Ford’s new ad campaign tells customers to “Drive One“. I was caught off-guard by the sheer simplicity and clarity of the message. With “Drive One”, Ford isn’t trying to inspire anybody. There is no intent to build brand image or brand associations. Poetry, this ain’t. No emotion is evoked by these two words. I found [...]

One of the things that people on my Facebook constantly post is the Dove “Evolution” ad. Each and every time it is posted, compliments and praises come in droves, exalting the virtues of Dove finally telling it like it is. Whenever this happens, I play the party pooper. I step in and pull back the [...]

Hi! I’m Red Bull Energy Drink. Athletes don’t take me as seriously as Gatorade (or even its ugly cousin Powerade), but trust me when I say that I can give you that extra kick you need when you’re drinking when you need an all-night study session! I have promotions/advertising reps that show up at cool [...]

Fox, along with other tv networks, recently gave a thumbs-down to a Trojan commercial. Fox objected to the idea that condoms prevent pregnancy, while CBS just doesn’t think it is appropriate. (NY times) The spot depicts ladies being chatted up by pigs, who turn into men once they get a condom.   The Millennial in [...]

Hey there, weekend warrior! Have you seen the latest ad campaign? Look at all the sexy people in the advertisement. You know, that could be you having fun with all the hotties, all you have to do is buy this drink. It’s that simple. Look how much fun you can have! Go ahead, have a [...]

I am infuriated every time I see A&W commercials these days. Especially the one where a couple is still hungry after a date at a fancy restaurant, so they head to A&W. These ads are targeted at baby boomers — why?! This is a demographic that is supposed to be watching their health, not knocking [...]

Donald Trump is “raising the stakes” when it comes to steak! The Sharper Image will be selling said steaks ($199 is the low-end). Apparently, these steaks are the essence of quality. Only 1% of American beef qualifies for the honor of being sold under the banner. I’m tempted to say this will end up in [...]

We’ve all seen those ‘truth’ ads where a bunch of Generation Y-ers run around and do all sorts of hijinx to get across the message of SMOKING IS BAD! KIDS, DON’T SMOKE! They’ve done a great job in breaking away from the typical insincere PSA (I’m looking at you, The More You Know). The ‘truth’ [...]

Spend more of your disposable income, you selfish first-world asshole.
We see personal benefit appeals, sentimental appeals and fear-based appeals all the time. But what about guilt-based appeals?
This is what guilt-based appeals look like from the consumer’s end.

I do not understand what bears have to do with toilet paper, but apparently Charmin LOVES the concept!

They’ve been using bears to sell toilet paper since 2000. Can anyone explain the connection?