Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Terrible Reader Ad of the Month - April 2011 (14 days late)

Hello readers, I'm finally back. I apologize for my lengthy absence and the lack of updates - shit's gotten real here at Advertisements Explained. First of all, the overwhelming feedback (4 comments, an email and 1 drunken text message) from our focus group posts on Dannon Light & Fit nearly destroyed our servers. I definitely appreciate the support and encouragement from our loyal readers, but we had some massive turnover in our IT department trying to fix the problems.

monkey computer IT
Li Han's replacement works on an algorithm.

Then, just as our servers were coming back online, one of our Pakistan-based funders suddenly just stopped returning our calls and emails. Despite weeks of emails, I've only received one response from venturecapitallaunderingfund@pakistan.gov. I have a feeling my emails just aren't getting through for some reason - not sure what's going on there.


However, despite all the problems we've been dealing with, AE is still up and running. My first order of business now that we're back online is to award the Terrible Reader Ad of the Month for April 2011!

This month's award actually goes to two of our loyal readers who submitted ads in the same idiotic genre. The TRAOTM award for April goes to Steph and Amanda, who both submitted ads featuring inept female dog owners talking about their dog food choices. Congratulations!

Steph's ad is from the Cesar Canine Cuisine line of dog food, whose writers apparently think it's normal to serve your dog a brick of meat paste on a plate with two steamed carrots and a bed of lettuce.



For all they do for you? I'm sorry, but when's the last time a dog did something for you that was useful? Isn't most dog training to designed to get them to not do things "for you?" That dead bird they brought in and left behind the TV? The big steamer they left on the carpet? That time he chomped your younger brother's arm so hard that it tore through his snowsuit? Yes, those were "for you." A good dog should know not to try to "do things for you" - it's better off sitting patiently until you get home.

Unless, of course, your dog serves a proxy for your non-existent boyfriend and full-tongue makes out with you when you get home from blogging about your loneliness at the local coffee shop. Then I guess he would deserve two carrots on his plate - just like your perfect boyfriend would get if he were real.

Amanda's ad features a very similar group of idiots complaining about the ingredients in their dogs' food. It is from the Blue Buffalo dog food company:


Why are these women rolling their eyes about the stuff in their old dog food? Did some ninjas sneak in the house and plant it in their pantries? Oh wait, NO. These idiots bought this stuff with their own money then came to dog class to complain about how bad it is and roll their eyes to each other like they are so much better than someone who would buy a bag of IAMS (hint: they're not.) And I won't even get into how insensitive all this eye-rolling is considering the dog class instructor doesn't even seem to have full control of her own eyes. Way to rub it in, ladies. Then, to top it all off, another lady starts making out with her dog again.

And as both submitters pointed out, why even worry about the quality of the ingredient in your dog's food? Most people in third world countries don't get to eat this well. And who the hell washes off chicken, let alone for your dog? While you were over there washing off your chicken, your dog was licking bird poop out of the cracks in the deck. Unless your interests include making out with your dog, you probably don't need to worry so much about what they eat. And if you're one of the women in these ads who do make out with their dog (and why are there only women?), you may want to rethink your priorities.

And finally, as Will Ferrell put it in the SNL ad: "You're a fucking dog."

Friday, April 15, 2011

Starbucks Drive Thru (Reader Challenge!) - Terrible Ad of the Week / News and updates

Hello readers and discerning consumers! It's April 15 - did you pay your taxes today? If you did, you are clearly not a marketing genius like me.

Let me fill you in on a little secret: as a marketing genius, I have found that I acquire wealth faster by not paying my taxes. In fact, the quickest way to see a 10% - 20% increase in your wealth within one year is to not pay your taxes or make any contributions to social security. There are many ways to do this. You might hide your money in a mattress or deposit it in an off-shore account in the Caymans. Or, for a fraction of the cost of real currency, you could print your own fake money and send that to the IRS. Me? I prefer laundering my income through a certain "non-profit" internet blog. There are literally no rules in the economic jungle.
finance model terrible
My personal finance model - for educational purposes only

Speaking of deadlines, there are only 15 more days left in April for you to submit an ad for the Terrible Reader Ad of the Month! (How's that for you, Jamfla?) Who will it be? What terrible ad will torture us this time? Why hasn't anyone submitted an ad since last month? You can submit your ads here, and you can check out last month's TRAOTM here. Don't miss your chance to be part of the greatest marketing blog of ALL TIME.*

At this point, many of you regular readers are probably saying "Wait, where in the hell is the Terrible Ad of the Week?" and "Why does Dan appear to be phoning it in this week?" Well, loyal readers, I'm phoning it in because I'm working on an extra special project for next week's entry. It's going to be revolutionary, so don't miss it.

But don't think that I'm going to leave you hanging without a terrible ad this week. In fact, I have a special challenge that will test your discerning consumer skills to the core. I now present you with the Advertisements Explained Terrible Ad of the Week Reader Challenge!

A couple weeks ago, I snapped this picture of some terrible marketing in the Starbucks Drive Thru:

Using the array of discerning consumer skills that you've no doubt developed as a reader of this blog, do the following:
  1. Analyze this Starbucks advertising and find everything that is wrong with it.
  2. Post your observations in the comments section below.
  3. Wait attentively.
Later this week, I will return like Gandalf charging down the hill to Helm's Deep at dawn on the third day and post my own observations (or the answers, if you will) to this Starbucks marketing debacle. In the meantime, I will be working on the special project for next week.

Good luck readers!

* This claim is based on the fact that someone found my blog last week by Googling the terms "world's greatest marketing genius" - thank you, Google Analytics, for telling me what everyone already knows.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Submit an Ad

Hello, readers! Lately, many of you have been approaching me in the street and sending me large amounts of email. You all say "Dan, we can already see the changes in our lives thanks to your blog!" Indeed, many of you are already becoming discerning consumers with a keen eye for terrible advertising. I could not be more excited about this!

Now that so many of you are out there using your marketing insights to rip apart terrible ads, I'm getting more and more recommendations on ads and commercials to feature in Advertisements Explained. However, other than stalking me at my home or flooding my inbox with suggestions, there hasn't been an easy way to contact me and suggest an ad for the blog. Just look at this reader trying to suggest an ad last week:



Well, no longer! Today, I'm proud to announce a new feature on Advertisements Explained: the Submit an Ad page! Just click on the Submit an Ad tab above to have your voice heard here at the Advertisements Explained offices.

Did you see a terrible advertisement that you think I should feature? Tell me about it! Maybe you'd like to see a new feature on the blog, like some pop up ads or flashing lights. Or maybe you'd like to apply for our competitive summer internship.* Either way, the Submit an Ad page gives you the opportunity to contribute to the great work we're doing here.

Also, as an added bonus, one reader submission will be chosen each month as our Reader Ad of the Month! Not only will your submission be forever cemented in the Advertisements Explained archives, but your name and blog address will be viewed by thousands† of readers worldwide. Eternal fame and glory will be yours!

I'm looking forward to reading your submissions, so keep your discerning eye peeled for terrible ads, and use the Submit an Ad page often!

*Now accepting applications. 2.8 GPA required, must provide own transportation. Must be good at not fucking up Starbucks orders and getting pizzas. Owning your own X-box 360 controller preferred.

†Actual number of readers may vary.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Welcome to Advertisements Explained

Welcome to Advertisements Explained. My name is Dan. This blog is dedicated to analyzing and reviewing advertisements and other marketing materials. It's for discerning consumers - people like you who only want to watch, read and listen to the best ads available. It's also for morons - people who have trouble understanding the fast-paced world of marketing and might otherwise be duped by stupid advertisements.

There are a lot of ads and commercials out there today - why waste your time watching another terrible one? Read Advertisements Explained for revelatory insights into today's hottest ads, as well as the classics from yesteryear. The insights I'm offering here will CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE. I used to only share my insights and analyses with my wife. She thought they were so great that she couldn't bear the burden of keeping them to herself anymore. So guess what? Now I'm here to let you in on my secrets. Don't be afraid. Read Advertisements Explained, and soon you'll be impressing friends and romantic partners while peering down at them through your crystal monocle.

We're just getting off the ground here at Advertisements Explained, and we're glad to have you with us.

- Dan M.
Founder and CEO, Advertisements Explained