Advertising Is Good For You

Abercrombie & Fitch is mean. And creepy.

Michael Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, explains why the clothing retailer won't sell XL or larger clothing to men and women:

In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either. 

This is what Michael Jeffries looks like. I don't dare comment on his looks. He'd probably sue me. Or his plastic surgeon would.

But wait, there's more. 

The Smoking Gun published a list of rules everyone must follow when traveling on Abercrombie & Fitch's corporate jet.

It's hysterical. And more than a little scary.

For example, the male flight attendants are not allowed to button up their shirts. 

Actually, "scary" doesn't cover it. How about creepy?

All the rules come from an Abercrombie & Fitch manual that, according to The Smoking Gun, "was recently filed in U.S. District Court in connection with an age discrimination lawsuit brought against the Ohio-based clothing firm by an ex-pilot."  

And, yes, the rules are for real. Bloomberg News confirms it.

'Hey, mortgage company, thanks for scaring the crap out of me' said no one ever

A very official-looking envelope arrived in the mail yesterday. I knew it was probably junk mail but I opened it anyway. Just in case.

This is what was inside:

For a split second I thought the IRS was was after me.

But, no, this was an offer to refinance my mortgage. To an adjustable rate mortgage, no less.

The folks at Residential Finance designed their direct mail solicitation to look like something from the IRS.

Look at the box in the top right-hand corner of the blue letter, then look at this sample 1099 from the IRS:

The similarity was just close enough to fool me into a momentary panic. 

Once I realized what it really was, I scanned the solicitation to use in this post. And then I put it through the shredder.

Scaring people is not a good advertising strategy.

Less Bud for you

If I hadn't read about this at the Wall Street Journal, I would have thought it was a joke.

Budweiser is changing the shape of its cans to this:

Looks like a partially crushed can to me.

Ostensibly, Budweiser is doing this because the new can shape reflects the bow-tie design "that has been part of Budweiser advertising and packaging since the 1950s."

Am I the only one who never noticed the 'bow tie' before now?

Budweiser also claims the new shape makes the can easier to grip.

Hmmm. It solves a problem no one had.  

According to the Wall Street Journal article, Budweiser has made, "'significant capital investments' to upgrade factories to be able to carry out the 16-step production process to make it.

Interesting.

The new can also holds less beer — 11.3 ounces as opposed to 12 full ounces.

Bingo!

 

A big, wet, sloppy kiss to JCPenney

There's lots to love about the new JCPenney.

First, the store hired the lovable Ellen DeGeneres as spokesperson.

Second, JCPenney ignored a boycott attempt by an anti-gay group.

Third, for Father's Day, JCPenney created an ad that celebrates straight and gay dads.

The copy reads:

First Pals: What makes Dad so cool? He's the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver - all rolled into one. Or two.

Beautiful in every way.

Via Gawker

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.