CoolerBuzz

New Tiger Woods Ad Stirs Old Criticisms

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:16:00 -0400

New Tiger Woods Ad Stirs Old Criticisms:

Is Nike’s “Winning takes care of everything” ad congratulating Tiger Woods regaining the #1 PGA ranking problematic?

A Great Unofficial Commercial for Durex

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:28:15 -0400

Simple, obvious but it works! Too bad it’s not actually an official ad….

Is Volkswagen's 'Get In. Get Happy.' Super Bowl 2013 Game Day Commercial Racist?

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:48:43 -0500

[via TMZ]

Bushmaster's Tone-Deaf Post-Newtown Shooting 'Mancard' Ad Campaign

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:29:00 -0500

Bushmaster's Tone-Deaf Post-Newtown Shooting 'Mancard' Ad Campaign:

When Adam Lanza shot dozens of people at Sandy Hook Elementary last Friday, he used a military-style Bushmaster .223 rifle. As America debates whether such weapons even have a place in our society, Bushmaster is running a hilarious ad campaign.

Bushmaster rifles, you see, make you a real man. That is why acquiring a Bushmaster rifle will get you your “Man Card Reissued,” as you can see in this ad. (The ad agency responsible for this campaign is Oklahoma-based Brothers Co.) Bushmaster even has a web site, Bushmaster.com/mancard, where you can put in your friends’ name and send them a comical note about why their Man Card is being revoked. Ever since the massacre in Newtown, the site has been subjected to a running list of sometimes furious and sometimes mordantly funny hijackings of its Man Card-generating system. ~~The site still appears to be working~~

Emotions tend to run high when it comes to the subject of guns and the second amendment in the US but this campaign, by the manufacturer of the infamous Bushmaster AR-15 gun used in the Sandy Hook school shooting massacre just seems callous, boneheaded or, at best, grossly insensitive I think this is what the kids today call an #EPCIFAIL. Speaking of which…

#50ShadesHotter: Penguin Canada Books Tries to Capitalize on '50 Shades of Grey' Mania

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:30:00 -0500

If you ride the subway in Toronto, you’ve undoubtedly seen these ads over the past few weeks. Too saucy, too corny or pushing the line just enough to be effective though?? One thing’s for sure, Penguin Canada is trying to create a viral social media wave out of their provocativeness. Tweet us @CoolerBuzz with your thoughts.

Was the AGO's Frida Kahlo Unibrow Photobooth Promotion Disrespectful?

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:07:46 -0500

Was the AGO's Frida Kahlo Unibrow Photobooth Promotion Disrespectful?:

Via Metro Toronto:

The Art Gallery of Ontario is defending its photo booths that take Frida Kahlo-inspired self-portraits of people wearing fake unibrows after pushback from a few gallery-goers who say it was disrespectful.
The AGO set up the booths on Friday and Saturday to draw attention to its new Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting exhibition. Passersby art enthusiasts and philistines alike were asked to put on the thick, black, worm-like unibrow, take a picture and get 50 per cent off admission to the exhibition for Oct. 27.

Some weren’t happy with the marketing initiative, with a few people posting their disagreement on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m not opposed to everyone having fun, it’s just that when I opened it and saw it I was kind of shocked,” interior designer and part-time artist Patricia de Liberato told Metro. She had spoken out against the move on the AGO’s Facebook page. “I just thought it was in terribly poor taste.”

Gonna have to agree with de Liberato here. This just seems to be an example of really bad judgement on the part of the AGO. Click the post title to read the full article.

Nike Drops Lance Armstrong

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:05:00 -0400

Nike Inc. said it is severing ties with former cycling champ Lance Armstrong, saying insurmountable evidence shows that Mr. Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade.

The clothing and footwear company, which sponsored Mr. Armstrong and his former cycling team, said Wednesday that it was ending its contract with Mr. Armstrong “with great sadness.” It added that it will continue to support Mr. Armstrong’s “Livestrong” cancer charity, despite its break with the cyclist.

Mr. Armstrong announced Wednesday that he resigned as chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, his cancer charity. “I am deeply grateful to the people of the foundation who have done such hard and excellent work over the last 15 years, building tangible and effective ways to improve the lives of cancer survivors,” he said in a statement.

CLICK HERE to read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.

IKEA Regrets Cutting Women From Saudi Catalog

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:46:00 -0400

Representatives for Swedish furniture giant IKEA on Monday apologized for removing women from some of the photos in catalogs shipped to Saudi Arabia, and said the blame lies squarely with them, not the local franchisee.

The move to manipulate photos sparked criticism from government officials in Sweden and raised questions about how IKEA is living up to its own values.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Sitting in Line for an iPhone Has Somehow Gotten Even Sadder

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:20:44 -0400

iPhone line-sitting has never been a proud endeavor, but at least there was something pure about the diehards and wackos that set up shop outside Apple Stores for days, even weeks ahead of launch. This year? It’s just a bunch of sellouts and self-promoters.

But maybe it’s fitting that as the iPhone itself remains largely stagnant and marketing-driven, so too do the people who care the most about it. [Fortune]

CLICK HERE to read the whole post.

Mountain Dew & New York Art Department Protest Bloomberg’s Soda Ban

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:27:36 -0400

Mountain Dew & New York Art Department Protest Bloomberg’s Soda Ban:

After telling New Yorkers where they can and can not smoke cigarettes and declaring war on trans fats (I’m actually not mad at that one), NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg’s new target is those absurdly large sodas they serve at 7-11 and most fast food joints.

While his intentions are good, and Americans certainly consume way too much sugar, his heavy handed approach to improving public healthy leaves much to be desired. In response to the Mayor’s proposed ban on soda servings over 16 oz., Mountain Dew and New York Art Department put together a public art/advertising campaign called PROHIBITION: NEW YORK CITY, which features a fictional 17 ounce can of Mountain Dew as a kind of subtle protest.

If you live in NYC and you’ll notice the posters popping up in various locations throughout the boroughs and Mountain Dew is encouraging residents to capture the campaign on instagram with the tag #dewyorkcity.

CLICK HERE or the title link above to see more images from this campaign at the Nah Right blog.

Does this Nike ‘Find Your Greatness. — Jogger’ ad...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:02:21 -0400

Does this Nike ‘Find Your Greatness. — Jogger’ ad exploit this obese boy? The Globe & Mail explores that question.

Are the London 2012 Olympics Being Overzealous in Protecting their Trademarks?

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:26:00 -0400

From an article, ‘London 2012: Welcome to the Censorship Olympics’ in The Spectator by Nick Cohen :

In the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act of 2006, the government granted the organisers remarkable concessions. Most glaringly, its Act is bespoke legislation that breaks the principle of equality before the law. Britain has not offered all businesses and organisations more powers to punish rivals who seek to trade on their reputation. It has given privileges to the Olympics alone. The government has told the courts they may wish to take particular account of anyone using two or more words from what it calls ‘List A’ — ‘Games’; ‘Two Thousand and Twelve’; ‘2012’; ‘twenty twelve’. The judges must also come down hard on a business or charity that takes a word from List A and conjoins it with one or more words from ‘List B’ — ‘Gold’; ‘Silver’; ‘Bronze’; ‘London’; ‘medals’; ‘sponsors’; ‘summer’. Common nouns are now private property.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games does not stop there. To cover all eventualities, it warns the unwary that they can create an ‘unwarranted association’ without using forbidden words. They threaten anyone who infringes the exclusive deals of Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Adidas, Dow, Samsung, Visa and the games’ other multi-million-dollar sponsors in however oblique a manner. And not just with the normal damages in the civil courts. The state has granted the police powers under the criminal law to enter ‘land or premises’ and to ‘remove, destroy, conceal or erase any infringing article’.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

The Best Boxing Gym Ad EVER! (starring @EricKelly)

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:04:49 -0400

The Best Boxing Gym Ad EVER! (starring @EricKelly)

Adidas under fire for unveiling new trainer with orange 'shackles' like those worn by black slaves

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:50:35 -0400

WTH??!?

Adidas has sparked outrage and been accused of ‘promoting slavery’ by creating a new pair of trainers which have bright orange ‘shackles’ that fit around the wearer’s ankles.

The clothing giant is under fire for its August scheduled release of the JS Roundhouse Mids, which many have compared to the devices worn by black slaves in 19th Century America.

The seemingly innocent promotional material, uploaded to Facebook earlier this month, asks: ‘Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?

Who thought this was a good idea??!? Absolute FAIL! CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Is this Re-Born To Be Alive (@Reborntobealive) Ad Sexist?

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:55:01 -0400

www.reborntobealive.be

@TorontoStar: Algorithm isolates ingredients of highly tweeted (and retweeted) news stories

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:44:49 -0400

From an article by Josh Rubin (@StarBeer):

A new research paper from UCLA and Hewlett Packard has created an algorithm to forecast the likelihood that a story – or tweet – will be shared (and reshared) via social media. Their model, they claim, works with 84 per cent accuracy.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Microsoft patents emotion-based advertising system

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:42:00 -0400

Via @CBCNews:

Microsoft has filed a patent application for a computer system that will allow advertisers to target customers based on their emotions.

The patent includes a method to determine emotion over a certain period of time using a variety of methods, including:

Monitoring a user’s online activity for tone and content.

Combing through a user’s online history, such as search queries, emails and instant messages, to check tone.

Examining a user’s facial expressions, speech patterns, gestures and body movements, captured by image or audio devices.

The system would then store the user’s emotional state - positive, happy, confused, neutral, negative, angry or sad - in what the patent calls “an emotional state database.”

Meanwhile, a second database would contain advertisements targeted specifically to people with certain emotions.

Put the two together, and Microsoft can target the right ad to the right people, those who are “emotionally compatible.”

Creepy!

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article.

@TheOnion: Hey, Everybody! This Cool New Tide Detergent Video Is Blowing Up All Over The Internet! (Spoof)

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:13:38 -0400

Social media marketing totally skewered. Hilarious! Read it HERE.

@TheHungerGames success spells trouble for TV ads [via @Reuters]

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:33:52 -0400

Via @Reuters:

The success with which “The Hunger Games” film harnessed social networks, en route to becoming 2012’s biggest blockbuster, underscores a growing threat to billions of dollars in movie-advertising revenue on which broadcasters rely.

The futuristic movie about children fighting to the death has scared up more than $375 million at the U.S. box office since it opened in March, in part because Lions Gate aggressively stoked interest on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter.

That meant Lions Gate marketers likely spent $15 million to $20 million less than a larger Hollywood studio might have, using a campaign heavier on television advertising, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp Chief Executive Jon Feltheimer said during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles this week.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

How Draw Something (@WeDrawSomething) Blew Up Without Really...

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:58:00 -0400

How Draw Something (@WeDrawSomething) Blew Up Without Really Blowing Up [via @LynneLuvah]