"Ron Kind even spent your tax dollars to pay teenage girls to watch pornographic movies with probes connected to their genitalia." Wow. As a copywriter, I do kinda admire getting away with that line in a spot. This ad is from a Wisconsin Congressional race. …
Capital One May Not Be Pillagers But They Are Peeping Toms
I recently checked my credit rating (thanks to AnnualCreditReport.com), which is something everyone needs to do regularly. I noticed that Capital One, they of the "pillaging Vikings" and David Spade "NO" commercials, had checked my credit dozens of times this year. I do not have, nor have I ever had, a Capital One credit card. Seems this is a common practice: The credit card issuer is famous for constantly checking …
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Quote Of The Day
“There are no bad advertising agencies, only bad agency-client relationships,” said Kenneth G. Romanzi, domestic chief operating officer at Ocean Spray Cranberries. Someone's been drinking the Cranberry Kool-Aid. Actually, it's just a snippet from a good article in today's New York Times on the state of agency-client relationships. …
JWT Attempts A Bold Move By Interviewing A Ford Critic
Over at The Truth About Cars, editor Robert Farago talks about his trip to JWT's New York office to discuss Ford's "Bold Moves" Internet-based efforts. As soon as our chat commenced, I discovered that “transparency” was the name of JWT’s game. My bright eyed and tie-less adtagonist wanted to know if I– or anyone else– gave Ford props for letting JWT’s camera crew record, edit and post a “warts and all” look behind …
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Female Politicians Can Run Crass Negative Ads, Too
I confess that I don't know much about the Massachusetts governor's race, but here's a pretty freaky ad for candidate Kerry Healey: Here's some background about the ad from Salon.com, but if there are any Massachusetts AdPulpers who can shed a little more light on this race, please comment. This political season seems like it's been chock full of the worst, slimiest, most pathetic TV ads ever--and unfortunately, it …
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Direct Mail May Not Be Sexy But It’s Still A Growth Biz
Even The New York Times calls it junk mail: Over the last year, marketers sent more than 114 billion pieces of direct mail — catalogues, credit card solicitations, coupons and the like — an increase of roughly 15 percent from five years ago, according to the United States Postal Service. And in the last year, for the first time, the volume of bulk mail, which is all direct mail, exceeded first class. Advertisers like …
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Is Your Agency A Breeding Ground For Bullies?
Lord knows the ad industry is a place for eccentrics and weirdness in general. But see if this story from LiveScience.com matches your workplace experience: In a recent study, bullied employees likened their experiences to a battle, water torture, a nightmare or a noxious substance. Understanding the seriousness of workplace bullying and what it feels like to get bullied could help managers put the brakes on the …
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Holy Shit, Those Damned Ad People Are At It Again
USA Today takes a look at the growing phenomenon of curse words and bleeping words in commercials, citing recent efforts by VW, Dodge and Comcast: Dodge: In a Caliber ad, a focus group of Muppet-like characters laments that the car does not make them "feel warm and fuzzy." Most distressed is little Binky, who exclaims, "It scares the (bleep) out of me." That's the reaction market researchers in the ad wanted for …
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