Category: Advertising

Random Thursday: The SOTW Edition

So, I’m sure you’re reading this on a day later than Thursday. But I started this post ON a Thursday, so technically this is a legitimate Random Thursday post. That’s what we in the trade call “poetic license.” Or “lying.” I often get them confused. Anyway, whenever you read “today,” just pretend it’s Thursday, March… Continue reading Random Thursday: The SOTW Edition

USAF/USMC Viet Nam-Era Recruiting “Infomercials”

Before we get started, take a listen to this (length – 39 sec): Your browser does not support the audio element. I’ve probably mentioned this before but I worked as a DJ at a small AM radio station in West Texas during my high school and early college years. That was back in the late… Continue reading USAF/USMC Viet Nam-Era Recruiting “Infomercials”

Customizing QR Codes

So, what’s this? Being the perceptive reader I know you to be, you instantly recognize this as a QR Code…sort of. Go ahead – use your smartphone scanner and see if it works for you (you should end up at a Louis Vuitton website, for better or for worse). If your scanner app won’t read… Continue reading Customizing QR Codes

Movie product placements new? Not hardly.

I streamed the first 50 minutes of Gog* today via Netflix, during my workout. This movie debuted in 1954 to widespread yawns, for many good reasons, but it does provide some unintentionally campy moments. The plot of the movie surrounds some apparent acts of sabotage taking place at a top secret government research facility (I… Continue reading Movie product placements new? Not hardly.

Truck Ad Promises to Adhere to Natural Laws

I realize that picking apart the logic of any television ad is like taking candy from a fish in a barrel, but GMC’s recent “I Vow” series touting its Sierra pickup line seems to push the envelope for damning with faint praise. Here’s my cogent analysis of what the commercial says vs. what it really… Continue reading Truck Ad Promises to Adhere to Natural Laws

Flashback to 1973: When we didn’t need Best Buy

There’s no doubt that television technology has made great strides. We’re on the threshold of having an 85″ 33-megapixel TV to hang on our walls (for most of us, it will have to be in the garage, of course), or if that’s too ostentatious, you can put in an order for Samsung’s new 70 incher,… Continue reading Flashback to 1973: When we didn’t need Best Buy

Super Bowl Ads: Winners and Losers

My winners: The VW “Little Darth Vader” ad and the Chevy Silverado “Timmy’s where…?” ad. My losers: GoDaddy.com’s teaser and the Groupon ad with Timothy Hutton. My sentimental favorite: the full-length version of the Jack Ingram’s HEB ad (was that a national ad, or just aired in Texas?). Overall, I thought this was one of… Continue reading Super Bowl Ads: Winners and Losers

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Super Bowl: Fourth Quarter

OK, maybe concerned that you might be caught in the celebration. Green Bay wins the big one. OK, maybe just a little angsty. If you’re a Bayou Verde fan, you should be very, very worried right about now. “Desert and Mirrors and Teacher” – Camaro: Love the car more than the ad. Ant Rating: “I… Continue reading Super Bowl: Fourth Quarter

Super Bowl: Third Quarter

So much for a quick-moving quarter. *yawn* Oh, the most exciting play in professional football: a challenge from the sideline! The best thing about the third quarter is that it’s passed quickly. “Eminem in Detroit” – Chrysler: Inspiring? Uh, how ’bout insipid? Inscrutable? Ant Rating: “Funky Bistro with Adrian what’s-his-face” – Stella Artois: Singing to… Continue reading Super Bowl: Third Quarter