Bummer ... BlackBerry network lives

I bet I'm not the only person who's disappointed that the patent squabble that would have shut down the BlackBerry network has apparently been settled, so the network won't go down, not even for a few hours. Now we'll never know what people look like when going through BlackBerry withdrawal symptoms. Damn.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Desperately seeking Mobile ESPN users

Thanks to smartly done Super Bowl spots, courtesy of Arnold, and ubiquitous house ads on ESPN’s 8,000 or so cable channels, the broadcaster’s ambitious foray into multimedia cellular service has gotten quite a launch. Now, the hard part: Convince customers to part with $200 for a Mobile ESPN phone, switch to Sprint if they don’t already have it, pay $35-$225 a month for two years, and then only receive ESPN-approved content. Wall Street Journal tech guru Walt Mossberg was particularly exasperated over ESPN blocking access to some sites, including competitor Sports Illustrated. A month after its glitzy debut, evidence of these phones flying off the shelves is scant. Deadspin.com, a haven of upscale sports junkies, pleaded with its readers to speak up if they even knew anyone who owned the thing. The response: crickets. Not good when one commenter summed up his reaction this way: “The guys who launched this thing are incredibly arrogant and dumb. This is going to be as popular as their attempt to sell their dumb SportsCenter commercials on iTunes.” So, has anyone out there actually gotten Mobile ESPN?

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Morrissey

Who wants to smell like a 'Desperate Housewife'?

Coty, maker of celebrity scents like J. Lo’s Glow, announced today that it is launching a Desperate Housewives fragrance in the fall. The smell, according to a press release, is said to be “inspired” by the hit ABC show. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I want the whiff of any of those characters about me. Surely manic mom Lynette smells faintly of dirty diapers, while Bree’s Chardonnay habit might lend her a hint of wino. Not to mention Susan Meyer, who on any given week might be falling over bags of manure or fishing a discarded wedding ring from the side of an exhaust-choked highway. Then again, if you want to smell like dirty laundry, you might just look to any of them.

—Posted by Deanna Zammit

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Absolut smackdown

You mean to say that all of those Absolut print ads over the years weren't enough to effectively brand the vodka? It seems a logical conclusion after reading this item in Keith Kelly's New York Post column alleging that the abrupt shutdown of the U.S. version of Absolute Magazine was brought about, in part, by the "financial burden" of ongoing litigation between the magazine's publisher and V&S Vin & Spirit, which makes Absolut. The liquor company was trying to make a case for trademark infringement, and also raised concern that its own trade magazine, Absolut Reflexions, made the confusion even worse. OK, both magazine and liquor are targeted toward upscale consumers, but we thought it had been drummed into our heads years ago that Absolut, the vodka, had no "e"—and that the "t" was silent. After all, there are only 1172 print ads in Absolut's online gallery. If someone is still really confused about how to spell Absolut, then they just haven't been paying attention. (BTW, you may want to check absolutkravitz.com, a collaboration between Lenny Kravitz and Absolut. Despite the diatribe above, it's still great that Absolut, by and large, supports people in the creative world.)

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Absolut

Terminix’s ghostly wall-creatures just want to be your friend

What kind of corporate advertising character would you trust if not a creepy, disembodied wall-face like this one? This is one of several haunting visages that chat up a storm in Terminix’s new “If Walls Could Talk” campaign. (They talk mostly about the creepy-crawlies that infest their homes.) And while I’m sure countless hours of challenging special-effects work went into their creation, these faces have that unfortunate, mummy-like, undead look about them. And in a way, that makes their chirpy tone even more disconcerting. Expect to shield your eyes from lots of these wall-faces on television in the coming weeks, if my press packet has it correct.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Lego picks its geeky guinea pigs

In a show of Darwinian survival-of-the-geekiest, Lego has chosen 100 new participants from 9600 applicants for its Mindstorms Developers Program, which is helping the toy company test new robots in Lego's Mindstorms line. We're not sure what the demographic breakdown of the new participants means, exactly, but it's kind of interesting nonetheless. The age range is between 18 and 75, with (only!) 50 percent being under 35. Twenty percent are in computer-related fields, and another 20 percent are in education. Forty percent are Americans. What we'd really love to know is whether any of the participants are women. [Via CNET].

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Palm Springs dealing with slogan backlash

The tourism board in Palm Springs, Calif., is the latest to be berated by the public for its choice of marketing slogan. The new line, designed to sell the Coachella Valley to tourists far and wide, is, “Give in to the desert. You’re surrounded.” It’s certainly different, and playful—although, to some, not too inviting. Lots of business leaders in the area have been surprisingly supportive of the line, but some residents are upset and/or confused. “Give in to what?” writes one Desert Sun reader in a letter to the editor. “Searing summer heat? Blowing sand? Bigger gambling casinos? Development run rampant? Earthquake faults? Political shenanigans? Misconduct in high places? Gridlock? Eye-ear-nose gnats? Man the lifeboats! Batten down the hatches! Sound the alarm! Retreat! Wave the white flag! Call in the cavalry! Circle the wagons! Pull up the drawbridge! Punt! Trapped in the endzone! S.O.S.! We’re surrounded! Somebody stop ’em quick before they print more T-shirts.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Judging a book only by its cover

A book’s cover is often the only advertising it gets. Thus, at least from a marketing perspective, you’d have to applaud Gary Leon Hill’s self-help book for haunted people. It’s called People Who Don’t Know They’re Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It, and it’s just won Bookseller magazine’s award for oddest book title of the year. According to Reuters, it narrowly beat out the somewhat less fascinating sounding Rhino Horn Stockpile Management: Minimum Standards and Best Practices from East and Southern Africa. Here’s part of Amazon.com’s editorial review of People Who Don’t Know They’re Dead: “When people die by accident, in violence, or maybe they’re drunk, stoned or angry, they get freeze-framed. Even if they die naturally but have no clue what to expect, they might not notice they’re dead. It’s frustrating to see and not be seen. It’s frustrating to not know what you’re supposed to do next. It’s especially frustrating to be in someone else’s body and think it’s your own. That’s if you’re dead. If you’re alive and that spirit has attached itself to you, well that’s a whole other set of frustrations.” Previous winners of the Bookseller oddest-title prize have included such classics as Bombproof Your Horse and Greek Rural Postmen and their Cancellation Numbers.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Italian ambassador to Canada rips mafia-themed ad campaign

The Sopranos is back on HBO in a little over a week, but when the whackings begin in earnest, be sure to maintain a skeptical eye. A restaurant chain called Jack Astor’s in Canada tried out a mafioso theme in its advertising recently, having two wiseguys misbehave in illustrated print ads promoting a new Italian menu. The grumbling began almost immediately, and eventually the Italian ambassador to Canada joined the chorus of boos. The chain has “not only offended thousands of their fellow Canadians of Italian origin,” he wrote in a special communiqué, “but also possibly lost as many prospective customers.” The restaurant has scrapped the print ads and meekly apologized. Its top marketing guy, recognizing that this is business, not personal, is making an offer that his critics will probably not refuse. He explains: “In future, we will take great care to make sure that the many positive attributes of Italian culture are emphasized in our advertising.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The iPod box, as rethought by Microsoft

We did a quick search on this before posting it because do you ever go through one of those insecure stages where you feel like you’re the last person to receive viral videos? Anyway, iFilm currently has a 3-minute video posted that re-imagines the sleek, suitable-for-keeping iPod box as if it were designed by Microsoft. The iFilm synopsis claims that it “was produced by Microsoft’s marketing people for an internal design meeting.” We’re a bit suspicious of that, but, nonetheless, we hope you’ll enjoy watching as the box becomes increasingly littered with rebate offers and lengthy product names.

 —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

In ONE campaign, you can be a star

We're up to five recent instances of audience participation in advertising—did someone christen this "'Yes, Even You Can Work in Advertising' Week" and not tell us? This time around the pro-bono effort (oops, just got ensnared in an unintended pun) the ONE campaign is asking people to take a hi-res picture of themselves in a white t-shirt (not like the one here, which was the best visual we could muster), wearing their white "ONE" wristband and send it in to onepicture@one.org for possible inclusion in a ONE newspaper ad. Four pictures will be selected. If you want our advice, shoot yourself in black-and-white, as the premise is to make the ad look like the celeb-fabulous, black-and-white ONE advertising. A new TV spot in the campaign broke yesterday and can be seen here.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wacky street names win contest, if not high home prices

What are the odds of a driver finding fahrvergnugen on Farfrompoopin Road? Would you worry about your neighbors on a street called Psycho Path? Can your marriage be saved if you live on Divorce Court? The byways were some of the zingers submitted to thecarconnection.com’s “Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Names Contest,” sponsored by Mitsubishi. One suspects the Burger King must reside on Haviturway. The roads Stroke and Acoma intersect at a retirement village in Florida. Picking up the theme, the BBC Web site asked readers to submit photos of other strangely named streets such as Lois Lane in Chilliwack, Canada, Ragged Ass Lane in Yellowknife and the conjunction of Normal and High Streets in Kirksville, Mo. While we couldn’t find this place called Lonely Street, we did discover that Lonesome Road and Hardup Road converge in  Albany, Ga.

—Posted by Richard Williamson

Published on March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Americans know their Simpsons, not so much their freedoms

It seems Americans are exercising their freedom by watching The Simpsons rather than by reading the Constitution. This is distressing to the high-minded folks who run the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, soon to open in Chicago. They commissioned a survey whose rather transparent intent was to demonstrate the need for (you guessed it) a Freedom Museum. (Click on "Press Releases" to see the official release.) In the poll, 22 percent of adults were able to name all five members of the Simpson family. But just 28 percent were able to name more than one of the five freedoms listed in the First Amendment. A majority came up with freedom of speech (69 percent), but freedom of religion (24 percent), press (11 percent) and assembly (10 percent) had far less share of mind. And scarcely anyone (1 percent) knew that freedom “to petition the government for a redress of grievances” is in the First Amendment. Actually, one suspects the respondents were having some fun with the pollsters, as 21 percent said the First Amendment guarantees the right to own pets and 17 percent that it includes the freedom to drive a car. Instead of wringing their hands about public ignorance, the people who run the museum might be be pleased that Americans take a broadly cultural (rather than narrowly legalistic) view of their First Amendment freedoms.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

credit: FOX

Published on March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Felicity Huffman chats with classic TV moms for new Dove lotion

Felicity Huffman is getting ready for the Academy Awards by starring in three fantastic Web-only films directed by Penny Marshall for Dove Calming Night body lotion. In the films, posted at DoveNight.com, she showers with Calming Night, gets into bed, falls asleep and is transported into scenes from three old TV shows—The Brady Bunch, The Munsters and Leave It to Beaver—where she gets to hang out with classic TV moms of yore. The campaign, by MindShare Entertainment, couldn’t be much better. The editing is seamless, Huffman’s jokey acting is perfect, and the product tie-in is completely organic and true. And with Huffman, the timing couldn’t be better.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Is anyone taking this MasterCard ‘make your own ad’ contest seriously?

Off-color MasterCard spoofs have become an art form over the years, so the credit-card company should probably expect more jokes than serious entries in its make-your-own-ad contest. Billy Crudup could really get into the voiceover on this one.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Using CGM to create your campaign so you don’t have to? Priceless.

If three of something is a trend, what’s four ... overkill? We’re asking because even though it’s late in the day, this new “Priceless” campaign from MasterCard, which asks people to create their own ending, is piquing even our pre-dinner, semi-somnolent interest. (It breaks on the Oscars.) Like the campaigns we wrote about yesterday, it contains a gimmick to keep people watching—in this case leaving the items for purchase and the priceless items in the commercials blank. (Thanks to Adrants for posting them on YouTube.) People can then go to the brand-spanking-new Priceless.com Web site—“a weekly online guide to life’s upscale adventures” (the company’s words, not ours)—and pretend to be a copywriter! Write their own ad! MasterCard’s favorite will air as an actual ad later in the year. Since people have long been writing “Priceless” ads without MasterCard’s approval, we have to admit, it’s a great idea to capitalize on it.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

4 out of 5 pre-teen vandals choose Wrigley’s Extra Polar Ice

To enliven any news story, journalists are all about gory details. But we came across one such detail today that seems more about some kind of product placement gone wrong than anything else. Apparently, during a school trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts, some 12-year-old stuck a wad of gum on a $1.5 million painting. And right there in the second paragraph is the key information—it wasn’t just any piece of gum, but a piece of Wrigley’s Extra Polar Ice gum. Why is the brand of gum relevant to this story? To give the kid points for chewing sugarless? Extra’s tagline is, “Long-lasting flavor. Extra’s got it.” Whether the “chemical residue” from the gum will leave a long-lasting stain remains to be seen.

—Posted by Kathleen Sampey

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Freedom of speech really gets going at 95

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say we’re posting this just because the tagline on this guy's T-shirt is so good. The man pictured is Sid Smith, 95, who is running for Congress more or less to stick it to Tom DeLay, whom, it can safely be said, he’s not a big fan of. If you can't read the tagline, it says, "At 95, who needs term limits?" But some of Smith’s other comments are equally, uh, attention-getting. Since The Austin American-Statesman, where we found the details of Smith's candidacy, is a family newspaper, some imagination may be involved in understanding the following. When asked what he might say to opponents carping about his age, he replied: “"I'll tell them to (enjoy themselves unilaterally)." And on the topic of what should happen to DeLay, who was indicted in his home state last year, no punishment, per Smith, is out of bounds. "I think jail's too good for him. I think they ought to castrate the son of a . . . " Remember, we’re just telling you what the guy said.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Credit: AP Photo/Harry Cabluck

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Learn to drive your Ferrari in style

Having recently been stuck behind a student driver, I can attest that the vehicles used for training are most decidedly not of the performance variety. So, I guess it makes some sense that Ferrari is bringing its driving school to North America for people who want to have (to paraphrase another car maker’s line) “the ultimate driving experience” of their own. The school will give participants access to 12 Ferraris on a 1.2-mile open track. Entry fee: $8,200, which is chump change when it comes to a $150,000 car. (The school is supposedly open only to Ferrari owners, but company officials admit some lucky non-owners might get in.) There’s one catch, however. Schooling will happen at Le Circuit de Mt. Tremblant, about 90 miles outside of Montreal. OK, Canada, that’s one thing you now have over us (OK, two, if you count socialized healthcare).

—Posted by Aaron Baar

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Next up for Condi Rice: the presidency or a series of aerobics videos?

If you thought Condoleezza Rice was terrifying in her current job, just wait until she has her own workout videos. The 51-year-old U.S. Secretary of State has been filmed pumping some iron for a three-tiered segment on health and exercise produced by NBC’s Washington, D.C., affiliate. (Link includes video.) The NBC reporter who tried to keep up with Rice is suitably humbled by her toughness. “She is amazing,” says Barbara Harrison. “The amount of weights she handles and the endurance she has ... As a person who has exercised all my life, I was very impressed. She looks good throughout the whole workout.” Should Rice pursue a set of videos, someone over at Fark.com has suggested a title: Sweatin’ With the Reactionaries. The moral of this story is: Yes, as you figured, Condi Rice can indeed kick your ass any day of the week.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

A couple of years away from ordinary

What’s the value of a beer endorsement if the celebrity drinker in question is underage? The celebrity blogs are all atwitter over this pic of 15-year-old Emma Watson, aka Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films, apparently swigging from a bottle of Corona. Defamer debates the context of the photo, wondering if it was taken somewhere 15-year-olds can legally drink or, humorously, if it’s a publicity still (possibly part of a scene where “the young wizards get shitfaced on butterbeer and draw genitals on Ron Weasley’s face with their wands after he passes out”). On the Corona Web site (tagline: “Miles away from ordinary”), where coconuts plop into a placid green ocean and ragged-clawed crabs scuttle about, the brewer feels compelled to note that it “supports the Century Council’s fight against underage drinking and drunk driving.” Defamer doesn’t speculate on whether the pic might help Corona, but isn’t optimistic about the effect on Watson: “Corona? Haven’t the Lohans of the world taught us that teen stars should be shoring up their tolerance with hard liquor?”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (18)

You call this premium coffee?

It appears that McDonald’s is set to launch a new high-end coffee, which, in the land of value meals, means it has a price point of only $1.20. It’s part of a plan that may eventually come to include the following oxymoronic products: McDonald’s lattes, espressos and frappuccinos. Entering the premium coffee segment is an obvious ploy to compete with Starbucks (and we suppose Dunkin’ Donuts), but to us, the definition of premium coffee is any caffeinated concoction that costs over $3, and, therefore, leaves us with that vague feeling that we’re just stooges who should really know better. At $1.20 per cup, this just doesn’t do it.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Is Idaho just sick to death of potatoes?

This post brings together two current AdFreak themes: license plates and potatoes (slow news week). We read this morning that a lawmaker in Idaho wants to remove (or “peel,” according to Reuters) the phrase “Famous Potatoes” from the state’s license plates, on the reasoning that high-tech products, not potatoes, are Idaho’s current top export. (Even in terms of agriculture, potatoes are now Idaho’s No. 3 earner, behind milk and livestock.) “Other than as a consumer, the majority of people in Idaho have no connection to ‘Famous Potatoes,’” the senator says. This man clearly is something of an idiot. Potatoes may not be the most glamorous claim to fame, but at least Idaho’s known for something. The potato growers there are obviously upset at being insulted (or “mashed,” according to Reuters) like this in their home state. As the Idaho Potato Commission’s president rightly says: “We don’t have to be embarrassed by our agricultural roots. Why not be proud of your potato?”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Eat up your favorite Hollywood stars

As YesButNoButYes points out, Eleni’s bakery in New York is once again whipping up batches of Oscar cookies for the discerning and well-funded party-thrower. The treats come in Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture, although not Best Director, because who wants Steven Spielberg’s face on a dessert item? They go for about $60 a tin. Also, the latest odds have been released on the Oscar races, and the Best Actor and Best Actress races aren’t even close. Bodog.com has Philip Seymour Hoffman as a huge 1/9 favorite, while Reese Witherspoon is 1/6 in the betting.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 1, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4)

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)