DumpsterCam PR Effort Boosts Respect for Garbage Workers
Garbage workers around the world have a physically difficult, smelly job few people want, and typically don’t get much respect […]
Marketing
Marx MasterCards Prove Highly Popular in Germany
The Sparkasse Bank in Chemnitz, in eastern Germany, asked customers to vote on images they would most like to see
RJR’s “Project SCUM” Targeted Gays, the Homeless, Immigrants and Youth
This post is part of our ongoing series exploring the millions of previously-secret tobacco industry documents now available on
The Average Soda is 6 Times Bigger Than in the 1950s?
The average fast food restaurant meal today is over four times bigger than it was in the 1950s, according to
Skip TV Ads, Go to Jail?
The major television networks ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are arguing that skipping commercials while watching TV shows recorded on
R.J. Reynolds’ “Salem Black Initiative,” 1989
This 1989 R.J. Reynolds marketing report summarizes a company brainstorming session to find ways to increase sales of Salem cigarettes to
Skechers Pays $40 Million for Deceptively Advertising “Butt Toning” Shoes
Skechers, the maker of those roly-poly “toning shoes” that were a big craze back in 2010, will shell out $40
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
Bizarre Ideas to Sell More Smokes from Philip Morris
This 1987 Philip Morris brainstorming document is full of bizarre ideas for how to make cigarettes more appealing and marketable
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, 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
Johnson & Johnson Fined $1.2 Billion for Illegal Drug Marketing
The state of Arkansas has ordered Johnson & Johnson and one of its subsidiaries, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, to pay $1.2 billion
Consumer advocacy, Food, Health
Campaign Urges Hospitals to Evict McDonalds Restaurants
Corporate Accountability International (CAI), a group that challenges corporate abuses, posted an open letter on its website asking hospitals that
Facebook Shuns Women in Advance of IPO
Fifty-eight percent of Facebook users are women, and women account for over 70 percent of daily fan activity on the
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