Archive for April, 2009
Tom’s Shoes goes national!
Posted by: | CommentsI had to do a double-take when I saw this commercial… actually, I rewound it 
AT&T is featuring Tom’s Shoes in their latest commercial!!
I really don’t have a whole lot to say (probably because it’s nearly midnight and my brain is fried from wrapping up final projects) but thought everyone would want to know.
Advertising for Virtuous Products or Virtuous Advertising?
Posted by: | CommentsTo me, this post seems to be the chicken-egg discussion of this blog and our industry as a whole. As professionals and soon-to-be-professionals, what should our goal be? To 1) advertise for virtuous and helpful things and leave products or services that are not beneficial to the consumer on the side of the road or 2) advertise for all products in a strictly honest and non-deceitful, or virtuous, way?
To put these into example, I am studying Proctor & Gamble’s “Tide Loads of Hope” social media campaign for my final project. The campaign used social media to promote the sales of t-shirts, the profits of which went to a good cause. That, in my mind, is advertising for a virtuous cause. However, lets compare that to a more typical Proctor & Gamble/Tide ad. Lets say that Tide was advertising a new product that used an innovative way or tool to remove stains. Maybe it had a new niche in the market but honestly said in the commercial that it could damage fabric, or that it only removed the majority or the stain. That, in my mind, would be a virtuous way of promoting a product because it would point out the benefits but also the reality of the purchase of the product.
The nature of advertising will always be to persuade or convince which is not the most honorable trait but what, as advertisers should be our more prevalent goal? To a) advertise for virtuous things or b) virtuously and honestly advertise products and/or services?
The AdVirtues Team’s New Favorite Ad
Posted by: | CommentsHere is our new favorite ad of the week:
It is so great so see a company like Lenscrafters, with such an everyday product, doing advertising that is both interesting and inspiring! Now, I want to wear glasses! Oh, and get them from Lenscrafters! Thoughts? Comment below!
Mastercard’s “Priceless”: Do Virtues Translate?
Posted by: | CommentsWe have featured several commercials from Mastercard’s “Priceless” campaign on AdVirtues. In fact, the campaign was featured on the Getting It Right page as an example of a consistently virtuous, heart-warming, and inspiring campaign. However, one of my favorite “Priceless” spots has not yet been mentioned and taking another look at the ad brought up some interesting questions for me, namely can virtues, or more specifically virtuous advertising, translate across cultures?
Take a look at Mastercard’s “My Favorite Things,” and below I will consider some of the implications in the relationship between international or multicultural and virtuous advertising.
In my opinion, virtuous advertising could present itself as either one of the most problematic forms of advertising, in terms of translation into international or ethnic markets, or as one of the greatest opportunities for advertisers to gain a true understanding and connect with those markets.
What is our responsibility?
Posted by: | CommentsI know we have talked a lot in class about virtuous advertising and how it is important to maintain high standards throughout advertising. I find it pretty frustrating that a single ad campaign can destroy the credibility of advertising itself. It takes a lot to gain back that credibility. I would suggest that every ad be required to maintain some level of virtuous advertising. Here the conflict always seems to arise regarding products that maybe are not inherently good. How do you go about virtuously advertising them. Take beer for instance. If the advertisement could be centered around honesty, dignity, class, and responsibility then I would suggest it is ok to advertise as long as it emphasizes responsibility. What are your thoughts about advertising for products that maybe have a negative connotation, but that when used appropriately aren’t necessarily negative? What virtues do you think need to be incorporated into all ads? How can individuals and ad agencies go about demonstrating virtuous advertising?
BARE YOUR SOLE…
Posted by: | Comments
Earlier in the semester I introduced TOMs shoes to AdVirtues, a shoe company with a mission, to provide shoes to people all over the world. For every pair of TOMs shoes you buy they donate one pair to a person in need in a third world country. While most may not 
think that providing someone with shoes is that important, think again. Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infections, allow entry points for parasites living on the ground and even cause diseases that cripple you, all of which are preventable by wearing shoes. Because of this, people all over the world in developing nations are dying daily because of a parasite that entered through the soles of your feet. In order to raise awareness, TOMs declared today, “bare your sole”
day in which they called people all over the nation to leave their shoes at home. Walking on the SMU campus barefoot was a new experience and gave me a glimpse into the lives of those less fortunate. It hurts and little pebbles seem to find a way to lodge themselves into your soles. It taught me a great deal of what life might be like in places like these and taught me the value of shoes so go outside, walk around and
BARE YOUR SOLES
and together we can change the fate of people halfway around the globe.
GreenPeace’s “Forest Love”
Posted by: | Comments*Warning: some of the video content below may be distasteful to some and unsuitable for younger audiences.
Last summer Greenpeace released a campaign called “Forest Love”. This video served as a call-to-action, asking fans and activists to participate by submitting photos and videos of themselves performing “acts of love” in a forest environment.
See GreenPeace’s original video below:
From this video’s call-to-action, GreenPeace recieved thousands of photo submissions and created the video below as a plea to European President Barroso to end the EU’s purchase of illegally logged wood.
This project was primarily targeted to European audiences (I first heard about it from France’s TV5). The video serves to promote a great cause, but at what cost? Does the extreme method detract from the message? Or am I just being a prudish American?
I want to hear your thoughts! Comment and let me know your reaction!
No More Tony the Tigers
Posted by: | CommentsSo I was told about the Shamwow guy by a friend of mine and then saw it on The Soup. For those of you who don’t know, Vince Shlomi is the annoying guy on those Shamwow commercials who tries to sell a towel that can magically soak up anything. The commercial is so unbelievable that I would not be the least bit suprised if they threw a Shamwow in a pool and there was nothing left but a skate park. Anyways, he got busted for allegedly punching a hooker after she bit his tongue and would not let go. Hilarious. Goodbye Shamwow. They even released a new food processor thing that nobody knows about because this scandal has basically ruined their image.
My word of warning to advertisers: spend the time to know your representatives. The days of wholesome cartoon characters have run dry and you can’t control your pitchmen like you used to. It’s like the whole Michael Phelps ordeal with pot, some of his sponsors didn’t care but a few major ones did and dropped him. Next thing you know the Snuggie dad will be found OD’ed in the bathroom of a nightclub (still looking like Merlin with his Snuggie on of course). And it wasn’t too long ago the “Dude You’re Getting a Dell,” guy was caught for weed as well. Advertisers, please don’t be dumb and embarass your whole company and have to pull your ads just because of your idiot pitchman. Is it really that hard to find someone not stoned or addicted to sex?
Here is a funny skit Jimmy Kimmel did regarding the Shamwow guy
Live with Chivalry
Posted by: | CommentsI loved this message! It embodies the very qualities we celebrate on this site. However, I was considerably reluctant to post it because it is promoting alcohol. On the one hand, spirits are legal and companies that produce them have a right to market them. On the other hand, liquor does belong in the “vice” category because its abuse is a major contributor to many of society’s ills. So now the question becomes: can an ad be virtuous even though its purpose is to sell a not-so-virtuous product?
NEW: Intense Debate Added to AdVirtues
Posted by: Ashley Bruckbauer | Comments (2)Just added the Intense Debate comment plugin to AdVirtues. Let us know if it is a thumbs up or down! We would love to hear any comments/concerns.