November 27, 2008

Is it cold enough for ya?


WeatherProof is giving customers money back if "the maximum temperature measured at New York's Central Park is 32° F or lower on Thanksgiving Day"
You had to buy a coat ahead of time, register online and the forecast doesn't even look close.
I've heard of car dealers and furniture stores doing stunts like this in the past, but I wonder if they're more common in tough ecomomic times.

November 26, 2008

Does anybody drink this stuff?

Pom has been doing a ton of advertising, but I haven’t actually seen anyone with a bottle of it.

Suicide imagery always captures attention though.



November 25, 2008

Are lottery tickets recession proof?

Well if you win, you can afford to feed your family.

Today is the last day of the New York lottery's Turkey Raffle.

November 20, 2008

Who needs a bailout?

Is this Hyundai ad a jab at the Big 3 Detroit automakers who went to Washington with hat in hand?

Don't think that was their intent, but the timing makes it funny.

November 18, 2008

Motrin campaign causes headaches


Maybe telling moms that their kids are a pain isn’t the best way to sell them a pain reliever.

Johnson & Johnson just pulled the campaign and issused this apology on their site.

You can read more in this Ad Age article, “How Twittering Critics Brought Down Motrin Mom Campaign”

November 13, 2008

Does artist expression make the world a better place?

Their tagline is “Different values make the world a better place” but I wonder how HSBC feels about Poster Boy repurposing two of their ads.


You can see the original ads here.

November 12, 2008

Who wants to be teased?

Yet another teaser ad.

This one for creepy lothario William Control.
Is it a movie? An album? An interactive thriller? Do you even care anymore?

November 11, 2008

¿Cómo se dice copywriter?

Q. A quick question - google can't seem to give me the answer - what is copywriter in Spanish please?
- Anonymous

A. OK Anónimo,
I tried a few free online translation sites and came up with “escritor de anuncios” - which translates back into English as “writer of ads.”
Sounds a bit clunky to me, so I asked Julian Garcia, a copywriter at Hispanic agency Dieste Harmel & Partners. Here’s his response:
"Escritor," which means "writer" in English. That's the term used in advertising agencies in South America and Spain.

November 7, 2008

The party's over

Hopefully this is the last fake political ad I'll see for another four years.

November 6, 2008

Not feeling well? Does this make you feel better about Tylenol?

They're offering New Yorkers a free ride anywhere in Manhattan today to promote their “warming liquids” cold medicine.

It’s parked at the CVS drugstore at 25th and 6th. And they’re handing out little brochures and coupons to convince people to get into the car with a stranger.

The front reads “Catch a warm ride home. It’s better than catching a cold.”

Great job of doing something extra to make life better for customers. (Especially on a dreary day.) Just goes to show that doing good is a good way to make your brand relevant.
You can see more of Tylenol’s Feel Better ads here.
Thanks to Rob for the tip.

November 4, 2008

I voted today. Have you?

Please go vote. It's an exciting part of the American experience.



This is your chance to be a part of history.

Did you vote yet?

Today's the day. No excuses.
Many states even have laws that employers have to give you time off work to go vote.

Saw these great posters on Park Ave. Here's a better image:

November 2, 2008

Is someone chasing you?


Between Halloween and the election, I missed the New York City marathon. My congrats and admiration to everyone hard core enough to participate or watch.