McCain Ads That Didn’t Run

Most of John McCain's television spots, going back to the primaries, were simply dreadful. Now, Fred Davis III, the "advertising whiz" behind these atrocious ads, is whining to TIME's Michael Scherer that McCain wouldn't let him run some particularly clever ones. What if the McCain campaign had run ads using footage of Barack Obama dancing with Ellen DeGeneres to show ...

100 Most Influential Slogans

The 100 Most Influential Taglines Since 1948. There's always room to quibble with this selection or that, but on the whole it's a pretty solid list. I probably wouldn't put "Got milk?" Number 1, for instance, but it obviously belongs in the Top 10. Speaking of which, here they are: Slogans: 1. Got milk? (1993) California Milk Processor Board 2. Don’t leave home without ...

McCain Raised $22 Million in June

John McCain and the Republicans are in much better financial shape than we thought, breaking his May record of $21 million with a $22 million haul in June. Republican presidential candidate John McCain raised more than $22 million in June, his best fundraising performance of the year, and ended the month with nearly $27 million cash on hand. Campaign manager Rick Davis ...

Is Your Washroom Breeding Bolsheviks?

I found this earlier and had to share: As best I can tell from Googling, this is not a PhotoShop but an actual ad circa 1930. The image has the watermark of the Georgetown Book Shop, which offers the poster for sale. The copy reads: This is a perennial bestseller and attention grabber, but to us the best line in the ...

Millionaire Penalty Struck Down by Supreme Court

McCain-Feingold, the signature legislation of the presumptive Republican nominee for president, took another blow yesterday as the Supreme Court struck down the so-called "Millionaire's Amendment" in yet another 5-4 decision. “Supporters of reasonable campaign finance regulation are now zero for three in the Roberts court,” said Richard L. Hasen, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. “This is a ...

Obama Overexposed?

Jeralyn Merritt is upset by the news that Barack Obama is thinking about running ads during the Olympics, perhaps spending up to $4 million. At some point, aren't voters likely to feel the ads are intrusive? Or at least start rolling their eyes? I'm getting angry that every time I click on a news site, his face is staring at me from ...

AP Blog Fair Use Guidelines

The Associated Press is backing down on its attempt to use the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to stop the Drudge Retort from using short excerpts of its content after a major backlash in the blogosphere. (See Jeff Jarvis, Cernig, Michael Arrington, and others for background.) Saul Hansell reports the AP's modified stance in today's NYT: The A.P.’s effort to impose some ...

Married People Earn More Money

Seen this morning in DC: An advertising poster with the caption, "Married people earn more money." I thought perhaps someone has been reading Stuart Buck and is seeking to take the romance out of marriage. It turns out that this is a campaign aimed at curbing teen pregnancy: Since 1987, Campaign For Our Children (CFOC) has created compelling programs to ...

Spanish Miami’s Primary Language

Spanish-only speakers have an easier time getting by in Miami than English-only speakers, AP reports. In many areas of Miami, Spanish has become the predominant language, replacing English in everyday life. Anyone from Latin America could feel at home on the streets, without having to pronounce a single word in English. In stores, shopkeepers wait on their clients in ...

Rachael Ray, Donut Terrorist

Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an ad spot featuring Rachael Ray wearing a scarf around her neck because some thought it was a subtle nod of support to Palestinians. Does Dunkin’ Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that ...