OK. We're not going to say the C word or the P word or the R word. We're going to say the H word. Homage. Yes. With these two new spots for the new VW Jetta, Crispin Porter + Bogusky is paying homage, as pointed out by Advertising/Design Goodness, to Insurance Corporation of British Columbia's Counter Attack don't drink and drive ads. Instead of the doom and gloom of drunk driving, CP + B is focusing on the Jetta's safety features and how they can protect you in similar situations. Of course, this doesn't mean everyone can now drink and drive nor feel safe from drunk drivers. We like. A lot.
Just as Howard Beale screamed in the 1976 movie, Network, so too are network execs, today, screaming "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore" in reaction to the FCC's piling on the final straw that broke the camel's back. After the FCC levied $3 million in fines last month for various indiscretions including a sexually charged Without A Trace scene, ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX have banded together to sue the FCC claiming, "The FCC rulings underscore the inherent problem of government involvement in deciding what viewers should and shouldn't see on television." Broadcasters claim those concerned about television content have plenty of means at their disposal to block content they individually deem inappropriate and the government need not involve itself as it does.
We can't possibly be the only ones sick of seeing this upon visiting the many sites who for some odd reason insist upon using slow ad servers. In all honestly, we're not out to trash Falk but we've seen this particular slowness for years. Not months. Years. One would think after all that time, someone might say, "Hey, something's not right," and actually do something about the problem. Just as bad is AdFreak's use of CheckM8's Applet thingy that makes it impossible to do anything for about 15 seconds after visiting the site. We're sure our ad server sucks too but that's besides the point. After all these years of ad serving, why do we still have these issues?
Once again, Bucky Turco finds laziness in advertising. It appears outdoor companies are unable to or unwilling to provide even the lest bit of common sense when it comes to competitive ad placement. First, Viacom placed two vodka ads next to each other. Next, two beer brands appear next to each other on buses. And now, Van Wagner has two airlines right next to each other. Hello? Media buyers? Sales reps? Do you care what happens after you send/receive the IO?
