Don't Blame Yourself ... Blame Marketing

A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American

Don't Blame Yourself ... Blame Tony the Tiger

Thanks to Gene Mueller for alerting me to this: A new study says that cereal makers target children with ads that tout their most sugar-laden fare.  If you're searching for the newsy part in this story, you're not alone.

As a marketing guru, I feel obligated to point out that all companies target their advertising at those most likely to want the products that they're selling. Commercials for sugar-laden cereals target children because that's who the cereals are made for; and the manufacturers have been peddling their products this why since before Captain Kangaroo was a private.

Blaming General Mills, Post and Kellogg's for kids' rotten teeth, poor nutrition and dietary woes is wrong.  Let's see ... where should we put the blame? Oh, I know! How about ... "parenting?"

If you think today's cereals are bad for kids, see how many of the following old brands you remember eating ... and surviving.

And my least favorite of all time ...

For more old time cereal examples, click here.

A "Poo Explosion"

Via AdFreak: Whatever you call it, "a poo explosion" or "number 3" this commercial for BabyLove Diapers is pretty darn funny. In the commercial mom can handle No. 1's and No. 2's, but when the kid unleashes a No. 3 in her SUV, she can't hide her disgust.

Click here and laugh.

True or Not True?
In the 1600's people used to use urine to tan animal skins. Families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor." But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot ... they "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.

Slaw and Order ... Some See "Felony Franks" as a Crime

From The Wall Street Journal: When James Andrews opened a hotdog stand on Chicago's rough West Side, he thought he was doing a community service by hiring ex-convicts. But some in the neighborhood think the name he chose ... Felony Franks ... is a crime.

An alderman has refused Mr. Andrews permission to hang a new sign or build a drive-through lane. Members of a neighborhood association have vowed to stay away from Felony Franks until the name is changed and the décor ... including paintings of cartoon hotdogs in prison stripes ... is removed.

"I don't understand it," Mr. Andrews says. The 64-year-old businessman has long employed ex-convicts at his main business, a company that supplies paper goods to restaurants.

He says he thinks people deserve a second chance and felons need stable jobs so they don't add to homelessness. He thought of opening a hotdog stand three years ago while driving past one. The name "Felony Franks" just popped into his head, he says.

Whatever you think of the idea, you have to give Mr. Andrews props for creative menu item naming: Felony Frank, Misdemeanor Weiner, Accomplices (side orders) Slaw and Order and many more here, at the restaurant's Web site ... which includes video.

Another Advertising Sham

In 1914 Listerine became the first over-the-counter mouthwash sold in the United States. By 1921 it was already falsely marketing its product. (In the ad above the guy has his head wrapped in bandages because he didn't use Listerine?!) Declaring itself a cure-all for common cold ailments like sore throats and coughs, a dandruff preventative, an anti-shave tonic, and a safe way to protect yourself from cuts, bruises, wounds, and stings, Listerine was slapped with numerous false advertisement lawsuits.

In 1975, the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company to spend $10 million in corrective advertising, seeing as their product was no more effective in treating colds than gargling warm water. Even then, the mouthwash giant didn't really learn their lesson. In 2005, the company was slapped with another lawsuit. This time because Listerine claimed it was as "effective as floss" after rigging clinical trials.

Now if you're looking for a refreshing example of "truth in advertising" you don't have to go any farther than the late Dave Thomas who gave us great ads, like the one below.