27:00.001-05:00

It looks like a parody, but it's apparently real. And creepy as hell.

There's another one in which a man crucifies himself while hammering:

Bizarre. Not a particularly appealing message, either.

Unless you're Frank Zappa

Via Ads of The World

Iranian actress banished for boobies

2012-01-22T18:59:00.002-05:00

Golshifteh Farahani is an Iranian actress who has appeared in Western movies with Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and Isabella Rossellini.

But most recently, she has become known as the latest woman from the Muslim world to be condemned for daring to bare her body for art.

Barely, that is. She appeared partially nude in Jean-Baptiste Mondino's 'Corps et Âmes' (below) as well as in the French magazine Madame Le Figaro (above).

No big deal, right? Not in Iran.

From The Telegraph:

"The Paris-based actress left Iran last year in protest against restrictive Islamic codes that the Iranian cinema industry has to follow under Ahmadinejad's conservative cultural policies.

Now she said the government has sent a communication telling her not to travel back to her homeland.

"I was told by a Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guide official that Iran does not need any actors or artists. You may offer your artistic services somewhere else", Farahani said."

Following the Nude Photo Revolutionary scandal in Egypt, I continue to wonder if these individual acts of protest are any indication of a simmering desire for sexual revolution among the women of the conservative Muslim world. If it is, I wish them well.

With two words, I will completely ruin this campaign for you.

2012-01-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

BLOW

JOB

Sorry.

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: "At Last Singer Etta James Dies at 73"

2012-01-20T16:07:00.000-05:00

Casey also sent me a link to this apparent (and very sad) headline fail:

If it's real, it has since been changed.

But this hasn't:

Rest in peace, Ms. James

F'd Ad Fridays: Effing hilarious media placement

2012-01-20T14:46:00.000-05:00

Via Adland and Copyranter

F'd Ad Fridays: Fly the friendly skies, undress the stewardess with your eyes

2012-01-20T11:49:00.000-05:00

Copyranter posted this 1950s airline promotion that could in no way encourage sexual harassment of the flight attendants.

F'd Ad Fridays: She's shitting

2012-01-20T11:43:00.000-05:00

I have no idea wat they're actually saying, but this vintage Japanese Star Wars ripoff has so much else wrong with it, I might as well think it's about the laxative qualities of canned tuna.

Via illegal advertising

F'd Ad Fridays: All parents should have to go through... what?

2012-01-20T11:33:00.000-05:00

Look, I get what they're trying to say. But that picture is all kinds of awkward. To put it mildly.

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Effing awesome intermission film

2012-01-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

Casey sent me this awesomeness by the British show Look Around You. They had a screening of their best shorts from the past ten years screened at the British Film Institute, and they made this special intermission film for the occasion:

F'd Ad Fridays: The worst tattoo artist in the world

2012-01-20T11:12:00.001-05:00

Oh, I wish this site were fake. But I don't think it is.

Let's go to the homepage:

Ouch! Not a great start.

How about the work?

Umm, what?

WHAT?

Ohhh, okay. He's a Juggalo.

And he likes Hayden Panettiere. And guns. I think.

And love.

And death. (Is that The Grim Scrotum?)

My favourite comment from the site:

"You fucking goofball, quit scarring people for life. You are a talentless hack and by far the worst I've seen. And I've seen a lot. Did you shove the gun in your ass and start dancing or something? Do the world a favor, save whatever shred of dignity and self respect you have left!"

Tip via Buzzfeed

F'd Ad Fridays: The Big Coloring Book of Vaginas

2012-01-20T10:54:00.001-05:00

Wow, Mommy Blogs are getting pretty cool.

This item showed up in Cafe Mom's The Stir:

Ummmm....

From the blog:

"The Big Coloring Book of Vaginas is definitely (definitely!) not a kids' book. But it's a book I would like to "share" with my daughter in some way. Now, at 5, I would never let her actually near this book since it's basically porn (the writer also has a Big Coloring Books of Co*ks as well and that one is definitely grown-up), but I love the concept.

The vagina book isn't about masturbation for men (unless you want it to be) and is much more about body empowerment. This is a lesson I want for my kids and for my daughter in particular.

The book encourages women to commune with their vagina, which sounds so silly to say (and what does it even mean?). But if you have ever been a mom to a boy baby (and I have for almost four years now), then you know that boys start "communing" with their penises from a young age.

We've had to actively train our son not to pull down his pants all the time and share his favorite thing in the world with the whole world. It makes us laugh how proud he is of his nether regions and most of the boy moms I know say their sons are the same. "Penis pride" is a real thing, people.

Girls, on the other hand, have no equivalent. Maybe it's because all of our workings are more on the inside, but my daughter doesn't run around feeling so excited about herself in the way my son does. I wish she did."

Okay, Sasha Brown-Worsham. You are cool in my book. I should point out, however, that my book would use the word "vulva". So much nicer. And accurate.

F'd Ad Fridays: "Purity Bear" ad looks like parody, but it's real

2012-01-20T10:19:00.002-05:00

Amazing, No just the shitty writing, directing, acting, editing, etc. But the whole concept of a "Day of Purity"

Look, buddy... it's your choice what you want to do with your life. But I would like to point out that consensual (and responsible) sex among mutually attracted young unmarried people is also "pure". Pure AWESOME.

And I feel terrible for the girl. She has taken a great emotional risk by making an advance on the boy and her turns her down. Maybe even made her feel dirty. In my experience, this does not lead to marriage. This leads to damaged self-esteem on her part that will only be built up when she finds a guy who doesn't play games with her.

In other words, the bear is a tool. He also reminds me a little too much of this guy.

Go away, Purity Bear. Go far away.

Tip via Jezebel

Australia destroys a legend to sell meat

2012-01-19T16:39:00.003-05:00

Oh, dear.

Normie Rowe is the Australian old-school rocker whose 1965 cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over" (also covered by The Who, The Guess Who and other, non-who-related, bands) was a huge smash down under. But his career was cut short when he was drafted and sent to Vietnam.

Now the poor washed-up star has been conscripted to murder his biggest hit, with TV chef Curtis Stone, singing new lyrics about Aussie beef, for the Coles supermarket chain.

Poor guy. Poor song. Poor us.

"No added hormoooooones"

via mumbrella

I have no time to blog today

2012-01-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

So here's a grotesquely masked Jessica Simpson at a bachelorette party.

Via her Twitter.

2012-01-18T05:32:00.000-05:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more

Mad Men new season premiere falls on March 25

2012-01-17T14:49:00.000-05:00

Via Copyranter

Demon Turtle wants you to eat Jolly Ranchers instead of it

2012-01-17T10:07:00.001-05:00

Maybe it's because I'm tired, or maybe because I need to make a quick post before my next meeting, but for some reason I don't want to wait until F'd Ad Fridays to share this ad. It is just too insanely hilarious.

Jolly Ranchers have always been the candy preferred by stoners. This ad will blow their baked little minds.

Written and directed by Olivier Agostini. The turtle, by the way, is real — not CG.

Via Ads of The World

What the hell is in this baby formula?

2012-01-16T11:29:00.001-05:00

Copy says, "New! A natural solution that keeps your facial skin revitalized. A better sleep for your baby with Materna's Good Night infant formula."

Does it have Benadryl in it? Gravol? Morphine? According to this source, the secret ingredient is "special composition of carbohydrates, giving the baby a longer feeling of fullness."

What a terrible idea. Babies wake up and cry because they aren't really supposed to be left alone. (Think about it — in a state of nature, they'd be eaten by wolves.)

I understand that not everyone can or wants to breastfeed or cosleep. But an ad promoting a formula that keeps your inconvenient baby quiet so you can get your beauty sleep really irks me. It's playing to selfishness and vanity.

By JWT, Tel Aviv, Israel

Via Ads of The World

Lindsay Lohan wants your friction

2012-01-16T11:09:00.002-05:00

At least this one wasn't done from jail. Adrants' Steve Hall says it was shot by her Playboy photographer Yu Tsai, but in a session a couple of years ago. Not exactly subtle.

F'd Ad (Network) Fridays: Google Adcensorship

2012-01-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

Adland, the internet's longest-running adblog, has been experiencing some financial troubles of late. They made it through the New Year deadline by fundraising to cover unexpected server fees, only to have their ad revenue rug pulled out from under them by Google Adsense.

The blog's owner, Åsk Wäppling, recently got a notice from Google that read:

"As stated in our program policies, AdSense publishers are not permitted to place Google ads on pages with adult or mature content. In addition to photos and videos which contain nudity or sexual activities, below are some other examples of unacceptable content: * Lewd or provocative images * Crude or indecent language, including adult stories * Sexual tips or advice * Sexual fetish sites (e.g. foot fetish content) * Adult toys or products * Ads or links to external sites containing adult content * Adult links and/or adult keywords within the meta data in the source code of your site"

The offending content? This image, from a four-year-old post in the archives.

Åsk points out that Adsense regularly serves up much more sexually-charged content than this, like Evony's notorious titty ads.

What is going on here? Adland was kicked off Adsense almost a year ago for a seven-year-old post showing an ad with bare bums and complaining about its sexism.

Incredible that lingerie photos, of a type that can be found in any department store catalogue, have been labelled "mature content". Someone needs to get their head out of their ass.

F'd Ad Fridays: Condom wrappers everywhere

2012-01-13T14:54:00.001-05:00

Maybe it's just me, but I hate finding other people's condom packages lying around the streets or on other public places. Mostly because it's a reminder that there may be a discarded "white balloon" nearby, and also because it's litter. I'm happy people use them. I just don't want to be reminded that people are picking up street prostitutes so close to my home and work.

That said, I get the humour in this playful ad from K Swamy BBDO, India. But why would an old married couple use one?

I do, however, love the brand name: Hindustan Lifecare Limited Moods Condoms

For all your limited moods?

Via IBiA

F'd Ad Fridays: Newt attacks Mitt for... speaking French?

2012-01-13T14:23:00.001-05:00

I'm sure quite a few American political attack ads will make it here before the next election. This one will be particularly amusing to my fellow Canadians. It's a series of attacks at Romney for being "liberal" and "moderate" (heaven forbid!) that leads up to the killing blow that just like John Kerry, Mitt can speak French!

Go to :47 for the kicker:

Oh, and Newt speaks French too. Imagine!

Tip via The Daily What

F'd Ad Fridays: North Dakota pimps its women out to male visitors

2012-01-13T13:47:00.001-05:00

Is this Fargo's red light district?

Or maybe it's an attempt to increase the state's population: "Arrive a guest, leave a zygote."

Tip via Copyranter

F'd Ad Fridays: Olivia Munn goes naked and furless for PETA

2012-01-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

As often happens, this new PETA celebsploitation campaign looks more like an ad for a waxing salon than a social marketing campaign.

The actress and author asks us, "who needs fur to feel beautiful?" and the poor rabbit seems insulted by it.

Here's the video:

Via Celebuzz

F'd Ad Fridays: Because fat people have no feelings

2012-01-13T11:37:00.000-05:00

These two recent ads, both from MCCann Erickson, Tel Aviv, are pretty mean-spirited.

Via Copyranter

Via Ads of The World

Way to prove to the world that advertisers are in a conspiracy to make people feel bad about themselves, guys.

F'd Ad Fridays: Star Wars porn parody more into FX than sex

2012-01-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

According to the You Tube post:

"With the highest budget ever for an X-rated spoof, an all-star cast, and award-winning director Axel Braun's legendary attention to detail, STAR WARS XXX: A PORN PARODY, a joint venture between Axel Braun Productions and Vivid Entertainment, is poised to become the most successful Adult movie of all times. The long-anticipated official trailer offers a sneak peek at the extensive special effects, spectacular production value, and totally metrosexual C3PO. May the farce be with you!"

Now, call me old fashioned, but I thought pornography was supposed to be about people having sex in every conceivable position while muddling through a contrived storyline about a cable guy or something.

Allie Haze, who plays the princess, says that this parody is "staying really true to the original."

Indeed. As George Lucas once said, "there's no underwear in space".

F'd Ad Fridays: Harley Babyson

2012-01-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

That is one freakishly long umbilical cord — and one freakishly old newborn.

While I get the strategy of this Brazilian campaign, I think the execution is needlessly off-putting.

There's another one that's a little cuter:

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Cat got your... umm... nose?

2012-01-13T10:39:00.003-05:00

It's a nasal decongestant ad from the Philippines. Since cat hair is one of the things that causes snotageddon for me, I'm going to be seeing this image in my nightmares.

Thanks a lot, Copyranter.

F'd Ad Fridays: Epically Effed Pizza Ad

2012-01-13T10:24:00.001-05:00

This Spanish microwave pizza looks awful, but that doesn't stop these creatives from pulling out all the stops to create the most insane online video ad I've seen that isn't from Japan.

AdFreak's Tim Nudd wrote, "It's not clear if Pizza Boomerang is a real thing, or just a stunt project by Sofa Experience Communications, which posted the YouTube video."

Warning: It contains a very fake but very graphic pizza penectomy. Yeah, really.

F'd Ad Fridays: Sanitary (Lily) Pad

2012-01-13T09:27:00.002-05:00

Wait a sec... where did she just put that thing?

I have no idea what this has to do with retirement planning.

Via Jezebel

F'd Ad Fridays: Sexism goes the other way, too

2012-01-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

And it's just as bad. These are from Dynamix in Sydney, Australia, to promote the down under version o Wife Swap. The other two are a little playfully more comical.

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Not as sweet as you think

2012-01-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

This Australian cider ad by BMF reminds me of the photoshop gags a fellow Creative Director keeps making as his Facebook avatar. I had to check the credits to confirm that Clare was not, in fact, behind this creative.

Via IBiA

Has McDonald's been forced to label its food carcinogenic?

2012-01-12T15:16:00.002-05:00

There's a pic going around showing a "new" McDonald's warning label about cancer-causing ingredients. But here's the kicker: that shit is in most of what you eat.

If you've been paying attention, you've been hearing about acrylamide for years. It's naturally present in ripe olives, and dried plums (prunes) and pears. It's in your coffee. And it gets produced every time you brown many of your favourite foods (like meat, potatoes and bread) at high heat. In short, it's in everything you like.

This picture showed up on Buzzfeed today, but a web search seems to indicate that it is a hoax from 2009, based on conjecture about whether California's strict food safety laws would lead to fast foods being labelled the way cigarettes are. I can't find any evidence that that is actually happening.

Of course, that won't stop this image from going viral, again, with reactionary comments like this:

"It stands to reason that this is a legal/precautionary measure; after reports swirled about fast food wrappers containing cancer causing chemicals that have been found in the fecal matter, blood, and urine of tested subjects, McDonald’s likely placed these notices on their wrappers to save face.

For us, this is a wake up call. Personally I wish I could throw up the Big Mac I ate last night (if it weren’t too digested) but since I can’t, I’m going to be forced to take a brief hiatus from my local Dirt Ronnies. Will you continue to eat McDonald’s without shame or concern, or is a warning like this big enough to scare you away?"

No, it does not "stand to reason". Even the faux label itself admits that the compound is naturally occurring, and that that the FDA has nothing against it. If McDonald's were forced to issue this warning, so would all those other cooked and prepared foods I listed above. It is simply not a "McDonald's issue."

My feeling is, if you're going to trash McDonald's for selling sugary, fatty, overprocessed and marginally nutritious food to kids and other vulnerable groups, then do that. McDonald's is not a nice company (although I do love an Egg McMuffin). But random and ill-informed anti-McDonald's panic is not helping the conversation about nutrition, culture or corporate ethics.

Related:

Old Spice blows your mind "into 1,000 smaller, better minds"

2012-01-12T07:56:00.002-05:00

This video is currently "unlisted", and is apparently the latest Old Spice ad with Terry Crews.

Ummm... okay. I miss the old days. This campaign feels so far over the shark, I fear it will soon crash its waterskis on dry land back in Milwaukee.

Via Buzzfeed

New condom ad rolls out an old idea

2012-01-12T06:52:00.001-05:00

This condom ad by Marcus Thomas, in Cleveland, brings back the old "parenthood is a nightmare" gag that seems to appeal to younger singles.

The problem is, it's been done before — by a much better ad.

The only advantage of this new ad is that it brings a unique product benefit into the mix. But hearing about penile sensation while watching screaming children is not exactly a great viewer experience.

Via Ads of The World

These photos of strippers at work are not what you'd expect

2012-01-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

If I were to think of a word for photographer Alicia Vera's portraits of exotic dancers at a San Francisco "gentlemen's club," it would be "stripped." And indeed, that's what she calls her essay.

Women's sexuality stripped of its dignity. Men's sexuality stripped of its joy. The softcore side of sex work stripped of any excitement whatsoever.

Women giving up fake intimacy for paltry tips, men giving up money for fake attention.

But like a good, objective eye, Alicia does not judge. She just watches.

Great, heartbreaking, and even inspiring work. Whether you frequent these establishments or not, it will be hard to unsee these images.

See the rest at her portfolio site.

Tip via The Photo Brigade.

This pro-legalization ad is giving me the munchies

2012-01-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

Look, I'll admit it: I've done it. I've done it quite a few times. I've even prepared a bowl or two with homegrown herb, back in the day.

Via Buzzfeed

"Priceless" - Australian style

2012-01-11T06:47:00.000-05:00

Celine shared this recent Master Card ad from Australia:

The comically "ideal" man thing has been done to death, since Old Spice, but this one is pretty funny. I'm not sure how threatened you'd really need to feel by such a douche, but nonetheless the product benefit is single-minded and front and centre. And the brand is pared down to its punchline.

Moral of the story: You can have an entertaining spot that is bang on strategy. Nice work.

Who was the agency?

"Fotoshop by Adobé" merges the world of cosmetics and retouching

2012-01-10T21:12:00.002-05:00

Jesse Rosten says, "I was watching TV one sleepless night and stumbled upon an infomercial for some beauty product. The commercial showed before and after portraits, that to my eye, looked like the same photo just photoshopped. I laughed to myself. Then I made this video."

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

And there it is. A little long, maybe, but pretty bang on.

Via Viral Videos

Bunny Girls vs. Horse Men

2012-01-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

This Playboy ad (via Copyranter) uses an old group photo trick that coincidentally (?) has an ancestor circulating on Reddit, Tumblr and Buzzfeed right now:

Weird. Have any other examples to share?

Move over Axe, women prefer the smell of liquor

2012-01-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Poland's Zubrowka Vodka would like you to know that the scent women really go crazy for is liquor:

In this pretty hamfisted Axe parody, they somehow smell the vodka over the dude's bad body spray chemical warfare. Which is amazing, because I thought the whole point of drinking vodka was that it was the "no-tell liquor".

Must be the grass.

Moral of the story: liquor is quicker?

Via Illegal Advertising

Vince Offer is back...

2012-01-09T15:00:00.002-05:00

With the Schticky.

Making a dramatic comeback after his arrest in Miami Beach for attacking a woman prostitute who he says bit his tongue, the manic pitchman works his legal problems into the new infomercial.

The writing is good, and the performance is dripping with self-conscious irony. Yes, it suffers from many sequels' fault of staying in the comfort zone (if making outrageous sexual puns can be considered that). And this is still a lowlife who gets into violent rows with women he pays for sex. But like a trainwreck, you can't not stop and look.

Thanks to Jackie for the tip!

Yoga: not for the weak

2012-01-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

Ads of The World's Ivan Raszl shared this online yoga ad that is guaranteed to make men and women alike feel physically inadequate:

Shot for Equinox Fitness, it features Yoga Asana instructor Briohny Smyth showing off what focus, training and discipline can do for the human body. Unbelievable.

"I came here for an argument"

2012-01-08T11:58:00.002-05:00

Like comment spammers, trolls are a natural part of the blog landscape. Sometimes they're actually quite funny. Unfortunately, more often than not, they are just wannabe bullies.

I say "wannabe" because they rarely have the effect they want. Unlike the schoolyard, social media channels do not allow the privacy that most bullies operate under. They expose their own intellectual and psychological shortcomings for everyone to see. But because they can do so with anonymity, they aren't too worried about being personally exposed.

I have one of these. At least one. Regular readers will recognize a signature style in a certain "Anonymous" poster's comments. I have no idea why he/she bothers to come here so regularly to read posts that he/she thinks are "stupid" or "crazy" just so he/she can call me a "prick" or a "dbag".

My first instinct has been to leave these comments up. They don't do any more harm to me than slight annoyance, and my Facebook friends seem to get some entertainment value out of seeing what the troll will come up with next. Lately, though, things have begun to escalate from random abuse to a weird kind of obsessiveness. It's creepy.

I don't really want to pre-moderate comments, and I won't for now. I also want to leave the anonymous option there for people who aren't comfortable putting a public identity to their comments. I will continue to delete hate speech against others as a matter of policy, as well as spam when I feel like it. And once in a while, I will disappear a troll.

I blog under my own name because I've never been shy about having an opinion. I know my opinions can attract scorn as well as debate, and I can take quite a bit of both. But what I really get tired of is repetitive trolling that isn't funny, creative, or even laughably pathetic. I wouldn't sit silently and take some stranger screaming shit at me on the bus. Why do I need to play host to it here?

I came here for an argument.

F'd Ad Fridays: F'd political message prank

2012-01-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Deadspin has a post about Craig James, a Republican candidate for the United States Senate who has an unfortunate urban legend about being a serial killer of prostitutes when he was a university student. Yeah, really.

And apparently some wag, for the low cost of a $5 donation, was able to leave this message on his campaign fundraising page at Rally.org:

Did you see it?

F'd Ad Fridays: Appalling Holocaust-themed fitness ad

2012-01-06T12:22:00.000-05:00

I first saw this Facebook ad on Copyranter, but The Stir had a full version.

Using the Holocaust to sell gym memberships in Dubai is some repugnant shit. So I guess it would be superficial of me to point out that it they couldn't even be bothered to design it, as the "ad" was apparently laid out on Demotivator's DIY dynamic generator.

They have since apologized on Facebook:

F'd Ad Fridays: Naked guy photobombs kids' clothing shoot

2012-01-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

It apparently showed up in La Redoute's web site and catalogue.

Here's a Google Translate of their apology on Facebook:

"La Redoute apologizes for the photo published on its site and is taking steps to remove it.

We opted to remove all the posts including this picture. We are aware that it may offend the sensibilities of surfers.

We will strengthen the validation process of all brand communications for this can not happen again in the future."

And, presumably, to keep naked dudes out of their kiddie photoshoots.

Via Copyranter

F'd Ad Fridays: Bizarre, racialized photoshop disaster coffee shop ad

2012-01-06T09:41:00.005-05:00

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Cheating panty semen detection kit

2012-01-06T09:14:00.001-05:00

You could trust your girlfriend or wife, or you could trust SCIENCE:

According to the Test Infidelity web site:

"The InSite Semen Detection Kit can detect traces of semen on a woman's undergarment discharged after sexual intercourse, and up to 36 hours later.

The InSite Kit comes with two types of test strips: (1) acid phosphatase (AP) test strips, and (2) prostate specific antigen (PSA) test strips. These two test work together to provide evidence of semen on a woman's undergarment.

The AP test strips can detect semen down to a 1/2000 dilution and provide instant results. The PSA test strips can detect semen to a 1/500,000 dilution and provide more sensitive results in just 10 minutes.

The InSite Semen Detection Kit contains 15 AP test strips in a resealable pouch with desiccant, 10 PSA test strips in sealed individual pouches and a 5-mL dropper."

The company also provides semen DNA analysis, to identify your cuckold, and a forensic infidelity test that works on both semen and vaginal fluid.

Ah, modern romance...

Tip via Jezebel

F'd Ad Fridays: Headless ghost house from Hell

2012-01-06T08:30:00.002-05:00

My colleague Christopher shared this bizarre real estate listing:

Yeah, I want to live in headless ghost house from Hell.

F'd Ad Fridays: Insane Gary Busey used car ads

2012-01-06T08:04:00.000-05:00

Extra effed. Via Buzzfeed.

F'd Ad Fridays: David Lynch PBR ad

2012-01-06T07:59:00.000-05:00

Somebody took this messed-up Dennis Hopper scene from Blue Velvet and mashed it up with PBR branding. Awesome

F'd Ad Fridays: Give in to the dark side of the burger...

2012-01-06T07:56:00.001-05:00

Belgian fast food chain Quick has created something rather... disturbing as a tie-in to the release of Star Wars Episode 1 in 3-D: a black bunned Darth Vader burger.

There's also a Yoda-themed Jedi burger, but I guess a green bun was considered somehow more unappetizing, so they kept in natural.

There's also a burger based on Darth Maul, who apparently really loves cholesterol.

To be honest, the scariest thing about this whole deal is the thought of seeing Jar-Jar in 3-D.

Via complex.com

F'd Ad Fridays: Effin' SALE

2012-01-06T07:41:00.000-05:00

This Japanese in-store advertising is actually kind of awesome.

Via Copyranter

F'd Ad Fridays: My House Fungus

2012-01-06T07:35:00.000-05:00

My friend Rachel shared this one:

Unless you're a Smurf, "fungus" is something you usually want to keep out of your home. Even if "it can bring you the endless fun".

F'd Ad Fridays: Pubic hairstyle guide

2012-01-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

Click to enlarge

I hope they have this on the wall at Queen Bee's waxing station. Some of them are pretty clever, although Copyranter may want to add the "Mein Fur" to his list of stupid Hitler references in advertising. Also, why is the "Zeus" not called the "Bowie"?

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Sucks to be a model

2012-01-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

Is this for real? It was uploaded a couple of days ago.

The humour is pretty original, but I can't see how this is not going to offend people. Which is probably the intent, because of all the PR. But is that going to get them ahead with their target market?

Hmmm...

Via Creative Criminals

The saddest Tumblr of all time

2012-01-05T17:15:00.001-05:00

LIVE! (I see dead people) photoshops classic album covers to edit out the dead guys.

The result is depressing as hell.

That's it. I can't take any more.

2012's first epic social media fail brought to you by Volkswagen

2012-01-05T10:57:00.002-05:00

For months, Greenpeace UK has been campaigning against Volkswagen's corporate opposition to new environmental laws in Europe.

According to Greenpeace's Star Wars themed campaign site (making fun of VW's Darth Vader Super Bowl ad):

"VW opposes key environmental laws we need if we’re going to stop our planet going the way of Alderaan (bye bye). But all is not lost. We feel the good in Volkswagen.
All of us in the Rebellion are calling on Volkswagen to turn away from the Dark Side and give our planet a chance.

Despite its green image, Volkswagen is spending millions of Euros every year funding lobby groups who are trying to stop Europe increasing its commitment to greenhouse gas reductions from 20% to 30% by 2020. Progressive companies – from Google to Ikea, Sony, Unilever and Philips – support the target. Volkswagen can’t afford to be left behind.

More efficient cars are cheaper to run, use less oil and emit less CO2. Volkswagen has a history of lobbying against the strong European standards that we need to kick our oil addiction. As the biggest car company in Europe, with the biggest responsibility, VW must change and support strong standards from now on.

Volkswagen says it wants to be “the most eco-friendly automaker in the world”, but only 6% of the cars it sold in 2010 were its most efficient models. It has the technology to do better. VW must set out its plan to make its entire fleet oil-free by 2040."

The "Rebel Alliance" at Greenpeace seems to have found its Death Star: Volkswagen UK's Facebook page:

After the company's admin posted an innocent-enough update, "We hope you had a fantastic New Year. Do you have any resolutions and what would you like to see us do more of this year?" the dogfight began. Almost 1000 damning comments, as of this writing, and not one response.

While the organized criticism itself will become a cautionary tale for many big brands on social media, the moral of the story will be lost on most. The key to being an effective social brand is not avoiding, deleting or even ignoring criticism; it is engaging the negative.

Chapstick figured that out the hard way when a fairly tame campaign idea went totally off the rails and they responded by deleting negative comments. Commenters just went elsewhere to vent, and the brand lost a key opportunity to learn more about its audience.

Eventually, they saw the light and issued this abject apology:

“We see that not everyone likes our new ad, and please know that we certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone! Our fans and their voices are at the heart of our new advertising campaign, but we know we don’t always get it right. We’ve removed the image and will share a newer ad with our fans soon!

“We apologize that fans have felt like their posts are being deleted and while we never intend to pull anyone’s comments off our wall, we do comply with Facebook guidelines and remove posts that use foul language, have repetitive messaging, those that are considered spam-like (multiple posts from a person within a short period of time) and are menacing to fans and employees.”

Volkswagen, on the other hand, is either too negligent or too scared to respond on their own Facebook page. And that's a real failure to communicate.

In my experience, every brand or cause has an answer to criticism that won't necessarily be widely accepted, but is rational and at least partly valid. There are two sides to every argument, especially when it comes to awkward issues like greenwashing and corporate social responsibility.

Volkswagen UK is being called to task on its side of the story.

On their corporate site, they claim:

"We care as much as you do about the environment so we design our cars to have minimal impact on it at every stage: during manufacture, while on the road and at the end of their lives.

Of course, we also want you to enjoy driving your Volkswagen. That means our engineers are constantly working to produce cars that offer great performance with better fuel economy and fewer harmful emissions. Our Golf BlueMotion for example, is currently one of the most fuel efficient cars of it class, with CO2 emissions of just 99g/km thanks to its start/stop technology and regenerative braking. Click here to find out more about our BlueMotion technologies.

We also use recycled and recyclable materials where possible and the most environmentally friendly construction techniques

A car doesn't just have an impact on the environment when it's being driven on the road. Download Viavision to see the whole story - from factory to shredder - and to understand how Volkswagen is working to minimise energy consumption, emissions and waste throughout a vehicle's life.

So when you decide to drive one of our cars you can feel you're making a choice for a better future, too.

Please visit our Mobility and sustainability website or download our mobility and sustainability report for more information on what Volkswagen are doing in the area of mobility and sustainability."

But if the Greenpeace accusations of corporate lobbying against tighter environmental standards is true, then they have some 'splainin to do. And that's exactly what they should do... not in the echo chamber of their fan base, but to their most vocal detractors. They should explain what the truth is, what their motives are, and how that fits into their brand. Whether Greenpeace members agree with it or not, they will at least have had their day in court on social media. And if they handle themselves rationally, respectfully, and truthfully (even if it's just "their" truth) they can use this as an opportunity to repair and even grow the reputation of their brand.

...or not. It's been two days already, and the PR nightmare is going global.

Update: AdFreak picked up this story, and includes the Greenpeace ad:

The latest stock photo meme

2012-01-04T15:36:00.000-05:00

Stock photo cliché memes are a thing now, from women laughing alone with salad to things real people don't say about advertising.

This one, from Sad and Useless (via 22 Words) started last October and is pretty uneven, but some of them are worth sharing:

Yeah, ad people are cynical.

Crystal Light sexes up advertising for women

2012-01-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

"I'm going to get wet..."

It's sexist, but it's also in interesting development. A Crystal light ad that has women making outrageous puns about their sexual response to a hunky male.

It's the kind of thing we're used to seeing with the roles reversed, with the everyday guys ending up with buxom bikini babes. It's a very male approach: Instead of showing the women the bodies they "should" have, the ad shows them the biological reason for trying to be more attractive.

Does this way of looking at it make it okay? No, it's still sexual objectification.

Does it even the score? Not even close.

Nonetheless, as a man I'm not at all bothered by the approach. What do my women readers think?

Tip via AdFreak

Bring the boobs back to Sesame Street

2012-01-04T07:36:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not talking about that Katy Perry fiasco a couple of years back. This is something altogether more innocent: breastfeeding.

Back in the '70s and '80s, Sesame Street included breast feeding promotion as part of its educational mandate to American kids.

Here's Canada's own Buffy Sainte-Marie doing it with her son Dakota "Cody" Starblanket Wolfchild in 1977:

And here's the character Maria (played by Sonia Manzano) nursing her real-life daughter, Gabriela, in 1988:

It's practically the same scene. But something happened on Sesame Street, as it grew out of its baby boomer roots and started becoming a corporate merchandising goliath. Breastfeeding somehow became something inappropriate for a kids' show.

The most damning piece of censorship is a touching musical segment called "You're My Baby".

In the original '70s version, the camera lingers on a nurseling:

Twenty-plus years later, when it was remade for a new generation of kids, the breast was replaced:

While certainly reflecting the reality, for many America parents (especially moms with very limited maternity leave!) the very deliberate substitution irked breastfeeding advocates such as Lani of the Boobie Time blog, who has started a petition to try to convince Sesame Street to promote breastfeeding again.

Why is this a big deal? Back in the earlier days, the show was actively promoting a behaviour that was in the interest of American babies. Breastfeeding rates were going up overall, but the increases were mostly accounted for by affluent "white" women. Rates among Hispanic and African Americans remained low. Sesame Street, the great social leveller, was doing its part to normalize the practice among all its viewing families — it was one of the show's many embedded bits of social marketing.

Zoom forward to the present, and American women continue to experience anti-breastfeeding sentiment, in public places, despite many legal protections. To put it bluntly, there are many who consider breasts to be sex-only organs, and who consider their public exposure in breastfeeding to be obscene.

In the latter "you're my baby" video, Sesame Street may have been reacting to the way many of its viewers really feed their babies — being descriptive rather than prescriptive. After all, the revolutionary show has focus groups and organized "decency" mobs to worry about now.

But can't they take a leadership position again? To model a better world than the one some viewers find themselves in?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks to my sister, Mary Jo, for sharing this story with me.

NZ tampon brand disses "fake" women

2012-01-03T15:43:00.001-05:00

Kerry sent me this weird ad about womanhood:

The XOJane blog had a big problem not only with the apparent transphobia of the ad, but its overall implications for all kinds of women:

"If we’re assuming that menstruation is absolutely necessary, the implications don’t simply come down against the right-to-womany-ness of trans women, but also ANY women who do not menstruate -- and there are lots of reasons why a woman might not have regular periods (it's also worth noting that there are plenty of folks who do menstruate but who do not identify as ladies)."

After taking a lot of heat over the ad, Libra voluntarily pulled it, stating "Libra regrets any offence taken to our recent tampon advertisement. It was never intended to upset or offend anyone. Independent research was undertaken and the advertisement was viewed positively during that testing."

I can see how this happened. They created an ad for their target audience of mainstream, fertile young women, and tested it on groups of the same. But once the ad was out there (including on Facebook) it reached many more people than its intended audience. While the primary target presumably found the "fake woman" skit amusing and perhaps even empowering, other non-targeted audiences saw it differently.

A good lesson in the social age of advertising. There's no such thing as isolated segmentation anymore. Whoever can take the most offence to your ad will eventually see it, and complain about it, and share it. That's just the way it is now.

And that's probably a good thing. We're all getting to know each other much better than we ever have before. Acceptance comes with familiarity and empathy with people who are different from us.

Georgia's "fat kids" campaign: wake-up call or useless guilt trip?

2012-01-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Annie at Fuse Communications sent me a link to this Georgia childhood obesity campaign from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, asking for my opinion. It's a tough one.

The brutally frank ads target the parents of overweight children, who are thought to be either unaware or in denial about how their children's diet and activity choices affect their health and self-esteem.

According to ABC news:

"Children's Healthcare of Atlanta chose the straightforward approach after its survey of two towns in Georgia found that 50 percent of parents did not know childhood obesity was a problem and 75 percent of parents with obese children did not think their child was overweight."

But here's that defensive processing dilemma, that keeps showing up in social marketing campaigns. Negative portrayals of viewer behaviour tend to make the target market turn away, rather than mend their ways, and can even backfire.

The issue of parenting is an especially volatile one. Try having a civil conversation about breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, infant male circumcision, or co-sleeping with a random group of parents online. You'll end up with a flamewar.

Diet and fat-shaming is another one of these issues. While parents need to be aware that their obese and/or inactive kids need healthier habits for their own sake, when you criticize someone's parenting you really hit them where it hurts most. I expect this campaign did exactly that.

From the original article:

"Blaming the victim rarely helps," said Dr. Miriam Labbok, director of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "These children know they are fat and that they are ostracized already."
...
"While guilt and fear are motivators, they have to be meted out with the answer to the situation," Labbok said. "The ads with the children do not offer help to them."
According to health communication experts, successful public health campaigns offer a clear call to action. Labbok says the Georgia ads address the problem, but don't give viewers a clear solution.

So what's the answer? Social marketing theory says positive modelling is the key. But positive modelling takes a long time to be effective. All social change does. It's understandable that Children's Healthcare of Atlanta chose a more confrontational approach, because they can see that it is an urgent public health crisis. But then again, so is smoking (especially around kids), alcohol dependence, and a general lack of concern about buying, cooking and eating healthy food.

None of these problems is going to be solved quickly using the blunt instrument of guilt advertising. All that does is preach to the choir, making impatient activists feel better that something major is being done.

No matter what people tell you, ads can only do so much. This is a job for doctors, nurses, educators and community leaders to take on, full-time, for the next 10 or 20 years. It's complicated, slow, and will not win anyone any awards. But it's what has to happen for real change to occur.

Fishing Lure or Sex Toy?

2012-01-02T17:36:00.001-05:00

The funny thing about branding is what it tells you about the target market. In the case of fishing gear, that market includes some rather unsophisticated guys who use a lot of sexualized language and imagery when discussing their favourite sport. The result is brand names that sound... well... dirty.

Click the list of brand names below to see pictures of the products they promote. But before you click, try to guess if it's a lure or a sex toy. You might be surprised.

(And, it should go without saying, that the sex toy images may not be appropriate for the workplace, library, or a computer you share with your mom.)

Atomic Teaser

Thriller

Invader

Black Fury

Slurpies Flippin' Tube

Dardevle

Dominator

Doc Johnson

Magnum

French Hook

Wow No. 3

Giant Thunderstick

Booty Call

Slab Daddy

Vibratex

Swedish Pimple

Mud Bug

Heddon Torpedo

Wally Diver

Double Dawg

Big Teaze

Hustler Escort Series

12" Titan Tube

Happy New Year... WTF?

2012-01-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

I found this postcard in a box of old family records a few years ago, and just stumbled upon it again in my New Year's cleanup:

Yes, that's what you think it is... but it's also not what you think it is. Here's the back:

Many of you will already be aware that the swastika is a very ancient symbol that was appropriated by the Nazis. That had already happened before 1922, when this card was sent, but it was much better known at the time as a charming old "good luck" symbol.

Here are some other examples:

The innocence of the symbol would soon end, in the west anyway. The swastika is still a popular religious and folkloric insignia in Asia. You can even see it on packaged goods at the Chinese grocery store.

But it still freaks me out. It's just a symbol, but it's one that we've been raised to have a visceral reaction to. From health, wealth and happiness to hate, genocide and war. It's amazing that a little cross could carry so much baggage.

Here's to a year ahead with as little evil as possible.

The Worst of F'd Ad Fridays, 2011

2011-12-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

I'd like to recognize some really bizarre and/or awful advertising ideas from the past year with some sort of awards. I'll call them the "Effies".

Worst Performance by a Food Item as Penis

And the Effie goes to... Tums. For protecting people from being Tony Danza'd by their corn dogs.

Ewww.

Worst Performance by a Wallet as a Vulva

The Effie goes to PETA, who gave us this mental image:

Worst Sexual Exploitation of an Elderly Woman

Crosby's Molasses. Take your Effie.

Worst Idea for a Got Milk? Ad Ever

California Milk Processor Board, come and get what you deserve.

Worst Use of a Billboard to Stalk and Harass an Ex-Lover

Greg Fultz, you are a still phenomenal asshole.

Worst Photoshop Abuse of Animals

M-Wrap, of Thailand, come and claim your Effie.

And maybe we should cancel that gala dinner. I think everyone just lost their appetite.

Worst Typo in an Agency Self-Promo During an Awards Show

Grey Group? Grey? Are you here?

Worst Unintentionally Pornographic Street Team

Dr. Pepper, you old dog...

Worst Supporting Role by Teenage Underpants

Purity Panties... how many teen pregnancies and STIs have you prevented so far with these slogans?

Worst Performance by a Sex Doll in a Battery Ad

Gah, Bic! GYAHHHHH!

Worst web site

Ever. By the United States' National Suicide Hotlines.

Worst Infomercial

Poop Trap. Gross.

Worst Pretentious Fashion Ad Porn

There was really stiff competition for this one, but Agent Provocateur nailed it:

Agent Provocateur - 'Fleurs Du Mal' from Epoch London on Vimeo.

And The Lifetime Achievement Effie for Effing Infamous Effed Up Ads Goes to:

Brazilian CD Rodolfo Sampaio, who managed to cause a global shitstorm this year over his unsanctioned "pedo" KIA ads:

Not only did he win a silver at Cannes with this nasty little spread, but he managed to cause a global PR crisis for KIA Motors.

Two years earlier, at DDB, the same CD managed to pull the World Wildlife Federation into a world of hurt with this "award of merit" entry to The One Show:

To be that much of an awards whore, against the forces of taste, good judgement, strategy and client interest takes a truly effed perspective on advertising. I can hardly wait to see what Mr. Sampaio comes up with for 2012.

That's it for our inaugural Effies. Try not to get too fucked up on Saturday night.