Christy Turlington is forty-four years old. Christy Turlington says her body is aging naturally: "I haven't manipulated myself in any way." But when Christy Turlington talks about her new Calvin Klein underwear ads being "good" for people to see "images of women," Christy Turlington makes us pause for a moment.
When in doubt, advertisers often seem to default to stuff that's as seXXXy as possible. "Sex sells!" they cry to anyone skeptical of this approach. Turns out that's maybe not the case, though—as long as we're talking about female consumers.
Phil, also known as "The Legend," is the man you wish your man to not be like. He's married but all the hot young ladies are still after him, in his mind. Though he's married, he spends a lot time at the beach, alone. He runs. He does yoga. He has a gut. He has a calendar. And he may be the worst ad mascot since Burger…
I bet the pitch meeting on this commercial was hilarious. Like, someone was all, "Why don't we have a row of nut crackers crunch nuts to holiday tunes?" "'No! Why don't we imply that men have balls of steel that make beautiful music when they collide?" And then the boss — who was in his head and not listening to anyone — …
In news that will surprise no one, despite years of being chastised by the National Advertising Division, makeup companies have continued to fight the good fight and attempt to convince customers that those SKY HIGH lashes are the result of their product and are not also helped by a good set of falsies. At this point,…
You know those prank-based advertisements that are all the rage these days? Like, where you give people a hankering for a high-def TV by making them think they and all their loved ones are about to be incinerated by some sort of horrific nuclear assault? Or you pique people's interest in a night out a the movies by…
In honor of Thanksgiving, a chain of tanning salons in Alabama and Florida has launched a holiday-themed ad campaign that is both offensively stupid and stupidly offensive. "The Indians brought more than just 'CORN' to the first Thanksgiving," reads the copy, "they brought SEXY 'COLOR'!" Ugh, the unnecessary quotation…
In Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, reporter Michael Moss wrote about obnoxiously named Boulder ad agency Victor & Spoils creating a mock ad campaign for broccoli.
GoDaddy, that website hosting company that has a stronger brand association with "trying-too-hard 'sExY' Super Bowl ads" than with, uh, actual website hosting, has announced plans to tone it down. Let's all pour one out for the boobies commercials we'll never know.
The above commercial for Tanishq jewelry seems fairly innocuous at first glance: A glowing bride prepares for her wedding while her excited daughter looks on. During the ceremony, the groom picks up the little girl (his soon-to-be-stepdaughter) and spins her around in a joyous celebration of their new family. You…
Demonic incarnation of the penetrative male gaze and all-around terrible person
Copyranter has just posted an ad for Cougar Life that was banned by the Australian Advertising Standards Board (ASB) for depicting violence that “is not justified in the context of the service being advertised.”
Some extra-suave, extra-classy modern day Don Draper has devised a viral marketing campaign for Hot Pockets. Hot Pockets, according to this 4 minute and 36 second long rapturous ode, are delicious meat-pouches that you put in the microwave when you want to feel sexy — which I would say is a very accurate…
A new study published in the journal Pediatrics has found that junk food endorsements by celebrity athletes maybe having very very not-cool effects on kids. The study totted up the number of food and beverage products that were represented by athletes in 2010, and found that 79% were "energy-dense" junk food. And "around …
A new study commissioned by media planning agency PHD has revealed the dates, times and occasions at which U.S. women feel "most vulnerable about their appearance." This is very useful information, says PHD, because it will allow marketers to pinpoint the exact right moments to target female consumers: "Happy Monday,…
These are a home's gender dynamics, according to Brinks Home Security: ladies haul the groceries through the door while the menfolk return from a successful corporate mastodon hunting retreat. Hooray for progress!
Last July, Facebook proudly announced that more than one million companies now advertise on your newsfeed. We've noticed. Facebook has started to resemble a SkyMall catalog, only without the potential to buy engraved chin-rest neck-holders for your dog — most ads we get range from obnoxious to actually offensive.
A marketing and advertising company in Waco, Tex. really wanted to drum up some new business, you know, make a splash. Most likely, there was a strategy meeting at which Hornet Signs’ owner, Brad Kolb, petitioned his crack creative team for some ideas. Maybe someone said tentatively, “We should all wear funny hats,…
KIA Canada has some new ads out that double as helpful Public Service Announcements about how if you get in their cars to drive and you decide to use that time to multitask and put on makeup, the car will kill you. Death sells!
According to Copyranter, Flora is a Unilever brand of margarine sold in UK, Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia, and this ad about how coming out as gay to one's father would literally pierce said father's heart like a …
This just in: being a child and taking steps to propel you from one area to another is a gendered act. Boys walk; girls sparkle and twirl and make princess wishes. Boys also crouch and pretend to shoot webs out of their hands, because that sort of thing is fun when you are a boy. (The only time that girls crouch is …
Do you ever feel isolated, lonely or on the receiving end of a generalized cultural disapproval you can't quite pinpoint? Do you ever get the feeling the products you use and love are not really "meant" for "you"? Do you ever passively wait for the man or woman in your life to purchase a product that isn't actually…
Three guesses as to which brand's "Youngest Pinup Encourages Teens to 'Go All the Way'"?
When's the last time a voyeuristic shot of a woman lying crumpled in her underwear on the floor in a defeated position, as if she'd just been thrown there, facing away from the camera, made you go "Ooh, I should order that demi cup!" Never? Yeah, me neither.
