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Advertising When Culture Was Not Politically Correct Here's an ad for those who think the political correctness move has gone too far. OK, so maybe smoking and drinking really isn't good for pregnancy but you get the idea. Click image to view full size. Advertisers Wary of Edgy Programming For all their bravado about being cutting edge, most advertisers shy away from edgy or racy television programming. This Fall, three shows will put the sensitivities of advertisers to the test. NBC's Coupling, Fox's Skin and ABC's It's All Relative will all push the boundaries of what is acceptable on non-pay cable channels. As broadcasters recognize the demise of the Reality genre, the next fad just might be shows that try to emulate cable shows such as Six Feet Under and Sex in the City albeit with the conservative network censorship in place. It's too bad the censors have to concentrate on language rather than quality though. If that were the case, TV would be a much better place. TV Guide Launches Racy New Strategy to Stem Circulation Losses With TV Guide losing readers faster than Britney can take her clothes off for Elle, the magazine has undertaken a new editorial direction. Following the successful lad magazine trend, TV Guide will move towards racier covers and content in an effort to stem losses in circulation. The first of the new issues will feature Party of Five star Jennifer Love Hewitt in a skin tight leopard skin mini-dress seemingly unable to cover or support her very large and heavy looking cleavage. Inside will be a feature article on her upcoming talk show in which she will supposedly reveal even more of her bulging and weighty curvaceousness. This is certainly a dramatic move for the usually staid and conservative magazine. Large and pendulous curvature may not have worked for Miller Lite but perhaps it might for TV Guide. It will no doubt increase newsstand sales. Who will be worthy of future covers? Jessica Simpson and Nikki Cox are certainly qualified. Perhaps this risky change will pay off and give TV Guide the lift it needs. If it doesn't then the magazine is destined to continue down it's flacid path of impotency. Click the image to view an even bigger version of Love Hewitt's enormous assets. (J) Disaster Specialist Claims Volkswagen Touareg Ad Reckless Jane Yount, disaster response coordinator for the Church of the Brethren and president of the Maryland's Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster calls the VW Touareg ad called "Stream" showing the vehicle effortlessly driving through 22 inches of water "reckless".
"I fear that decades of disaster safety education have been jeopardized, thanks to one hair-brained commercial on national television," said Yount. "The cardinal rule of flood safety is, never attempt to drive through a flooded road. I thought, 'Oh my goodness, people are going to see that and think they can drive through deep water." I just can't believe there are so many people out there from so many ridiculous "cause" groups that can't take a joke, see humor, or realize people are not as stupid as they make them out to be. Of course people know you shouldn't drive through a lot of water. People are also intelligent enough to see the comedy in the ad. It's time for this idiotic, overprotective hand-holding to end and for all these "cause" groups to let us get on with our lives. Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham Featured in Rocawear Ad Campaign Formerly known as Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham, wife of soccer legend David Beckham is featured in a new ad campaign for Rocawear, the clothing label owned by Beyonc� Knowles's rapper boyfriend Jay-Z. Along with this ad campaign, Beckham is raising her level of awareness in the States with a talk show tour in support of her upcoming hip-hop album produced by Damon Dash of Roc-A-Fella records. Reebok Uses California Govenor's Race as Marketing Ploy Lester Spreight, the actor who plays Terry Tate in Reebok's television commercials has entered the now comical California Governors race. Reebok on behalf of Spreight filed official documents. In support of the candidate, Reebok has created a promotional web site along with the tagline, "Save our state - vote Terry Tate." This is a brilliant, if not sleazy, marketing ploy by Reebok. The race has turned into a farce but is receiving national coverage providing Reebok with a vast amount of free publicity. Benny Benassi Power Tools Video Needs Advertiser Logo This video called "Satisfaction" from DJ Benny Benassi has been making the rounds for two months but I've only just found a decent link to it. If you like power tools and you like hot babes gyrating their boobs and butts in bikinis, then this video is for you. All this video needs to become a great ad is the logo of a tool manufacturer. Stanley? Makita? Black and Decker? Any takers? I guarantee you your sales will go up. Water is Theme For This Week's Commercials Two spots in this week's Ad Age TV Spots of the Week feature water as the central character . The first is every guy's dream. For Mudd Jeans, which Britney Spears popularized, a couple strolls romantically through a field only to be assaulted by the sprinkler system. Of course, the girl revels in the beauty of being soaked and dances seductively for us until she is completely soaked finally getting a big kiss from her boyfriend. The second, for Gordon's Gin, shows the lengths people go to in order to be refreshed with H2O. Watch closely as the spot starts. You will see some intruigingly pendulous activity. Other spots this week includes a Hispanic focused ad for McDonald's, an illuminating spot for Kids Foot Locker and Reebok, a wife calling attention to her husbands love handles to promote a bathroom scale, a kid who sticks pencils up his nose illustrating why parents should not spend a lot on school supplies, and a spot from Subway featuring the Sherman brothers who lost 100 pounds each by adhering to a Subway diet.
Levi's Pulls Commercial Following Another Idiotic Politically Correct Outcry Levi Strauss has pulled an ad featuring a women on horseback riding down railroad tracks and jumping over an oncoming train following complaints by the rail safety group Operation Lifesaver. The group claims the ad encourages risky behavior. The ad itself is meant to be seen as fantasy and not real however that did not sway the group which sent a letter to Levi Strauss requesting the ad be pulled. Perhaps all ads should now carry a disclaimer stating, "Nothing in this ad is real. Nothing in this ad matters. Nothing in this ad is meant to be offensive in any way, shape or form. Nothing in this ad should be construed to be racial or strereotypical in any way. Nothing in this ad should be believed. Nothing in this ad is really worth you getting your britches in a bunch so just back the fuck off and enjoy it for what it is." Avoidance of Sex and Violence in Programming Increases Ad RecallHere's an interesting twist. Ads placed in programming that is not predominantly filled with sex or violence deliver a 17 to 21% higher rate of advertising recall. This is the finding of a study done by the University of Michigan's Institute for Higher Learning. "In our labs we have never found that people remember more if the ad is embedded in a violent or sexual program," says Brad Bushman, a psychologist at the university who conducted the research. "It doesn't matter whether the viewer is male or female. It doesn't matter how old they are, and it doesn't matter whether they like violence or sexual content." These findings are in line with past findings and show a trend. Violence and sex are just too distracting to allow advertising messaging to get through. Sex and violence in the ads, however, are another story. Recall is very high as proved by the notoriety of the Miller Lite Catfight campaign. 
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