Advertising

You would think that after all these years of highly publicized social media screw ups and popular SXSW panels that highlight such screw ups, brands would finally get the message; Don't be a jackass and alienate your biggest fans. Sadly, it seems there will always be an idiot in the mix. This time it's Italy-based Ferrero SpA, parent company to Nutella, a hazelnut spread loved by many The brand sent a cease and desist to Sara Rosso, founder of World Nutella Day, a 7-year-old event and organization that is all about the love of Nutella. Rosso launched World Nutella Day in 2007 to "celebrate Italy's edible treasure with online and offline tributes." The event's Facebook page has 40,000 likes. As to why Nutella sent the cease and desist, Rosso said, "They asked me to take down the site because they consider it to be an unauthorized use of their intellectual property and trademarks, the Nutella logo and brand." In lawyer speak, that translates to, "We don't have a fucking clue what social media is and we don't give a shit either." Without surprise, it seems it's only the lawyers who are the party poopers in this situation. Of her interactions over the years with Nutella, Rosso said, "I've had positive interactions with the company and its consultants in the past so I'm trying to stay positive about a resolution." Supporters of Rosso are having a field day at the expense of Nutella with one supporter posting, "Nutella...more nuts in company management than in every jar." While Ferrero SpA has remained mum to requests for comment, we're pretty sure there's nothing they can say that will explain away this particular brain fart.

This is hilarious! And so welcome. After years of trashing the anti-smoking Truth campaign for its idiotic use of anachronistic quotes from tobacco company executives and Derek Beckles, this new work from Arnold Worldwide made us laugh. Of course, it's 4th grade bathroom humor but no one ever really grows out of that. Take a look at how Arnold conveys the fact methane is found in dog poop and cigarette smoke and urea (aka carbamide which is an organic chemical compound and the waste produced by the body after metabolizing protein) is found in cat pee and cigarettes. Good stuff.

As a parent, you no doubt experience pangs of trepidation -- no, horror -- when you leave your children with a babysitter you may not know very well. You wonder if your children will be well cared for, whether they will be fed properly, whether they go to bed on time. But, if you've ever had any of the three types of babysitters featured in this BBDO Atlanta-created, Tool-produced commercial, your concerns are a bit more serious and you'll want to make sure your next babysitter has take the American Red Cross' Babysitting Basics course before leaving the house.

In Mexico, we are told 22% of car accidents are caused by women. That little stat forms the basis of Publicis Mexico-created ad campaign for MINI which urges women not to apply make up while driving, seemingly the cause of those 22% of accidents. Before we get into the actual campaign here, let's do a little math. If 22% of all car accidents are caused by women, can one assume 78% are caused by men? Why, then, do we have a campaign that just wreaks of the age old stereotype that women are bad drivers? And why is it assumed the application of makeup is the cause of these accidents? Hmm. Questionable marketing, perhaps? But hey, it's fun to blow up air bags in the Ladies Room while unsuspecting women apply makeup. And maybe makeup-induced accidents really are a thing in Mexico. Who are we to judge? And if all the other stats thrown at us in this ad are to be believed (stereotypical or not) then maybe this is a message that needs to be delivered. Maybe it's sad that 6 out of 10 Mexican women wouldn't dream of going to work without makeup or that 1 in 4 believe not wearing makeup could cost them a promotion. But if that's the reality then urging women not to apply makeup while driving is, perhaps, less stereotypical and more practical. Now if only MINI could come up with a strategy to curtail the apparent 78% of men who cause the rest of all car accidents.

Last week AdExchanger looked at the dynamic between ROI DNA, a performance-driven agency, and its preferred display-trading partner, Run DSP. (Read the story.) There are many such relationships in ad tech, where a mid-sized agency relies on a key network or platform partner to drive ROI and provide hand-holding to its planners and buyers. You [...]

ADOTAS – Microsoft has unveiled Xbox One, its next-generation entertainment console. This is not your daddy’s gaming system: The Xbox One enables users to instantly switch between games, movies, music, the Web, Skype and live TV. Here’s how the Twitterverse is reacting: Tweets about “#XboxReveal” Subscribe to the free Adotas.com Newsletter

Microsoft is refreshing its Xbox console brand for the first time in eight years with the launch of Xbox One, which the company claims will use cloud technology to provide an "all in one" home entertainment system.

Deep Focus will handle social media duties for Nespresso USA, wresting most of that business from Weber Shandwick, which will -More-

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The PSA Central site from the Ad Council allows media partners to create public service announcements for a variety of digita -More-