Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with advertisement

Please advertise to me.

shakespeherian — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:50:17 -0800

Is there anyplace online to find whatever television ad campaigns from a specific company happen to be playing nationally in the US currently? A friend of mine was recently in a Honda commercial and has started getting residual checks, so she knows that they're airing. However, she doesn't know what the commercial is about or anything that's said in the ad, and I don't know that it's particularly interesting or funny enough to have popped up on YouTube. She does know that the spot is called 'Think About It,' but apart from that I have nothing to go on. I'm not asking anyone to find the commercial for me, but is there any way (other than staring blankly at the teevee for hours) that I can attempt to track down this commercial?

CTA advertisement: "Less Than Perfect"

phunniemee — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:57:30 -0800

[Chicago Filter] Does anyone know anything about the "Less Than Perfect" ads running on the CTA? I would love to know the origin of the ads that have been showing up on the trains recently. They're all black with plain text, and say things like:

"The guy who forgot to shower this morning. Again."
"The public-display-of-affection-couple."
"The guy who sings along to his iPod. Poorly."
"The woman who gives her shopping bags their own seat."

And they have a little thing that says "Less Than Perfect:" in the upper left-hand corner.

Anyone know what this might be about? There's nothing else on the signs, and they're not (overtly) advertising anything. Google only returns results for that sitcom from a few years ago.

My boyfriend thinks this is the CTA trying to be hip, but I say the CTA is too broke to be edgy where someone else could pay for advertising, but he thinks that there aren't enough paying advertisers so the CTA is just filling the space. I wanna know!

Television advertisement showing the stock market as a frenzied sideshow

drdanger — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:10:10 -0800

Saw a television ad several years ago with fantastic art direction depicting the stock market as a circus or similar frenzy of colorful, somewhat frightening characters. Can anyone help me track it down? I'm guessing I saw this ad on American television about five years ago, but it could have been as early as 2000. The imagery and intensity struck me more like a Fellini movie than like a typical advertisement. It was colorful, kinetic, and showed a shouting, frenzied sideshow of crazy characters. There was the two-faced broker who yelled, "Buy! Buy! Buy" until he did a 180 and his other face yelled, "Sell! Sell! Sell!" There were carnival barkers and blimps and I can't remember what all else. The point, of course, was that the sponsor (Schwab? Ameritrade?) would offer you a refuge from the hysteria. I would love to find a video of this, but alternatively enough information to track it down in the real world (sponsor? agency?) would be enough for my eternal gratitude.

Lackadaaaaaisical. (Huh?)

ostranenie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:23:26 -0800

What was this TV ad (for)? Stereotypical teenage roll call: jock, prude, dork, babe, bonehead, lackadaisical, "huh?" I saw an ad on TV years ago (15-20 years ago?) that started out with two metalhead-looking guys sitting on a car saying "JOCK" dismissively. Cut to a jock-looking guy saying "prude!" Cut to a girl saying "dorks!" Cut to some dorks saying "BABE." Cut to a "babe" saying "bonehead..." Cut to a professor-type with his arms crossed saying "lackadaisical." Finally, cut to a stoner-looking guy saying "...huh?"

What was that? And why did it stick in my head after all this time? And if I remember the ad so well, how can I not remember what it was even for?

Please help me find good examples of short introduction and promotional clips for websites / new web service.

shalam — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:46:10 -0800

Please help me find examples of short screencasts or short animated films that have been used to promote websites, stores, applications on the web. One such example is an animated documentary that jingproject.com had on their website - with human caricatures etc. I cannot locate that now. It is not the best example and in any case what jingproject.com have on their website is a more traditional screencast.

HP has some welcome presentation film on their new laptops. Not that I like the work they have done.

Apple has quite a few presentations - all exquisite. But most with audio.

I am even more interested in films that do not have audio.

Thanks for sharing!

Silly rabbit, I said 'bus ad'

mulligan — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:50:56 -0800

On MUNI and AcTransit buses here in the Bay Area, I've seen advertisements that had this wording:

Silly rabbit, I said 'bus ad'

What does that mean? Is it a reference to something? What are these ads even advertising?

How to win HS election swing vote with school news advertisement?

seandq — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:57:50 -0800

Help me come up with a funny campaign ad targeted to high schoolers to clinch the Student Body President election. I have a large chunk of support from friends, teachers, and administrators around the school, but the swing vote in the election is won or lost with an advertisement aired over the school news on CCTV.

Some ideas:

I was known for a YouTube video I recorded and have since deleted in freshman year with a lipdub to the Final Countdown. People have told me to incorporate said song into the campaign ad. It went microviral around the school, but it doesn't have as broad of an appeal I like.

Next idea that's really ringing a bell for me would be for me or others to voiceover softball questions regarding my candidacy and clip in celebrities answering these questions with a "Yes, that's right." or "Of course", etc. It'd be funny, but the availability of "celebrities saying yes to something" on Google or YouTube was little to none.

I found out from experience that appearing on the news and giving a serious address is a no-no. People judge your character and ability to do the job from your overall persona and not just one speech on the news, so this is the time to be silly. However, I can't do a Benny Hill-esque video with pratfalls and then just pop up in the end and be like "VOTE FOR ME!"; there needs to be an underlying message relating to the campaign although it could be humorous. An example of this was "Current President loves sports" which linked to a cut-in of an image of Michael Vick during his dogfighting scandal.

I wanted to ask the hive mind because you are all-mighty, all-knowing, and you have been here in one way or another before. I appreciate all MF has given me from an entertainment and a knowledge standpoint and I'd appreciate if you all would be able to help me out.

(Before anyone says anything, yes, I have one or two comments. I've been a member for ~ a week, didn't plan on asking AskMF until about 10 minutes ago, and plan on being an active member in the future.)

What was that soul single Coke jingle?

dylanjames — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:52:44 -0800

Did Teddy Pendergrass do a Coca Cola advertisement 30-ish years ago? Some time in the early 80's (late 70's?) I have a vague memory of a very cool song being sung baritone by a handsome guy walking down stairs towards his cool stereo (and maybe a lovely lady)... it's so vague, I was young, but seeing an old Teddy Pendergrass LP triggered that memory, but none of the Teddy songs I have similarly trigger the memory. Hmmmm.

"This is going to require a serpentectomy."

XMLicious — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:27:29 -0800

Is the x-ray the doctors are looking at in this advertisement fake? It looks like someone with a snake lodged in their pelvis. I can't imagine what it could be if it was real.

Eye-candy graphics directly in Email

designbyme — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:33:52 -0800

Eye-candy filled e-mail without having to open an attachment - how do you create this? You know the e-mails you get from advertisers that are loaded with graphics, images and lots of color.... how do you create something like that?

I can name the tune but not the ad

wexford_arts — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:59:04 -0800

I know I've heard the opening bars of Beck's "Gamma Ray" in a commercial or promo recently (Telus? The Gap?) but I can't place it and my Google-fu in in the ditch today. Help!

Evista ad background music

Raybun — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:41:44 -0800

What is the cello piece that plays in the background of the new Evista ad?

Where can I find a commercial for Dean's Home Furniture with the "I doubt it!" line?

laminarial — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:15:07 -0800

[Boston Filter] Where can I find a commercial for Dean's Home Furniture? The one with the (in)famous "I doubt it!" line. I lived in Boston for a while, and the Dean's Home Furniture commercials were ubiquitous. They are so annoying, but are amazingly memetic. Every time I hear someone say "I doubt it" I have to say "I daaudit!", but no one where I live now has any idea what I am talking about. More on Dean's commercials previously, but basicially, MasonDixon sums it up in that thread: "For those unfamiliar, "I doubt it" was delivered in an outrageous Boston accent by the completely wooden Dean in public access quality commercials." I have searched youtube, google, google video etc. and I can find the 1993 commercial, but this is pre-"I doubt it!" HELP!

Sounds like the future!

ctmf — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:38:21 -0800

What's this musical style/genre called? The "atomic age" music that went along with "home of the future" type ads in the 50s/60s. Also I remember hearing cheesy music like what I'm thinking of on the Peoplemover at Disneyland when I was a kid. Something that might go along with ads like Plan59 has.

Sergio Mendez/Brasil '66 comes close, but it's not exactly it. Pointers to YT/audio samples appreciated.

Office Stationary Chess

wobh — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:01:47 -0800

I remember an magazine advertisement from long ago which featured a slick chess set made out of desk drawer miscellany. The pawns were binder clips. I think the rooks were loupes. I've always wanted to see it again. Anyone else remember this and have any other information about it? What was the ad? What were all the pieces?

What is the name of the song playing in the IDM "Ideating" tv commercial?

Apo11o — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:44:26 -0800

The new IBM "Ideating" commercial...What is the music in the background? Recently a I've seen a few clever IBM commercials for innovation. The music in the background hooked me the second it hit my ears. For 3 days I've diligently searched and have come up with nothing but a few youtube clips. So, what is the name of the song in the background, what is its genre and where can i find more just like it.

Looking for a humorous Natural Gas advertisement

chudmonkey — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:03:53 -0800

Where can I find a specific funny advertisement for natural gas? Sometime within the past 5 years or so I saw an ad for natural gas that featured 3 people wearing t-shirts identifying them as "Electricity", "Natural Gas" and "Wood". The gag was that Natural Gas shows up at a home one day, intent on taking over from Electricity, and Electricity gets kinda panicky and wonders what he's going to tell Wood, who is portrayed as an old man asleep in a chair.

I cannot recall if I saw this originally on-line, but I know I saw it at least once in a hotel room in either California or Nevada.

I searched in the blue, on Youtube and via Google, but I'm not coming up with what I need. If you've got a lead, I'd sure appreciate it - thanks in advance!

"When I'm goin' to the movies / I take up seven rows because I'm ... "

WCityMike — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:08:56 -0800

Many adjectives used to describe overweight men in a nonoffensive manner can also be used to describe muscular men (i.e. stout, beefy, etc.). What are some adjectives that describe, with a positive or neutral connotation, the state of being both male and overweight, but that are not used (or at least not commonly used) to describe muscular men as well? (Adjectives preferred, but nice-sounding phrases are good too, I guess.)

Ugly boar advertisement

pinksoftsoap — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:15:01 -0800

There is an advertisement with a really ugly, mean looking, bully-like boar/pig. What company is it for? I recall him having really dark, thick eyebrows. Or - can anyone find me the picture of the boar/pig?

Get your hands off my mannequin! Need to find an old Axe body spray commercial!

enaira — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:00:00 -0800

I'm looking for an Axe commercial from a few years ago. A girl sprays a mannequin with Axe, takes a big whiff and walks away. Enter another girl who smells him, then proceeds to incessentantly grope the mannequin. Orginial sprayer girl comes back and snaps "Get your hands off may MAN-nequin." Hilarious. Where, oh where, can I find it? Youtube and Google seem to be failing me.

I realize this question is pointless but what the hell

ScotchLynx — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:33:26 -0800

What's the deal with those classmates.com ads? It's been the same picture of the lady with the bowl-cut and the big glasses for something like five years, now. And the football-player-looking-guy. And it's always about how they've gotten married. In internet years, this is Ancient Legend. These two are the jungian archetype of classmates-back-in-touch. Or what? Who are those people, really? Do they know their pictures have been widely used on the internet for the last hundred years?

Slide guitar in that antipot add...

bob bisquick — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 13:18:49 -0800

There is a recent series of anti-pot adds that are line drawings with some handwritten text and music. No talking. One of them is a guy in a window offering a J to a dog. The music is country style slide guitar. Does anyone know what that song is? I am pretty sure I have heard it before and that it is not written just for the add. This is the ad!

Commercial MySpace Profiles

ijoshua — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 13:05:38 -0800

How do companies get ad-free MySpace profiles? I’m planning a marketing campaign for an upcoming product, and would like to use MySpace as an avenue. I’ve noticed that many profiles are different than what is available for a normal user.

As an example, this profile for a TV show has a significantly different layout than a normal profile. Viewing the HTML source of that profile, there are several extra >div> elements with id’s. This clearly gives a designer much more creative control over the appearance of the profile.

Is there some fee-based service that MySpace offers for this? I’ve searched all over and I cannot find any information about it.

More of that name that tune!

LunaticFringe — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:06:29 -0800

MoreNameThatSongFilter What is the name of the song that is playing during the Virgin Mobile ad currently in rotation in Canada? I likes it and would like to know who does it. Thanks in advance MeFites!

commercial use of photo

easternblot — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 11:08:40 -0800

Someone wants to use one of my Flickr photos for commercial use, and pay me for it. I'm flattered, but clueless about what I'm getting into. AskMe, please hope me! If I say it's okay, they'll contact me about price negotiations. I have never sold any photos to anyone, so I am likely to say "Sure!!! Super!!!" at everything they suggest. Please make me seem smart and experienced!

This is how clueless I am:
-The picture in question is now on my Flickr account, under an "attribution - no derivs" licencse, but I'm willing to give them permission to use it for their ad campaign. However, I still want to have it on Flickr. The photo was also published on spacing.ca's photoblog. Can they still use it if I sell it? Should I ask this in my negotiations?
-I know there are differences between "selling" and "licensing", but I don't exactly know what the important implications of either are, or what is best for me.
-I also know about how it is illegal to ask about prices because of price fixing, but I have absolutely no idea at all. Should I just have them make an offer?

Anyone have any experience they're willing to share to get me on the right track?