Honda to Launch Roadblock Buy on Reuters

PoynterOnline reports Reuters receiving a roadblock order from Honda for the introduction of its Odyssey on September 22. Reuters believes it to be the first of its kind - a 24 hour take over of all sponsorable positions on the site.

While many advertisers have done homepage takeovers and other "site dominant" buys, a large, full site buy of this kind appears to be a first.

The Final Advertising Frontier: The 'Poop-Out' Ad

Not that we'll ever believe it could possibly be reached but after headvertising, dogvertising, forehead advertising, assverting, bravertising, blogvertising, bloodvertising, adverblogging, invertising, advergaming, chipvertising, thongvertising, replacevertising, busvertising, police car advertising, adverwear, and urinal advertising, the final frontier of advertising would have to resemble something close to the "Poop-Out" ad.

Envisioned in a cartoon by David Farley, this yet-to-be-created ad medium combines "nanotechnology, genetically-modified food and unscrupulous marketers" yielding these scary messages floating in your toilet bowl.

Burger King Extends Dr. Angus With Dr.Angus Interventions

Following its launch of the Burger King Dr. Angus site created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Burger King, along with CPB has launched an extension to that site called Dr. Angus Interventions which offers the interactive qualities of another Burger King site, Subservient Chicken.

Offering advice for those who clean too much, are couch potatoes or who continually send company-wide emails, Doctor Angus Interventions dispenses verbal advice that visitors can edit to suit their needs or to suit the needs of others with a "forward to a friend" feature. The site is being seeded by viral firm DMC in London.

From their experience with Subservient Chicken, Crispin Porter + Bogusky found people want to engage and control the websites they visit. CPP Creative Director Jeff Benjamin said,"We learned from Subservient Chicken that people want to be able to customize what's happening. When we originally concepted it, we didn't have so much customization. We were going to use real voice clips [in the latest effort], but we decided it would be more interesting if Dr. Angus could say what you wanted him to. The added customization made the intervention make much more sense."

We'll refer to this as another "brand toy" - a device which is created to be amusing, engaging and/ or helpful all while subtly branding. It's what's needed to amuse the "bored in two seconds, jaded, ad-hating, ad-skipping" generation.

Calin Klein Tosses The Salad

Always one to push limits, Calvin Klein now has a guy close to serving his salad to some hot chick on Houston and Lafayette in New York. Via Fleshbot.

Pot Noodles The Office Snack

If for no other reason than to enjoy some British wit.

WSJ Waters Self Down, Caters to Masses, Advertisers Love It

The Wall Street Journal is further expanding beyond its original purpose of providing in depth financial news and announced a few changes Tuesday allowing the paper to provide advertisers with more editorially relevant placement options. Following the launch of its Personal Journal Section in 2002, two new editorial features will be added. "Personal Finance Wednesday" will provide individual financial advice and "Home and Health Thursday" will focus on entertainment and home technology. New page pages units on A2 and A3 will be added as well which will provide "prominent visibility in an uncluttered environment." The paper's "Weekend Journal section will expand to include part 2's with seasonal focus beginning with "Weekend Journal Holiday Guide" on December 3.

Another Study States Obvious: People Hate Internet Ads

A study just out by the Ponemon Institute and provided to USA Today found, unsurprisingly, consumers feel bombarded by online ads, want less ad clutter but won't pay for content not supported by ads. Other findings include :

• 80 percent find pop ups annoying.
• 60 percent dislike spam (who are those other 40 percent?).
• 60 percent are always annoyed by banners.
• While ads are hated, 31 percent respond to ads.
• 7 percent made a purchase from a banner.
• 65 percent won't pay for ad blocking services.
• 52 percent are more likely to respond if ad is relevant.
• 66 percent state relevant banner ads are less annoying.
• 45 percent will volunteer personal info in return for more targeted ads.
• 55 percent would respond to an ad that was targeted but was not based on the requirement of providing personal info.
• 31 percent would trust an advertiser more if they had a solid privacy statement backed by a third party such as TRUSTe or BBB.
• Perhaps shedding the brightest light on "ad hate factor" is the finding that 44 percent think unwanted ads should be banned by law.

While it's nice to see it in black and white, the findings are not suprising.

We've always known most advertising of any kind is disliked and no one wants to pay for content when they can get it for free. While we are not there yet, we will arrive at the day when upwards of 90 percent of delivered ad content is 100 percent relevant to a consumer. Until then, expect more survey results like this.

Ad Urges Enforcement of Korean Law Banning Dog And Cat Killing For Food

In the disgusting department, a group called In Defense of Animals is placing a Korean language ad September edition of Korean Journal urging Koreans and Korean Americans to rise up and speak out against the illegal practice or killing cats and dogs for food in Korea.

Featuring a picture of a caged dog taken in the Moran Market in Seoul, the ad asks the Korean government to enforce its laws which prohibit the sale and slaughter of dogs for food. Apparently, the Korean government ignores the alleged beating, boiling, hanging and electrocution of dogs and cats. Butchers say this last minute torture creates an adrenaline rush which enhances the quality of the meat.

IDA says the vast majority if Koreans do not eat dog meat but notes that official figures show there are 6,000 stores in Korea that deal in the bludgeoned dog meat selling trade.

LG Campaign Plays Vanity Card

In a new ad campaign for its cell phones, LG is either praying on the actual vanity of tweens, teens and 20-somethings or spoofing the whole idea that anyone would actually consider a phone a fashion accessory.

Either way, it's fun to watch. Also from this week's Ad Age TV Spots of the Week are spots from the American Legacy Foundation's Truth campaign, Campbell Soup's Pace Salsa, GE Medical Technology, Nike's Art of Speed/Gawker promotion, Toyota Scion, EA's Madden Sports 2005 and Footlocker.

Sex on TV Doubles Sex In Real Life For Teens

Stuffed Animals or Me?

Like that Doublemint commercial that used to say "Double Your Pleasure," a new study conducted by RAND and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development finds teens who watch a lot of sex-themed TV are twice as likely to have sex. Additionally, it was found that 12 year olds who view lots of sexually charged content act like 14 or 15 year olds who view the least amount. That explains the proliferation of Thirteen-like teenagers strutting around the mall looking like 18 year old hookers.

The study fuels the age old argument of whether media causes changes in societal behavior or whether it simply mirrors it. Kids will imitate what they perceive to be cool. Much of what we see in media does make sex cool. Everyone wants to be attractive and to be desired and that yearning for desire usually manifests itself in the form of clothing and actions designed to get that attention. It's not always that a teen wants physical attention but simply any form of attention and media has instructed kids that looking hot is cool and helps them get what they want. Oh yes, this is blatant generalization but it's a game of one-upmanship - what can one do that will get one noticed more? It's like the Guinness Book of World Records. To "win," the skirts get shorter, the pants get lower, the thongs get higher, the boobs get uncovered and pretty soon everyone's fucking instead off studying.

It's impossible to go back but perhaps we are on the cusp of a generational climax in which we collectively reach a peak celebu-media fueled societal climax, retreat in the afterglow, take a few years off to recover, then re-angage thrusting ourselves urgently, helplessly and uncontrollably towards another inevitable, even more intense, cultural climax.