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A sinking ship: Microsoft Vista's comeback campaign
Microsoft has just spent $300 million in a new ad strategy to remind people that Vista isn't as rubbish as everyone thinks.
The ad is planned to herald Vista's new and apparently patched-up package.
I'm liking the old clunking, listing galleon image ... Microsoft has just spent $300 million in a new ad strategy to remind people that Vista isn't as rubbish as everyone thinks. ... more -
Obama Makes $5 Million Olympics Ad Buy
It's official. Sen. Barack Obama's campaign will be among the TV sponsors of NBC Universal's Olympics coverage. In the first significant network-TV buy of any presidential candidate in at least 16 years, the Obama campaign has taken a $5 million package of Olympics spots that includes network TV as well as cable ads.
According to NBC's political file, the campaign had initially requested information about 500,000, $2 million and $4 million package of Olympics spots. The network also offered the candidate a $10 million package.
It's official. Sen. Barack Obama's campaign will be among the TV sponsors of NBC Universal's Olympics coverage. In the first significa... more -
UT LOOP
this is the BEAT that never ends, yes it goes on & on my friend, some people started singing it not knowing it at all. but they'll continue singing it forever just because..
an interactive piece for UT. this is the BEAT that never ends, yes it goes on & on my friend, some people started singing it not knowing it at all. but they'll... more -
'Gossip Girl' launch new racy promos (OMG)
NEW YORK - "Gossip Girl" will get people talking. At least, that seems likely as the CW network brings to a boil its new campaign for the sexy prep-school soap.
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The show's second season begins Sept. 1, following an August promotion to put viewers, um, in the mood. And here's a twist: The racy ads co-opt language from the very criticism of the show for being too, well, racy.
Alert surfers got a preview last week, when images of coupled-up "Gossip Girl" characters found their way onto several Web sites.
Item: Here's Serena van der Woodsen (series blonde Blake Lively) with eyes shut dreamily, mouth open, while a friend, his face buried in her tresses, nuzzles her neck. NEW YORK - "Gossip Girl" will get people talking. At least, that seems likely as the CW network brings to a boil its new campaign for... more -
Parents urge teen to 'nail everything you can' in 'Sex Talk' ad
Animal rights group PETA is rolling out its latest ad titled 'Sex Talk'.
In the controversial ad, parents urge their teen daughter to "get out there and nail everything you can", have a lot of sex and "pop out all the kids you want" - all to promote spaying and neutering of pets. Animal rights group PETA is rolling out its latest ad titled 'Sex Talk'. ... more -
Is this ad homophobic?
Right now, on sites like Gawker and ESPN, a debate is raging:
Is Nike's new ad campaign, depicting a basketball player jumping over another one with the tagline "That Ain't Right", homophobic?
From Gawker, "That humiliation arises from the balls-in-face aspect of the dunk, meaning it is fundamentally a homophobic sentiment. At least subconsciously."
http://gawker.com/5027779/does-nike-hate-gays-or-do-gay...
From ESPN, "These are kick-ass ads, that have meaning and make basketball sense without injecting any homophobia into the conversation. Getting humiliated like that is "just wrong," in a basketball sense, without the male on male interpretation. Pretend the genders were scrambled in that ad -- a woman defender, or a woman dunker, or both. The same headline can work without the implication that the man on man contact is the gross part."
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-33-80/That-Ain-t-...
Some Comments from Users,
"Thanks for helping the gay teen suicide rate climb, even if just by a little. Great work, geniuses."
"Way to perpetuate homophobic stereotypes ... 'that ain't right' ... I'm sure some 15 year old gay kid who is struggling with his sexuality will see these and think great things about himself. What a positive message Nike!"
"As a gay male and a black male, I find that some of the commenters are jumping the gun and crying wolf for an ad that I feel is in no way homophobic."
It's an interesting question. Seems to me like the ad plays at a fear that all basketball players have - guarding a guy who then jumps so high that his crotch hits your face as he dunks. Most of the embarrassment would come from A) having a guy show so much superior athleticism over you and B) having something extremely rare happen to you (think hitting into a triple play).
In fact, on a court, this event would happen so fast that it wouldn't really be an issue where the other man's crotch was. Having played a lot of basketball, I've pretty much never seen a player clown on another guy in a homophobic way over that type of play. Moreover, I'd say that when men play sports, even the most homophobic of us, we don't really worry about it. See clip for comic relief and an example of what I'm talking about - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilyA3s4FsHo
So I disagree with Gawker that the humiliation comes fundamentally from a homophobic sentiment. I doubt this writer plays basketball.
But I will say this: Nike has taken an action or event that is not homo-erotic and has tried to make it into one. See, if this was a game of basketball, everyone would be looking three feet up, to the player's face and the ball getting flushed into the hoop. But Nike has changed our perspective. Freeze frame of the guy's head in the other guy's crotch. The words That Ain't Right.
A ballplayer might see this and not think twice. It's a pretty great shot. But I can understand why it might offend people. Should Nike pull it? Right now, on sites like Gawker and ESPN, a debate is raging: ... more -
Product placement hits the FOX newsroom
Several TV outlets have begun to sell the fast food giant McDonald's the right to place cups of its iced coffee onto the desks of news anchors as they present morning current affairs shows.
Typical is Fox 5 News, an affiliate of Rupert Murdoch's Fox television network in Las Vegas.
Two cups of coffee, their cubes of ice glinting in the studio lights, now daily stand before the channel's morning presenters. The presenters conspicuously do not drink from the cups, which is just as well – the cups contain a bogus fluid and fake ice to prevent the cubes melting.
The New York Times has reported that similar deals to place McDonald's products in news shows are up and running in TV stations in Chicago, Seattle and New York.
Product placement has become a major branch of advertising in the US, creeping into all areas of entertainment television. Not only are products seen on camera, they also make their way into drama scripts such as a recent episode of the popular soap, OC, which had one character talk about having "a9.Com'd" a friend on the day the internet search company A9 launched a new Yellow Pages service of that name.
But this is the first time that the form has percolated through to news broadcasting. Journalism ethics groups have protested that this is another erosion of standards.
"There has been in broadcast journalism certainly, and arguably in all journalism, a drifting away from the standards of straight news in the direction of entertainment," said Roy Peter Clark of the school for journalists at the Poynter Institute.
Fox 5 News has declined to reveal how much it is being paid by McDonald's for the six-month promotion. The station's news director Adam Bradshaw said that the product placement was only allowed in programmes that were appropriate, including later morning shows with an accent on lifestyle.
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Just another example of local news failing to perform the BASIC FUNCTIONS of journalism. Several TV outlets have begun to sell the fast food giant McDonald's the right to place cups of its iced coffee onto the desks of news... more -
L’advertising diventa fonte di informazione?
Sergey Brin (uno dei capi di Google) dice che vogliono limitare il numero di spazi pubblicitari presenti nelle pagine di ricerca di Google, cercando di migliorare il target e la qualità degli stessi: Sergey Brin (uno dei capi di Google) dice che vogliono limitare il numero di spazi pubblicitari presenti nelle pagine di ricerca di Go... more
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Churchill dog accused of swearing, oh yes!
The famous nodding bulldog from the Churchill insurance TV ads has kicked up a bit of a fuss over his apparent use of the word 'fuck'.
The dog mutters the expletive after his famous 'Oh, yes' catchphrase, while Whitesnake's 'Here I Go Again' plays in the background.
The insurance bosses are adamant all scripts are vetted at a high level and have released the following response:
'I can assure you that Churchill Insurance would never use foul or abusive language in any of its advertising,' a spokesman said.
'People are having a laugh but we would not seek to use that sort of profanity in our adverts.'
However, he could not explain what the word was supposed to be...
The famous nodding bulldog from the Churchill insurance TV ads has kicked up a bit of a fuss over his apparent use of the word 'fuck'.... more -
A Western ad blitz for Beijing Olympics
It is becoming increasingly clear which nation global corporations will be rooting for at this summer's Olympics: China.
Or at least that's what it looks like from advertisements here. McDonald's is running a "Cheer for China" television ad. Nike ads feature China's star hurdler, Liu Xiang, and other Chinese athletes besting foreign competitors. Earlier this year, Pepsi even painted its familiar blue cans red for a limited edition "Go Red for China" promotion.
The campaigns for Western companies are part of an advertising blitz the likes of which this ostensibly communist nation has never seen. Ads are papered over bus shelters, projected on giant outdoor television screens and plastered on billboards. Commercials even flicker at commuters as they zoom through subway tunnels.
China, already the world's second-largest advertising market, after the United States, is a dream for consumer product companies. "For most international brands here, China is the growth market for the next 10 years," said Jonathan Chajet, strategic director at Interbrand, which consults on brands.
A record 63 companies have become sponsors or partners of the Beijing Olympics. Olympic-related advertising in China could reach $4 billion to $6 billion this year, according to CSM, a Beijing marketing research firm. It is becoming increasingly clear which nation global corporations will be rooting for at this summer's Olympics: China. ... more -
Orange Bikes take Manhattan
This bike/point has been discussed in previous pods/posts here at current, so I just found a quick video to share. (about DKNY's fashion week take on the 'urbaniztion-gorilla type of ads' around NYC, getting many responses from the bike community and bike supporters as bad taste/ representing-misRepresenting the meaning of ghost bikes)
http://current.com/topics/88797468_ghost_bikes
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This will be part of a number of short screenings(showing Friday July 25th 9Pm @victoria theatre), Friday, as part of the SF Bike Film Festival 2008. Hope you can make it to one of the films! If you are in San Francisco, see you there!
http://current.com/items/89117633_bicycle_film_festival... This bike/point has been discussed in previous pods/posts here at current, so I just found a quick video to share. (about DKNY's fashi... more -
South Korean Metro Bans Japanese Condoms
A row between South Korea and Japan over the territorial right of two islands in the Sea of Japan has spilled over to the rather absurd, after authorities in Seoul ordered the removal of posters on the subway system advertising Japanese condoms. The order has come amid tension over a new guideline published in Japan for schoolteachers which reportedly states that the islands belong to Japan, while noting that South Korea also have sovreignty. Such was the nationalist backlash in Seoul that the Japanese embassy in Seoul was pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes. A spokesman for the Seoul Metro said, "Having condom ads in a public space might not be acceptable for some people. Secondly, there is an anti-Japanese sentiment brewing among citizens over the Dokdo issue," A row between South Korea and Japan over the territorial right of two islands in the Sea of Japan has spilled over to the rather absur... more
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Marketing Madness In New York City
Smitty Robinson takes the cameras in Time Square, to see how the companies are trying different strategies to advertise their brand...
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Brutal French ad on human rights in China wins award — but judged too violent for ...
One ad shows a man being waterboarded in an Olympic swimming pool by dark-glassed Chinese officials. In another, a bruised woman is chained to heavy dumbbells in the colors of the Olympic rings. A third shows a blindfolded man, hanging limp from an archery bull's-eye as a smiling official walks away, reholstering his gun.
"After the Olympic Games, the fight for human rights must go on," reads a caption in each ad.
The ad campaign denouncing human rights violations in China, commissioned by Amnesty International's French branch, was turned down after the group judged it too violent — yet it is attracting attention online after winning a prestigious advertising industry award.
Amnesty International-France commissioned a print ad campaign meant to run after the Olympics from TBWA advertising company's French division and allowed TBWA to submit the ads to the Cannes Lions Awards, one of the industry's leading events. The ads garnered a bronze prize in the Public Awareness Messages category in late June.
However, these were preliminary versions of the ads that Amnesty in the end decided against running.
"We didn't feel comfortable with the proposed visuals, which were perhaps too violent," said Sylvie Haurat, spokeswoman for Amnesty International-France. "But the message — that the fight goes on — we support that 200 percent."
The images, once posted to the Cannes Lion site, quickly circulated on blogs, attracting heat from some Chinese users on sites like Anti-CNN.com.
TBWA declined to comment on the aborted campaign. Haurat said Amnesty International-France does not have any upcoming advertising campaigns planned geared specifically toward China, but that their work on human rights in China would continue.
London-based Amnesty issued an open letter to the Chinese government on July 8, one month before the start of the Olympic Games, calling for China to release political prisoners, stop detaining peaceful protesters, abolish the death penalty, publish statistics on executions, and lift restrictions on journalists.
China pledged to improve its human rights record and allow unrestricted access to journalists as part of its bid for this year's games, which it was awarded in 2001. Even some leading dissidents who had been jailed for their activism supported the bid, saying the Chinese people would benefit by opening up their country to the event.
But critics say a crackdown on protesters in Tibet earlier this year shows China has not lived up to its pledges. One ad shows a man being waterboarded in an Olympic swimming pool by dark-glassed Chinese officials. In another, a bruised woman is ch... more -
McConaughey supports beef...
From clothes horse to beef backer...
Surely some kind of send up...matthew mcconaughey creates online gold dust in this 'so bad it's genius' ad for the national cattleman's beef association...
Wonder if D&G know - not sure this sits too well with their positioning..
d From clothes horse to beef backer... ... more -
Controversial Prius advert
Although not officially licensed, a designer who goes by the name of David Krulik has drawn up three adverts for Toyota that are sure to bring a whole heap of publicity to the eco-motor.
The essence of the adverts are that it doesn't matter if you do something bad, so long as you drive a Prius.
The campaign shows a variety of immoral acts with the tagline, “Well, at least he drives a Prius.”
The first advert entitled 'Killer’ shows a man dragging a dead body into the lake, the second ‘Lover’ shows a wife making out with the gardener while the husband is at the doorsteps and the third, ‘Prostitute,’ shows a man in a Prius chatting up a street hooker.
You can check out a gallery of the adverts here:
http://www.trendhunter.com/photos/15064
Although not officially licensed, a designer who goes by the name of David Krulik has drawn up three adverts for Toyota that are sure ... more -
Best solar energy ad ever
I enjoyed this commercial thoroughly. "Imagination can be the best tool to make a point sometimes ..." Oly Ander
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Obama NASCAR driver sponsor
Apparently aiming for blue-collar white voters he had trouble attracting during the Democratic primary campaign, presidential candidate Barack Obama is reportedly in discussions to sponsor a driver in an upcoming NASCAR race.SportsIllustrated.com's Tom Bowles has the scoop on the first politician's foray into the fastest growing sport in the US.SI.com has learned that for the first time in history, a major presidential candidate may sponsor a race car in NASCAR's premier series. According to sources, Barack Obama's campaign is in talks to become the primary sponsor of BAM Racing's No. 49 Sprint Cup car for the Pocono race on August 3. Details of the agreement are expected to be worked out over the coming days.A BAM spokesperson has revealed the team will hold a press conference July 23 in Miami to reveal the partnership, currently a proposed one-race deal with an option to continue. Obama will be at the briefing, which will be tied to the "Get Out The Vote" campaign message he spread throughout the 2008 primary season.An Obama campaign spokeswoman did not immediately return RAW STORY's request for comment. Bowles says one sponsorship option would give Obama supporters a chance to have their names printed on the race car in exchange for donations as little as $100. Such a move would seem to coincide with Obama's populist campaign themes and might encourage more giving from the army of small dollar donors who already have helped the Illinois senator shatter fundraising records. While so-called "NASCAR Dads" were seen as a key demographic four years ago, no campaign has made such a direct foray to communicate with fans in a forum where they are more used to seeing advertisements for alcohol or energy drinks.In 2004, NASCAR drive Kirk Shelmerdine placed his own Bush/Cheney decal on his car, although the ad space was not purchased by the campaign. He was later admonished by the FEC for the display.Should the deal come off with BAM Racing's car No. 49, it would mark the first time a major US presidential candidate has been a primary sponsor on a vehicle in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) series.Ken Schrader would drive the Toyota-powered entry at Pocono in a state thought to be a battleground for US electoral college votes in November's election between Obama and Republican rival John McCain.The team has raced only once since March 30 in Martinsville for lack of sponsorship money and the car must qualify at Pocono on speed. BAM Racing has only six top-10 showings in 167 starts since 2002. Apparently aiming for blue-collar white voters he had trouble attracting during the Democratic primary campaign, presidential candidat... more
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The century of the self
In this 4-part BBC documentary, Adam Curtis explores how Edward Bernays was employed by various governmental agencies and corporations to exploit Freud's psychoanalytical ideas on a mass scale in the form of propaganda and public relations (a term coined by Bernays).
This documentary urgently needs to be watched by as many people as possible, as the manipulative techniques cataloged in this video have only gotten better and our consumer culture will only get worse if we don't start to peel away the veils and name this beast.
Parts 2-4 posted in the comments. In this 4-part BBC documentary, Adam Curtis explores how Edward Bernays was employed by various governmental agencies and corporations... more
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