WTF Friday

For the first installment of a new feature, I present to you two examples of questionable marketing:


An ad for Pharm House, an Atlanta restaurant that has since shut down. Who would want to eat at a place whose name and logo make it sound like you'll be served Tylenol Tartare and Grilled Lipitor?


This ad appeared in the SF Weekly a couple months ago. At first glance nothing seems particularly odd, but then your eyes find the woman just to the left of the chef and you recoil in horror. She looks 30 years older and 90% less attractive than the other women, plus she's doing something very creepy with both of her hands. How did this creature find its way into an ad for strip clubs? Keep reading...

Banner Bonanza

Several years ago a video of the French news anchor Melissa Theuriau suddenly went viral because of her stunning good looks (and adorable Frenchiness). Now Theuriau's image is being used to advertise several dubious products on the web, including iPads and, most prominently, acai berries. I'm certainly not complaining, having her pretty face all over the web, but I'm perplexed to see such blatant disregard for privacy rights, and I'm surprised Theuriau's lawyers haven't shut these banners down.

I was nearly as shocked to see that Theuriau is married to the crippled dude from Amelie!



And just for fun, here's another terrible banner with horrific photoshopping.

Keep reading...

DDB Brasil's FedEx ads

While all six of these ads are no doubt very nicely art directed, the concept is getting a bit thin (the campaigns are a year apart). The most recent series (on the right) is even weaker, since it appears FedEx only delivers to destinations on the same line of longitude as the sender. Keep reading...