Bad Ad (Obviously): PETA

Oh PETA, why do you do this to yourself?
You would probably be a credible organization, but yet you're always putting out stupid, racist, sexist, weightist, cheesy ads that totally (at least for me) discredit your message.



It's all like HEY! LOOK AT ME! ISN'T THIS ENVELOPE-PUSHING?!?!


Some prime examples:

Women = Pieces of Meat

 

This one's sexist AND racist! 2 for 1

Ugh.

I guess it's about saving bulls?

They get a few points for getting a Never-Nude nude.

These ads have been relatively harmless, and have garnered a lot of attention to the organization, so I suppose it was successful in that sense.


I was a vegetarian for 6 years and have never worn fur, so I understand that the plight of animals is important. I was a supporter of PETA's cause for quite some time, and would regularly check out their gruesome website to solidify my beliefs.


However, I was more disgusted by the following campaign than by any torture-porn video they could ever muster up.

This 60-foot billboard equates animal rights to the Holocaust.
The Holocaust.

Good Ad: Regular Coke

Okay, so I may have been a little hard on Coke last week. They probably spent like a million bucks on that commercial.


And you know how I said that every once in a while they produce gold? 
Well, ladies and gents, here is like a zillion bricks of it:
(Try and watch it without crying, I DARE you!)

If you're not crying there's something very wrong..

Bad Ad: Diet Coke

I've never been a fan of Coke ads, really. Most of them are pretty forgettable, focused around a family or friend tableau. Every once in a while, however, they'll throw some really awesome, genuine commercials; but I find that inspiration strikes at random intervals.

In contrast to the M by Molson commercial I featured last post, Diet Coke put one out in a similar vein, but I think the execution was poor and lazy.

The ad, like the Molson commercial, features artists doing what they do. The idea behind Coke's version is: if you're an artist and you hit an inspirational wall, have a sip of Diet Coke and it will shine down upon you like an epiphany. Also, it will help you if you're a maternity nurse? And be social if you're famous?


Not sure exactly who they were pandering to here, it seems pretty all over the place. This ad just infuriates me every time it comes on because it's on every station at every commercial break. How much money did Coke piss away this time?


Without further adieu, I present to you, the mess:

Good Ad: M by Molson

So, last night I had a dream that my blog was a collection of advertisements that I either liked or disliked. Since this guy has been floundering around as of late, I've decided to do just that.


Thanks again, subconscious!

I really want to pursue a career in advertising, and so I figure that I can use my weekly (sometimes daily) posts as a source of inspiration, should I happen to attain such a job.


I saw this commercial on T.V. the other day, and it really caught my attention.

It's a bit of a stretch - the ad is for beer after all - but I felt that it went in a completely different direction than the generic cookie-cutter booze ads you see all the time. It's also interesting in the sense that restrictions for alcohol ads are so tight, most ad companies have to be really creative. You wouldn't know that this commercial is for alcohol at all until the very end.


The visuals are stunning, and the message is inspiring. It's almost like a short film.


Now, I'm off to go drink beer. 

Marketing: 5 Year Old Style

While doing some pretty bleak research for an article I'm working on, I stumbled upon this:

And I just have to say "yayyyyyyy!!" (like Kermit the Frog does)

Also, this:

The future is bright guys, it's hella bright.

Thanks again, YouTube.

A Lotta Pilates

Do you like working out and feeling strong?

Do you wanna get ready for bikini (or.. trunk?) season?

Are you a broke student who can't afford/is too lazy to go to the gym?!

If you've answered yes to any of these, have I got a deal for you! What if I told you there is a place where you can get an ass-kicking workout absolutely FREE!?

It is literally, the second-best thing I've found on the Internet.

http://blogilates.com/ is a wonderful website run by an annoyingly cheery pilates instructor. If you click under the tab "Workout Video Index" you'll find tons of different free workouts available on-line and divided up by the body part of your liking.

I must warn you though, that these workouts are challenging. I've done almost every different form of exercise out there and I've found pilates to be the toughest. It works on your "core" strength, which I believed to be just a myth used to sell more protein powder for the longest time. 

Pilates is also great because you don't need any fancy gym equipment in order to do the workouts. You rely solely on your own body weight to do the exercises, so all you need to buy is a mat, which usually cost $8-$15 (if you're paying more you're getting gypped).

I suggest starting with one of the beginner workouts like this one:

Or, starting with one of the localized workouts as they're usually shorter.

For the more advanced, I can't get enough of this one:

And for the first time today I managed to get through this one without stopping:

Killer!!! Try some of these vids when you're feeling stressed, I guarantee it'll help.
And did I mention it's FREE????

Shit _______ Say

The new viral craze that is sweeping the inter-nation (copywriting that!), which I'm sure most people with eyes have seen by now is Shit ______ Say.

It started out with Shit Girls Say:

So true right!? It was followed up swiftly with Shit Girls say pt 2:

And from there has spun off in all kinds of crazy racist directions, for example...

(apparently girls are really bad with computers)

Shit Spanish Girls Say:

There are even some with subtle corporate sponsorships:

Did you see the LuluLemon logo sneaking in there? That particular viral video has been seen by over 1 million people already, and it was posted only 13 days ago. There are a few instances of businesses that have lucked into a viral vid, but this one was customized to sneakily jump onto the bandwagon. Smart, or scary!?

I personally think viral vids are still a pure form of communication by the masses. There's just something that makes me feel human when I watch a cat video or something to do with a flash mob. Maybe commercials will just end up being competing viral vids in a few years. The term "viral" comes from the word virus, which "is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms". In essence, humans!

Some corporations are using viral vids to do good instead of evil. Like this one:

Or this one, made out of a real video compilation:

That shit really makes you think, doesn't it...