The key to being a horrible ad is to be subtle.

It's easy to be a bad ad. Maybe even easier to be a horrendous ad. But it takes a certain special Venn diagram overlap of insulting to be an ad that burns with an intensity of bad equal to 1,000 suns. This ad is just that kind of ad.

Here, Glenn Beck is collecting money to endorse a weight loss product by calling his wife overweight.

Bravo, Mr. Beck, when it comes to losing things, you certainly are an expert. Your integrity and class will be missed by what's left of your audience and advertisers when you depart Fox News at a date that cannot possible be soon enough for the vast majority of Americans.

In the meantime, the official Glenn Beck Store has put a lot of thought into its special Mother's Day Page. Be sure not to miss any of its deals.

A battle brewing between pro-gay rights and pro-family anti-gay rights groups is over the rainbow. We don't mean "over the rainbow" as in Dorothy's Wizard of Oz tune; a fight is brewing over "the rainbow," the iconic six-color rainbow flag that has been a rallying image of all things LGBT since the 1970s.

Activists recently announced that "We are the real rainbow coalition," protesting the "gay lobby" as the "owner" of the rainbow imagery. This debate is a colorful case study in exactly what a brand is, and how it can be misunderstand.Continue reading...

British fans of Ben & Jerry's are feeling they're being frozen out by the Vermont-based ice cream maker.

The company's decision to scrap its monthly email newsletter in favor of pushing customers to engage with the brand on social media apparently has not gone over well in a market where B&J has tried to win favor with flavors such as the nod to Queen, Bohemian Raspberry.

The ensuing tsunami highlights some marketing ‘nuances’ in the new media versus old media business.

As we've noted, Ben & Jerry's has doubled down on social media, expanding its Facebook superstar status into the digital realm with a clever mobile app that recently added augmented reality.Continue reading...