Cup of Java

Just working for the weekend
Advertising running amok; even your banana isn't safe- A nicely written article about the state of advertising from a consumer. It's always interesting to get the point of view of those who are subjected to the advertising that is created. I think some advertisers live in a bubble. I mean, when you think about it really, a lot of the ads you see/hear/read don't always seem to be all that well thought out. Like the Extra's ad that features an angry gumball. I mean come on. There's nothing good about that ad. It's just annoying. The sad thing is they had a decent concept behind the whole thing...and in execution it came out awful.

California passes bill allowing spammers to be sued by you- "Under the new bill, a judge can triple the $500 fine if it is determined that the spam sender willfully and knowingly violated the California law. The measure is modeled on a federal law banning junk faxes that allows consumers to sue fax spammers for $500 per fax." Now if they could just make this law national- heck, even if they made the law they have in California that all spam must have "ADV" in the subject national it would be a start.

Handful of ads from the Guardian includes the the ad for Lil-lets tampons, which "goes out of its way to avoid the usual euphemisms and has come under fire from viewers disturbed by its direct approach. The commercial prompted 64 complaints from viewers accusing it being "distasteful", "inappropriate" and even "disgusting", making it one of the most complained-about ads of the year so far."

Juan Valdez comes back- The Columbian coffee growers are bringing back Juan Valdez starting with the new Jim Carrey movie which opens this weekend. "Juan was one of the most recognized symbols of global advertising before he was virtually pensioned off two years ago amid a financial crisis for Colombia’s coffee industry. Now, Mr. Silva says Juan is coming back. But rather than advertising in sporting events as previously, Colombia’s growers say they are putting Juan on the pages of hip publications such as Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. “We don’t want him to become a vintage, we want him to be a living icon,” said Mr. Silva. The growers’ federation will next month award an advertising contract to run a $9 million campaign and is said to be seeking an agency with experience of marketing to 18 to 35-year-olds." I always liked these ads with Senor Valdez- although in a way they were somewhat creepy if you really think about it. I mean, who wants to find some random guy and his burro in their cabinet when you're half awake? Or even if you're fully awake. But they were effective and well done.