tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41165812983885314342011-07-30T08:58:45.035-05:00Wheatleynoreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-6831514702981079702009-06-04T11:48:00.003-05:002009-06-04T11:54:16.475-05:00

Here in musical form, to the tune of 'American Pie,' you too can understand what has happened to the Advertising Industry.And while the Industry has been taking a beating on one side, our clients have been sure to get in on the Advertising Industry beat-down. Though presented originally as tongue-in-cheek satire, this is very, very close to the reality of the Client - Vendor relationship.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-22888688255420219832009-06-02T20:42:00.004-05:002009-06-02T21:25:11.530-05:00

In the last month or so, the good folks at Quiznos have really set a new standard for adolescent advertising. For those of you following along, you'll remember some previous thoughts about adolescent advertising - ads apparently created by twelve-year-old boys.First we were treated to a bit of homo-erotica with this spot for their "Toasty Torpedo." And it's not the gay overtones in the spot that

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-25583886911504984982009-04-07T19:11:00.003-05:002009-04-07T19:42:38.099-05:00

Crispin-Porter has done it again.They've taken an iconic song and mashed it up with one of the most popular Nickelodeon characters.I read about this spot this morning, and I confess I was all set to blast the CP+B folks.But . . . it's just so goofy and good and it works. People may complain that this spot is not for kids - and they're right - but even if kids see it, so what? They see worse every

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-87245980561373002792009-02-18T22:33:00.005-06:002009-02-18T23:21:15.803-06:00

Last week, Proctor & Gamble made advertising news with the announcement that they had selected Mandy Moore as their new product spokes-person for Gain laundry detergentLet's let that sink in for a moment.Spokes-people for various products are a time honored tradition in the advertising world. Usually, the company involved chooses their spokes-person based on the demographic makeup of their core

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-62974779690274643722009-02-12T14:41:00.004-06:002009-02-12T14:54:38.412-06:00

I'm a big fan of internet advertising - because like direct marketing, it can be targeted, tracked, and 'accountable' in ways that are simply impossible for traditional advertising to match. But it's not point, click, and cash-the-check with all forms of internet advertising. Take for example Contextual Internet Advertising. This form of internet advertising was supposed to be the greatest thing

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-34028592360845773762009-02-12T14:21:00.002-06:002009-02-12T14:26:04.242-06:00

Apologies to all for the unannounced hiatus. I stepped away for a moment, and that moment grew to a fortnight, then a month, and then . . . well, in the immortal words of our Dear Leader, "I screwed up."But there is good news! I now have a lot of free time on my hands (too much). So, more ad criticism to come.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-63947901091641568432008-11-09T20:56:00.007-06:002008-11-10T22:26:40.737-06:00

Here's one of the better ads to come out recently. All it does is show the product in use. But when using the product is fundamentally different than the competition, that's all you have to do.For all anyone knows, the HP TouchSmart computer could have a 33 mhz processor and be constructed of depleted uranium, but I predict that it will fly off the shelves due to the incredible coolness of its

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-37145076487150258232008-11-09T19:34:00.003-06:002008-11-09T19:47:40.977-06:00

Someone once observed that while art imitated life, advertising imitates culture. If this is true, Australia suffers from a (sub) culture composed of gangs of ninja kittens. Instead of drugs, these cats appear to be dealing delicious fish.All of this makes for a rather "dramatic" backdrop for an Australia spot for the Toyota Corolla.Created by Publicis Mojo - Sydney, apparently we are to believe

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-25347199222935847792008-11-05T14:04:00.004-06:002008-11-05T14:20:14.061-06:00

This past Halloween season, Meijer's rolled out a unique Mobile/Social promotion. They announced that the 'headless horseman' would be on a certain street during a certain time frame. If you saw the 'headless horseman,' you were to text "He rides" for a chance to win $1,000.Here's a behind the scenes look at what they did:

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-78470248160782813172008-10-31T13:44:00.002-05:002008-10-31T13:54:41.121-05:00

'Out of the mouth's of babes' is a saying that describes the ability of children to strip away all of the hype and exaggeration and reveal what is true.Of course, the cynical weasel in me wonders:A. Is this really some sort of campaign by an actual advertising agency,orB. If it's not an agency campaign, how long will it be before an agency hires the young lad as a spokesman?

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-80318260525332527202008-10-22T15:11:00.002-05:002008-10-22T15:25:23.680-05:00

Finally we have an ad from Apple that calls out Microsoft for all the "advertising" that Microsoft has purchased lately.This is a perfect example of why Microsoft doesn't need to try and counter the Mac ads. They simply can't compete head-to-head with these ads. Sure, the current crop of "I'm a PC" ads are now focusing on the ubiquity of the PC, but they began this series by acknowledging the

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-19308140984270722772008-10-16T00:25:00.003-05:002008-10-16T00:40:19.750-05:00

I really don't know what to make of these spots for BC Dairy (that would be British Columbia Dairy for the geographic acronym challenged). I believe the agency is Tribal DDB, Vancouver, BC. I think I like them better than the tired, old "Got milk?" campaign that's been running for what seems like the last 15 - 20 years.First up is called "Cellphone Charms."Next we have "Mousetrap." This one's

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-587758444698071012008-10-16T00:17:00.002-05:002008-10-16T00:21:46.356-05:00

The humor in this spot for Bud Light is more "Americanized," but amusing nonetheless. Ah, Grasshopper - when you can snatch the Bud Light from my hand, it will be time for you to go.I sense a theme building.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-40724151002159153582008-10-15T23:58:00.003-05:002008-10-16T00:06:02.139-05:00

Pure silliness, I know, but this Brazilian spot done by Almap BBDO out of Sao Paulo for Pepsi is amusing.Besides, who really doesn't like kung fu?Ah, Grasshopper - when you can snatch the Pepsi from my hand, it will be time for you to go.And yes, that line really, really dates me.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-79576668602809325432008-10-01T11:22:00.003-05:002008-10-01T11:28:00.845-05:00

Here's an excellent viral video for Science World of Vancouver, B.C.Science World: Blind Date MuteUploaded by houriganHat-tip to the good folks at Quirk.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-83126342783359628642008-09-29T09:09:00.005-05:002008-09-29T09:26:43.590-05:00

This is just awful."It makes my taco pop." Seriously?The client should have known that a certain line from this spot could have more than one meaning.The agency should never have written it.There's nothing wrong with being risque. And clever ads are always appreciated.But the biggest issue with ads like this one is that it seems to have been written by a 13-year-old boy, targeting other 13-

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-55655311523433303302008-09-19T09:36:00.006-05:002008-09-19T09:59:48.881-05:00

Most people didn't know that Leo Tolstoy had a twin brother named Loe.Apparently, Vidsense is using him in one of their internet/email ads. And it seems they have fallen victim to his quote stealing ways.And I love the tagline, "Vidsense, something that works for a change." Unlike their spell check and proofing processes.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-32265411640630439812008-09-19T09:36:00.001-05:002008-09-19T09:38:22.303-05:00

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here's this gem:It be 'arrrrrr-ful.'

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-61256400480906451902008-09-18T21:43:00.008-05:002008-09-19T10:14:33.296-05:00

Okay, it was a bit of a rough start.And even though all the elements were there - geeky billionaire, has-been comedian, long form and super-long form formats, hundreds of millions of dollars, alledgedly cutting edge agency - somehow they just couldn't pull it off.I guess it was just a case of too much talent, too much money, and too much creative vision.After all that, you're probably guessing

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-71546960261137161942008-09-18T21:43:00.003-05:002008-09-18T22:00:06.652-05:00

Goodbye Jerry, we'll miss your almost amusing musings.We'll look back fondly on the peculiarly quirky banter you shared with pal Bill.As you may have heard, Microsoft decided the Bill and Jerry Spots About Nothing weren't working out as planned.Of course, the Microsoft spin is "We will be executing the second phase of our advertising campaign tomorrow, as planned from the start."What they fail

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-29649821451454721062008-09-08T17:17:00.004-05:002008-09-09T15:49:57.707-05:00

Okay. Comparing the Microsoft spot to a video of a dog pooping might not have been entirely fair.Maybe, I should have offered a reasoned critique of the ad instead of comparing it to excrement.Fair enough.I suppose the spot is somehow supposed to make us think of Bill Gates (and by extension, Microsoft) as just like us. This multi-billionaire goes to the discount shoe store at the mall just

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-84750045105851173732008-09-08T10:27:00.003-05:002008-09-08T10:37:54.937-05:00

What do you get when you combine the following?One cutting edge ad agency (Crispin Porter & Bogusky)One monolithic mega-brand (Microsoft)The brand's iconic billionaire founder (Bill Gates)The comedic star of a 'show about nothing' (Jerry Seinfeld)A $300 million budgetMix it all together and you get this:Which is roughly the equivalent of this:

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-42780141077377512812008-08-29T09:48:00.003-05:002008-08-29T09:59:51.845-05:00

Usually I stay away from commenting on local advertising. Much of it is simply so bad that making any cracks about it just isn't very sporting.But I know these folks. Well . . . I thought I knew them. Actually had my car insurance through them years ago. Dealt directly with the owner and everything.Who thinks that a bad version of an Enzyte spot is the best way to sell insurance services?

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-57837559967940768372008-08-29T00:29:00.002-05:002008-08-29T00:38:14.728-05:00

I had forgotten about this. Something about the 'crazy eyes' that really does it for me.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-19615956537962226082008-08-26T22:48:00.003-05:002008-08-26T22:53:53.990-05:00

Yet another instance of advertising from Bizarro-world, or France as the case may be.In this case, it's a French ad from Wrangler.Half-naked women wearing Wranglers acting like animals being hunted?What's the term for reverse-anthropomorphism? Oh, I remember . . . it's stupidity.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-78949429062204649002008-08-26T22:14:00.003-05:002008-08-26T22:17:56.300-05:00

While we're on the whole anthropomorphism theme, here's this one from Cascade Beer.Somehow, after the Orangina ad, this one seems almost too tame (pun intended).

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-12675226577040668962008-08-26T22:02:00.003-05:002008-08-26T22:18:34.022-05:00

This is a few months old, and there's already been a minor kerfuffle about it.Still . . . who sits in a creative briefing and thinks to themselves, "Sexual imagery conveyed through animated anthropomorphism - that'll sell the product."The only excuse I can think of is that a French agency produced it.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-27605187114687412432008-08-07T13:47:00.010-05:002008-08-07T18:04:09.358-05:00

By now, most of you have heard about the brutal murder/decapitation that occurred on a Greyhound bus in Canada.Greyhound had been running this ad, but had the good taste/good sense to pull it after the murder.However PETA , not bound by good sense or good taste, decided to run an ad in the local newspaper of the city closest to the murder.Aside from the obvious lack of sympathy, compassion,

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-14989050448382750542008-08-05T11:32:00.004-05:002008-08-05T21:51:47.708-05:00

By now, most people have heard about the issues with Microsoft's latest operating system, Vista. It seems that most people don't like it.And we're not talking about mild annoyance either. In fact, there's a whole host of Vista customers whose experience with the product have driven them to downgrade to Windows XP.So, in the face of almost universal dislike of their latest product, does

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-35597148109139841432008-08-01T11:18:00.009-05:002008-08-01T13:37:22.521-05:00

First Snickers pulls their Mr. T ads because some silly people got their underwear all twisty (I'm looking at you Bob Garfield).Now we find out that Verizon Wireless has pulled one of its ads because the PETA folks are upset. Here's the Verizon ad in question:Seems like the People-Eating-Tasty-Animal folks were upset that the dogs in the ad were chained up, and that chaining dogs is just plain

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-4983034713588182842008-07-30T21:38:00.012-05:002008-12-10T22:51:48.459-06:00

This week heralded the launch of a new search engine, Cuil (pronounced cool). I tried a search on it. This is what I got: (We'll be back soon . . .Due to overwhelming interest, our Cuil servers are running a bit hot right now. The search engine is momentarily unavailable as we add more capacity. Thanks for your patience.) I tried again later. This time I got something different: (Sorry, an

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-84341926423426153302008-07-29T15:34:00.007-05:002008-07-29T17:28:06.656-05:00

Snickers latest campaign in the U.K. features Mr. T and the line "Get some nuts!" Too bad it will never air in the U.S. In fact, it's been pulled in the U.K. already.Pity. The spots are actually amusing.Like this one featuring a soccer player faking an injury:Or this one, featuring the manly sport of 'speed walking:'But some people just can't enjoy a simple spot that shows an aging B-list TV

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-69083514691016280902008-07-29T15:27:00.005-05:002008-08-05T14:54:30.827-05:00

If you've worked in the advertising industry for more than a day, you've run into clients like these.You know the type."Oh it's perfect! I love it! You guys have ab-sol-utely nailed it! If you could just make one small change . . . "

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-78592637221957777312008-07-11T14:28:00.006-05:002008-07-19T19:57:03.338-05:00

Instead of the usual weasel-related post title, we really should call this post something else. Perhaps something like:Craven Rat-Bastard of a Bank Refuses to Go After Bank Robber – Fires Customer Instead.Blogger and advice columnist Amy Alkon (of advicegoddess.com) recently posted here, here, here, and here about a breach of trust and security with her (now former) bank, Bank of America.It seems

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-29648900403008759382008-06-23T21:04:00.005-05:002008-07-11T16:57:32.621-05:00

UPDATE: JC Penney now disavows any association with this ad. UPDATE continues at the bottom of this post.It seems that there is a spate of ads lately that are suggestive for no apparent reason other than to be suggestive.Case in point, the new JC Penney spot created by Saatchi & Saatchi. And it's not really overtly sexual. Maybe subtly sexual, but only slightly so.It's just . . . I don't know . .

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-55076331637586833112008-06-19T22:17:00.003-05:002008-06-19T22:56:28.311-05:00

Have you seen the video for the new LG 'Secret' cell phone?Take a peek (pun intended):What is the deal with the folks at LG (tagline: LG=Lascivious Goobers)? Is their marketing department staffed entirely by 14 year-old boys?You may remember their 'Scarlet' campaign featuring a very attractive metaphor for flat screen TVs (or should I say TV's). Now they've given us a video playing off every

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-57330153585243267612008-06-18T11:42:00.007-05:002008-06-18T12:13:09.038-05:00

Every so often, I like to check out 'Ads of the Weird' over at MSNBC.com. It's usually good for blog idea (like this one) or sometimes even a small chuckle.Today, it's both. And the 'chuckle' portion comes by way of a clueless review.The blog writer/ad reviewer, Allison Linn, inadvertently stepped into a political minefield with a post about a U.S. Marine Corps commercial shown before the start

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-4953944063635952732008-06-16T15:05:00.008-05:002008-12-10T22:51:48.969-06:00

Every so often, a company will try to push the boundaries of weaseliness. The good folks at Denon are the latest company to push the marketing weasel envelope just a bit too far.How far you might ask? Try $5oo too far. Check out their latest product offering via Amazon.com.That's right. A set of 59 inch digital audio cables for $500.I just love how their description begins:"Get the purest digital

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-81938272697466112602008-06-09T20:53:00.006-05:002008-06-10T17:25:31.020-05:00

A hallmark of a really weasely marketing campaign is how it just sucks you in.One minute you've got your guard up and your BS detector is on full alert, and the next minute you're looking at a marketing campaign and thinking to yourself, "Well , that certainly sounds reasonable."This week's most excellent example of marketing weaseliness comes to us from an interesting company called ProQuo. From

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-74626647685521693102008-05-28T13:12:00.007-05:002008-05-28T22:27:45.816-05:00

Here's an interesting ad. And by interesting, we mean interesting in a morally ambiguous sort of way.Okay . . . maybe not ambiguous.The good folks at Amp Energy Drinks (parent company - Pepsico) have decided to align their product with shame. An interesting approach to say the least.But before we begin with the blogging of the weasels, so to speak, here's the online version of the ad for your

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-74925178421277000882008-05-26T00:37:00.002-05:002008-05-26T00:43:43.573-05:00

If only I'd seen this thirty years ago. And the whole "web design" and "agency overhead" bit . . . ouch! I'm soooo not that geeky. Then again, I am blogging at 12:41am. And as for the agency overhead insult, I'd still be in account services if I had any people skills. Who knew that failing to suck up to the client could have such dire consequences.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-43733428356752497002008-05-26T00:29:00.001-05:002008-05-26T00:31:45.091-05:00

More truth in weaseliness. The Break UpUploaded by geertdesagerIt is sadly accurate.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-21545161430587696712008-05-23T20:48:00.003-05:002008-05-23T20:51:13.710-05:00

And because I'm such a big Rube Goldberg fan, here is this:Not so much weaseliness, but very clever.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-37758407694242353942008-05-23T20:45:00.003-05:002008-05-23T20:47:42.797-05:00

Finally!The weasely truth comes out!An oldie but still golden!

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-56957020337619729522008-05-23T15:36:00.003-05:002008-05-23T16:02:54.848-05:00

Last Sunday (May 18th), the Charleston Gazette reported that Lifelock CEO Todd Davis' Social Security number had been repeatedly stolen. The Gazette reports:"Richard Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock Inc., was so confident in his company's ability to protect his identity that he publicly revealed his Social Security number: 457-55-5462.But according to a new class-action lawsuit filed last week in

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-24177854865828155232008-05-19T13:17:00.009-05:002008-05-19T15:36:29.805-05:00

We usually stay away from simple ad critiques. After all, one person's masterpiece of marketing communications is another's laughingstock and abject failure. And besides, it's all about results, right?Which brings us to Yellowbook. We'll get to their particular brand of marketing weaseliness in a moment. But first, let's take a stroll down memory lane and have a look at what I think is possibly

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-60610700069484357962008-05-14T14:22:00.007-05:002008-05-14T21:14:16.054-05:00

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, has been around for a few years. There's actually good SEO (white hat SEO), bad SEO (black hat SEO), and morally conflicted SEO (grey hat SEO).SEO is all about doing things to get your site noticed by the search engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) and ultimately to get people to your site. One way is to have really interesting and relevant content on your site.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-27131087384833474222008-05-13T00:58:00.003-05:002008-05-13T07:10:47.421-05:00

I always wanted to be a game show announcer. I even had this shtick in college when someone asked what was my major. I remember that its humor was directly proportional to how many beers we consumed.But I digress . . .This is amusing.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-83092185881630232752008-05-12T12:26:00.002-05:002008-05-13T08:57:08.360-05:00

Okay . . . this one's a tad stale, but it still merits a 'tsk-tsk.'Public Relations flacks (or hacks, or whatever) already get enough grief due to the vague nature of what they do. So I find it irritating when marketing weasels try to disguise their weaseliness with press releases.From the interwebs, (specifically PR Newswire) we have this example:7UP Aims to Save Earthlings From Alien Invaders*

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-81423490745924336402008-05-08T14:48:00.013-05:002008-05-13T00:57:40.165-05:00

We're referring to the Marketing Weasels at Target. And this time, it's personal.Specifically, we mean those marketing weasels at Target that came up with the nifty promotion a few weeks back that gave the consumer (in this case, me) a free $5 gift card when you purchase a certain quantity and combination of soft drinks.It seemed like a great deal - buy something that I would have normally

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-24999853986827019672008-05-07T22:05:00.004-05:002008-05-07T22:25:49.985-05:00

Okay. There aren't any weasels for this post. Just a couple of videos about the good folks over at Facebook.The first is a smashing good send up of the popular social media site from our good friends across the pond.And if the parodies have begun, can the backlash be far behind?

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-35505905760717852322008-05-05T16:32:00.006-05:002008-12-10T22:51:49.371-06:00

We can't decide if this much-hyped campaign from LG is a case of:a.) We're so cool and you just don't get itb.) We meant to do it that wayc.) Ignore it and maybe people won't talk about itYou've seen the Scarlet ads. They ran for about three months. It appeared to be a teaser campaign for a 'hot, new TV series.' It actually garnered quite a following of eager adolescent male types (probably

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-16731771666527473442008-04-29T16:42:00.005-05:002008-12-10T22:51:49.545-06:00

Here is something I found on the interwebs.Here's the link to the site: ChristvertisingSo, how does 'Christvertising' work?"Christvertising takes a whole new approach to marketing your brand. We skip the strategic deliverables. We pass on the matrixes, the payoffs and the metrics. We ignore any viral functionality. We focus on the ultimate end-user: God."Hmmmm . . . God as the ultimate end user.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-33449304786612237702008-04-28T15:12:00.012-05:002008-12-10T22:51:49.718-06:00

This just in from the good folks over at the New York Times (Motto: Not Reporting the News Since 1851):"Take a Picture of an Ad, Earn a Reward Rolling Stone and Men’s Health are both testing programs in which readers can take cameraphone (sic) pictures of icons on ads, then send them to a certain number. In exchange, they’ll receive more information or an offer from the advertiser."That's

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-91490226036114484252008-04-25T14:36:00.006-05:002008-12-10T22:51:50.536-06:00

Here are two examples of outdoor ads that are . . . um, just a bit off (hat-tip to Photoshop Disasters blog for the first example):Is Prince Caspian a cyclops or an X-Men character?Here's the second image from a blog who's name escapes me at the moment.Note position of the bus exhaust pipe.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-31628234334250435642008-04-24T15:19:00.004-05:002008-04-24T16:10:05.565-05:00

Today our topic is not about marketing weasels but about PR weasels, commonly referred to as flacks or hacks.Sidenote: Why flacks and/or hacks? I don't have a clue.And our post today is not so much about weaseliness as it is about carelessness. Consider this:The good folks over at Wachovia Bank (motto: "We buy ugly banks.") sponsored a Birmingham, AL community event on Tuesday, April 22nd. The

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-39686360386512131212008-04-22T13:05:00.006-05:002008-12-10T22:51:50.730-06:00

The good people at CNN have now aptly demonstrated their marketing weaseliness. I'll let the blog post from the barbarian group explain it:"We got really excited when CNN asked us to help them help people uncover the newly reorganized and video rich CNN.com. They came to us looking for a fun way to get the word out and we decided what better way to turn “I just saw it on CNN.com” into a

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-71189941855802513062008-04-21T14:50:00.005-05:002008-04-21T16:36:28.029-05:00

I just signed up. My username is marketingweasel.Now what?Is it just me, or does this seem like another over-hyped tool that's essentially worthless?TWITTER EXPLAINED: In 140 characters or less, answer the question "What are you doing?'Seems like the answer would always be the same - I'm on Twitter, typing in the mundane details of my daily life, INSTEAD of actually living my life.TWITTER FURTHER

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-479753728843009712008-04-21T12:58:00.004-05:002008-12-10T22:51:51.340-06:00

On the Newsweek site there's this article about a new picture book written by a plastic surgeon. The book is written for the children of moms about to undergo cosmetic surgery. There are so many things that come to mind regarding this type of book. However it's the representation of Dr. Michael in the book that I find amusing. Here's how Dr. Michael's character is portrayed:Doesn't he look a

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-68326181724085483002008-04-19T23:17:00.004-05:002008-12-10T22:51:51.527-06:00

I guess it's really no surprise that the general public doesn't trust those of us in the ad profession. Just look at this poll from the good folks at Gallup on the relative trustworthiness of various professions:I can understand that ad people might not be as trustworthy as nurses or teachers, but ranking below congressmen?I think I'm beginning to understand why the search term "marketing weasel"

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-37519140677085093712008-04-19T21:06:00.003-05:002008-12-10T22:51:51.879-06:00

When starting a new blog, it's probably a good idea to Google the name of your blog. It turns out that there's a lot of people with a lot to say about marketing weasels. A quick Googling of the term "marketing weasel" yields the following: Wow. A whopping 279,000 results for the term "marketing weasel." Similarly, a Google blog search shows that the term comes up in at least 5,494 blogs.

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116581298388531434.post-58888319551847823142008-04-18T16:34:00.004-05:002008-04-19T09:24:35.704-05:00

Long ago, I was inadvertently given the nickname "Wheatley." Someone was trying to drive home a point by getting in my face and yelling at me. It was part of a team building exercise, and the point he was trying to make was that we all had to make sure that we really knew our teammates.Unfortunately for him, his point was kind of lost when he started calling me ‘Wheatley’ instead of my actual

Wheatleynoreply@blogger.com0