New 'TheCW' Website Not Quite What Network Execs Expected

We're sure this isn't quite what Warner Brothers and UPN had in mind for their new TheCW website following the merger of The WB and UPN but if they want to put the cat back in the bag and launch a proper network television website, they're going to have to transfer some cat treats to this cat lover.

Uncle Sam Dances For Your Tax Dollars

As Adland properly comments, "what the hell were the creatives on this job smoking?" Yes, it's unlikely this came from the U.S. Government. They have no sense of humor when it comes to taxes. Someone's just having a bit of fun here.

ExxonMobil Makes $32 Billion Profit, Toasts The Earth

Next week, ExxonMobil will announce it turned a profit of about $32 billion in 2005 and it's not going unnoticed by a group called Exxpose Exxon who pokes fun at the giant's earnings with a humorous video entitled, Toasting the Earth, in which ExxonMobil execs are shown toasting the earth in a less than environmentally friendly manner. With an extra $32 billion in ExxonMobil's coffers, Exxpose Exxon feels the organization should take a more active roll in protecting the earth's assets.

Agency Ad Says Agencies Are Sweatshops

As a goof, a new business strategy and a statement that isn't far from the truth, Maryland-based ad agency MGH placed an ad this week in the Wall Street Journal with the headline, "Sweatshop conditions at America's advertising/PR agencies must end." The ad claims agency personnel are overworked due to decades old practices of cutting overhead and under staffing, that it's an unseen practice and that it negatively effects clients. All true. However, the ad neglects to mention clients no longer value most agencies as the true business partner they once were and refuse to pay them what they're worth, sloughing them off and just another vendor which can be financially bled dry while the client reaps the rewards and profits the agency created for them. Of course, an ad that spoke that truth wouldn't gain much new business.

To be fair, most agencies are not adapting to clients' needs and have refused to step outside the mold that's been in place for a hundred years. So it's no surprise clients have devalued agencies because, in the eyes of the client, they aren't getting what they want from the agency so they aren't going to pay thereby causing the problem this ad so succinctly points out.

MyPetFat Promotes With calendar

MyPetFat, the folks that motivate weight loss by selling anatomically correct replicas of fat, have launched a free calendar that simplifies weight loss by offering visually stimulating daily reminders to aid those trying to shed a few pounds. With a bit of the fake fat and the calendar, weight loss sure looks less daunting than many think.

Lynx Teases With Clickable Asses

Lynx Deodorant has launch yet another one of its mysterious promotions. This one arrive via email with nothing more than an image of a hot chick and an invitation to click. Once clicked, we arrived at a site called Clickmore and had to...yes...click more. Upon clicking, a big window opened where a collection of world flag-clad asses presented themselves for us to choose from . Once we chose our ass, we were whisked away to a page that asked for our email and and a promise that all would be revealed February 13. When we clicked on another ass, however, we were whisked away to an MSN page that contained a bunch of videos. Sadly, we navigated away from the page before we were able to fully explore its content. Perhaps we found a little hole into what will actually be revealed on February 13. Unfortunately, no amount of ass clicking would return us to the MSN page so we'll just have to wait like everyone else.

Apple Intel Ad Could Have Been Saved With Copy Change

Putting aside the swirling controversy over Apple's copy The Postal Service's video for its new Intel ad, Apple matters dissects the ad and explains why it is so offensive to current Mac users, current windows user and just about everyone else. Not one to just complain with out offering a solution, App;le Matters suggests the whole problem could have been avoided had the copy writer simply written, "Starting today the Intel chip will get to power the most advanced operating system on earth: OS X< rather than the everyone sucks copy, "The Intel Chip. For years, it's been trapped inside PCs, inside dull little boxes dutifully performing dull little tasks when it could have been doing so much more. Starting today, the Intel chip will be set free and get to live inside a Mac. Imagine the possibilities." Think about it. Apple really did trash most everyone with this new ad. A new chip inside an Apple is hardly going to affect sales. A bad commercial like this one will. Negatively.

Wonder to Spend $10 Million to Stop People From Wondering

We always wondered if there actually was any bread in Wonder Bread since you can compress a slice into a ball the size of a marble but no matter, the company is launching a $10 Million campaign to introduce Wonder "made with" Whole Grain White. That "made with" phrases casues one to...uh...wonder whether just how real this new bread will be. Well, we'll give it the compression test and let you know. In the meantime, all you TV and print sales reps enjoy your slice of that $10 million. We bet it's a lot more substantial than a slice of Wonder.

Ruskin Slams Ad Industry At ANA Conference, Change Needed

Perhaps it was all fire and brimstone or perhaps it really was the truth but Commercial Alert Executive Director Gary Ruskin Minced no words when he told ad execs at an Association of National Advertisers luncheon yesterday that "most Americans really despise what you do." He also told the audience what we all have known for a long time; we are not loved by people. Poll after poll ranks us right up there with car dealers in terms of trust. Citing yet another study, Ruskin said, "your industry is not yet as unpopular as the tobacco industry." It's not inconceivable that, with the increasing amount of ad-avoidance control people gain, that will happen quite soon.

He had no kind words to say about product placement or buzz marketing either and that's not surprising. The walls between advertising and content have long since disappeared because of media fragmentation which gave people more choice to avoid advertising and because of ad-avoidance platforms like pay-per-view, DVRs, bit torrent, file-sharing and the iPod. It's no surprise that marketers are grasping at straws to regain the control it once had over consumer eyeballs when a three network buy would reach every person in the country.

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