“It’s funny how new furniture has a way of restoring people,” says the sweet, pastel-coated spread (above) appearing in online and print magazines.

Why the reminder to hug a couch today?

It’s all part of a $20 million ad campaign launched by Ogilvy & Mather to spur Americans to focus on the bird in the hand, namely homes they now own and can play with even if the economy ain’t recovering and we can’t bid on new real estate.

Decor spending is in the toilet with showrooms hurting and closing in …

Tags: ads , advertising , chairs , decor , design , furniture , High Point , housing , Las Vegas , marketing , North Carolina , recession , showrooms , sofas , sweepstakes

3 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) does not see fit to extend the same moral courtesy to human animals, specifically the female kind. In the organization’s latest sexist campaign for vegetarianism, an overweight woman in a bikini is faced with the emboldened slogan: “Save the Whales”. Beneath the words runs a helpful tagline: “Lose the blubber: go vegetarian.”

Come on gals, take a joke. What’s a little fat-shaming in pursuit of a good time?

There’s no shortage of adjectives (or profanities) that come to mind to describe such a …

Tags: animal rights , marketing , misogyny , peta , sexism , vegetarianism , women

6 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

We go because we love movies. We go for the delightful or frightful experience of being swept into another reality for a couple of hours. We go crazy when bombarded with highly stylized Mercedes and Coke ads before previews and a show.

The big screen in a darkened room has always had a dramatic impact on the captive viewer, more than a television screen and much more than a computer monitor or iPhone. And they know it. They bet on it. They exploit it. They profit from it.

They are corporate advertisers for soft …

Tags: banning commercials , buying , children , commercials , conserving , corporate advertising , HBO , marketing , movies , Showtime , television

1 Comment |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

We’ve got our eyes on you, KFC.

For years now you’ve been a cornerstone of the fast food movement, bucketing out deep-fried meat and refined carbs in every direction and every conceivable portion size – relentlessly filling American faces for decades.

You’ve taken criticism on the chin, which was brave of you because there’s been plenty of it – from health organisations despairing at your liberal use of hydrogenated oils (prompting you to recently switch to trans fat-free oils, along with all your competitors, of course) to PETA’s fury over your …

Tags: calories , chicken , fast food , fat , food , greenwashing , KFC , marketing , wellness

4 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark

True or false? Your local grocer employs a scheming team of experts who work behind the scenes to orchestrate every little detail in a devious effort to squeeze every cent they can out of you.

It’s true. Even your favorite organic food stores are guilty of this. So, how can you beat them at their own game? Here’s what you need to know:
Baked Goods – Not So Fresh

Although there are exceptions, most of what you …

Tags: consumers , grocery store , marketing , save money , shopping , tricks

7 Comments |

Link to this post |

|

Bookmark