Boo on Qdoba

Next week is my birthday, and I've been getting a few emails this week with special birthday offers from various companies. Delta's offering me double Skymiles, Houlihan's gave me a free entree, and so did Qdoba. Except not really. The Qdoba offer is actually a buy one get one free coupon, which really isn't anything all that special. I mean, seriously, how can they send someone a birthday present saying, "Hey, you can have a free burrito, as long as you buy another burrito!" Do they expect me to eat two 1000 calorie burritos? Or maybe they're suggesting I buy someone else a burrito on my birthday, and I get one free. This email only makes sense if sent to a friend or family member of mine, so they can take me out. To send it to me is absolutely silly, and makes me not want to go there at all. Keep reading...

Really cool: UNIQLO Mixer

UNIQLO has released another hypnotic application to follow up its Cannes Lion-winning UNIQLOCK. Now you can mash up prerecorded sounds and video to make a cool beat. Keep reading...

Golden Moon Hotel & Casino Sucks

Several weeks ago I heard a radio spot for a place called Golden Moon Hotel & Casino. It consisted of a conversation between two men discussing their plans to visit said casino, using expressions that reeked of douchebagginess (sample line of dialog: “Blonde, brunette, it doesn’t matter!”). Their conversation made me, as a copywriter, a man, and a human being, want to drive my car into a wall. They sounded like parodies of douchebags, only they were completely serious. The phrase that made me wince most, however, was “You know,” said by both characters with different intonation. It seemed like the copywriters were desperately trying to hint at debauchery, but couldn’t figure out some creative way to do so. Little did I know these two empty words were the crux of Golden Moon’s advertising strategy.

Last week the casino rolled out print ads and billboards featuring the abominable phrase, along with a picture of a semi-attractive woman emerging from a swimming pool. Beneath the photo, the despised words. WHAT DO THEY MEAN? What am I alleged to know? Because I most certainly DO NOT KNOW.

The second ad is equally awful, but for altogether different reasons. The headline makes no sense, unless you understand the pun on “moon.” It is also set lazily in all caps with a pointless drop shadow. The body copy is full of empty words and clichéd phrases. Then there’s the mammoth (boring) logo. Complete ad fail.

Golden Moon Hotel & Casino, I’m sorry, but I hate you. Keep reading...