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The BadAds Weblog: July 2001
More Ads for Your Commute
From the article "Parking your client's message at the garage" in Media Life magazine:
Just when we thought that every conceivable place to get a message in front of commuters had already been plastered over, advertising is arriving in parking garages, and in a big way. What were once blank walls in elevator lobbies and waiting areas at entrances and exits are being turned into wallscapes to reach drivers. Samples and coupons are handed out with tickets as consumers enter a garage. As they wind their way up multiple levels to retrieve their cars, they pass a series of backlit posters and displays, some of them with a sequence of related messages.
When told that "every conceivable space has been plastered with ads," what do marketers do? Instead of taking it as a hint that it's time to give consumers a much-deserved break, they look for even more intrusive ways to beg you for your money.
If you're tired of being targeted as a captive audience on your commute, please write to the garage advertisers below and let them know what you think.
Lexus
P.O. Box 2991 - Mail Drop L202
Torrance, CA 90509-2991
Phone: 800-255-3987 prompt #4
Fax: 310-468-2992
Met-Rx Nutrition: karboit@metrx.com (Marketing Department)
Radware Software
575 Corporate Drive, Suite 205
Mahwah, NJ 07430
Phone: 888-234-5763
Fax: 201-512-9774
E-mail: info@radware.com
Klein Creek Golf
Klein Creek Golf Club
1N333 Pleasant Hill Road
Winfield, Illinois 60190
Phone: 630-690-0101
Volkswagen
Phone:800-822-8987
Online Feedback Form
Tellme
1310 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: 650-930-9000
Fax: 650-930-9101
E-mail: feedback@tellme.com
Earthlink
Phone: 800-395-8425
E-mail: sales@corp.earthlink.net
Wyndham Hotel
Online feedback form
Mercedes Benz: webmaster@usa.mercedes-benz.com
MaxMara
813 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10021
Phone: 212-879-6100
July 30, 2001
The Smithsonian Sells Out
The Smithsonian is an historic, non-profit, taxpayer-supported institution. So why is it selling out to advertisers?
The Smithsonian has offered General Motors the right to name the museum's new transportation hall for $10 million. The New York Times reported that one name being considered for the hall is the "General Motors Hall of Transportation."
This isn't the first time Secretary Lawrence Small has allowed the Smithsonian to shill for advertisers. According to Commercial Alert, on February 12th, the Smithsonian Institution held an event with K-Mart, supposedly to promote Black History Month. At that event, the Smithsonian and K-Mart promoted a mobile history exhibit emblazoned with giant red K-Mart signs.
Please e-mail Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small at smalllm@si.edu and ask him not to sell the naming rights to any part of the Smithsonian.
July 25, 2001
Drink Up – and Enjoy Your Ads
Bars and restaurants are now introducing interactive sports and trivia games interspersed with ads, courtesy of NTN Network, headquartered in Carlsbad, CA. NTN uses satellite technology to bring programming and ads to screens provided by the venue.
"What it allows you to do is very targeted advertising right at the consumer, right at the point of purchase," says Kay Olsen, managing partner for The Spirit of Hartford, which produces Foursquare Spiced Rum.
If you resent being a target market or a captive audience when you visit a bar or restaurant, please write to the advertisers below and let them know. And don't forget to CC us on your letter for the chance to win a cool ad-free, logo-free BadAds T-shirt!
Warsteiner Importers
Greg Hardman, President of US Operations
hq1@warsteiner-usa.com
Foursquare Spiced Rum
E-mail: spiritofhartford@email.msn.com
Miller Brewing
Online feedback form (Be sure to opt out of their advertising list)
American Express
Kenneth I. Chenault , Chairman and CEO
World Financial Center, 200 Vesey St.
New York, NY 10285
Phone: 212-640-2000
Fax: 212-619-9802
American Airlines
Online feedback form
Priceline.com
Jeffery H. Boyd, President and COO
800 Connecticut Ave.
Norwalk, CT 06854-9998
Phone: 203-299-8000
Fax: 203-299-8948
Ford Trucks
Jacques A. Nasser, President, CEO
One American Rd.
Dearborn, MI 48126-2798
Phone: 313-322-3000
Fax: 313-845-6073
July 23, 2001
School Bus Shills
As if advertising in school wasn't bad enough...Republican lawmakers last month introduced bills aimed at allowing Massachusetts school committees to sell ad space on the sides of school buses.
The bill is now being considered by the Senate Rules Committee in the Massachusetts State Senate. If you live in Massachusetts, please write to your state senator and ask him or her to vote down this bill unless the advertising provision is removed.
You can find out who your senator is here.
Even if you don't live in Massachusetts, feel free to pick out a state senator from the list to write to.
July 20, 2001
Bad Fortunes
A couple of weeks ago we wrote about Half.com advertising in, of all places, fortune cookies. Thanks to those of you who wrote to the company to protest. In case you didn't get a chance to write but would still like to, send your message to these addresses:
info@half.com
CC President Joshua Kopelman: jkopelman@half.com
We did some research and found out that the company that sells the ad space to Half.com is Wonton Foods. They're planning to sell fortune cookie space to more advertisers, so please write to them ASAP and tell them that we'd appreciate ad-free fortunes. You can write to them here:
James Wong: jamesw@wontonfood.com
July 20, 2001
Search Engine Results: Real or Advertising?
A July 16, 2001 article in BizReport says that a consumer group is urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate eight online search engine providers, alleging that the companies routinely violate deceptive advertising laws by disguising advertisements as legitimate search results. The civil complaint accuses search engines run by AltaVista Co., AOL Time Warner Inc., Direct Hit Technologies, iWon Inc., LookSmart Ltd., Microsoft Corp. and Terra Lycos S.A., of inserting paid ads in search-engine results without adequate notice.
What you can do: Write to the companies involved (listed below) and ask them not to mislead users by hiding paid ads in among the search engine results.
http://www.altavista.com
http://search.aol.com
http://www.directhit.com
http://www.iwon.com
http://www.looksmart.com
http://www.msn.com
http://www.lycos.com
http://www.hotbot.com
July 17, 2001
Java Jolt
We already wrote about companies advertising on the protective sleeves used on hot coffee cups in coffee shops. Well, that obviously wasn't annoying enough, so BriteVision Media is now helping advertisers stick actual product samples on the java sleeves.
Advertisers are hoping their intrusive ads will get you hooked on more than coffee. Says Brian Morrison, president of BriteVision Media, "The pitch is coffee people are addicted. They go every day to get their java. So, attach your product and it may become their new addiction."
Plenty of companies are already advertising on coffee sleeves, but Cremora Royale and Shout Wipes are currently testing the market. If we write to them now, maybe we can convince them to leave us that one tiny ad-free space.
Cremora Royale: cremora@effinc.com
SHOUT Wipes: Online feedback form
July 16, 2001
Not-So-Wild Postings
It's an urban tradition: a construction site goes up, and by the next day it's plastered with handmade posters that were slapped up in the dead of night. It used to be, these postings – called "wild postings" – were put up by people with something to say but not much money to say it.
But like most forms of communication,wild postings are quickly being taken over by corporations. Now, companies like The Gap, Microsoft, and American Express are paying marketing firms to plaster posters on construction sites. Says Bruce Friedlander, president of Marketing Adventures, "It looks urban. It looks guerrilla. Really, in most cases, the places you see these things posted – facades, scaffolding – are rented from the landlord. They're very legit, but it looks like they're not."
If you're tired of seeing corporations take over all forms of communication with their advertising, please write to the "wild posting" perps below and let them know how you feel.
Wetfeet.com:
E-mail: comments@wetfeet.com
OfficeMax.com:
Online feedback form
Major League Baseball:
E-mail: fanfeedback@website.mlb.com
Infogrames:
E-mail: dave.bennett@mslpr.co.uk
Gap:
Online
Feedback Form
Microsoft:
Online
feedback form
Calvin Klein
Barry Schwartz, Chairman and CEO
205 W. 39th St., 4th Fl.
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212-719-2600
Fax: 212-730-4818
American Express
Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and CEO
World Financial Center, 200 Vesey St.
New York, NY 10285
Phone: 212-640-2000
Fax: 212-619-9802
July 9, 2001
More Than Junk Mail
As if junk mail wasn't annoying enough – the U.S. Postal Service is now allowing outside companies to deliver up ads on poster space in post office lobbies, on the sides of mail delivery trucks, on ready-to-mail envelopes, and on stamp book covers.
If the thought of advertising on government property makes you mad enough to spit, don't actually spit – instead, write to the USPS and to the companies that are doing the advertising and let them know what you think.
You can contact the USPS at postaladnetwork@usps.com
And some companies that are advertising on Post Office property are:
America Online
Barry M. Schuler, Chairman and CEO
22000 AOL Way
Dulles, VA 20166-9323
Phone: 703-265-1000
Fax: 203-922-4981
Online feedback form
Pitney Bowes
Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and CEO
1 Elmcroft Rd.
Stamford, CT 06926-0700
Phone: 203-356-5000
Fax: 203-351-6059
Visa
Malcolm Williamson, President and CEO
900 Metro Center Blvd.
Foster City, CA 94404
Phone: 650-432-3200
Fax: 650-432-3087
E-mail: askvisa@visa.com
Replacements Ltd.
Liam Sullivan, Manager of Public Relations
1089 Knox Road
PO Box 36029, Dept. W7
Greensboro, NC 27420
Phone: 336-697-3100
Fax: 336-697-3100
E-mail:
inquire@replacements.com
July 3, 2001
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Get the BadAds Weblog updates via e-mail! We'll keep you up-to-date on news in intrusive advertising, changes to BadAds.org, and new ways you can fight "ad creep."
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Where you draw the line is up to you – but we feel that an ad meeting any one of the following criteria qualifies as intrusive: 1. You can't turn it off. You can close a magazine and turn off the television, but billboards tower overhead night and day. 2. It enters your home without permission. Pardon me, Mr. Telemarketer, may I see your invitation? 3. You're a captive audience. This can be in schools, in movie theaters, at a urinal, or waiting for your receipt at the ATM. 4. It doesn't support anything, or it costs you mon ey. Radio ads support free programming, but you pay, directly or indirectly, for faxed ads and junk e-mail. |
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