Advertising Is Good For You

A political sign worth sharing

Via Absolutely Madness

The Slimeball Award goes to... Sony

Sony raised prices on Whitney Houston's digital music 30 minutes after her death.

Click here to read more.

The Oatmeal's brilliantly funny explanation of SOPA and PIPA

Click here to enjoy The Oatmeal's animated GIF explaining SOPA and PIPA.

If you agree that SOPA and PIPA would result in censorship and would like to sign Google's petition to that effect, click here.

Vote with your wallet -- and vote often

Good Guide is a website that shows you how far right- or left-leaning 150+ brands are, based on their political contributions.

Click here to go to the Good Guide website.

10 Most Disliked Companies in America

A recent Harris Interactive poll measured what companies Americans dislike most. Perhaps not surprisingly, nine of the ten most disliked companies were taxpayer bailout recipients.

10. Delta Airlines

9. Bank of America

8. JP Morgan Chase

7. General Motors

6. Chrysler

5. Goldman Sachs

4. Citigroup

3. Fannie Mae

2. American International Group (AIG)

1. Freddie Mac

Source: Huffington Post

It's not like we have an obesity problem in the U.S.

After a positive response from test markets in Rhode Island and Nebraska, KFC is rolling out a new sandwich called the Double Down.

There's no bread involved. This is just two slabs of fried chicken holding together two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce.

KFC announced the sandwich's introduction on April 1. Understandably, many thought it must be an April Fool's joke. It's no joke.

I've only been stiffed by a client twice.

One client was a CPA, the other was a clown.

Literally, a clown.

Some might say it served me right.

Pay cash for your sex toys

The Credit Card Act of 2009 is now in effect so consumers have some measure of protection from what many considered unethical credit practices.

Somewhat odd practices, however, are still allowed.

Walletpop has an article that lists ten things you shouldn't pay for with your credit card or it may hurt your ability to be approved for a new credit card:

1. Traffic tickets
2. Retreading tires
3. Bargain binges
4. Sex toys
5. Marriage counseling
6. Lottery tickets
7. Cash advances
8. Spa treatments and other personal indulgences
9. Income taxes
10. Alcohol

There's the ad. And then there's reality.

See nine more examples at Cool Pictures.

Top Ten Consumer Complaints in 2008

The National Association of Attorneys General has announced their Top Ten Consumer Complaints list for 2008

1. Debt Collection
2. Auto Sales
3. Home Repair/Construction
4. Credit Cards and Internet Goods and Services (tie)
6. Predatory Lending/Mortgages
7. Telemarketing/Do-Not-Call
8. Auto Repair
9. Auto Warranties and Telecom/Slamming*/Cramming** (tie)

Read more at The Consumerist.

* Slamming is is the illegal practice of changing your local or long distance telephone service without your permission. 

** Cramming is the illegal practice of adding charges to your telephone bill for services that you did not order.

Cartoon source: Toon Pool

What "LAST & FINAL CHANCE" really means

One of my favorite magazines wants me to renew my subscription.

Actually, the magazine started bugging me to renew almost as soon as my last subscription began.

Naturally, I've been ignoring the mail solicitations.

It's part stubbornness on my part. I simply refuse to renew a subscription when I still have practically a year's worth of magazines coming to me.

It's also about money. Direct marketers typically offer the best deals in their LAST effort to a subscriber before purging the person from their mailing list.

This is the junk mail I wait for:

"LAST & FINAL CHANCE" typically means "this is the best offer we're going to make you." 

In effect, the loyal readers who resubscribe early oftentimes pay more for the same subscription than those who wait until the last minute.

It may not seem fair but it makes sense. Look at it this way: every time you ignore a renewal request, many publishers will sweeten the pot to get you to reconsider.

Some Vendor/Client Relationships

If you do this, don't call me. Please.

CLICK here to watch how bad clients treat their ad agencies.

The $5-million billboard. Was it worth it?

This is the billboard behind Woody Allen's lawsuit against American Apparel. The line in Hebrew across the top says, "The Holy Rabbi."

Allen filed the suit last year, claiming the clothing retailer had used this photo from "Annie Hall" without his permission.

American Apparel used the First Amendment argument -- and suggested that Allen's worth as a celebrity endorser wasn't much given the child molesting allegations and all. (The judge decided the evidence regarding the child molestation accusation was "inconclusive.")

Allen and American Apparel settled out of court when American Apparel agreed to pay Allen $5 million -- a settlement American Apparel claims was insisted upon by the retailer's insurance company.

American Apparel obviously wanted controversy, but they didn't get the kind they wanted.

Woody Allen is in his 70s. "Annie Hall" was released in the 1970s. If the young hipsters American Apparel is after had any reaction at all to the billboard and ensuing lawsuit, it was likely a yawn. 

Sources: Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Wikipedia