BPDW.COM » branding

McDonald’s: Recycled Advertising

Britain — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:42:17 +0000

An ad campaign for McDonald’s in Europe. At least it’s different.

I have often wondered why McDonald’s still advertises in the traditional manner. We get it. You have hamburgers and chicken shapes and salads and fancy coffee and So Much More. You have a store about every five blocks. I’m not going to wake up tomorrow and forget you’re in business, and even if I did, I would start jonesing for your french fries within a few days and remember you again. If you did something like “we’re not going to buy our usual dozens of ads for a week and donate that money we would’ve spent to some kind of hunger campaign or research on cancer” or something, that would mean a great deal more to me than another ad with a remixed version of your latest jingle.

Incidentally, the above goes for any fast food chain, soft drink, or really anyone who advertises anything anywhere.

Man, it’s like they read my mind

Britain — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:04:39 +0000

“You want a dark, Goth version of Tweety Bird? Have at it.”

Lisa Gregorian of Warner Bros. TV
Fictional Stars Get a 21st Century Facelift - NYTimes.com

Totalli Knorrli Dude

Britain — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:18:49 +0000

Some companies design their mascots from the get-go to look like a man in a suit. When I was a kid, the Putt-Putt mascot “Buster Ball” was a particularly solid example of this, with arms too short to hold a putter. As Happy Gilmore might suggest, he was too good for his home.

Knorrli, pictured here, is the spokessprite for Knorr soup in Europe. Seems harmless enough, doesn’t he? Imagine running into him in your favorite supermarket.

Heaven help you Switzerlanders if The Laughing Cow ever decides to do a victory lap.

Cheer Up, VIacom.

Britain — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:49:03 +0000

It’s kind of like Viacom is her next-door neighbor who yelled at her to turn down her stereo.

23 and Me goes to Europe

Britain — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:45:19 +0000

I think 23andme should merge with 7&i and call the new company “30 ‘n Us.”

You’re gonna love our eggs COPIERS!!11!

Britain — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:23:30 +0000

Looks a bit too much like The New AT&T to me.

Corporate Cousins Down Under

Britain — Sat, 28 May 2005 04:09:01 +0000

Here in America, Target and Kmart fight a bitter battle for the handful of consumers who have not welcomed their new Wal-Mart overlords.

In Australia, on the other hand, they are sister stores — Target is a little more upscale and Kmart still has their old 70s logo [freshened up a bit for the millenium, yes]. They are both owned by Australian retail giant Coles Myer.

Gwen Camera

Britain — Sat, 28 May 2005 04:01:45 +0000

First the U2 [X] Apple iPod, now the Gwen Stefani [X] HP camera.

Other musician-consumer goods collaborations I am also eagerly awaiting:

LL Cool J [X] ~~Panasonic~~ Lasonic radios [Lasonic made the huge ones with about a hundred different, useless but impressive looking knobs and dials]
the Freeway [X] Norelco beard trimmer
Raymond Watts [X] Hormel canned ham
Haze [X] Krylon spray paint

I still have yet to try the 50-Cent Vitamin Water, though.

Bad Filesharing Program Titles.

Britain — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 01:58:00 +0000

I was waiting for someone to call them all on the carpet at once. I believe these are all published by actual companies. Someone might actually, or have at one point actually, put these program names on business cards or resumes.

A Final Thought About That K-Mart

Britain — Sun, 30 May 2004 17:16:00 +0000

I would like to point out that the next closest K-Mart store to the one I recently covered in these pages is in Commerce Township [MI].
Its road sign is a perfectly preserved relic from the olden days before the whole “Super Kmart” and “BIG Kmart” dichotomy. A huge, red “K,” leaning to the right, with huge, red, lowercase “mart” letters below it. If you get nostalgic for nighttime road signs in the 80s… um… here’s your sign? No, that’s not your sign.