The Bottled Water Scam
People who buy bottled water pay up to 1,900 times what tap water costs, but get less access to key […]
Advertising
Compass Colorado Links Obama and U.S. Energy Policy to Iranian Dictator
The Republican front group Compass Colorado is running billboards across the state that link President Obama with Iranian President Mahmoud
Memo Exposes Huge PR Campaign to Attack Wind and Solar Industries
A group of energy industry-affiliated, right-wing groups is readying a massive PR plan to try and turn American public opinion
Heartland Institute Likens People Who Believe in Climate Change to Mass Murderers
The Heartland Institute put up an inflammatory billboard along a major highway Illinois that compared belief in global warming to
Abbott Labs Pays $1.6 Billion for Illegal Drug Marketing
Abbott Laboratories, the maker of Ensure, PaediaSure, Similac and Vicodin, pled guilty to misbranding and illegally marketing its drug Depakote.
Advertising, Economics, Ethics, Front groups, Health, Lobbying, Media, politics, Tobacco
Female, African-American Doctor Backs Tobacco Industry in New Ad
The tobacco industry’s front group, “Californians Against Out-of-Control Taxes and Spending,” is spending millions to run a 30-second TV ad
BP Ads Say Everything’s Great in the Gulf; Fisherman Report Sicknesses, Deformed Sea Life
Two years after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, BP is running ads on TV promoting tourism
Dow-Funded PBS TV Series Promotes Dow and Its Product Lines
A new, four-part PBS television show airing this month called “America Revealed” is sponsored by the Dow Chemical company, whose
Seven Sponsors Drop Rush Limbaugh in Missoula
The grassroots effort to push Rush Limbaugh off KGVO radio in Missoula, Montana saw major success this week after seven
Federal Court Says Groups Can’t Keep Campaign Donors Secret
A District Court in Washington, D.C, ruled (pdf) earlier this month that it is illegal for groups to keep secret
Pain at the Pump Funds Huge Pay Raises for Energy Executives
Gasbuddy.com, the website that logs gas prices across the U.S., has a big blue banner ad at the top of
Advertising, Health
NFL Players Promote Adult Diapers
NFL football players endorsing products for money isn’t new, but DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys, Wes Welker of the
Advertising, politics, Religion
TV Ad Promotes Separation of Church and State
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is running a television ad promoting the separation of church and state, the first such
Education, Health, Tobacco
Vivid Anti-Smoking Ads Prompt Flood of Quitline Calls
On March 19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) started a new print and television ad campaign called “Tips
Vodka Ad Jokes About Sexual Assault, Gets Yanked
The makers of Belvedere Vodka yanked a controversial ad that appeared to joke about rape. The ad showed a horrified
DirecTV’s Disappearing-Channels Scam
Thinking of subscribing to DirecTV? Think again. DirecTV pulls a fast one on subscribers to push them into more expensive
In-Your-Face Ad Leverages Smoker Frustration to Sell E-Cigarettes
The maker of the “blu” brand of electronic cigarette is hoping smokers will respond to a particularly aggressive ad campaign
Digital Billboard Companies Working Across U.S. to Ban Local Control
Last year, citizens of Rapid City, South Dakota — a town besieged by billboards — passed an initiative banning construction