Posts Tagged ‘Times Square’

Responsible or not? Advertising adultery

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Ashley Madison is a social networking/dating service—for married people.

Although the company isn’t breaking any laws by helping facilitate adultery (soon they’ll have a money back guarantee if you don’t successfully have an affair), they aren’t breaking any laws.

Still, their billboard only lasted three days in Times Square, an ad they produced for ESPN was rejected, and a second, tamer ad only ran shortly before being pulled.

Here’s the story from Reuters:


View this video on Youtube

So, what do you think?

Is Ashley Madison responsible or not?

Comment below to weigh in.

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Pump up the volume to improve marketing? Maybe not.

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

Gilmore Group

I’ve spoken about the effects of information overload for over a decade, and have written a post or two on the subject as well.

Because info glut makes it so difficult to break through, as marketers we’ll try just about anything:

  • We’ll make our ads bigger. While big ads are usually better than small ads, they cost more.
  • We pump up the volume on our radio and television ads. This may get your listener’s attention, but it isn’t message responsible and really doesn’t respect your audience, either.
  • We find new ways to interrupt. Whether it’s a breakthrough ad, a telemarketer’s call at dinner, a lumpy mailer, or a humongous billboard like the one being constructed in Times Square, it’s still an interruption.
  • We do it more often. If seven times won’t get you to pay attention, maybe seventy will?
  • In Permission Marketing, Seth Godin sums up the irony of advertising well:

    The more they spend, the less it works.
    The less it works, the more they spend.

    The truth hurts, doesn’t it?

    We’re fans of permission here, and use it whenever it makes sense.

    But we’re always looking for better ways to responsibly get attention.

    Usually that means pumping up the creativity, not the volume.

    How do you break through responsibly?

    Comment below to weigh in.