Entries from June 2005 ↓

Ad-rag.com has a total hoot post about the similarities btween dangerous cults and ad agencies: the veneration of the cult leader, the honesty within the cult and deception toward outsiders, the central focus of the cultists on the cult to the exclusion of everything else.

The cult gurus are “charismatic, determined, and domineering. They persuade followers to drop their families, jobs, careers, and friends to follow them.”

Sounds exactly like every we-are-creative shop I’ve worked in. (But the alternative, just-another-job approach is way too bland. The “Oops, 4:45 gotta go” shops are no fun.

The whole analysis is a little overdone: are ad agencies really concerned only with “recruiting new members” and “fund raising?” Is fund raising in the cult analogy the same as making money? Agencies that don’t make a profit won’t be around too long.

Intel is now claiming that the use of the word “inside” in a product name infringes upon their Intel Inside ™ theme line and trademark.

Yes, it’s strange but a UK photo processor has been forced to change its name from FotoInside Ltd to something else, something less Intel! They have complied changing the name to FotoInsight. The company has only had that service mark since 2003, and Intel reminds us that IntelInside ™ — or is it (sm) — began back in the Paleolithic Era, 1991.

I love the photo company’s statement of innocence: “Our photo processing company has never had any intention or wish to be associated to an American duopolist.”

Duopolist? I guess that’s not quite as bad a real monopoly?

Tell the kids to come inside ™ for supper. Oops, I mean tell them to enter the house for supper.

Ad-rag.com has pointed out a different kind of kitty litter advertisement: no cat, no delightful litter box, and a really small product picture.

The ad, created by DDB San Francisco, is a really clever breakthrough in what is usually a stinky, boring product category.

The hero is a frog grabbing a bunch of flies with one swoop of its tongue.

The headline “Clumping makes it easier” explains how this is possible and not coincidentally is also the chief benefit of Clorox ™ Scoop Away ™ brand cat litter.

If you thought you took strange, weird snapshots, have a look at the commercial here for Olympus cameras. Apparently, it a UK spot on the virtues of the brand for recording your most terrifying visions. Moreover, the music backs this up. This could be a trailer for a new Stephen King movie.

Mike Burns leaves Saatchi & Saatchi taking seventeen key staff members with him.

Some time ago, he had been made Co-CEO of Saatchi along with Scott Gilbert New York office by Saatchi’s Grand Poobah Kevin Roberts. Burn’s promotion made sense as Genenral Mill’s billing is an astounding $500 million — fully half the New York office’s billing, and Burns was top man at the agency on General Mills.

But the two men had totally different ad styles and frankly, just could not get along– flashy Roberts vs. soft-spoken Burns. But Roberts decided that wasn’t working out. He would terminate Gilbert and move Burns back (down) to his General Mills spot.

This change eventually led to Burns leaving and taking his people with him.

New York magazine has the inside facts on this agency shakeup.

Let’s continue the online voting results held by Slate for least favorite ad songs. Next is Creedance Clearwater Rivival’s Fortunate Son paired with a Wrangler jeans spot. The problem is the spot is patriotic, and the song , while you can dance to it, is a defiant, anti-capitalism polemic. The music fights the visuals.

Third in this contest of inappropriate music is the use of Janis Joplin’s classic Mercedes Benz to sell the German cars. The song really is asking God to buy you some luxuries because you are totally down and out.

It’s a great song, and probably is used in this way because many of those Baby Boomers who grew in the Joplin era, Janis not Scott, can now afford the MB brand.

Slate, the online magazine, has asked its readers for the worst ad songs. These are not catchy new customized jingles, but uses of established songs in commercials.

Voted the worst by a wide margin was Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” used by Carnival Cruise Line spots. You mean doing drugs doesn’t fit in with a first-class cruise experience?

On reader commented that the cruise ship company probably wouldn’t allow anything like Iggy’s “done it in the ear before” to happen on their ships.

It could be the sound, not the lyrics that they wanted in their commercial.

Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste has come up with a new TV campaign. It spoofs famous politcal campaigns of the past like Reagan’s “Morning in America” from the 1984 campaign.

A fourth spot pictures a reporter interviewing people about their voting preferences — their preference for Crest WE flavors.

Sly Stallone is pitching pudding. At least, it’s high-protein pudding for fitness.
“The world’s first ready-to-eat high-protein pudding” according to its maker, Instone. The fitness supplement company is based in Irvine, California.

Sounds like something of which the governor might approve.

Coor Light has begun putting up billboards featuring more of that urban hero, the bike messenger. According to AdRants, they dirtied up his carrying bag while leaving his clothes and hands pristine.

Some observers are distressed. Their point seems to be “leave hard-working lowly messengers out of your fancy corporate messages.” But their battle cry, at least this time, is for versimilitude, reality in ads. Hello? That was never even on my copywriter’s radar — not like humor, memorability, a powerful theme line, strong benefit selling. (Did you ever think a commercial was a documentary? Very rarely.)

This follows a recent Lincoln print ad in the New York Times Magazine that apparently borrowed a famous messenger’s nickname, “Squid” without permission.

A well-known bike messenger objects to the fake squeaky cleanliness of the messenger photo and the lack of a bike lock and chain around the messnger’s waist..

I know something a beer client’s way of thinking because I worked on a beer account, and my guess is they’re trying create a modern hero — like the Marlboro Man or heck, Ronald McDonald — for their brand. If they find the right one, this will be a terrific image that will boost the brand for years.