Avaaz.org stirs the pot again with latest ads
Avaaz.org gets provocative and goofy all at once with its new ads, which feature Dick Cheney, Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden. The Cheney ad wonders if the former vice president is "Al Qaeda's best recruiter." Obama, looking presidential, naturally, is quoted from his inaugurual address. And bin Laden idiotically dons an "I love Guantanamo" T-shirt. The mission, according to Avaaz: "Close Guantanamo. End to torture. Investigate all abuses." This group always aims to incite (as opposed to lending "insight," some might say), but I suppose a sharp edge is required to slice through the clutter these days. Is it just me, or does the issue seem weirdly dated, a vestige of the George Bush era already lapsing into history? I had kind of thought Guantanamo was already closed. All the more reason for campaigns like this, I guess, lest we perpetuate mistakes that aren't yet "history."
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Published on September 18, 2009 | Permalink
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Let the Wilson v. Miller campaign ads begin
In light of Rep. Joe Wilson's heckling of President Obama last night, and the subsequent flood of campaign donations to his electoral opponent from last fall, Rob Miller, it looks like the first congressional campaign of 2010 is under way. Wilson, a Republican, defeated Miller, a Democrat, last November for the 2nd congressional district seat in South Carolina, but Miller is reportedly jonesing for a rematch—all the more so now, presumably. Here are a couple of their campaign commercials from their tussle last fall. In Wilson's spot, above, the voiceover complains: "Rob Miller is running a shameful campaign, attacking Joe Wilson. Miller doesn't share our values." One of Miller's spots is below. |
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Published on September 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Turkish bank honors, mocks Obama in ads
It's good to hear that sheep-slaughtering villagers aren't the only Turks inspired by President Obama. In the weeks leading up to his much-heralded visit to Turkey, a major bank has been using Obama's image to gain buzz for something called "interest-supported credit." NPR's Bob Mondelo reports that posters like the one shown here have saturated Turkish cities, and there's even a TV spot in which a San Fransisco-born impersonator bemoans the fact that America doesn't have deals like those at Turkey's Garanti Bank. The ads don't flat-out insult the president, but they do seem to take a few jabs at the American economy. Still, it's hard to hold a grudge against a nation that has also honored our leader with one of the greatest gifts in modern international diplomacy: Baracklava. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on April 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Foreign ads with Obama continue to offend
Somehow we missed this Russian ice-cream ad when it hit the Web a few weeks ago. But we'll post it now anyway, in honor of foreign companies' continuing clumsiness and stupidity in their efforts to capitalize on Barack Obama's election. The company behind this ad claims to be "celebrating the fact there is a black president in the White House." Which is basically the same thing that the German company which made "Obama-Fingers" fried chicken said. See the full Russian ad over at Ads of the World. A cartoon Obama in front of the White House under the words "Flavor of the Month" is a bit coarse for us. And really, it's not like Russia is above suspicion in this regard. Via Ads of the World. |
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Published on March 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama on Indiana casino ad: No, you can't
Everyone still wants a piece of Barack Obama, but a casino in Indiana is among the first advertisers to be pressured to pull an Obama-themed ad. The spot, shown above, features a pretty good Obama sound-alike (it's not actually him) talking up the grand opening of the Indiana Live! Casino. "Our time for change has come," the voiceover says. "Months ago we began the work of making sure that the Indiana! Live Casino is superior to anything that existed in Indiana. Years from now, you will say this was the place where Indiana remembered what it means to have fun." At the request of the Obama administration, the whole campaign's being pulled. The man behind the ads, Dennis Gomes, cynically admits he was hoping all along to get a request from the White House to pull them. "Sure enough, everything I thought would happen, happened," he says. |
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Published on March 13, 2009 | Permalink
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BBDO Australia cooks up 'Yes We Can' sale
Advertising loves to capture the zeitgeist, and then twist it into something unrecognizable. Stands to reason that advertisers would glom on to the inspiration collectively felt by the inauguration of Barack Obama. Clemenger BBDO in Australia, however, might have stepped over the line just a bit. It incorporates a fake politician narrator and Obama's familiar "Yes, We Can" slogan to hawk Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge cars during—and it pains me to type this— the "Yes We Can" sale, going on now through March. There's also a Web site. Kudos to Alisa Leonard-Hansen for digging up this atrocity. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on January 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Catholic group uses Obama for a pro-life ad
Fearful that Barack Obama might bring this country out of the Stone Age yet, CatholicVote.org has put together this pro-life ad, which asserts that, had Obama been aborted, he wouldn't be president today. Bravo, fellas. According to the Catholic group's executive director, "The purpose of our new ad is to spread a message of hope about the potential of every human life"—even if the prospects look grim at the beginning, as Obama's did. I'm not quite in agreement with the reader of this story who summed up the ad as "argu[ing] in favor of buying lottery tickets because at least a few of them will be winners," though I did think that was a pretty good line. But the criticism from the article's writer, David Waters, that the ad is "disingenuous" and "exploitative," sounds about right. |
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Published on January 23, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama didn't beat Reagan, at least on TV
Barack Obama's inauguration was the second most-watched in television history, according to Nielsen, AdFreak's corporate parent, which crunches numbers so the rest of us won't have to. Obama tallied 37.8 million TV viewers, trailing Ronald Reagan's 41.8 million in 1981. No need to go hunting down hanging chads or demanding a recount. This just covers TV. We'll probably never know how many folks watched via cyberspace, where pretty much every previous record for live video streaming was obliterated. So, I'm simply choosing to believe, one way or another, that Obama's inauguration was the most watched of all time. That's what democracy's all about. There's just one thing left to say: Kucinich in 2012! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on January 22, 2009 | Permalink
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Topps offering special Obama trading cards
Barack Obama is already a Marvel comic-book superhero, so perhaps an "Inaugural Edition" Topps collectors' set of trading cards was to be expected. It retails for $1.99 per pack—or a 24-pack box for about $50. The 90 cards follow the 44th president's life from his boyhood in Hawaii through his college days to his election to the U.S. Senate and presidential run. Perhaps there's an action card of Obama proposing some legislation. The set includes 18 stickers and "a free poster in every box!" As befitting these times of austerity, bubble gum is not included. Topps has issued similar historical sets in the past. Some notables include 2001's "Enduring Freedom" edition following 9/11, and a 1963 set following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. There were even Lyndon Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater cards in 1964. An unopened mint-condition pack of that particular set is currently on eBay—a steal with the auction starting at $24.99. So far, nobody's placed a bid. Poor LBJ, never gets any respect. |
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Published on January 21, 2009 | Permalink
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The flip side of Pepsi's 'Dear Mr. President'
Is Pepsi's "Dear Mr. President" YouTube campaign simply a refreshed version of the "Farewell Mr. President" YouTube series from last year? Greg Olliver, the currently pissed-off creator of the latter, thinks so. He just came across the Pepsi effort by R/GA, which encourages citizens to film little love notes to President Obama. In his earlier campaign, Olliver filmed citizens offering little non-love notes to President Bush. "From the way Pepsi's videos are shot, the editing, the 'Dear Mr. President' opening, to the ENTIRE CONCEPT ... it appears to be a complete rip-off of my idea," Olliver tells us. Possibly so. Whatever the case, it's a pleasant reminder that America didn't just welcome a new president today—it got rid of an old one. |
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Published on January 20, 2009 | Permalink
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Inaugural ratings: Reagan is the guy to beat
Nielsen, which is AdFreak's corporate parent and therefore infallible, has charted presidential inauguration TV ratings since 1969. Ronald Reagan's 1981 swearing-in got the most viewers during that time—nearly 42 million. Well, he was an actor, after all, and knew how to put on a good show for the cameras. George W. Bush's second inaugural, in 2005, when he was perhaps already viewed as a lame duck, fared worst by far, with 15.5 million TV viewers. The only two-termer to post better numbers the second time around: Richard Nixon in 1973. In the Watergate era, people probably tuned in because they couldn't believe they'd re-elected the guy. Will Barack Obama set a new mark today? Duh! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on January 20, 2009 | Permalink
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Pepsi and its celebrities glom on to Obama
It's inevitable, considering President-Elect Obama's approval rating is hovering at 70 percent, that marketers want in on the action. Pepsi is pulling out all the stops. It's combining its newfound Obamaphilia with its longtime obsession with celebrity in a series of "Dear Mr. President" videos. Deep thinkers like Desperate Housewives hottie Eva Longoria, Nascar driver Jeff Gordon and quintessential Obama brand celeb hanger-on Will.i.Am are featured in the call for submissions. They're promising an "open letter" video montage from Americans to Obama, courtesy of the soda giant. (Let's hope Obama not only doesn't heed calls to Twitter while president but also skips watching user-generated ads.) R/GA created the videos. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on January 16, 2009 | Permalink
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Comic books find a new favorite superhero
On Jan. 8, Marvel released a special inauguration issue of Spider-Man with Barack Obama on the cover. The edition has already sold out twice and is currently rushing into a third printing. Marvel is warning comic stores to get their orders in on time to stave off marauding hordes, even though the third printing will feature a slightly different cover. The first-edition copies can be bought right now for over $100 on eBay (retail price was $3.99). Obama apparently likes comic books, and the power of the 'Bama brand has already been used for other comic spinoffs, including Youngblood and … Savage Dragon, wha? But Peter Parker and the president-elect seem to be a better combination. Preview panels show Obama and Spidey sharing a charming fist bump after Peter saves Inauguration Day. What they need to do is dispense with the tie-ins altogether and give Obama his own comic series. He could be the Obamanator. Or perhaps I could interest Marvel in this Hulk script I've written called The Incredible Obamanation! —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on January 16, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama fever reaches minor-league baseball
Getting elected president is nice, of course. But having a bobblehead doll of your likeness handed out at a ballpark? Now that's something! —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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Published on January 14, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama calling for volunteers in service spot
Perhaps hoping to bring good karma his way in time for the inauguration, Barack Obama gives his personal blessing to the Renew America Together service initiative in this spot encouraging nationwide volunteerism. It's an inspiring ad, but he does simplify the process of astronaut selection a little too much. For one thing, it's a little jarring to say America's greatness came from the ground up, only to show the friggin' moon landing 10 seconds later. For another, Neil Armstrong was a test pilot and engineering genius before he applied to be an astronaut. He wasn't pulled off the street and fitted for a spacesuit, in other words. Which is a good thing, given how that recruitment technique usually works out. |
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Published on January 13, 2009 | Permalink
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Obama forcing MLB fans into squeeze play
—Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on October 17, 2008 | Permalink
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