Forget the fans, Australia’s 4-0 loss to Germany was more devastating for Australian marketers who have committed millions to World Cup 2010 sponsorships. Marketing guru Stephen H Downes reports.
Advertising campaigns
Can Australia ditch its bogan image?
Australia is trying to make over its image with the new Australia Unlimited campaign. But has it replaced beaches and bogans with boring?
The best of the Super Bowl commercials
The ad breaks of America’s Super Bowl are almost a show in and of themselves, with the country’s biggest brands and companies shelling out millions to create the funniest, catchiest, most impressive ads. The NYT blogs the best of this year’s batch.
PHOTO GALLERY: Vintage Apple ads
Today’s ads for Apple products are invariably sleek, trendy and oozing with cool. But that hasn’t always been the case. Check out this great gallery of vintage Apple ads from the days before dancing silhouettes and Justin Long.
Toyota’s new ad: sexist and incestuous?
A new ad for Toyota featuring a girl’s father and boyfriend having an innuendo-laden conversation about taking her virginity with lines like “I’ll have her on her back by 11” and “She can take a good pounding” is causing a bit of a stir online. Toyota says it’s “funny”.
Are breast cancer ads getting too tit-illating?
Ads for breast cancer awareness and fundraising have become pretty provocative in recent years. Are these sexy campaigns necessary to grab our cynical attention, or undermining the whole cause?
AIDS is a mass murderer (NSFW)
A risque new German AIDS-awareness campaign features graphic footage Adolph Hitler mid-coitus to deliver the message: “AIDS is a mass murderer”. WARNING: Not safe for work.
Sex with Hitler: just say no
A risque new German AIDS awareness campaign features graphic images — and footage — of Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Adolph Hitler mid-coitus, with the slogan “AIDS is a mass murderer”. Too far or necessarily shocking?
Rewarding stupidity in advertising
A controversial widely-panned Brazilian ad created for the WWF, which referenced body counts in 9/11 and the Asian tsunami, actually won an ad award this year. And it isn’t the first time the ad industry has given its own stupidly offensive work a pat on the back.
NYC goes hard on soft drinks
New York City’s health department has launched a new ad campaign warning New Yorkers from “pouring on the pounds” with sugary beverages, in an effort to tackle rising obesity rates. Predictably, the American Beverage Association is not a fan.
How to sell hamburgers: a Maccas masterclass
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ve got to hand it to McDonald’s: it sure knows how to get people to buy hamburgers. A look at 40 of Maccas’ cleverest Mc-ad campaigns from around the globe
Getting a handle on clever advertising
Clever ways advertisers have integrated humble door and bus handles into their marketing campaigns, transforming them into hair, motorbike handles, beer mugs and even a very morbid noose.
Burger King offers 7 inches of hot meat
Check out Burger King’s “embarrassingly bad” new ad campaign. It will “blow your mind” *shudder*.
Tourism Victoria presents Sydney’s finest
Tourism Vic hopes to lure NSW ladies to Melbourne with romance. Ad agency Play has created spoof profiles of Sydney blokes, hopefully making Melbourne’s scarf-clad emos seem attractive by comparison.
The Coca-Cola Chronicles: Big Sugar drops the other shoe
Coca-Cola’s hope is that by showing what terribly good corporate citizens they are, they’ll head the Parliamentary Obesity enquiry and ACMA off at the pass, writes David Gillespie.
Media briefs and TV ratings
Tree-hugging becomes a serious marketing ploy … Last night’s TV ratings.
Never mind the advertising, here’s the mail drop
Virtually every Coalition seat held by 10 per cent of less is being treated as if it’s in play. If you live in one, we’d love to see what you’re getting.
The government advertising avalanche continues
The Howard Government not only invests hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising itself, but devotes considerable resources to controlling every detail of that advertising, writes David MacCormack.
Election date is waiting on Australia Post
If you believe in the power of advertising you will realise why there is absolutely no chance of Prime Minister John Howard calling an election for two or three weeks yet.
