I have a soft spot

in my heart for department stores.

When I was a student, I worked for four years at Allders of Croydon on Saturdays and during holidays. Then, for 18 years, I worked at Freemans catalogue (a department store in a book), ending up as a senior manager in the creative and marketing departments before setting up my own business.

These days, the 'everything under one roof' concept seems to be fading, to be replaced by smaller niche retail outlets.

With the UK general election less than a week away, it reminded me that the difference between the main parties used to be this:

- Labour believe in centralising everything (state control)
- Conservatives believe in localising everything (individual responsibility)
- LibDems believe in proportional representation (so a party can't get into power with, say, 40% of the vote just because that's more than anyone else, as 60% of the people voted against them)

I'm over-simplifying of course, but then, that's my speciality!

I call it 'writing without waffle' although I do a lot more than that. As a catchphrase, it's a hard-working lead-in I can use to sell other services.

Are you trying to be all things to all people? Or do you sell to a specific niche? And do you have a simple slogan that encaptures your essence?

3D masterpiece

Ad by Samsung

Confused of Croydon

Since when has 'Fruity drinks and lunchtime dreams' made any kind of sense at all?

But but butt

There's this:


And there's this:


And then there's this debate about the objectification of women


For example:

Eneya
6:24 am on November 16, 2009

To, to summarize:
We have a girl in tight short and the camera person can not stop focusing on it, being a total ass and highly unprofessional, rude and disrespectful.
BUT the girls was not… for instance mad, she was flattered. ’cause you know, all girls want to be perceived only as attachment to their legs/ass/boobs.
All women want to be perceived as sex objects period.
Due to the second ad in which is directly stated that 1st women do not want to exercise to feel good in their bodies, but to be noticed by men and 2nt, consequently, be envied by the women who failed to attract that attention to themselves being with different body types than the “normative”.
And last but not least, your boobs are talking!!!! (WTF??)
They are portrayed as jealous (using them to refer other women and their supposed reaction to your fabulous new BUTT and legs which you achieved by wearing pink boots, lying in the bed (????) or posing.

I imagine how the dialog about this was led.
“Hey guys, let us make a commercial towards women. We are selling boots, right? How can we appeal to women better?”
“Why not sell them boots made especially for them… you know, pink. All the girlZ love pink and will buy anything in pink.”
“Excellent idea… but… you know women are lazy. They are not going to do anything to help themselves and they do not care about their bodies, they do not sport just to please themselves. We need to make them to want to do that. How??”
“Well, we can tell them that it will make their butt look better only by wearing the boots. And that all will notice their butt, men will ooze, other women will be jealous and everybody will be happy!”
“What about homosexual women? And women who do not do things only because it will attract males?”
(Dead silence in the room)
“Oook, let’s begin the the ad. And do not forget all the important things the final piece should be.:
1. Mysogynic
2. Objectifying women
3. Portraying them as sex toys
4. PINK!!!!
5. Male gaze
Ok? Let’s do this!!”

Or at least something very similar to that, I am sure.
By from me, I am going to fetch my axe and meet some people.
See you around.

So true!

I still love the Boots 'here come the girls' ads, especially the ones where girls screw up their faces to swallow pills or apply skincare lotions and potions as if the camera were a mirror. It's realistic. And it's funny!

Today's message: Ads that ring true, ring tills*.

* Quotable quote © me

So good!

Today's prize goes to Burger King poster copy. Everything is beautifully written and consistent with their 'have it your way' theme, even the sign on the bin.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the examples I wanted online, you'll just have to go to a BK store and read them there.

So sweet!

Watching the Muppet Wizard of Oz on TV over Easter with my little nieces, the youngest burst into peals of laughter when she saw this ad.

She's not exactly the target market to buy the product (although she probably uses plenty), but it was a moment of pure delight and, indeed, charm!

Am I missing something?

The KFC Krushems ad has a High School yearbook with names such as Joe King, Will Power and Rudy Mentry.

But what's funny about Virginia Yale, Jane Walker, Monique Cartier, Dorian Black and Bart de Kool?

P.S. The campaign was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), the agency I always think of as Beetle, Bartle, Bogle, Boogle, Boggle. But what's in a name, eh guys?