Tag: Advertising (21-30 of 538)

Nov 13 2012 10:59 AM ET

Over 470,000 sign petition urging Macy's to dump Donald Trump -- UPDATED

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Image Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

[Insert obligatory "you're fired" joke here.]

Bet this isn’t the kind of “revolution” Donald Trump envisioned on election night. Over 470,000 people have signed an online petition that urges Macy’s to sever ties with longtime spokesman Donald Trump — a figure who “engages in especially unpleasant, nasty and despicable behavior” that doesn’t “reflect the ‘magic of Macy’s.’” UPDATE: A spokeswoman for Macy’s has issued a statement in response to the petition; scroll down to read it.

According to the petition, Trump’s crimes against good taste are legion. Among other things, he has:

– Long engaged in sexist behavior. Trump has a long record of personally attacking women he disagrees [with] by calling them “unattractive,” ugly or fat. He once sent a target a personal note telling her that she has the “face of a dog.” READ FULL STORY »

Oct 30 2012 08:30 AM ET

Robert Downey Jr. appears in Guy Ritchie-directed ad for 'Call of Duty,' obviously -- VIDEO

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The last time a Call of Duty game was unleashed upon the populace, it was accompanied with a more-is-more ad campaign starring Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill – because when you sell a quadbrillion units in a single day, you can pretty much get anyone you want to star in your TV spots.

Now the next Call of Duty is upon us, this one subtitled Black Ops II and set in a world of near-future weaponry and beautifully rendered rubble. Naturally, the fine folks at Activision knew they had to continue inflating the stakes not just with their game, but with its promotional materials. So they hired Guy Ritchie to direct their newest advertisement, and landed his Sherlock Holmes star Robert Downey Jr. to appear in a done-in-an-hour cameo. It is, naturally, kinda awesome, in a supermodel-tossing-grenades-on-horseback kind of way. Check it out below:  READ FULL STORY »

Oct 29 2012 02:10 PM ET

Chord Overstreet hops onto Brad Pitt parody bandwagon, spoofs Chanel commercial -- VIDEO

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Again with the famous people dressing as other famous people for Halloween! Avril Lavigne’s ex did it; Emma Roberts did it; and now we’ve learned that Chord Overstreet, a.k.a. Glee‘s Sam “Trouty Mouth” Evans, did it too. He hit a Halloween party this weekend dressed as Brad Pitt in those unintentionally hilarious Chanel No. 5 ads — and even made a video parody of the commercials for good measure.

Worth noting: Roberts and Overstreet used to date. Pitt and Aunt Julia also starred together in 2001′s The Mexican. We’re not sure how Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger fit in, but this must have something to do with the full moon.

Check out a full color photo of Overstreet’s over-the-top Brad getup at People, and watch a teaser for his black-and-white Pitt parody below. No wonder his Glee character prides himself on his impressions; he’s pretty good at imitating Pitt’s drawl.

READ FULL STORY »

Oct 24 2012 04:13 PM ET

Clint Eastwood stars in campaign ad for Mitt Romney -- VIDEO

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The American Crossroads super PAC released a new anti-Obama campaign ad today starring Clint Eastwood. With no empty chair to support his argument, the actor abandons improvisation for a more conventional attack approach.

Eastwood narrates over shots of factories and Americans standing in unemployment lines, saying “23 million can’t find full-time work and we borrow $4 billion every single day.” He argues that President Barack Obama should be held “accountable” for not getting the job done and Mitt Romney should be elected in his place to “turn [the country] around fast.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the commercial is part of a $12.6 million ad campaign backed by Karl Rove’s political action committee that will run in the swing states of Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Virginia.

Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby costar Morgan Freeman recently narrated a campaign commercial with the opposite sentiment on behalf of Obama. Forget the presidential contenders, it’s a battle of the two most recognizable voices in Hollywood.

Watch the video below: READ FULL STORY »

Oct 24 2012 01:34 PM ET

Brought to you by our sponsors: TV's most egregious product placements

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Image Credit: Greg Gayne/Fox

What do you know about the 2013 Ford Fusion? If you watched last night’s New Girl, the answer is “all too much” — thanks to a two-minute sequence in which clumsy Jess struggled to model at a car show. As she stumbled about in her giant heels, a brand ambassador droned on and on about the new model’s many features. If the physical comedy hadn’t been so labored, the bit might have worked. But it didn’t.

In an age of ad-skipping DVRs and pirated online streaming, viewers have learned to accept a certain degree of commercialization on their favorite shows — especially the ones that are ratings-challenged. At the end of the day, an episode of Fringe sprinkled with plugs for Sprint’s Google Wallet is better than no Fringe at all. And a few fourth wall-busting series have managed to win us over by turning product integration into a joke — think Arrested Development‘s “It’s a wonderful restaurant!” or 30 Rock‘s “Can we have our money now?”

But even if it did make sense for Jess to step in for her sick model friend Cece at a car show, it didn’t make sense to insert her into a two-minute car commercial. Of course, New Girl‘s attempted Ford/comedy fusion isn’t the first egregious example of commercial-addled TV — remember these five product placement pioneers?

READ FULL STORY »

Oct 17 2012 02:13 PM ET

Nike does the impossible: Makes Lance Armstrong seem sympathetic

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Image Credit: Rogerio Barbosa/Getty Images

Convicted dog-killer Michael Vick remains welcome at Nike. So is serial philanderer Tiger Woods. Back in 2009, when Alex Rodriguez admitted using steroids to help him hit home runs, Nike stood by him and fulfilled his contract (until they quietly let it expire). But today, the billion-dollar sports apparel company found religion and cut ties with Lance Armstrong after the United States Anti-Doping Agency published evidence from its investigation into performance-enhancement doping. Accusations have always swirled around Armstrong, who recovered from cancer to win an unprecedented seven Tour de France races, but he’d never tested positive and repeatedly and passionately denied ever cheating.

Apparently, the latest revelations, which include sworn testimony from 11 former teammates, were the final straw. “Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him,” Nike said in a statement. “Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner. Nike plans to continue support of the Livestrong initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”

READ FULL STORY »

Oct 15 2012 10:25 AM ET

Rosie Perez blasts Romney for saying 'it would be helpful to be Latino' -- VIDEO

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Mention of Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” remark was absent from the first presidential debate (though Joe Biden sought to rectify that when he had his chance), but the “secret video” is still an issue in this election — especially if you’re a member of a Democratic PAC. Actress Rosie Perez just recorded an ad that focuses on a different part of that secret video: the moment when Romney quipped that if his Mexican-born father had had Mexican parents, he would “have a better shot at winning this.” Romney followed that line with this one: “And I say that jokingly. But it would be helpful to be Latino.”

The new video cuts from the laughter of Romney’s bigwig donors to Perez’s own laughter. In a voice dripping with sarcasm, she notes that the Republican candidate is completely right: “Hispanics represent 17 percent of the population and account for less than 2 percent of all elected and appointed officials. The advantage is obvious!” From there, the star of Do the Right Thing mockingly names all of the U.S.’s Latino presidents — Jorge Washington, Jorge Bush — and makes fun of Mitt for being rich. Watch it below:

READ FULL STORY »

Oct 10 2012 09:01 AM ET

One Direction and Drew Brees team up for Pepsi -- VIDEO

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One Direction is Pepsi’s newest pop star.

The soda company is partnering with the boy band and NFL star Drew Brees for an ad that will debut this week. The clip shows One Direction and Brees in a head-to-head competition for a can of Pepsi. Brees also performs with the group. It’s part of Pepsi’s “Live for Now” campaign, which has also featured Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 9 2012 11:04 AM ET

New Obama ad mocks Romney's Big Bird remark; 'Sesame Street' does not approve -- VIDEO

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President Obama’s reelection campaign knows not to look a gift Muppet in the mouth. For nearly a week, the left has been making hay out of Mitt Romney’s pledge to cut PBS’s funding — and now Obama for America has followed in the DNC’s wingprints, releasing an ad that mocks Romney for vilifying public broadcasting. Update: Sesame Street has disavowed the Big Bird ad on its website, writing,”Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down.”

Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you’ll probably be amused by this faux-serious clip. “Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski,” a sonorous movie trailer voice intones as pictures of the aforementioned crooks flash onscreen. “Criminals. Gluttons of greed. And the evil genius who towered over them?” That’d be Big Bird. After all, Mr. Snuffleupagus’s best pal is eight feet tall.

Yes, he’s big. He’s yellow. He’s “a menace to our economy.” Then comes the kicker: “Mitt Romney knows it’s not Wall Street you have to worry about — it’s Sesame Street.” It isn’t fair to pretend like Romney’s entire platform is centered on demolishing Big Bird’s nest, but hey — at least some fun has come out of that exaggeration. Watch the new ad below:

READ FULL STORY »

Sep 26 2012 02:23 PM ET

Giselle Bundchen, Matt Damon, and John Legend want to build a movement around candy -- VIDEO

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Greed. Corruption. Trans fats. Such is the sordid state of candy today. We are a miserable populace force-fed the injustices of corn syrup and artificial flavors.

No more!

Enter UNREAL — a brand-spankin’-new candy company that’s here to cast off our chains and liberate us, O children of the earth, from our oppressors.

Their new four-minute promo video takes viewers on a journey into forests and rivers and other exotic locales as it unlocks the all-natural origins of their sweets. And adding their gold-plated endorsements are, that’s right PopWatchers, celebrities: Giselle Bündchen, Tom Brady, Matt Damon, John Legend, and Twitter creator Jack Dorsey. They’re all here to convince you that UNREAL is more than just candy — it’s a motherf—ing revolution.

Check out the full video after the jump, and pay special attention to the needless shot of people inner-tubing on the Amazon.

READ FULL STORY »

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