Have you trademarked your shop's slogan?

This digital stuff moves fast, even the catchphrases. That's why it's important to stake your claims. I got an e-mail from R/GA that included something unusual. Its standard phrase introducing the shop as "R/GA, the agency for the digital age" suddenly­ included a trademark symbol on the end of it. It turns out R/GA trademarked the phrase "the agency for the digital age" earlier this year. In fact, I was wondering which agency was the one for the digital age. Just to be sure, I asked Google. R/GA doesn't show up in the first few pages of results in searches for "agency for the digital age." Alas. R/GA's not the only one looking to grab futurey catchphrases. Avenue A/Razorfish has trademarked the phrase "social influence marketing." I can't help but wonder if this kind of stuff is really worth the time and effort. One Twitter user under the moniker MrT_TheAngel has his doubts: "'T' thinks those suckas should have a trademark on dumbass."

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on September 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Morrissey, R/GA, Razorfish

ESPN responds to theft of its turf billboards

The other day we mentioned that thieves in NYC and elsewhere have been stealing ESPN's Monday Night Football billboards, make of real NFL turf, from bus shelters and other locations, to decorate their homes and impress their friends. Now, Wieden + Kennedy and ESPN have responded with special ads at the crime scenes, featuring police tape and comically worded warnings that karma, basically, is a bitch. (Click the image above to enlarge.) Read more over at Wizards of Weimer.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under ESPN, Nudd, Outdoor, Wieden + Kennedy

Palin's hot-selling glasses: fashion or fad?

No matter who wins this week's vice presidential debate—much less the Nov. 4 election—one person is sure to have come out ahead in 2008: Kazuo Kawasaki. The Japanese designer's rimless titanium eyeglass frames have gone from obscurity to scarcity since Sarah Palin emerged on the scene, wearing the glasses so consistently that they seemed soldered to her head. According to The New York Times, all 1,000 authorized Kawasaki retailers have ramped up their orders, and other retailers are begging to get in on the action. Of course, there are plenty of knockoffs, if you don't want to shell out the $700 for an authentic pair. While there's no doubt that the last months have been good for Kawasaki, you have to wonder about the long term. Will Palin make a permanent mark on American style, à la John F. Kennedy, or will her look be remembered as little more than the Halloween cliché of 2008?

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Griner, Politics, Vision care

'Space Oddity' just makes Lincoln spot odd

Collateral Damage takes Ford to task for using Cat Power's cover of David Bowie's downbeat "Space Oddity" in the above commercial for the Lincoln MKS. Oddly, the saga of suicidal spaceman Major Tom was played during the BBC's coverage of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. (I always assumed the song was about drugs, which makes it perfectly OK for car commercials or moon walks.) Ford's also getting bad press over the new Flash of Genius movie, which paints the company as greedy and vindictive in its legal battle with the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper. The Detroit Free Press says Ford "sees no value in rehashing the history of a case that has already been resolved in a court of law almost 20 years ago." That's understandable, since Ford had to pay $10 million to make the whole thing go away. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut and drive a Ford Mustang. Now, I take the train to work, but sometimes I wear a space helmet in my cube and dream of what might have been. On those days, my co-workers leave early.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (7)
Filed under Automotive, Berlin Cameron, Ford, Gianatasio, Lincoln

When Hollywood actors were paid to smoke

People who rail against product placement and subliminal advertising in movies today might take some cold comfort in knowing that such practices were just as insidious 50 years ago. New documents reveals that tobacco companies were literally paying actor to smoke. It all began in 1927, "when an advertising firm brokered deals between two of its clients: American Tobacco and RCA." Other studios were not far behind. "Folks, let me tell you, the good old flavor of Luckies is as sweet and soothing as the best 'Mammy' song ever written," Jazz Singer star Al Jolson said in one endorsement. Fast-forward to modern times, where people, possibly after renting this gem from Blockbuster, are lending support to an idea to restrict access to movies in which people smoke. I tell ya, this kind of panic is enough to make my T-zone demand smooth flavor.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Anti-smoking, Kiefaber

Zach Braff is asking you to drink the water

Whom would you choose to be the voice of water? Pur Water Filtration Systems has gone with Zach Braff. In a trippy new campaign from TBWA\Chiat\Day, the scruffy actor says things like, "I'm water. I shouldn't be trapped in a bottle. I've got things to do. Trees to grow. Thirsts to quench." Well, he was on Scrubs, and scrubbing is water related. Plus, Braff often looks like he could use a bath. Still, the concept sounds more like a method-acting exercise ("OK, you're water. Happy water! Now ... sad water!") than a marketing strategy. Eric Yaverbaum, co-founder of Tappening, gets all lathered up talking about the Pur ads in Brandweek: "The bottled water backlash is hitting a fever pitch." Yeah, it's a major election-year issue, if Tappening's pro-tap-water campaign can be believed. I think they've been listening a bit too closely to what they're faucets have to say. Most of us prefer a more common-sense approach: If there's something in the water and it starts talking, just get out of the house!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Gianatasio, Pur, Water

Dos Equis teams with freak-show Jim Rose

After a night of watching Japanese robotic dancers, fire jugglers and French burlesque singers, boy do you need a drink. Cue legendary "new circus" performer Jim Rose, who is teaming with Dos Equis for "The Most Interesting Show in the World Tour." The show is scheduled to play in bars, clubs and small theaters in cities like New York, L.A., Chicago and Miami starting next month. "We're focused on creating an engaging experience built around the essence of the ad campaign and the relevant passions and interests of our consumers," says Dos Equis exec Elizabeth Costa. I'm not sure the brand's drinkers enjoy hammering spikes through their heads and nostrils like Rose does. That's more a Jagermeister thing. And while the artist might not personify the gravel-voiced and dashing "Most Interesting Man in the World" from Dos Equis' spots, he surely ranks among America's most perforated.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Alcohol, Dos Equis, Gianatasio, Non-traditional

Be everything, thanks to Boys & Girls Clubs

This McCann spot for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America has some cool visual elements in it, but the director has the attention span of a hummingbird. Maybe they should have added "Be able to keep up with our frenetic pacing" to that list of cue cards. I think a line drawing of a dinosaur vomited up the word fearless at one point, but it's all a blur otherwise. Still, kudos to an ad that has something positive and relevant to say. Also, check out the "Be Great" Web site.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under BGCA, Kiefaber, Youth

Abandoning animals messes with your head

These creepy ads from Portugal warn of the dangers of mistreating animals. (See larger versions here.) "When you abandon a dog, you never leave it behind," says the ad on the left. Plus, you'll have painful, dog-shaped tumors suddenly appear along the top of your head. Same with cats, apparently. The lesson here is clear: If you're going to abandon a pet, you'll need a good hat. And decent health insurance, in case those things pull a Medusa on you and burst out of your head. Or maybe you should just keep your pets.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Freaky, Kiefaber, Pets

The copywriter should probably be arrested

This ad for Ortega has been making the rounds on gossip sites for a few weeks now, but we'd be remiss if we didn't share such a high-water mark in the exploitation of young Olympians. I mean, come on, are we really supposed to believe that no one who wrote, directed, appeared in or approved the ad realized that by saying, "It makes my taco pop!", 16-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson was going to become a laughingstock? A friend of mine pointed out that if the taco-pop line was so vital to the script, why couldn't one of the two male gymnasts say it? In the end, I have a feeling this was just one of those cases where everyone involved under age 30 kept their mouths shut, suppressed their giggles, and failed to muster the courage to say, "You know, Mr. Ortega, there's a teeny, tiny chance this line might get misinterpreted."

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Griner, Olympics, Ortega

Ed McMahon raps for FreeCreditReport.com

Forget Freddie Mac. It's Eddie Mac who needs a bailout—and fast, because he's really hitting the skids! Swimming in debt and faced with losing his Beverly Hills home, 85-year-old Ed McMahon is shooting viral rap videos for FreeCreditReport.com. The late Johnny Carson's former second banana and ex-Star Search host tells the AP: "I knew I could sing the blues, but I didn't know I could rap." The lyrics fall into the so-bad-they're-good-no-actually-they're-bad! category, with references to "a ninja swinging nunchucks," "media chumps," "playing gin rummy" and a "wife with bad credit." (Sure, blame the trophy wife.) Oddly, McMahon does have some street cred, having gone gansta old-school as a violent pimp in the blaxploitation classic Slaughter's Big Rip Off. As the man himself used to say from the edge of the Tonight Show couch: "Hi-yo!"

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Celebrity endorsements, FreeCreditReport.com, Gianatasio

Sports fan go nuts for ESPN's turf billboards

According to The New York Times, Wieden + Kennedy's three-dimensional AstroTurf-like billboards for ESPN keep getting stolen by football fans. We are simply shocked that sports fans are acting irrationally in pursuit of items with negligible value. Most of this thievery is taking place in New York (of course), where "72 of 90 bus shelter postings have been stolen and all of the 85 more traditional billboard posters have been stolen." Los Angeles and Chicago have been hit by this crime wave, too, although not as hard as the Big Apple. Authorities have been wondering what's being done with the stolen billboards. Of course, big-city apartments could always use a little more green.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under ESPN, Kiefaber, Outdoor, Wieden + Kennedy

Spirit Airlines brings the paradise on board

Dave: Oh my god! Stewardess! Judging by that sun-kissed, palm-draped scenery outside the windows of this airplane, we're heading toward tropical climes. Looks like the Bahamas! But I have to be in Pittsburgh for a meeting! Oh wait, I get it. Those sandy beaches, that azure sky—it's all part of Arnold's nifty campaign for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the one where they decorate the inside of the plane. Phew! I was worried.
  Stewardess: Yes, that's some eye-catching, unconventional creative, all right. Unfortunately, it's running exclusively on Spirit Airlines. This is JetBlue. Those are beaches and palm trees, sir. We land in Nassau in five minutes.
  Dave: What?! ... Ah well, at least I won't have to go to Pittsburgh. What a dump.
  Stewardess: I'm from Pittsburgh, sir. My dad's deputy mayor.
  Dave: Well, it's a great town. Why are you rolling your eyes? I thought these were the friendly skies?
  Stewardess: That's United. And they've dropped that line.
  Dave: Hey, can I get your phone number? Why are you walking away so fast down the aisle?

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Airlines, Arnold, Bahamas, Gianatasio, Spirit Airlines, Tourism

Android phone might make you 'stupiderer'

Google and T-Mobile's claim that using their G1 Android phone makes you "smarterer" should stand as proof that it doesn't. Their insistence on peppering this splashy launch ad with bad grammar doesn't speak highly of the revolutionary communication they're touting, either. ("Funnerer" is nonsense upon nonsense.) We'd love to hear this Faulknerian simpleton revolution's chants. "What we want?" "More better talking!" "When we want that at?" "Now!"

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Google, Kiefaber, T-Mobile, Telecom

Vintage airline ads take sexism to the skies

With so much talk of sexism this year, it can be heartening to look back and see how far we've progressed as a nation. I'd recommend starting with Travel + Leisure's collection of 10 funny vintage airline commercials. There's the song-and-dance number about why a businessman should bring his "little cutie" along when he flies United. Then there's the striptease from Braniff International, which believed that "even an airline hostess should look like a girl." Or check out the National Airlines "Go Go Miami" spot, which I admit isn't really sexist so much as it is just plain baffling. Hat tip to Adverganza.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Airlines, Griner, Vintage

Christina Aguilera intrigued by floating balls

The last time we caught a Christina Aguilera ad, the singer was stripping down in an effort to understand why her fragrance had caused a big tramp stamp to sprout on her back. In a new spot for her Inspire perfume, she keeps her clothes on, but still seems confused as she chases a floating purple ball around. (The ball might represent her "inspiration," which she is endeavoring to "follow." Whatever the case, she soon bursts the bubble, and the perfume pops out.) Since she shot the ad, Aguilera has completely changed her image, ditching the '40-era look in favor of a more android-like appearance.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Nudd, Perfumes

Who wants a big funnel cloud of Guinness?

So wait, Guinness is made from distilled tornadoes? We always thought it was roasted barley that gave it the dark ruby color and robust taste it's so famous for. That, or mice falling into the St. James Brewery vats. We've certainly never heard any weather-related explanations. We don't even know if Ireland gets any tornadoes, for that matter. Spot by Saatchi London.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Alcohol, Guinness, Kiefaber, Saatchi & Saatchi

Diesel wants '70s hard-core for its birthday

Diesel turns 30 this year, and is planning a big international birthday party, with events planned in 17 cities on Oct. 11. To advertise it, the company has released this video featuring 1970s porn footage, with animation hiding the naughty bits (and recasting the scenes in amusing ways). The technique is known as "SFW XXX," and while it's pretty funny, it's not really that work-safe. Created by The Viral Factory.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Diesel, Nudd, Viral Factory

Charlotte does 'a lot' in new tourism effort

So, "Charlotte's got a lot," huh? That's what BooneOakley asserts in a tourism campaign for a city I've now learned is in North Carolina. (Having never been farther south than Teaneck, N.J., I had to waste six seconds on Google Maps to find out for sure.) The visual wordplay in the ads is appealing, but the slogan seems best suited for a declaration scrawled on a public phone booth or men's-room wall. In our cellular age, do they still have phone booths anywhere? Or men's rooms, for that matter? I don't see either in the Charlotte ads, which cast the city as the Riviera of the New South, so I guess visitors will have to hit Raleigh or Durham to drop a dime or spend a penny. Which begs a question: Why so down on Raleigh, BooneOakley? It's a question that may need to be addressed the next time state ad contracts come up for review. UPDATE: Check out some of the city's earlier "Shhhhhharlotte" ads here.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (11)
Filed under BooneOakley, Gianatasio, Tourism

Burger King will destroy the ice-cream man

If we didn't know better, we'd swear Burger King was happy about putting ice-cream men out of business. Given the gloomy economic forecast, one would think they'd be more sympathetic to the plight of the small businessman. But then again, this is the company that gave us the Whaler. Clearly, they could give a shit about the rest of us. Thankfully, there's an ice-cream truck working my block about 300 times a day, so the market hasn't bottomed out as much as Burger King would have you think.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Fast food, Kiefaber

'Red Alert' adds some cleavage to a classic

After 12 years, the opening to Command & Conquer: Red Alert still holds up as one of the best video game intros of all time. A lot of that has to do with “Hell March,” the creepy war track that starts up after Einstein kills Hitler (you gotta love video games). Now the song is back as the soundtrack to “Red Alert 3 Remix”, a promotional video featured on AdGabber for the game series’ newest installment. Electronic Arts has obviously done well with the series, since they can now afford to include a legion of B-list celebrities like Jenna McCarthy, George Takei, Jonathan Pryce and the indelibly awesome Peter Stormare. I can’t quite imagine gamers sitting down and listening to this song more than once, but the promo has already done its job just by including the ultimate gamer hat trick: an old-school track, seductive women in uniform and that one-eyed Russian guy from Lost.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Griner, Video games

That other bread is tasty, but it will kill you

High-fructose corn syrup, which we're somewhat obsessed with, just can't get any love from Rudi's Organic Bakery, which all but portrays the sweetener as poison in its first work from TDA Advertising & Design. The industrial drums in the spot lack only the skull and crossbones. What we've got here is the old ad-within-an-ad routine. The Prarie Morning Bread Company ("Baked with love. And other things") doesn't exist. It's supposed to symbolize healthy-looking and healthy-sounding supermarket breads which, unlike Rudi's, are filled with stuff that'll kill you. Slowly. Over time. Maybe. I dunno, those Prarie loaves look pretty darn tasty. And the can-do bakery crew is so up, I might just try a teaspoon of azodicarbonamide to help get me through another dreary morning at work.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Gianatasio, TDA

PETA asks Ben & Jerry's to use human milk

Ah, PETA. Always milking an issue for all it's worth. When it's not putting celebrity breasts in its ads, it's thinking up other ways to conscript mammary glands for the cause. Case in point: It just suggested to Ben & Jerry's that it replace the cow's milk used in its ice cream with human milk. The group probably figured that since Ben & Jerry's is based in Vermont, that it might actually go for it. Well, Vermont can be pretty wacky, but less so than Switzerland, apparently, where a restaurant has actually started buying breast milk from nursing moms to use as a substitute for the some of the cow's milk in its dishes. (Switzerland?! That sounds awfully Swedish to me.) A Ben & Jerry's rep says: "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child." Even so, if they come out with a Mother's Milkshake flavor anytime soon, I'll pass.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (10)
Filed under Ben & Jerry's, Gianatasio, PETA

NYC gets gross with its matchbook covers

Smokers know they risk rotten teeth, blackened lungs and horrifying cancers. But how many of them want to face that reality via gruesome pictures on their matchbooks? Such tactics are common in Canada, Australia and elsewhere, but now New York City is getting into the act. As part of its "Eating you alive" campaign, the city's health department is placing nasty images on matchbook covers and distributing them in the South Bronx, Harlem and Brooklyn. Of course, those are pretty tough neighborhoods, and a few crusty molars might not deter sales of Camel Lights. Some young smokers will find such placements "so gross, they're cool" and start trading the things like baseball cards. I'd suggest adapting mousetrap technology for matchbooks and cigarette packages. See if people feel like lighting up after losing a few fingers. Ouch! Sure, it's illegal now. But in John McCain's America, who knows?

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Anti-smoking, Gianatasio, PSAs

Suicidal animals star in global-warming PSA

McCann Portugal created this anti-global-warming spot on behalf of Quercus, the country's national nature-conservation association. The animation is nice and bleak, the piano music plaintive. But the science seems dodgy—will animals really start committing suicide en masse if global warming gets worse? (The tagline is, "If you give up, they give up.") If post-apocalytpic movies have taught us anything, it's that human folly usually brings great opportunities for wily non-humans.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Environment, McCann Erickson, Nudd, PSAs