Fans of Badland know that sometimes, twin ideas just happen. Blame it on syncronicity, similar thought patterns, the idea Gods or aliens, or just a bad-idea-day, no one knows exactly why it happens... But we do know that it does. Read more to see three very original stolen jeans ideas from three different countries all appearing independent of each other.
photo thanks to Mårten at Bold.se, via this thread (in Swedish).
Well folks, it happens - we know it happens all the time in creative offices worldwide - the idea diety waves her duality wand and presto, you're in Badland.
Today we look at Panasonic Wet/Dry Shavers vs Edge Shaving cream, Ford 500 vs Harley Davidson and Xbox vs the WWF. A dupliclaim hat trick!
When the movie Swingers was released in 1996 the script and the story brought out the best from the actors in it and propelled them all to big time Hollywood fame. One hilarious scene in Swingers was when Jon Favreau's character "Mike" leaves increasingly pathetic messages on "Nikki's" answering machine, as the machine keeps cutting him off. (scene here). Mastercard has just released a commercial where the scene is nearly identical, right down to the character's names, Mike and Nikki. Tut tut McCann-Erickson, did you really think the world wouldn't notice? Is this an intentional homage (considering the names) or just a lazy rip-off? You decide.
Super adgrunts view the ad in the commercial archive
If you live in the United States and have your television hooked up to something besides a rabbit-ear antenna, chances are you've seen a few thousand horrid commercials over the last month or so for a cell phone ringtone/wallpaper service called Jamster.
Well, this weekend I had the ol' boob tube on one of the networks appropriate for my demographic when a new spot for this company came on. Now, usually I've reacted with a scream of anguish whilst simultaneously curling up into the fetal position, but somehow... in some way... this Jamster spot was different.
I've seen it before, and not in my nightmares.
(Read more...)
This is one of the funnier spoofs I've seen.
I saw it outside London's St. Lukes church.
It's all over the google news sources that China has banned the latest Lebron Nike ads as they are a national insult.
The Newspaper Marketing Agency ad nicknamed "killer heels", created by TBWA London, which shows a man spiked on a stiletto has been banned by the ever vigilant watchdog ASA.
The ad received 81 complaints it was offensively sexist and overly violent. The ASA said about the ad "featuring an oversized stiletto-heeled shoe skewering a businessman in a pool of blood was offensive because it trivialised and stylised violence." Despite the visual pun being 'cartoon-like' to avoid offence, people objected to the ad. "The advertisers claimed that, because the image was removed from reality and in a fashion context, it would not be seen to condone or encourage violence or homicide" the ASA said... And probably added under their breath "boy we're they wrong..." (to see it, read more as usual)
Slate, after already criticising AOL's lame "You got it" ads, goes on to praise NetZero's parodies of AOL's ads.
"In the last 'Ad Report Card,' I chided AOL for its lame new campaign (and lamer business model). I said AOL was screwed because other dial-up providers, such as NetZero, offer a near-identical service for much less money. Apparently, NetZero's not at all afraid to kick a brand when it's down."
The ads are in the archive: AOLs "Kimberly" (Mom), NetZeros Mom. AOL's "All of them", Netzero's "All of them".
Adgrunt HaHaSoup - creator of one of these ads said: "Go ahead, Badland it, why not, even if it isn't completely bad, it's fun in their similarity."
Perhaps not identical twins these two have many similar traits, which is quite funny.
Claymore quipped: FDA: "Wild Thing, I think I banned you!"...
This ad probably has, due to FDAs late reaction, pulled in quite a few new customers already.
the FDA said Pfizer implied that the male seen in the ads had returned to a previous level of sexual desire and activity.
US FDA Tells Pfizer to Pull 'Wild Thing' Viagra Ads
"FDA is not aware of substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience demonstrating this benefit for patients who take Viagra,"
First up, lets have a look at a VW ad from South Africa.
There's nothing more fun that plopping down in the snow and making a snow angel, according to some. And apparently, both Volkswagen and Old Spice Red Zone agree. Granted, the VW ad was done in 1998 - 6 years before this Red Zone ad appeared.
It's a quasi-effective anti-theft device.
It's a Bud Light commercial.
It's a Pepsi commercial.
Oops.
Read more for the forensics on this defensive drink device doppelgänger...
Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love.
Coffee has the same effect be it hot or cold. In the US or Sweden. Close dupliclaims in the ideas, very different in execution, Super Adgrunts watch these two coffee jokes sink in.
A judge has ordered Pepsi to withdraw a television commercial that has angered child-labour activists. The commercial depicts a ten-year old boy carrying pepsi to the Indian cricket team, negotiating a difficult route to them, finally emerging from an underground tunnel.
"We are against multinationals using children in advertising that shows child labour in a positive light," said activist Santosh Shinde of the Mumbai-based voluntary group Balpraful. They launched a petition in Hyderabad, where a judge ruled it should be withdrawn.
Aguilera's naughty nurse ad shelved says the Ireland online.
Sandy Summers, executive director of the Center For Nursing Advocacy said: "This ad simultaneously exploits the 'naughty nurse' and the battleaxe/Nurse Ratched stereotypes, setting the nurse up both as an available sex object and a mock-malevolent authority figure, rather than a competent professional."
While technically not a ban a withdrawn ad fits in this topic. Hat tip to Claymore. Wanna see the ad? Read more.
I'm beginning to think that European and American guys shouldn't travel to Asia without some pepto-bismo....
In an effort to break all possible taboos CK depicts a female model engaging in what looks like tossing a male models salad - or assmunching if you prefer - on a huge billboard at Lafayette street NYC.
Ford Fiesta vs Nissan Terrano - who is the original pinball wizard? Nissan Terrano poster above....
SFGate reports that the Chevy Corvette ad directed by Guy Ritchie has become a PR nightmare.
Which spot you like better might be determined by which band you like best. ELO vs. The Who.
Nike's new global ad, a spot on depiction of giggly teenage girls that have a crush on their handsome tennis instructor, has been withdrawn, due to it's terrible timing really.
They do - literally, even if they are both award winners and quite good. One won a gold in this years Cannes Festival for Outdoor. Read more to see the pair.
In one of those "really sad ad" departments lastminute.com is trying to be funny ha-ha with a viral game that had some success due to it's silly content. Yesterday lastminute premiered the press and posters that go with it.
A simple poster in the London underground urging people not to eat smelly foods while riding the tube has caused a bit of a diplomatic spat. The poster triggered a torrent of angry letters from salami-lovers and even the Italian ambassador in the UK.
"We considered this poster to be very offensive to the Italian image, Italian products and the Italian company that is clearly identified," the Italian Embassy's economic counselor Guido Cerboni told Reuters." It is a caricature of Italians."
The London Underground said to Reuters "We apologize for any offence this has caused the Italian community. It was meant to be a light-hearted attempt to stop travelers eating smelly food", the posters have been withdrawn but the storm in a sausage might not be over yet. Cerboni expects that the company who's label is clearly visable in the posters might sue for damages, "It has clearly suffered damage"
Chaos versus organized... These two ads looks very similar....
Anti-tobacco briefs have been cracked every which way by now - so it's easy to fall into the trap of doing what others have done, as happened back in 1996, Welcome to Marlboro ads. Here's another case of same thought anti-tobacco ads.
These gems of Badland have been found via Mediafact who reported about the ads in November 2003.
These aren't your typical badlander candidates since both agencies belong to the same conglomerate, but the similarities do pile up. Literally.
Did TBWA dig the worldwide acclamation for their Sony Mountain spot so much that they adapted the notion for their new US Adidas Kevin Garnett spot, or is it all a meme-ish Amsterdam/London/San Francisco coincidence? Superadgrunts, view Sony's Mountain, then Adidas' Carry and judge for yourself.
Both spots are still pretty darn good, IMHO.
Remember last year, when a "accidental" spot-on copy of a Far Side Cartoon won the Grand Prix Outdoor? (Or maybe, it was a just copy of a 1998 Peugeot ad....... ?) Course it could be all coincidence as they say - anyway, this year in Cannes another copy-of-a-cartoon won Bronze in the poster category. Oy vey. Cannes is going straight down the toons. ;9
A poster campaign for Black Ice (Smirnoff) currently running in the UK shows a bottle that bites, I guess they want to say that the drink has a bite. But doesn't everyone advertising alcohol want to say just that? Here's a cold case of coincidence.
Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Captain Dabitch and the entire crew, we would like to welcome you aboard Adland Airlines flight 007, non-stop service to Badland. My name is Robblink and I'm your chief flight attendant. At this time, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Also make sure your seat belt is correctly fastened. Thank you.
Click here to view the Honda commercial.
Click here to view the Mercedes commercial.
How do you take a picture of someone taking a picture? With a camera covering their eye, of course - it's just that some poses are becoming overexposed.......
Superadgrunts, read more to see how yoga, ballet and beer all go together.
Cult Shaker didn't get enough attention for their last stunt I suppose, and are at it again, begging for hype by covering bus posters and other outdoor media with two nude frolicking women but no selling point.
And once again, Kvindeligt Selskab reported them for "making the public space pornographic". Someone has vandalized most of the poster spaces already, with good old fashioned black spraypaint, which we presume Cult will have to foot the removal bill for.
A strange coincidence, a fluke or a case of getting a little too inspired? Either way this is an odd couple, Queen vs Dutch singers Bauer & Borsato. Hat tip for these twins goes to adgrunt JLB.
It was bound to happen after all the alerts in the news about advertising effects on children, and how it was linked to obesity. When a paediatrician recently said that "advertisments aimed at children were a form of child abuse and should be banned" we sorta knew the bans would come soon. The Age in Australia reports that UK bans junk food ads on TV for children and the austrailians probably won't be far behind in taking similar action.
The documentary Super Size me which got high praize at the Sundance Film Festival and doing really well at the boxoffice, is again in the news - t
A Tooheys New beer has been pulled after complaints that it was cruel to cane toads - in the
The offending nipple-scene, above.
An ad that encourages Europeans to vote has been re-edited for Britain, editing out part of a scene where a young woman breastfeeds her baby.
The CAA felt it was too overtly sexual for it to be given a universal certificate. In all the other European Union countries the nipple version will air uncut, the voiceover says: "You've been voting since you were born: don't stop now - European parliament elections, 10th of June."
Don't try and look as cool as the Hanson boys if you're an androgynous fella with long hair under the age of ten.
The controversial viral cat decapitation ad for ford Ka which gathered many more complaints than their pigeon killing car last year has also gathered much more press.
To be fair, I don't know who is ripping off who here. Of course, it's also possible that it could all be a coincidence - a freak occurance that defies the laws of man and nature, like Tunguska blast of 1908 or Paris Hilton's celebrity.
Two years ago radioshow hosts Jim Krenn and Randy Baumann got some media attention for their billboard, this year radioshow hosts Lex and Terry are getting media attention for the same tasteless tactic.
They both plastered giant boobs on a billboard.
