Chad Michael Murray ought to be ashamed of himself (and not just for what he did to Sophia Bush). Look at these ridiculous billboards for The CW. What is he doing? And why photograph him doing it, CW? And check out Tom Welling’s weird, soft-focused, open-mouthed shot. Another has Alexis Bledel looking 15. It’s like they’re using old outtakes from promo-photo shoots.
Perhaps worse than the photos are the lame slogans: “Free to be cool,” announces Murray’s ad. “Free to be super,” groans Welling’s. “Free to be girlie,” chirps Bledel’s. Really? That’s all you got?
Come on PopWatchers, let’s help The CW put its best slogan forward. What would you have written?
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How about…Free to be not Watched
THANK THE TV GODS someone pointed this out! I have been walking around the subways all week intermittently scared and horrified by what those idiots at the CW marketing department have come up with–and am I the only one who thinks we’ve all now seen Superman’s O-face?
Free to cancel the awesome Everwood while keeping the run down 7th Heaven
Free to…use photoshop.
Thank you! We here in the Bay Area have been forced to endure these ad-based catastrophes for several weeks now – on buses, BART, etc. Personally, I think the worst is the Kristin Bell poster, wherein they take an actress who plays a smart, sassy character and make her look like . . . one of the “Girls Next Door.” Same goes for Alexis Bledel, who I do not associate with “girlie.”
Frankly, I think the entire ad campaign is a bust – what, exactly, are these shows “free” from? Their former programming schedule? It’s not like they’re moving to cable, and can start using sh** willy nilly (and, notably, that word was already used on “Everwood”). These ads also fail to convey *anything* about their respective shows to people who do not currently watch them. The closest any of them comes is the “Smallville” ad, which reminds people that it is a show about (duh) Superman (sans flying). If I were the CW, I wouldn’t have a) approved these ads, or b) paid for them.
IMHO, a better tact would have been pictures of the ensemble casts of each show, shot in a location that conveys something about the show (like some of the great photoshoots that EW has done over the years).
Tom Welling’s should be titled “Free to be really gay”
Free to be a douchebag.
I was gonna go with “Free to Be Screwed” for Everwood, but instead I’ll go with “Free to go a little too long” for 7th Heaven.
I’d have done a campaing exactly like that one only called the “C” campaign because of CW.
Tom’s would say “C him become Super”
Chad’s would say “C him be cool”
Alexis’ would say “C her be girlie”
And if you haven’t caught on I’m being sarcastic.
thank god!!!!
i posted this on tom welling’s imdb message board.
it’s like his own version of blue steel.
sick of seeing the chad michael murray. and where’s kristin kreuk’s and michael rosenbuam’s?
thank god! i posted this on tom welling’s imdb message board. he’s doing his own veresion of blue steel in it. where’s kristin kreuk’s and michael rosenbuam’s?
sick of seeing the chad michael murray one. he looks like he’s doing the finger gun to his head. which is what i’d do if i was a part of that show. only with a real gun.
That’s not Tom Welling!
Wait that IS Tom Welling?!
Someone should tell him he doesn’t have to model during these shoots. I doubt someone was on the other side of the lens going “Show me fear, Tom! Show me rage! Oh, look there’s some Kryptonite!”
Ugh.
How about…..Watch now, cause we’ll never get syndicated.
I want to meet the graphic artist who designed those awful posters and kick the crap out of him.
Chad Michael Murray: “Free to be on a cappy TV show”
Tom Welling: “Free to stop doing Cheaper By The Dozen Movies”
Alexis Bledel “Free to be a woman. A REAL woman”
And the CW…”Free to die for letting Everwood go but alive long enough for Veronica Mars”
Ugh!I haven’t seen these! I don’t know why I am so disappointedly surprised with this crap campaign when it probably comes from the same think tank as the name “CW”, which I still don’t get. There’s no sense to be had in any of this and they’ve managed to not only capture but USE the only horrid shot of Tom Welling ever!Thank goodness they already have some great shows b/c they’re not doing well with coming up with things from scratch.
Oh my god! I have been complaining about those posters ever since they came out! Is that seriously the best they could do? At least have the photos match the slogans!!!!
Let’s not forget the little boy from “Everybody Hates Chris”, who is featured grinnin’ and bug-eyed with the tag line, “Free to be Funny”. Someone call the “Drop Squad” on that kid’s parents…
Kevin Hill, One on One, Moesha, the Parkers, Roswell, Half & Half, Eve, et al… free to be forgotten.
Hopefully, BET, The Black Family Channel or TvOnw will pick up the slack.
I hate them too! They look very low-budget. But they are in a tough position of having to promote not only the shows, but the network and brand identity as well.
If they wanted a similar slogan type of thing, I would have gone with _______ Works. “Heroism Works” for Smallville, “Craftiness Works” for VM, “Tyra Works” for Model, “Banter Works” for Gilmore… and then they all have the CW tagline, “Change Works”.
Not perfect, but that is just off the top of my head, and I’m not a “marketing genius.”
I’m sorry but the Tyra Banks ad, “Free to be Fierce,” is just about the gayest thing I have ever seen. And that’s bloody well and good, is it not?
yeah,they managed to do the imposible and make the fine work of art,that is tom welling look weird
I’m most struck that somehow the art director was able to make tom welling look unattractive. that takes some effort!
Allison Mack needs one too.
Free to turn Sh*t into Gold!
Chad’s should read “Free to cheat on his wife”
What does 7th Heaven’s say? “Free to be canceled this year”
ALL should read “Free to be overlooked, even on another station”.
here goes:
Be ______
funny (EHC)
a hero (smallville)
witty (gilmore girls)
curious (VMars)
Chad Michael M…should fry…what other show is worth watching in this new network besides GILMORE GIRLS for the ever hot and cool Lauren Graham???? NONE!!!!!!!
LOL…Tom Welling looks pretty silly.
Tom Welling? No.
Yes? What happened? Some sort of photo-warping software?
I want to see the 7th Heaven one! It’s very hard to appartantly be the only 7th Heaven fan, come on, you can admit you love the Camdens!