Detroit Free Press wraps itself in flag ... sort of

In the latest example of placement being as important as content, the Detroit Free Press and Marshall Field's have caused a bit of a stink with a wraparound ad that had some readers thinking a special Memorial Day's tribute was inside. Instead, they found the stars against a blue background that dominated news-box windows were part of an ad for department store chain Marshall Field's. That prompted at least one subscriber to threaten cancellation. The dust-up led to some curiosity on my part about Field's Web site as we head into Memorial Day. No sign of the flag there, in fact I found a decidedly more foreign and exotic sales pitch: highlighted are the new Signoria di Firenze line of sheets and bedding, and the Le Mystére line of bras.

—Posted by Trevor Jensen

Published on May 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Wendy's says it's good to be square

It’s not often that we click on an ad just because it looks intriguing, so we have to hand it to Wendy’s for sucking us into its little animated short this morning. The banner that led us to it looked as though it might be promoting Zoloft (see Zoloft face above), since its central visual was one of those wistful black-and-white faces on a cheery red background. But the movie it links to at goodtobesquare.com is more like an homage to what happens when the anti-depressant treatment finally kicks in—and it never mentions Wendy's. It stars a little square emoticon being followed slavishly by a bunch of chirpy circles to the 1970 tune “Ooh Child” by The Five Stairsteps, the feel-good hit of the entire twentieth century. (See Wendy's emoticons at left.) According to this story, the TV version of the campaign will segue into some discussion of why square hamburger patties are better. One other note: isn’t it curious that the emoticons have legs, but no arms, and therefore, no fingers?

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (32)
Filed under Wendy's

7Up wants to shoot you into orbit

Lance Bass was willing to put up $20 million to travel into space. All you have to do is drink a lot of 7Up. Starting this week, 7Up is holding a promotion to give one lucky/terrified winner the “first free ticket to space” on a rocket based on SpaceShipOne technology. (SpaceShipOne was the vehicle that won the Ansari X Prize last year by completing a truly bad-ass suborbital journey.) To play, you have to visit 7Up.com and enter 15-character codes that are cropping up on a variety of 7Up, Sunkist, A&W Root Beer and Canada Dry bottle caps and 12-packs. 7Up will cover the $200,000 price tag, plus $100,000 more in taxes, to hurtle you headlong into the unknown. You’ll be responsible for bringing the second clean pair of trousers.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (10)

How Carrie rode her niche to the top

It’s no brain stretch to dissect exactly what won Carrie Underwood her American Idol crown. While Gawker may call her Kelly Clarkson Jr. (and they have a point), it’s clear that Underwood’s small-town charm and wholesome smile appealed to a broader audience than Bo Bice’s flip flops and lanky, laid-back ’tude. But what pushed Carrie to the final, final, final round was the fact that, like any good marketer, she knew her niche. From the start, Carrie and Bo both each appealed to their own group of core viewers. Idol has no shortage of young lovelies, but those picked off early went for a predictable mélange of sex appeal and melisma. How many would trade Top 40 for Tammy Wynette? Just Carrie. Same for the guys. It’s no long jump from Anwar’s Stevie Wonder covers to Nikko Smith’s Bobbie Brown impersonation. They split the vote. Ultimately, even Bo shared his niche with Costantine Maroulis. Viewers may have screamed upset when the smoldering giant was booted, but one of them had to go. By the time it was down to the final five—which inexplicably included Scott Savol and Eastern Bloc cheese hunk Anthony Federov—each inhabited their own space. That’s when Carrie’s mainstream appeal carried her to the top. Every drunk with a cigarette lighter and a lungful of air may have hollered for Bice to “Play some Skynyrd!” But girls wanted to be Carrie, boys wanted to date her, and moms wanted to cut her a big old slice of American apple pie.

—Posted by Deanna Zammit

Photo: Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Published on May 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, everyone! Meet iGuy!

Strangely enough, the theme on AdFreak this morning is squishy anthropomorphic white things. As we raise a glass to the Pillsbury Doughboy on his 40th birthday (see below), we’d also like to introduce you to iGuy, a new iPod holder that lets your digital device actually look like the living being that you privately know it is. (As far as our iPod is concerned, we’re still scratching our heads about that day a few months back when he flat out refused to play Green Day and seemed to have an obsession—which we didn’t share that day—with Pearl Jam.) Anyway, ever since we discovered iGuy yesterday at the iPod Lounge, we’ve been pining for the launch of iGal, and trying to figure out who iGuy most closely resembles. An albino Gumby? Or an albino, headless Teletubby?

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Happy 40th birthday, Pillsbury Doughboy

The Pillsbury Doughboy (aka Poppin’ Fresh) looks like the same fresh-faced, dough-eyed dumplin’ that won the hearts of homemakers 40 years ago. But since the days when he was knee-high to a crescent roll, he has traveled far beyond the kitchen counter, joining photo albums, doll collections and trivia sites on the World Wide Web. Looking none the worse for wear, Poppin’ Fresh showed up at a birthday celebration in Times Square on Wednesday, kicking off a series of promo appearances. Born to Rudy Perz, creative director at Leo Burnett, Poppin’ Fresh weighed 14 ounces and measured 8 3/4 inches when he was introduced to the public in 1965. Lending new meaning to the word trivia, these facts are readily available to Poppin’ Fresh freaks: The Doughboy’s place of birth was Minneapolis. He is all dough, wears a baker’s hat and scarf, has blue eyes and loves to bake. The only music he has ever performed is rap, which might explain the disappearance of the wife and two pets he had 20 years ago (does the Doughboy have a dark side?). Although Perz imagined the Doughboy as an animated character, he emerged from the styling salon as a clay figure, according to the J.M. Smucker Co., which acquired Pillsbury last year. After winning Toy of the Year honors in 1972, Poppin’ Fresh rose to become America’s most-loved character in 1987, according to Pillsbury. At the 40th anniversary celebration, children from the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club helped the costumed Doughboy character blow out candles on a birthday cake, and a city official declared the day Pillsbury Doughboy Day in New York. Today, the Doughboy has his own home page, and you can still buy a Doughboy doll at Pillsbury.com. Oh, yeah, Poppin’ Fresh is rolling in dough.

—Posted by Richard Williamson

Published on May 27, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (28)

Where are all the Darth Vader thieves?

We have to admit that we’re vaguely disappointed that so far, none of the giant blow-up Darth Vaders perched atop of Burger Kings across the country have been stolen. After the furor over the fast feeder’s missing inflatable SpongeBobs, we thought for sure that some sci-fi fans would filch a few Vaders, especially given the frenzy over the last Star Wars movie ever. Despite the dubious claim of one poster, to our knowledge there have been no robberies, although one guy dressed up as Darth did rob a movie theater.

—Posted by Lisa van der Pool

Published on May 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2)

O Canada! Why are you calling me?

Working from home has many advantages, including the chance to gain stellar insight into the workings of telemarketers. And yes, even though my family is practically a founding member of the National Do Not Call List, and damn proud of it, we still get calls, particularly from chimney cleaners and charities. In the past week, I’ve noticed that we suddenly seem to be getting a rash of telemarketing calls from the greater Toronto area, based on the 416 area code that shows up on caller ID. What is the significance of this? Are charities targeting cheap Canadian labor? Are people more likely to answer a call from an unidentified number if it’s from another country? I have no idea. But when I got a call from Canada today for Feed the Children and the woman said something about malnutrition being a problem “here in the U.S.,” I really wanted to correct her. I refrained.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (30)

‘Idol’ time: Watching the season finale

As a time-saving device better than TiVo, I have a habit of tuning in only for the very last episode of any major reality show. (It’s amazing to me how you can follow an entire series without ever actually watching it—just through media osmosis.) So it was that I watched American Idol last night to see who would win, Bo or Carrie. As I guess I expected, the show managed, in two hours, to be almost as excruciatingly full of time-filling devices as the three-hour finale of season two of The Apprentice. It featured: A mockumentary of ABC’s expose of Paula Abdul! Your favorite Idol contestants performing with their heroes! Hall & Oates in the audience for reasons I could not discern! A special appearance by … David Hasselhoff!? And the winning of two shiny red cars by Bo and Carrie without the brand name ever being mentioned! Ouch. After it was over, I thought of celebrating by eating one of our family’s remaining American Idol Pop Tarts. It seemed synergistic. But on reflection, it also seemed like a really stupid idea.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former Nazi designer sues VW over logo

Volkswagen is getting some particularly unwelcome attention this week, as an elderly former Nazi graphic designer is suing the company, seeking credit for helping to design the automaker’s famous logo. Nikolai Borg, 86, who now lives in Austria, says he has paperwork that can prove his involvement in the development of the VW logo 65 years ago. He doesn’t want any cash, says his lawyer—he just wants to live to see his work acknowledged. Volkswagen denies that Borg was involved in the design. The legal case begins next week in a Vienna court.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (5)

U2 to marketer: Keep your £12.5 million

Its dalliance with Apple aside, U2 remains a tough nut to crack for smitten advertisers. According to a new report, the band recently turned down a cool £12.5 million ($23 million) from an undisclosed company looking to license “Where the Streets Have No Name” for a TV spot. “I know from my work in Africa what £12.5 million could buy. It was very hard to walk away from £12.5 million,” Bono is quoted as saying. “So we thought, we’ll give the money away. But if we tell people we’re giving the money away, it sounds pompous.” And this is the guy who was going to run the World Bank?

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Photo: PR Newswire Photo Service

Published on May 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Connecticut tourism tries for a fresh start

Connecticut is making a fresh appeal to potential visitors with a new tourism campaign that plays on the word “Connect” and targets women age 35-54 in the greater New York metro area. The state bounced its 12-year-old tagline, “We’re full of surprises,” which isn’t too surprising, given the political scandal that landed Gov. John G. Rowland in federal prison for a year. The once-promising Rowland—who allegedly accepted a wide variety of improper gifts, including gold, a vintage Mustang convertible and a canoe—was certainly full of surprises. Since Rowland had been featured prominently in many of the tourism TV spots of the past decade, Connecticut’s change is strategy is savvy to say the least. The new governor, M. Jodi Rell (shown here), will limit her appearance to a photo in the state’s visitor guide.

—Posted by Lisa van der Pool

Published on May 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Attack of the killer Prilosec OTC viral

Yesterday, we were mousing over our AOL Instant Messenger when we were attacked by this short film for Procter & Gamble’s Prilosec OTC. We say attacked because we’re fairly sure we didn’t click on anything, but there it was, belching at us. We felt it necessary, then, to due our bloggerly duty and watch it, but if we had been a regular old consumer, we probably wouldn’t have bothered. Nor should we have. It features snippets of different people auditioning for an alleged Prilosec commercial, in which they make disgusting sounds and mispronounce the brand name, all in the pursuit of explaining that Prilosec helps heartburn. This little movie is meant to be viral (insert joke about ulcer-causing h. pylori bacteria here), and maybe those people who still send mass-e-mailed jokes to everyone they’ve ever known (a still-formidable group, judging by my inbox) will forward this on, too. But to us it didn’t come close to passing that test.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2)

What does Bentley think of the Paris ad?

Despite threatening noises from the Parents Television Council, Carl’s Jr. is doubtless pleased with the tons of free publicity it has won via a new commercial in which Paris Hilton gnaws on a burger after lathering up a Bentley. And we’ll assume Ms. Hilton is pleased, too, since the business plan for Brand Hilton centers on her ability to generate publicity. But what about the innocent bystander in this affair? For an upscale brand like Bentley, the commercial and attendant furor seem like a downscale two-fer, linking it to a second-tier fast feeder and to America’s Cheesiest Starlet. So, how are the Bentley folks taking it? With stuff upper lips, judging by the response to an inquisitive e-mail we sent to John Crawford, the marque’s director of public relations for the Americas. He passed along a prepared statement from Bentley (now part of Volkswagen’s global automotive empire) that included this studiously bland comment on the situation: “Bentley cars have appeared in a variety, and growing number of films, music videos and commercials. In almost all cases the choice of Bentley has been that of the independent producers, and whilst Bentley Motors is pleased to witness increasing popularity of its cars, it does not initiate the inclusion of its cars in independent productions. When a marque, or brand, rises to a high level of visibility in the community it is inevitable that many will seek to leverage such popularity for gain or benefit.” Yes, we’ve been anticipating that problem for AdFreak. Thank goodness Ms. Hilton wasn’t brandishing our logo while eating that burger.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Going after those videogame addicts

Worried that your in-videogame advertising is wasted on a bunch of half-aware slackers? Think again. New research says a good percentage of gamers are white-knuckled addicts who remain glued to the games at the expense of relationships, jobs, hygiene and so on. This so-called “videogame dependency” is said to affect one in eight players. There’s even a treatment program called On-Line Gamers Anonymous, modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous. There may be one small problem, though. While these players will almost certainly notice your ads, they may not get to the store to buy your products. It is said they spend most of their time in their rooms, coming out only for meals or bathroom breaks.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fashion police ponder the white shoe

It’s nice to know that in a world of terrorism, unrest and poverty, some people worry about what really matters: Should you or shouldn’t you wear white shoes? As this fashion report shows, the debate is animated, with some purists saying white shoes are only acceptable for brides, nurses and tennis players. Forget tradition, the other side says—go whole-hog and dress all in white, even (gasp!) after Labor Day. Kate Spade has weighed in with this highly insightful and helpful comment: “I don’t know if there are any rules, but I find wearing white shoes in the winter can be tricky.” But she adds, “I do love the idea of a white rubber boot for a slushy winter day.”

—Posted by Celeste Ward

Published on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here’s my amazing Microsoft story

Microsoft announced on Tuesday a slick new program called the Start Something Amazing Awards. People are encouraged to submit stories about their experiences with Microsoft technology and how they’ve used it to pursue their interests or start something new. Wait until you hear about the prizes: Five lucky winners will get a round trip ticket to Seattle to meet Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. As if that weren’t reward enough, the company is throwing in $5,000 in Windows technology, while one lucky grand prize winner will participate in a national Start Something ad campaign. My most memorable experience with Microsoft occurred a few a years ago and unfolded over the course of two months and about 20 phone calls to the MSN tech support center. My problem was that, for some reason never adequately explained, MSN lost a critical piece of data from my account that allowed me to log on and surf the Net. I would call tech support, listen to Muzak for the requisite 20 minutes or so and then be connected to a tech guy or gal who would politely ask if they could call me Steve. Sure, why not? After about a half hour of clicking into various files and reconfiguring this or that folder, the techie and I would solve the problem. And the solution would last until the next time I tried to use MSN. So I’d make another call, listen to Muzak and be asked if it was OK to be called Steve. After about the tenth call I replied, “Sure, you can me Steve. But only if you fix my @#%! MSN account permanently, you poor excuse for a @#%! geek!” I didn’t really say that, but I wanted to. This went on for a while longer. It was back in the days when MSN offered a $6.95 a month version for users who didn’t surf that much. I’m sure my problem stemmed from a conspiracy by Microsoft to upgrade bottom-fishers like me. And then one day my daughter came up with the solution. “Dad,” she said, “Let’s switch to AOL. They have Instant Messaging.” Problem solved. That’s my Microsoft story. I doubt it’s prize-worthy.

—Posted by Steve McClellan

Published on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Beer and loathing at Flying Dog Brewery

We’ve seen small breweries roll out some great special-edition beers in recent years. Wasatch Beers in Utah has its Polygamy Porter (slogan: “Why have just one!”). After Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords ditched the Republican Party and became an independent, South Burlington’s Magic Hat honored him with a Jeezum Jim beer. And now comes news that Denver’s Flying Dog Brewery will honor the late Hunter S. Thompson with a Gonzo Imperial Porter. “Like Hunter, this beer is deep and complex,” says the release on the Flying Dog Web site. “Gonzo Imperial Porter has been brewed with black, chocolate and crystal malts, and hopped with Millennium and Cascades. This is a turbo-charged version of the Road Dog, and at 9.5% ABV it will bite you in the ass if you don’t show it the proper respect.” Like all Flying Dog beers, this one’s label will feature an illustration by Ralph Steadman, the longtime collaborator of Thompson’s.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seeing red until I’m blue in the face

It’s bad enough that I had to listen to Mark Shields and Robert Novak act out their Crossfire antics on stage at the Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s convention Tuesday morning. (For the record, I come down firmly in the Jon Stewart camp about these shows.) But when I returned to my in-box, I found this pitch about how some ad agencies were asked by Esquire to come up with a cure for the Democrats (as part of “A Cure for Everything,” a larger feature story). Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners recommends shortening “Democrats” to “Dems.” Goodby, Silverstein & Partners wants to play off the Constitution’s “We the people” and use “We are the people.” And Ten United from Columbus, Ohio, designed a logo that mixes red and blue to get purple in a message of unity. Honestly, I was burnt out on politics before this week started. And now that I’ve had to listen to Shields and Novak positively salivate at the possibility of a Hillary Clinton/Condoleeza Rice matchup in 2008 (2008! for God’s sake), I can’t help but wonder: What do those two schmucks have to do with outdoor advertising?

—Posted by Aaron Baar

Published on May 24, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why mommy might be on Prozac

Maybe it's because we just turned down two U2 tickets for Thursday in Boston due to family obligations that we find ourselves so intrigued this afternoon about the 4th Annual All-Star Mamapalooza Fest, being held tomorrow night at The Cutting Room in New York. (Fascinating factoid: The club is co-owned by Chris Noth, aka Sex and the City's Mr. Big.) According to the Web site, Mamapalooza "is dedicated to honoring, celebrating and acknowledging the struggles and victories of mothers everywhere," all while rocking out, of course, and the show will feature bands such as Housewives on Prozac, The Mydols, Placenta .. well, you get the drift. While the thought of mothers who rock may seem incongruous, what seems even more so to us is the program's sponsors: the magazines Parents and Child, owned (for now, anyway) by Gruner+Jahr. On the one hand, we say to G+J: "Rock on,sistahs!" On the other hand, we're amused when we click on the link that takes us from the Mamapalooza site over to Parents.com. Not only is there no mention of mommies who play bass when they're not sorting the laundry on Parents.com, but you go from a site decked out in East Village black to one with the bright, happy colors of a child's room. No wonder there's a band called Housewives on Prozac.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 24, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

How do people navigate the supermarket?

Connoisseurs of oddball consumer research will savor the findings of a Wharton School study on the typical paths consumers take through supermarkets. After attaching ID tags to shopping carts, researchers used a multivariate clustering algorithm (and who among us does not?) to map out such paths. It turns out, for example, that shoppers rarely make it down to the end of an aisle. Instead, they make short forays into aisles, then scurry back to the perimeter. And that perimeter is the shopper’s comfort zone, evidently. “Whereas previous folklore perpetuated the myth that the perimeter of the store was visited incidental to successive aisle traverses, we now know that it often serves as the main thoroughfare, effectively a home base from which shoppers take quick trips into the aisles.” (Nice to have that bit of folklore exposed for what it is, eh?) Have you often wondered whether people move through the supermarket in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction? This study has the answer: “Shoppers prefer a counter-clockwise shopping experience.” They also speed up as they approach the checkout counters. Then again, readers may do the same as they approach the end of an AdFreak posting.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on May 24, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Can you spare a visit to London, guv?

Those of us who like to believe that the word guv is legitimate, contemporary English, not some archaic curiosity from Oliver Twist, will be chuffed about this British Airways campaign. The carrier’s new U.S. billboards, by M&C Saatchi, entice New Yorkers to London with the promise of an expanded vocabulary to go with their Beefeater mugs and plastic Big Bens. Each ad teaches you a different British-ism, so after studying up and spending a few hundred quid on a flight, you could end up strolling around Leicester Square, using (or misusing) terms like kip, naff, barmy and butty. (You can practice on BA’s Web site by using the words in a sentence and e-mailing them to friends, but what kind of ninny goes in for that rubbish?) The ads are location-specific, too—one on the West Side Highway agrees with drivers that flipping heck, this traffic is bonkers. Cockney slang doesn’t show up often in American advertising, but cor blimey, guv, it’s kind of fun when it does.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 24, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Voice of Tony the Tiger dies

We, of course, adhere to the belief that great people die in threes. So, as of today, we’re sad to report that we’re up to two recent deaths of true luminaries in the advertising industry. The first would be Frank Perdue, and the second, we learned while casually reading the Orange County Register this morning (oh, no, wait, someone sent us this link), is Thurl Ravenscroft, aka the voice of Tony the Tiger for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. Ravenscroft also voiced various Disney characters and, with a group called the Mellomen, performed with, among others, Elvis, but we’ll always remember him not only as the inspiration for many of our childhood cavities, but also as the human behind the mascot of our beloved Lake Club Swim Team, circa about 1970. RIP, Thurl.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on May 24, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cook/artist beats power-tool survivor

The results of the Dodge Dakota Ultimate Guy contest are in, and in something of an upset, the guy who cooks, does household chores and has even been known to paint a picture or two has beaten the guy who drove a power drill through his forearm. Yes, David Neumann, an engineer from Valley Mills, Texas, has been named the Ultimate Guy, earning himself a 2005 Dodge Dakota ST and a trip for four to a local sporting event of his choice. Meanwhile, Chris MacIntosh, a lumber salesman from Fenton, Mich., is left to ponder what might have been. His wife Amy nominated him for the contest after the drill accident last summer, which MacIntosh handled by coolly putting the power tool in reverse, pulling it out of his forearm, bandaging the wound and going back to building a backyard deck, or so they say. “He’s still my ultimate guy,” says Amy.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 24, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

What’s not on this best-movies list

We often feel happy to be out of sync with popular culture, if for no other reason than the likes of Paris Hilton dominate same. For example, we lost interest in anything Star Wars a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. And while we’ll grant that the franchise is capable of providing some modicum of diversion, we find it astonishing that any Star Wars film could make it onto any list of all-time best movies. But if someone held a light saber to our heads and forced us to pick a Star Wars film for the top 100 of all time, we’d have to go with Return of the Jedi, not the one they picked. (But since all the Jedi are currently lined up for the latest bloated, special-effects bore, we feel safe.) Still, we tend to prefer films whose titles aren’t mentioned in the same sentence as the word “franchise.” What’s also curious is why they selected White Heat but not any of the classic James Cagney vehicles like The Roaring Twenties, Yankee Doodle Dandy or The Public Enemy. And why no single James Bond film? (OK, so that’s one “franchise” we’ll cop to.) Here are some films we would have included on any 100-best list: Network, Three Days of the Condor, Stage Door, Failsafe, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Wizard of Oz, Key Largo, I Am a Prisoner From a Chain Gang, The Kid, Rushmore, Shakespeare in Love, Europa! Europa!, Like Water for Chocolate, The Seven Beauties and many others not listed. How about you, dear reader?

—Posted by Kathleen Sampey

Published on May 23, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (4)