Advertising

Trick, or Treat?

Filed under: Advertising

Who doesn't want approximately $2.79 worth in candy? This is the logic behind KMart's new seasonal television/internet synergy campaign, which promises free bags of goodies. Last Wednesday the megaconglomerate began airing commercials with a "secret code" on one of the gravestones in the background. Those looking for their free sugar fix simply have to report the code to KMart.com.

The catch?

Think about it: basically KMart wants you to watch their commerical really closely to find the hidden code on a tombstone, then log on to their website and fill out a contact form so they can send you SPAM and snail mail ads. In return, they send you $2.79 worth of sugar. Fair trade?

Are you a sucker? Glue yourself to the TV waiting for the commercial, then check out www.KMart.com if so...

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at October 19, 2007 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

 

Target takes Manhattan

Filed under: Advertising

Manhattanites aren't too pleased to find little red double-decker buses trolling through their city as part of a recent Target promotion. Seems the Minneapolis-based company thought it'd be a grand idea to promote British designer Luella, who has partnered with Target for a preppy-punk clothing line, by parading around town double-decker buses outfitted with the Target bullseye logo. Last August, when Target struck a deal with the New Yorker to become the sole advertiser for one issue of the magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times called it "the most jaw-dropping collapse of the so-called sacred wall between editorial and advertising in modern magazine history." Has Target, and advertising in general, gone too far? Or would New Yorkers be more comfortable with the onslaught if this were a company like Gucci?

Posted by at February 16, 2006 5:28 PM | Comments (10)

 

Shore-to-shore salesmen

Filed under: Advertising

Watching the British Television Advertising Awards, it's easy to get lost in the foreignness of the whole thing--accents, unfamiliar logos, actors who, for all you know, might be famous in their part of the world. But then along comes an international brand like Pepsi and you find yourself asking, "Why do we get smiling celebs holding cola, while the Brits get a studiously choreographed kung fu scene where the opponents are literally hauled around like human puppets? Huh?" I can't say for certain that British advertisers are more clever or innovative because I don't know what America's top ad agencies have to offer (I refuse to watch the Super Bowl). But the BTAA has some pretty high standards; that super rad Pepsi commercial didn't even medal!

Other noticeable differences between us and them include their relaxed attitudes regarding g-strings and swearing, and a penchant for disturbing public service announcements. The handgun-free British have no problem dishing out violence to discourage drunk driving or the hiring of unlicensed cabs (an invitation to rape!). Among the few star-sightings in these commercials is Patrick Swayze taking a self-mocking turn and making a ridiculous pitch to movie execs. The Sgt. Pepper-inspired Honda ad that took first place has a Minnesota tie with voice work by Garrison Keillor. And Har Mar, who's bafflingly ubiquitous across the pond, makes a cameo in another ad, albeit very briefly and as a cartoon.

Whether a drawing of chubby guy in his underwear makes for a better commercial is all a matter of preference. I'd rather buy a car that's shown transforming into a dancing robot than the American version, which slides through mud during a slow-motion off-roading expedition (while telling me in tiny print not to attempt off-roading). Maybe it's not fair to pit our cookie-cutter ads against Britain's best-of-the-best. Still, one of the BTAA's lowlights reassures us that everyone's got their clunkers. You know those Coca-Cola commercials where a young woman sings about spreading peace and harmony via syrup and seltzer? They're annoying over there, too.

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at November 30, 2005 3:07 PM | Comments (0)

 

Chokin' Chicken?

Filed under: Advertising

If you thought Cowboy Hootie , Subservient Chicken, and "Wake up With the King" were disturbing advertising concepts, behold Burger King's latest surreal gimmick: Coq Roq. The members of this fictional beak-wearing thrashcore band look like KISS meets the heavily-rouged parrot from Zoobilee Zoo. Phallic puns aside, Coq Roq's "band" name alludes to BK's latest culinary mutation, Chicken Fries. Mmm, pressed meat!

Rogue agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky has obviously been entrusted with major creative freedom. Apparently, the Coq Roq website even contained a caption that read "Groupies love the coq!" until complaints neccessitated its removal.

Meanwhile we await the inevitable Vagina Monologues Happy Meal.

Posted by Diablo Cody at July 28, 2005 1:11 PM | Comments (2)

 

I like backpacks and I cannot lie. But I hate your little hoodrat friend.

Filed under: Advertising

The Hold Steady will soon be making their screen debut in Odds Against Seven, a short film by Target. Yes, Target. Sure, calling it a screen debut is a stretch, since this is a film release limited to computer screens. But some film-school student went to great pains to create this wannabe-John Hughes-ian short, which is ostensibly about a college kid trying to find a band to play at his school's first party. Of course it's really about the lil' red discount store's "hip brand identity," and what better way to shout it loud than via a Crucifixion Cruise?

Or the company could go another route to market to a young, media-savvy demographic, perhaps using a song about ass fetishes that employs a whip as a sound effect. Click here to launch the new back-to-school commercial, "Baby Got Back...Packs."

Posted by at July 28, 2005 1:00 PM | Comments (0)

 

The Phallic Logo Awards

Filed under: Advertising

These logos are bananas!

If you spent hours snickering at Joe Camel's nose back when questionably-snouted cartoon characters were allowed to hawk smokes to kiddies, then you'll enjoy The Phallic Logo Awards. And remember, maturity is highly overrated.

Posted by Diablo Cody at June 15, 2005 4:10 PM