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Clint Eastwood Denies Political Slant In Chrysler Super Bowl Ad
By Chris Morran on February 7, 2012 4:15 PM
82 Comments
Last year, people around the country cheered Chrysler's ad touting the phoenix-like rebirth of Detroit and American automakers. But it's an election year, so the car company's most recent TV spot, featuring Mr. Grizzle himself, Clint Eastwood, has been attacked by some as being propaganda for the Obama administration. More »
McDonald's Apologizes For Saying Pit Bulls Are More Dangerous Than Its Chicken
By Chris Morran on February 6, 2012 1:22 PM
247 Comments
Pit bulls have gotten a bad rap over the years and are too often associated with dog fights and violence, though that has significantly more to do with horrible owners than the rather pleasant pit bulls they mistreat. Somehow this escaped the people at McDonald's, who thought that these dogs would be a good way to epitomize the idea of "danger." More »
(pea g.)
Maybe Super Bowl Ads Are Too Cheap
By Laura Northrup on February 3, 2012 4:30 PM
24 Comments
The price of a 30-second ad slot during the Super Bowl goes up every year. In 2012, ad time is going for $3,500,000 per spot, or $116,666.67 per second. But maybe everyone involved is looking at this wrong. Maybe the eyeballs of the nation and the free publicity that comes along with buying a slot during the game are worth more than that, and networks should truly let the market decide. More »
Microsoft Ad Attacks Google For Only Caring About Money
By Chris Morran on February 1, 2012 2:15 PM
41 Comments
Once upon a time, a lot of people viewed Microsoft as the epitome of corporate omnipresence, as many of us wrote our 11-part fantasy series in Word, checked our Hotmail accounts while surfing the web on Internet Explorer, probably on a computer running Windows. But now we have Google Docs, Gmail, and Chrome, and Microsoft is taking out full-page ads warning consumers of how this other company is the one to be reviled. More »
Best Buy To Use Super Bowl Ad To Try To Convince You They Know About Electronics
By Chris Morran on February 1, 2012 12:15 PM
65 Comments
During last year's Super Bowl, Best Buy tried to use not-at-all-a-flash-in-the-pan teen star Justin Bieber and slurring punchline Ozzy Osbourne in a failed attempt to announce its Buy Back upsell program that we've barely heard about since. For this Sunday's big ad the retailer, inspired by the death of Steve Jobs and the fact that people seemed to like him, has turned to tech innovators to convince customers it's not just a showroom for Amazon and Newegg. More »
Senator Calls Out Spirit Airlines For Trying To Mislead Public About Airfares
By Chris Morran on January 26, 2012 12:15 PM
53 Comments
You may recall that earlier this week, bottom-dollar carrier Spirit Airlines launched an e-mail campaign to convince customers that the new FAA regulations requiring truth in airfare advertising was really just a ruse by the federal government to hide taxes and tax hikes in airfares. Well, that didn't go over well with Senator Barbara Boxer of California, who threw off the gloves and sent a bare-knuckles letter to Spirit in response. More »
Spirit Airlines Says Posting Full Airfares Is Government's Way Of Hiding Taxes
By Chris Morran on January 24, 2012 4:30 PM
89 Comments
In recent years, the Dept. of Transportation has been cracking down on airlines, especially discount carriers, for advertising airfares that don't actually represent what consumers will end up paying. With the latest round of rule changes having just kicked in, low-budget airline Spirit is fighting back, telling its customers that this is all about the government trying to hide higher taxes in airfares. More »
I Don't Want Ads In My Online Bank Statement!
By Laura Northrup on January 20, 2012 11:30 AM
50 Comments
Dave normally likes his bank, PNC, but they recently made a change that annoys him. There are little ad snippets underneath some of the transactions on his online statement. Do we really need more ads in our daily lives? "I get enough advertising smashed into my skull on a daily basis; I don't need it from my bank," writes Dave. That's true. But at least these ads aren't hard to banish. More »
This 'Got Milk?' Ad's Message: Almond Milk Will Traumatize Your Children
By Laura Northrup on January 19, 2012 11:35 AM
153 Comments
There are a lot of non-dairy milks out there: soy, rice, almond. While the National Milk Processor Board's "got milk?" ads have never been factually accurate reflections of reality, their latest ad is more ridiculous than usual, implying that shaking almond milk is an arduous task, requiring about as much shaking as a can of paint. More »
Wegmans Flip-Flops, Brings Back Alec Baldwin Ads
By Chris Morran on January 4, 2012 1:00 PM
36 Comments
Much like — and to some people, more important than — Verizon Wireless' quick flip-flop on its plan to introduce a $2 convenience fee, NY-based grocery chain Wegmans has heard the voices of the people and decided that most of you don't hate Alec Baldwin and want to see him in cute, low-budget ads for the supermarket his mom loves so much. More »
Wegmans Pulls Alec Baldwin Ads Over His Airplane Antics
By Chris Morran on January 4, 2012 12:00 PM
26 Comments
UPDATE: Well look at that... Wegmans has completely changed its mind after realizing that the internet likes Alec Baldwin. More »
Lawsuit Over Facebook "Sponsored" Updates Allowed To Proceed
By Chris Morran on December 19, 2011 12:30 PM
15 Comments
It's been almost a year since Facebook began taking your "like" list and turning it into advertising via so-called "sponsored stories," and on Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in California rejected the social networking site's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit that claims Facebook unjustly enriched itself with these ads by violating a California law pertaining to commercial endorsements. More »
(FDA)
FDA Issues Warnings About Misleading Lap-Band Ads
By Chris Morran on December 13, 2011 2:00 PM
62 Comments
The FDA has issued warning letters to eight surgical centers in California and a marketing firm behind the 1-800-GET-THIN number for misleading advertising of the Lap-Band, an implanted device intended to promote weight loss in severely obese individuals. More »
(Kotaku)
Here's A Way To Block Ads On The New Xbox Dashboard
By Chris Morran on December 9, 2011 4:15 PM
80 Comments
Earlier this week, Microsoft rolled out its rootin'-tootin' motion-sensin' new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360. And along with the host of new features came a most unwanted companion — ads. Luckily, for those willing to tinker a bit, there may be a way to stop Chuck Norris from showing up on your Xbox dashboard. More »
(imgur)
Best Buy Picks The Perfect Place To Tell Customers It Doesn't Suck As Much As GameStop
By Chris Morran on December 1, 2011 4:00 PM
71 Comments
If you're going to pick a location to try to turn people away from a GameStop store, it would be right outside that store's front door. Or maybe the big empty wall directly next to it. More »
Vodka Company To Take Down Billboard After Complaints Of Anti-Semitism
By Chris Morran on November 23, 2011 7:45 AM
63 Comments
Yesterday, we brought you the story of the Wodka (a brand of Vodka and not a typo) billboard that advertised "Christmas Quality" at "Hanukkah Pricing," which more than a few folks took as playing up the stereotype that Jewish people as cheap. After initially attempting to defend the ad by claiming that the idea was to say Hanukkah's eight nights of festivities are a better bargain than the one day of Christmas, the makers of Wodka announced last night that they will be taking the billboard down. More »
ADL.org
Vodka Company Rationalizes How This Billboard Does Not Reinforce An Ugly Stereotype
By Chris Morran on November 22, 2011 2:15 PM
97 Comments
Hovering above the Upper West side of Manhattan is a new billboard for a Wodka, a brand of Vodka that apparently contains "Christmas Quality" for "Hanukkah Pricing." And while some people are none too thrilled, claiming that the ad reinforces a stereotype of Jewish people as being cheap, the people behind the billboard say it's actually all about what a great value the festival of lights is. More »
Can We Spoil Best Buy's Super Bowl Surprise Again This Year?
By Chris Morran on November 9, 2011 11:30 AM
115 Comments
Last year, some suit at Best Buy tried to tantalize shoppers by saying that the company's super-secret Super Bowl ad would revolutionize retailing. And with the help of some savvy Consumerist readers, we not only spoiled their surprise by revealing the details of its Buy Back program weeks ahead of time, we also rained on their parade by showing you could actually lose money on the deal. Now Best Buy is set to launch something new at the next Super Bowl and being equally cagey about the details. More »
What's Worse Than Missing A Cool Text? How About Involuntary Manslaughter?
By Ben Popken on November 2, 2011 5:00 PM
90 Comments
Pull over if you're driving and need to respond to or send a text message. Otherwise, that witty reply can wait. Because death won't. More »
(COPCWa)
Burger King Billboard Gets Diabetes Graffiti
By Ben Popken on October 21, 2011 12:00 PM
110 Comments
Someone has graffitied this Burger King billboard in downtown Seattle to transform it into criticism about how sugary fast food contributes to diabetes and the obesity crisis. More »
