Advertising
Welcome to Ginsu Way!
Yes, my native state has chosen to name a public road after an infomercial.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 23, 2009 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Government, Signage
Robo-mower!
"Go, Robo-mower, and bring me the shapely form of my next-door neighbor's sunbathing wife!"
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 21, 2009 -
Comments (9)
Category: Business, Advertising, Utilities, Landscaping, 1950s, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Follies of the Mad Men #64
A prosperous banker-type, an American Indian, a sailor (or is he a Turkish immigrant?), and what looks to be Uncle Sam, are all sitting around in front of a billboard, having a gay old chat, when out of a handy box pops the sexy cigarette fairy, who dispenses butts to all, even scattering them around in bountiful waste. Then a sign is unfurled, claiming WE ALL SMOKE.Massive WTF attack, all thanks to Thomas Alva Edison!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 20, 2009 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Movies, Tobacco and Smoking, Nineteenth Century
Follies of the Mad Men #63
Was this behavior ever really sexy or cool, or a good way to pick up women?
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 08, 2009 -
Comments (11)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Sexuality, Tobacco and Smoking, Men, Women
Follies of the Mad Men #62
Please parse the logic here for me. We'll use feminism to sell ugly shoes for men? I just don't get it....
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 06, 2009 -
Comments (7)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fashion, Shoes, Feminism, 1970s
Trader Thorne
Maybe the ailing car retailers of 2009 could benefit from watching this old training video. It's short, but in six parts, the subsequent five of which are after the jump.More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 02, 2009 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, 1950s, Cars
Trunk Monkey
Perhaps not quite so funny since several deadly chimp attacks. Visit here for the history of this campaign.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 01, 2009 -
Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Motor Vehicles, Advertising
Follies of the Mad Men #61
Oh, yeah, a belt your Dad would wear back in 1971 could trigger all that groovy hippie stuff. Note the sign that uses Frank Zappa's name for cachet. Did he sue, I wonder?
Posted By: Paul - Tue Mar 31, 2009 -
Comments (10)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fashion, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1970s
Follies of the Mad Men #60
Okay, we get it. Your product has an odd name that might lend itself to a double entendre. Such a campaign worked for Smucker's Jelly & Jams, of course. But the problem lies with the verb "sniff." If the ad had read "May I hold your Klompen Kloggen," all would have been good smutty fun. But although you can indeed hold the unlit tobacco, you can't "hold" the delightfully aromatic pipe smoke (the selling point). So the copywriter is forced to use "sniff."
But sniffing some private portion of another individual (the inescapable connotations of "May I sniff your BLANK...) conjures up all sorts of canine or rutting behavior, not sexy but animalistic. One pictures this pretty woman burying her nose in some guy's armpit--or elsewhere.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Mar 24, 2009 -
Comments (22)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, Tobacco and Smoking, 1960s
Slim Suit
This choice item comes from WU reader AHC! Thanks, chum!
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 22, 2009 -
Comments (10)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fads, Reader Recommendation
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |