With gift bags like these, it really is nice just to be nominated

The swag-bags of Hollywood’s Oscar nominees continue to swell, with each piece of donated graft considered a shot at implicit or explicit celebrity endorsement and product placement. Imagine, for instance, what an opthamologist like Kerry Assil could do after giving even a minor celebrity a Lasik procedure, one of this year’s gifts. All of a sudden, you’re the “eye doctor to the stars.” (One hair-restoration radio advertiser is already using Matthew McConaughey’s endorsement. And Assil’s testimonials page is “Under construction”!) Resorts like the Mirage Hotel and Casino ($27,000 getaway package) and Starwood’s Bora Bora Nui ($8,000 package) can potentially brand their properties as celebrity hangouts. The staggering graft even elevates your fairly run-of-the-mill products, like LandRoller skates, Function urban-detox hangover kits, and Jordache jeans (with $5,000 14-carat gold-thread initials added, of course). The only thing more absurd than the ostentatiousness of the gifts, of course, is the notion that these pampered millionaires need anything at all, much less a new Lomanve bathrobe.

—Posted by Gregory Solman

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

A very Bengrossing, Benjoyable exhibition

The urge to combine the name Ben with other words grows stronger every day, judging by Philadephia’s Ben Franklin exhibition, which has brought a measure of “BENergy!” to the city. In the wake of not one but two celebrity Bennifers, can the name Ben even stand on its own anymore? The Stillers, Kwellers, Wallaces and Popkens of the world may be somewhat concerned, along with anyone who favors non-sucky headlines on ads. But maybe there’s something to this whole trend. While most combo-names (Bennifer, Brangelina) are objectively awful, others are something of an improvement on the original pair. As Stephen Colbert recently pointed out, smushing William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman together gets you the quite respectable Filliam H. Muffman.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jobs in which women are just raking it in

There aren’t many jobs in which women earn more than men on average. But advertising has some of them, according to a CNN/Money article that discusses a book on earnings and gender. In the category “advertising and promotions managers,” women earn an average of $42,068, while men get $40,144. The relatively few professions in which women typically out-earn men also include: legislators, motion-picture projectionists, funeral-service workers, crossing guards and aerospace engineers.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not that hard to get people to watch ads

One of life's universal truths is that it takes three of something to make a trend. Another is that it's easy to get people to do precisely what you want if you know just how to manipulate their neurons. With those two things in mind, we present today's New York Times ad column, in which Stuart Elliott and Julie Bosman have discovered the three trend-signifying instances of advertisers goading viewers into watching their commercials. First, of course, there was the massively lame KFC buffalo-wings ad that broke last week containing a not-so-secret code ("Buffalo"). Then there's a Home Depot spot, breaking today, that was voted on air by viewers. And third, Dentyne is having people vote for the ending of a commercial that breaks today by going to the Dentyne Web site. Participants will receive a free pack of gum, which is right up there—or down there—with KFC offering code-breakers $1 off a sandwich. As for us, we refuse to be manipulated until advertisers start to offer big cash prizes.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Homer really, really likes Maine potatoes

It is the dogged journalist unwilling to rest on his laurels who finds story ideas in episodes of The Simpsons. Here are the opening lines of a piece in this morning’s Portland Press-Herald: “The Maine potato industry got an unexpected prime-time plug Sunday night when Homer Simpson, America’s most famous cartoon glutton, endorsed the state’s spuds. In a subplot that had Homer’s bountiful body sporting tattoo advertisements for various products, ‘Eat Maine Potatoes’ was stamped across one arm. Homer, who was in bed, told his blue-tower-haired wife, Marge, that the tater reference wasn’t an ad, but a reminder. He then reached over the edge of the bed into a bag of—yup, ‘Maine Potatoes’—and started munching on one.” Now this is hard-hitting journalism. The story goes on to gauge the value of such a plug to the Maine potato industry. The writer, unwilling to leave any stone unturned, even places a call to Fox and is forwarded a statement from Simpsons executive producer Al Jean: “All of the Simpsons writers are huge fans of Maine potatoes.” We have a feeling that quote was meant—yup, sarcastically.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Credit: Matt Groening

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bennigan’s: Acting one’s age is so overrated

Casual-dining chains like Applebee’s, T.G.I. Friday’s and Bennigan’s are upsetting places. Is it the bogus enthusiasm? The “flair”? The pretense of neighborhoody charm? The food? It’s hard to pin down. There’s actually an Applebee’s in the Bronx, about five minutes from my apartment; I hope I never have to go in there. Anyway, we read in Adweek this morning that Bennigan’s is celebrating its 30th anniversary. How are they going about it? “Internally, the company has dubbed 2006 ‘The return to cool.’ Television, radio and outdoor ads touting the brand’s 30th anniversary use ‘We refuse to act our age’ as a theme.” What does this “return to cool” mean for the Bennigan’s wait staff? They’re wearing “Leprechaun Rights” T-shirts as part of a St. Patrick’s Day promo. How cool is that? (Some of them may “act their age” while taking your order, but let’s hope not.) A new ad for Bennigan’s potato skins reads, “We thought we’d get your attention by showing you some skin.” Cool! Bennigan’s marketing chief is quoted as saying, “Nothing we’re doing is revolutionary.” Surely it’s only a matter of time.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bands that won’t hitch a ride with Hummer

You might think a band named Trans Am would be a good fit for a General Motors commercial. But the Washington, D.C., rockers bypassed a $180,000 offer for their song “Total Information Awareness” because the product was a Hummer. “We figured it was almost like giving music to the Army, or Exxon,” guitarist Philip Manley tells the Associated Press. Hummer also got the cold shoulder from Thermal and LiLiPUT, even though the latter band has been kaput for 20 years. “At least I can sleep without nightmares,” ex-LiLiPUTian Marlene Marder tells the AP. This wave of principle over paycheck was attributed to the Hummer’s atrocious fuel-economy figures, which hover near the single digits. That thirst for Middle East unleaded has earned the vehicle a Sierra Club Web site called hummerdinger.com, which asks readers to choose an appropriate theme song. Should Hummer’s ad shop, Modernista!, run out of soundtrack options, be advised that Ottmar Liebert is still available. Weighing in on the controversy, Liebert says the young rebels ought to milk the deal for a good cause. “Hell, license your music to GM for the hated Hummer H2, and give $10 million to the Integral Institute, and you will create a lot more change than by telling your agent, ‘Over my dead body!’”

—Posted by Richard Williamson

Published on February 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Yet another chance to work with a bunch of slithering, slimy worms

We’ve seen contests lately in which moviegoers are invited to create a poster for a new release. Universal Pictures is taking it a step further, inviting people to create a TV commercial for Slither, the upcoming horror movie from writer/director James Gunn. Visitors to the Slither Web site can click on “Slug It Out,” which takes you to a page of clips, music cues, sound effects and graphics you can use to build a customized Slither TV spot. The movie seems to be about soul-sucking leeches, so advertising professionals will naturally be drawn to the material. The winner stands to pocket $25,000 and see his or her work used in the official marketing campaign.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

For once, D.C. gets a movie premiere

It’s not often that the nation’s capital hosts a premiere of a Hollywood movie. But when the film is a satirical sendup of the power brokers that make this place tick, it would be foolish to ignore us, especially if you want buzz. Thank You for Smoking, the movie version of the Christopher Buckley book featuring a tobacco lobbyist, debuted Saturday night at an event sponsored by Capitol File, the Niche Media magazine that targets luxury consumers. (See the trailer here.) Lead actor Aaron Eckhart and director Jason Reitman showed up before the movie started to wish the audience many good laughs. The party continued later at Blue Gin, a swank nightclub in Georgetown where some of the real-life lobbyists and journalists rubbed elbows in the age-old power dance. Among those on hand: Dan Glickman, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, along with Judy Woodruff, former host of CNN’s Inside Politics, and her husband Al Hunt, the Washington editor of the Wall Street Journal. Real-life members of the “MOD Squad”—short for “merchants of death,” they’re the tobacco, alcohol and gun lobbyist/PR types who meet weekly for lunch in the movie—were seen circling the bar. Asked how it felt to be considered a “merchant of death,” Frank Coleman, svp of public affairs and communications for the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., didn’t miss a beat. He reminded AdFreak that alcohol is unlike tobacco. “In fact, study after study has shown that for many adults, moderate consumption of alcohol can be good for your health,” Coleman said. “No one ever said smoke a cigarette or two a day and you will live longer.”

—Posted by Wendy Melillo

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the man who's pimped everything

Anyone care to waste precious brain cells guessing how this soon-to-be launched product, “Pimp My Cubicle” will fare? In case you really can’t figure out its premise, I’ll help—it allows people to interior decorate their cubicles with bling for their keyboards (if I never saw the b-word again, I’d die happy) a miniature disco ball, gold pushpins ... It’s a funny idea for about the first minute, and then you have to ask: how long will people who pimp their cubicles keep their jobs? And who really wants to stare at leopard-skin fringe all day? Even plastering your cubicle with posters of Garfield sounds better. In the spirit of completely overthinking this entire entrepreneurial venture, one colleague commented,“a little late to the pimping game, they are.” And you thought AdFreak wasn't keeping track of such things.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)

One interpretation of ‘Brokeback Mountain’

There’s something for everyone in the movie Brokeback Mountain, apparently. It’s a cowboy movie, it’s an artistic masterpiece, it’s a meditation about love among men, and it’s a great excuse for a Christian group to sell T-shirts. (OK, we haven’t actually seen the movie, but we do a lot of reading.) Back to the T-shirts. Created by the Second Coming Clothing Co., they feature “Moses, the Ten Commandments, and homosexuals joining ancient Israelites dancing around a Golden Calf idol.” Oh, and if we’re reading this story right, the Moses on the T-shirt is pissed.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Catching up with advertising’s Oscar man

Tom Julian has one of the cooler jobs in advertising: fashion-trend analyst. He worked in that role at Fallon for years, and this month he joined McCann Erickson as “strategic director of trends.” Traditionally, his job has involved such hard labor as jetting off to Florence, Italy, to see new lines of clothing; to Sundance to get the latest buzz on indie films; and to L.A. for a week of Oscar parties and red-carpet interviews with celebrities like Julia Roberts. This is Julian’s 11th year as fashion analyst for the Academy Awards’ official Web site, Oscar.com. Kathleen Sampey chats with Julian in this week’s Adweek. Here’s an excerpt: “Q. What has been your most surprising or interesting red-carpet experience at the Oscars? A. My [favorite] moment of the entire 12 years of being on the red carpet was my Sophia Loren moment. There is nothing like a classy individual who truly represents style, elegance, distinction and personality and does it with such grace and aplomb. Everyone thinks it's very glamorous. You’re literally standing in a 2-by-2 square with photographers hitting you over the head, behind a fence where you’re trying to talk to someone and you can’t hear them. There’s just those [Sophia Loren] moments when it’s really worth it.” Then, presumably, there are the Jessica Simpson moments.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Walkers Crisps tackling obesity issue

We’ve always liked Walkers Crisps, the U.K.’s largest potato-chip company. For years they sponsored Leicester City, one of our favorite soccer teams. And they like to name their chips after soccer players. (Salt & Vinegar is “Salt & Lineker,” after Gary Lineker, and Cheese & Onion is “Cheese & Owen” after Michael Owen. They also tried to rename smoky bacon as “smoky Beckham,” but king David wouldn’t hear of it.) This morning we read that Walkers is launching its largest-ever advertising campaign, created by AMV BBDO. Gary Lineker remains the face of the campaign, but in place of the brand’s offbeat humor is a dietary message. Frankly, that doesn’t sound promising. But AMV creative chief Peter Souter seems to have the right attitude. He tells the Independent: “McDonald’s look like they are committing suicide in public. They seem apologetic. The fact that they work so hard to say ‘We sell salads,’ to me that says, in brackets, ‘Don't eat the dead cow.’ People say crisps and sweets are bad for you. When they say sweets, it [affects] 100 brands, but because we are the biggest crisps brand by miles, it hits us really hard. We just wanted to do some ads that tell you exactly how it is and that it is OK to eat a bag of crisps a day.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ask Jeeves butler reclaims his dignity

Ask Jeeves unveils its redesigned, rebranded Ask.com site today, and the butler is officially history. But after his years of faithful service, the butler has earned some non-subservient R&R, and the search engine is giving him five possible retirement options: space tourist, vineyard owner, cabana bartender, yachting enthusiast or guy who “jumps a motorcycle over a tankful of man-eating sharks.” The yachting lifestyle looks the most attractive, at least among people who have voted on the special Jeeves Retirement page that’s been set up to send him off. If you really think Jeeves has made your life better, you can also sign a card for him on the site (“See ya, Jeeves. Have a nice life!”) and read his retirement memo. There’s even a farewell video. As dot-com-boom icon exits go, this guy’s getting a far better deal than the Sock Puppet did.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

There’s nothing quite like ‘Live free or die’

New Hampshire’s “Live free or die” may be coolest state motto of them all. It’s much more bad-ass than, for example, “You’re going to love it here.” Officials in New Hampshire tried putting that wussy new phrase on highway-welcome signs recently, and the backlash has been swift. “Right now, every time I go past those things I’m embarrassed,” the state senate majority leader said last week. Gov. John Lynch feels the same way, even though he one championed the new signs. “It’s true,” he said. “I want to be there when they take out the first one.” The state senate passed a bill Thursday to require “Live free or die” on all highway-welcome signs.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Buy a Dodge, get a painful red rash

It’s always a sure sign that you’ve connected closely with a brand when you leave with a itchy rash. That’s Dodge’s thinking, as it celebrates its launch in Europe with a set of viral videos on RamRash.com that show tough, aggressive young people branded with a “mystery rash” in the form of the Dodge Ram logo. In one video, a woman finds the rash on her ass, then shatters the porcelain sink with her noggin as she leans over. Other videos show a woman breaking a door down and flattening her grandmother and a bride punching out her fiancé. Both have the mystery rash, for which there’s no obvious cream. Chrysler’s head of global sales and marketing says, “In terms of pushing the envelope, this is probably it. Will it upset some people? Probably.” That may be wishful thinking.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Clay Aiken fans threaten to sue record label, gaydar manufacturers

A group of women who were fans of American Idol star Clay Aiken are threatening to sue his record label for false advertising after reading recent tabloid reports that the crooner is gay. Aiken denies the rumors. The nine women, who call themselves “aggrieved consumers,” say they were duped by marketing campaigns from RCA and Sony/BMG that attracted them to the star. They claim that the record labels knew Aiken was gay but withheld the information. “This is tantamount to a manufacturer concealing information about a defective product,” the ladies state in the a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission. A spokesman for the group said, “As consumers, we feel ripped off. It is obvious now that the private Clay is very different from the manufactured packaged public Clay that was marketed to us.” Hmmm. Many of us suspected Aiken’s sexual orientation long ago. Work on that gaydar a little, ladies.

—Posted by Jim Lovel

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (23)

Lisa Loeb: Single and selling out

With A-list actors and musicians scrambling to sign on with big name advertisers, it's time we assign a new meaning to the words "selling out." My suggestion: Trading your privacy for a half-hour time slot. It seems that '90s alt-pop sweetheart Lisa Loeb is doing just that with her E! reality show #1 Single, which airs Sunday at 10 p.m.  It’s been 12 years since she hit it big with "Stay" and, save the odd appearance at the Hello Kitty store in Times Square and a short-lived Food Network series, she’s stayed squarely off camera.  Now 37, Loeb is shucking her privacy (and perhaps her dignity) by appearing on the same network that delivered us laughingstock Anna Nicole Smith. In an AP video clip, Loeb explains that after two failed six-year relationships she’s looking for a marrying man. And while her site describes her as “a real life Carrie Bradshaw,” she comes off less fabulous than sad. (Though still cute as a button.) Besides, with bowdlerized TBS reruns of Sex and the City and the complete DVD collection, there’s no shortage of the original Carrie Bradshaw.

—Posted by Deanna Zammit

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (7)

In 'Confederate States of America' advertising takes a sinister turn

University of Kansas film professor Kevin Willmott is sure to get a rise out of the South with his documentary send-up CSA: The Confederate States of America. But the movie that presupposes a Confederate victory in the Civil War also spoofs the ability of advertising to adapt to any historical paradigm. Instead of the Home Shopping Network, we have the Slave Shopping Network. Devices to keep your slave from running away are promoted in contemporary style, as are other similarly shocking products.  Lest Willmott be tarred with the racist brush, note that the film is produced by Spike Lee and that Willmott earned his credentials fighting for racial equality in his equality-resistant high school. Some critics found it hard to laugh at scenarios such as a Confederate flag on the moon or children reciting the pledge of allegiance to the CSA. Too close to our current reality, they say.

—Posted by Richard Williamson

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Morrison mania gets bloody

Gonzaga’s junior basketball sensation Adam Morrison is on his way to becoming an icon. In addition to leading the country in scoring and powering tiny Gonzaga to the No. 5 ranking, he’s inspired a bizarre eBay auction, a sure sign that he’s arrived. One zealous fan tried to sell a gauze Morrison stuffed up a nostril to stop a bloody nose during a game against Pepperdine earlier this week. The fan under the basket apparently scooped up the bloody wad when Morrison discarded it. (Bloody nose and all, the Gonzaga forward dropped 26 points on the Waves, a so-so performance by his recent standards.) Bids apparently reached $64. (The auction was disabled because eBay doesn’t allow the sale of items with blood on them. Check out the helpful restrictions in the “human remains” section of eBay sellers’ policy. Who knew?) Zags coach Mark Few was hardly amused by the auction, claiming, “The stalkerazzi have reached an all-time low.” Now that Jake Plummer and Ben Roethlisberger used their sports fame to show off the charms of beards, Morrison has an opportunity to spruce up the decidedly déclassé image of mustaches. All season he’s sported a wispy stache reminiscent of Larry Bird, porn stars and middle-relief pitchers. The furry lip has become an object of derision for opposing teams’ fans. During a recent game against Loyola Marymount, Morrison was showered with “Shave your mustache!” chants during an uneven 7-point first half. He responded in the second half with a 37-point outburst, perhaps spurred on by the need to defend the mustache. Morrison, a fan of the mustachioed Che Guevara, is amused by the attention the upper-lip noise attracts. “It’s kind of funny that some people make a big deal about it, he said last month.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Morrissey

Where are the last few cans of New Coke?

For a product so widely despised, New Coke (aka Coke II) still gets an admirable amount of ink. Malcolm Gladwell spends three pages on it in Blink. Paul Ormerod discusses it at length in Why Most Things Fail. It’s been mentioned in the past week in magazines ranging from Forbes to Sports Illustrated (though not in the smutty swimsuit issue). Basically, if you need to trot out an example of bungled corporate marketing, this is your can. However, if it’s an actual taste of New Coke that you want, that’s another matter—and, for cultish acolytes, a pressing one. So, can one still buy New Coke? Not in the U.S., outside of eBay—it seems to have survived in some Midwestern markets until the late ’90s but was discontinued by 2002. If you really can’t live without it, you should hop on a plane to the Federated States of Micronesia. They’re apparently still selling it in Yap, one of those states. But prepare to be ridiculed. As one commenter rants on the New Coke thread linked above: “Why don’t you put … effort into things that actually matter, like your job or taking care of your families? No, you would rather search the Internet and travel over great masses of land endlessly complaining for a final sip of some stupid drink you can make yourself by mixing Coke and Pepsi. It’s the same sugary concoction, you morons.” Nicely put.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Malcolm Gladwell finally launches a blog

As Random Culture points out, Malcolm Gladwell is bringing his insights and unruly mane to the blogosphere. We knew he read blogs. (A year ago, he told us his favorite was Derek Lowe’s In the Pipeline, about pharmaceutical drugs and chemistry.) But for a while, the author of The Tipping Point and Blink didn’t see the point of having his own. But now he writes: “I have come (belatedly) to the conclusion that a blog can be a very valuable supplement to my books and the writing I do for The New Yorker. What I think I’d like to do is to use this forum to elaborate and comment on and correct and amend things that I have already written.” Now we’re just waiting for Noah Tall’s blog.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Anti-smut brigade targets ‘SI’ swimsuit issue and its advertisers

“Lust-producing.” “Highly erotic.” “Outrageous.” “Smut mag.” The American Decency Association isn’t mincing words when it comes to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The group shot off an e-mail this morning urging parents to shield young, impressionable eyes from this rag and complain to the companies that bought ad pages in it. “There is nothing acceptable about pornography, and that is exactly what the SI swimsuit issue is,” the message says. It goes on: “Many of the corporations stoop to the same level as Sports Illustrated by using very sexual, erotic imagery and innuendo in their ads.” The group singles out four by name: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, General Motors and Dodge. We couldn’t imagine the McDonald’s and Wendy’s ads being that racy, so we grabbed our copy to check. The Wendy’s ad has zero sexual content. (It’s a guy eating a “personalized” hamburger.) And the McDonald’s ad (the inside back cover) is tame. It shows the new Spicy Premium Chicken sandwich and the line, “I’m spicy, hot & bold. Hey, maybe I should be on the cover.” Hardly something to get upset about. The ADA should have complained instead about Gillette, which promotes its double-sided Fusion razor with boob-and-butt shots of a woman in a bikini. “If you like the front,” says the copy, “you’ll love the back.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (5)

This is your brain on Super Bowl ads

Everyone knows that Super Bowl ad polls are far from scientific—but some professors at UCLA are attempting to change all that. Officials at the University's Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center hooked up five volunteers to a super hi-tech MRI during the game this year "to observe the neural impact of Super Bowl ads." (Yes, we’re a few weeks behind on this, but we’re all about completeness.) To summarize, people lie about what they like. Disney's commercial scored high in the subjects' "reward and empathy networks" while the GoDaddy spot elicited not much of a response at all, despite the prominent display of mammary glands. And then there's the FedEx "Caveman" spot, which looked like a crowd favorite in nearly every post-game ad wrap-up. That caused "a strong response in the amygdala." For those of our readers who are not brain surgeons, that's the part of the brain where our fear mechanism is located. That demonstrates, we guess, either an intense fear of getting canned, or an intense fear of death-by-dinosaur.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

What’s your state’s official dirt?

Last year Georgia rattled its citizens by introducing a second tagline, “Put your dreams in motion,” to complement its hugely popular and recognizable line, “Georgia on my mind.” Some wondered if state officials were losing their minds. This may not help: A bill introduced into the Georgia General Assembly proposes that Georgia name red clay as the official state dirt. The weird thing is, more than 15 other states have beaten Georgia to the punch. California’s official state dirt is San Joaquin soil; in Maryland, it’s Paxton soil; in Wisconsin, it’s something called Antigo silt loam. Which state will be the first to claim that their dirt is better than your dirt?

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)