Daffy's dancers bust a move out of the movie screen

From the New York Times:

"The discount retail chain Daffy's staged such live performances over the weekend at the Ziegfeld Theater in Midtown Manhattan before screenings of the new film Amelia. In a campaign by Johannes Leonardo in New York, part of WPP, dancers acted out how shoppers try on clothes in what was called Fitting Dance."

What do you think? I'm sure Daffy's was hoping to generate some buzz, but why such a limited audience? Why Amelia and NY only? (They also have stores in Philly, and call it a World Series grudge, but come on!)

Still, I like Daffy's and I also like the "Truck Tracker" feature on their website that let's you know when and where their merchandise is so you can plan your trip accordingly with a new shipment.

Caffeinated jerky? What have we come to America??

I love beef jerky. And apparently so does CNN morning anchor Kiran Chetry. But honestly, do we really need caffeinated jerky?

I searched youtube, and the result seemed to indicate it was a joke:



Before a premature sigh of relief, I turn to the all-knowing Google, and unfortunately it IS a real product:

What a joke! (not literally)

Sometimes you just gotta pay for quality...

I know it's a tough economy, and I know it's tempting to buy a pre-packaged ad and slap on your logo. But sometimes you just gotta pay for the quality of making a tailored, personable (haha, not literally in this case) ad:



I LOVE this Traveler's ad. They've done a really good job of branding that umbrella! Now compare this ad to one with a similar message (financial security) but is not nearly as touching:



Not to mention, animation and elevator music really just can't compare...

HTC = YOU

In the age of the iPhone, it's hard for another phone maker to stand out. But this commercial does a pretty damn good job of building good brand rep for HTC:



I still don't know who HTC is or what phones it makes, but the next time I check out phones in Best Buy and I see an HTC phone, I bet I'll like it! Much better ad than that dumb Palm Pre attempt to make me give a d*mn.

Nod for Worst Ad of the Year?

What kind of ad could be that bad, you ask?

After all, we're in a recession, and doesn't that mean marketers should be busting their butts to make sure they stretch every ad dollar? Doesn't that mean marketers are double and triple checking each TV ad for which they fork over millions of dollars to run during prime time?

Well have you seen the new Ask.com ad?



I can just imagine the conversation with Ask.com brand managers:

Manager: "Well, our last commercials were too informational ergo boring, so we want to spice things up - maybe something with social media?"

Agency: "Dance shows are hot right now - e.g. 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'America's Best Dance Crew' - so why not have a commercial encouraging users to send in their best 'deal dance' for when they score a deal on Ask.com?"

Manager: "Perfect, that'll show those Bing as*holes what we're made of."

Too bad the commercial they came up with is SO BAD that viewers have felt compelled to club baby seals after watching it!