make up Scrabble words this holiday.

face it, you'll likely be subjected to game night at some point this month. it just comes with the territory of more food than you need and family members you may or may not want to see. it's about the only thing every can decide won't be overly offensive to do together. so be prepared.

--know the new words that made it into the Oxford English Dictionary this year. PS if you're playing with Merriam-Webster, you're a pansy. break out the big book.

--be hip with the youngsters. modify the rules a bit and bring out the lingo. brush up using Urban Dictionary, otherwise known as the directory for word vomit (check the page title).

--throw caution to the wind. get your Addictionary on. this is a favourite in my family. it's when you just make words up. you get to keep the word on the board if you can convince majority of players of a meaning for it.

happy holidays, Scrabulous addicts, copywriters, and wannabe English types. this one's for you.

in case you were wondering, the internet is awesome.

and this is legitimized by the fact that the Barbarian group says so.
and in case you don't know or don't care about the Barbarian group,
think of them like a new political party. only they're an ad agency.
and they approved the following message:




i actually clicked through to 100 [ps-you can click the yes].
there is a fancy surprise on 99. though the preceding responses were funnier.
i think "still yes" is my fave. experience the minimalistic wonder:
http://istheinternetawesome.com

mommy, i want a pony.

Find more videos like this on AdGabber


aaaamazing. found here. though, it doesn't sell me the car. it just makes me want a pony.
...or a littlest pet shop toy. or a my little pony. you get the idea.

awwwwww. ponies.
"it's likin' the mint." hahaha.

travel destination: LIRR, Westin.

so, coming home from a yummy sushi dinner at Azuki last night (if you like sushi, do it up; they're 520 8th ave), i got to staring (as i always do) at the often inane ad posters on the inside of the LIRR trains.

now to begin with, i find these sort of things often funny. frequently the same ad goes up, in the same entrance/exit car, facing each other. as if you didn't get the point on your left, you may need it mirrored on the right. regardless.

this is actually about a train ad i like--mostly.

Westin has been doing some halfway decent advertising in the past year, really breaking the clutter from competitor hotel advertisements by using the age old trick of not showing what you're selling. these train ads, i presume, are part of that campaign. they are really high quality nature images with one phrase of copy and the logo. that's it. if anyone can find a shot of these, let me know--i looked.

they caught my eye because they were nice to see on a dreary train. the copy was even clever. one was a shot of an immense tidal wave and the words "rush hour." another had incredibly tall trees and the word "skyscrapers." another was a shot of para sailing, from the feet down with the ocean, and the words "middle seat." the message was relevant and acute.

there was only one problem ad in the campaign. a pristine shot of a path through the woods. the phrase? "avoid the traffic." this breaks the noun trend they've been using. moreover, it lost relevance. we're on a bloody train. relate to the train, not the car i'm not in. a better phrase? "public transportation."

has anyone else seen these ads elsewhere? what did you think?

july about how good your copy is?

okay. i can't believe i forgot to mention this. seeing as when i saw it, i called my mother up immediately to scream. nevermind that i was on an agency shoot. nevermind that it was almost lunchtime. all that mattered was the absolutely inane drivel i'd just seen.

as copyranter has honourably pointed out many, many times (and more), Kenny Cole should be prohibited from writing any more advertisements. ever. the puns are often confusing. and downright crappy. at first, i couldn't blame the guy his ego. at first, i kind of forgave Kenny.

after all, even though they were crappy, they had some (pseudo) attempt at relevance. awearness = awareness. potential carriers = bags/AIDS. etc. i get it. it's shitty, but i get it. marrying two concepts, commercialism and activism? not the first or the last time. but on this past Friday i saw the biggest Kenny Cole atrocity ever while wandering around the upper west end of Colombus Ave:

JULY ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT?

and a whole bunch of other really terrible things you may "ly" about (in July?). i assume it correlated to some month-long sale. i don't care. this particular advertisement crossed a line for me in Kenny Cole land. i can forgive shitty if it's uplifting. sure, raise AIDS awareness. sure, "make the most of grey summer days" with new grey styles. sure, acknowledge that we all walk in "different shoes" and then buy some.

but the derogatory nature (as if i should be surprised) aimed mainly at women (again, should i be surprised) combined with bastardizing punning (as usual) makes this the worst thing he's rolled out with yet. i'm ashamed for him. this gets a big ride on the failboat, hook line and sinker.

hook, line: no woman (kid?) no cry.

dear Share Our Strength,

i was having a nice lunch yesterday at a local restaurant; there was a frame on the table sporting an ad stating that if i bought dessert, 10% of that purchase would go towards feeding hungry children. that was a thought i generally like--children not starving? sign me up. i think 10% on desserts only is a bit shallow, but okay. the restaurant is corporate, i get it. the hang up?

who. wrote. your. copy.

your logo. no really, who did it. and who approved it. and who proofread it. and who, bove all, said, 'oh my, yes, that is a brilliant idea.' NO KID HUNGRY? are you for serious right now? and if that's a pun, i'm clearly too stupid to get it, at which point, it should still be changed, because i get other stupid advertisements (haha, venus, get it?).

i can't decide if this is as bad as (masculine) floralcy.
i think it might be worse, only because i can adapt 'floralcy' into my vocabulary and giggle each time i say it. 'no kid hungry' -simply- doesn't flow.

what the hell, Pontiac. what the hell.

alright.

the lovely folks over at Make the Logo Bigger pointed out what some of you may have already heard on the msm news blogs... Pontiac's got a new "sports truck" (a truck with a sports car-esque front end) but they don't have a name. they want YOU to name it. SAH-WEET, right?

WRONG. effin morons.

i moseyed on over with dreams of naming car-trucks all in my head, pondering just what one word might capture the... pure splendor and luxury (heh) of the "sports truck." i'm all set to apply when i do that thing people don't tend to do--before i CLICKED "yes i read the rules" i actually... read the rules. guess what they said?

"Selection/Determination of winner will NOT be based on Vehicle Name submitted."

it's a drawing at random. with absolutely no regard to naming or creativity or, well, wait... what was it... anything to do with the actual advertising campaign.

how cohesive of you.

i even like postmodernism and this kind of disassociation FAILS. wtf, Pontiac?