Category Archives: going critical

The new gold standard for evil.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Interpreting Quotation Marks in Marketing, Part 34,219

Translation: Not forever.

The Secrets of Marketingspeak #3,418: American Eagle

What it says: FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY ALL AE JEANS & SWEATERS $29.99 & UP

What it means: This is not a sale. This is actually the opposite of a sale.

“Normally priced at $19.95, I got this sweater not on sale for only $69.99! Squee! Wait, what?”

This water tastes awful!

Up next, the Dasani douche.

Outsmarted by Smart Car

(Some brands play better in the social media playground than others, part 2)

There I was on Twitter, not minding my own business, when along came a response to one of my tweets that not only made my day, but made me rethink my perception of the Smart brand. Plus, they threw in a handy infographic for free. INFOGRAPHANTASTIC!

Great job with your social media, Smart USA. I don’t mind being outsmarted by the likes of you.

Now if you’ll just FedEx me one of your fine automobiles, I’ll love you forever.

Best. Social media response. Ever.

adtothebone TV commercial poll: Stereotypes


What's the most overused stereotype in TV commercials today?

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It’s all about the Benjamin.

Approximately 20% of Americans believe that Ben Franklin was a U.S. president. This apparently includes Subway restaurants, as seen in their Februany campaign. Happy Presidents’ Day!

Today in unexpected trademarks.

Hostess Brands, “one of the largest wholesale bakers and distributors of fresh delivered bread and snack cakes in the United States”, might currently be going through another round of bankruptcy, but you just gotta admire a company that takes the time, money and effort to trademark the phrase “The Original Squiggle” for its Hostess Cupcakes brand.

What’s stronger than 29 dimensions of compatibility?

Woo! Check out the rack on that first one!

Dress your whisky well.

Of all the Christmas promos and gimmicks we were deluged with this holiday season, my favorite came to me in the mail.

Behold, the Maker’s Mark whisky bottle Christmas sweater!

Although it doesn’t quite jive with the Maker’s Mark TV campaign, I’m more than willing to overlook that little fact because it’s so damned spiffy.

Adtothebone.com approves! Now for next time, make sure some of your fine whisky comes with it too, ‘k?