Tag: COMMERCIAL

Share Hey! It's 2010 and we have advanced so rapidly in terms of culture and society that the old gender paradigms seem like a dusty joke. Oh, wait: Verizon has decided to fall back on a history of sexist advertising by separately targeting its cell phones to men and women. After the cryptic, sci-fi-inspired spots for Droid -- which clearly lacked any "feminine" softness -- Verizon chose to ...

Back in the late '50s, a market researcher named James Vicary decided that by flashing "Drink Coca-Cola" for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals during a film would make audiences desire to quench their deep-down thirst with the soda. In 1962, Vicary finally admitted that subliminal advertising was a massive hoax -- although for some nefarious marketers, the dream of penetrating the ...

What does it take for a simple advertisement to become a full-blown Web phenomenon? The folks at Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, hope a low-budget commercial featuring a tequila-drinking robot will do the trick (and sell some food, too). BuzzFeed could be joking about this commercial only costing $100, but judging by Tequilabot's fifth-grade art project look, we wouldn't ...

When we were youngsters, it took some cunning to glimpse real-life nudity (Dad's dirty magazines don't count). But as with many things, technology came along and changed everything. Now, kids are 'sexting,' or sending provocative images, to each other; much easier than sneaking off behind the gym during class with your high-school sweetheart. Teens can sext anytime and anywhere, and according to ...

Occasionally, celebrity tech advertisements can successfully provide a brief, yet genuine moment of comedic or artistic value. But, not every celeb can choose their spots as wisely as Brad Pitt or Jackie Chan can. The overwhelming majority hilariously fail -- particularly those '80s stars, whom viewers can condescendingly ridicule for their now completely useless products. Ad Freak is ...

Back in the '90s, Chris Farley and David Spade ruled the comedy landscape. But when Farley tragically overdosed, it was clear that Spade was just riding the big guy's coattails. In light of a recently debuted DirecTV commercial (video after the break), it appears that Spade doesn't intend to stop, either. If you've turned on the television lately, you've probably seen the satellite provider's ...

You've been there. Sitting in your living room, passively watching commercials on the TV while you wait for 'Mad Men' to come back on, maybe enjoying a cold beverage or getting lost in a daydream. When all of a sudden, you get hit with a freight train of sound that jolts you out of our reverie. After the shock passes and you crawl out from underneath the coffee table, you realize that no, that ...

Nothing makes us want to purchase a new version of Windows like a cute little girl and plenty of fluffy animals, or at least that's what Microsoft hopes. According to Ars Technica, the first commercial for Windows 7 (above) was uploaded Thursday onto YouTube's WindowsVideos channel. In the clip, Kylie (you might recognize her from the 'Rookies' marketing campaign) stumbles upon her dad's open ...

Challenging the BlackBerry and iPhone's collective dominance over the smartphone marketplace can be a daunting task. With its odd new line of Pre ads, Palm is at least creating a stir, even though the majority of reviews may not be positive. The ads feature an actress with a monotonous and soothing voice (an increasingly lazy science fiction and tech cliche) who seeks to inspire ...

It's bad enough that commercials are inherently obnoxious (they interrupt your six hour marathon of 'Boy Meets World'), but do they have to be deafening on top of it? Ads can reach a level of volume that threatens the viewer's cardiovascular health -- our hearts can't take too many more used car dealership commercials -- as well as the stability of whatever beverage she might be holding. ...

This, shall we say, confrontational BlackBerry Storm ad by NY ad agency Guava has been making the rounds today, depicting a blackberry "bullet" taking a violent path through a familiar-seeming piece of fruit. An anonymous source told us that RIM considered it but eventually got cold feet -- and we can understand why. Nonetheless, it's an awesome bit of smack, so hit up the break and check it out ...

For years now, companies have sought to produce the most engaging advertisement on the eve of the Super Bowl here in America. In just a few months, however, they'll be vying for something else -- your clicks. Canadian sportscaster Le Réseau des Sports has confirmed that both SD and HD broadcasts of Super Bowl XLIII will feature commercials that are "enabled with interactive functionality ...

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/tech_news/Second_Installment_of_Gates_And_Seinfield_Saga'; The second installment of the Bill Gates / Jerry Seinfeld saga has been released, and we'll level with you: if they keep making them this good, we don't really care what they're about. See for yourself after the break. [From: Microsoft] [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] ...

Maria Sharapova has already had her greatness spread over a number of Motorola handsets, but now the tennis queen is partnering up with long-time associate Canon in order to make five lucky individuals extraordinarily happy. As part of an elaborate marketing scheme, Canon and Maria (but mostly Canon) are cranking up a contest in which five Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS's are given away. But these ...

Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Is this report really saying that those obnoxiously loud used car commercials aren't any louder than the programs they accompany? In fact, yes. Tom Feran has taken the time to actually explain how loudness works in television here in the US, and the resulting report is pretty fascinating. In essence, a typical drama will have moments of loudness and moments of quiet, ...