Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Ad Nauseam

Cellular Industry Gives Big Tobacco a Run for Its Money

By Brad Aaron | Dec 8, 2009 | No Comments

Western Union cellphone ad from 1984. Image via NYT Concerns arose not long after it hit the market. External studies seemed to confirm what industry insiders feared: The product could pose a public health risk. But as sales soared, whistleblowers who didn’t leave their jobs were forced to keep quiet. Companies maintained a posture of […]

Garmin: Chat, Navigate and Steer — But Don’t Drive Distracted

By Brad Aaron | Nov 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

The first time I saw this ad I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me. But no, there it is: a young woman holding a cellphone toward the camera as "nüvifone" maker Garmin beckons viewers to "communicate while navigating." "With my nüvifone, I can take calls from my friends while I’m driving to them," […]

Ad Nauseam: Toyota’s (Passive-Aggressive) Ransom Note to America

By Bryan Goebel | Oct 14, 2009 | No Comments

Toyota wants you to know that it’s here for you. And not just as a car maker, as the company explains in this spot, ironically entitled "Community." Like GM before them, Toyota wants to make sure you realize just how much their company means to you. Here’s our voice-over: "We acknowledge you are coming to […]

Ad Nauseam: Jay Leno Plays Vehicular Manslaughter for Laughs

By Brad Aaron | Aug 21, 2009 | 1 Comment

According to Movieline (via New York Mag), Jay Leno’s new prime time show, set to debut on NBC in September, hasn’t exactly been generating a lot of buzz. But since nothing says funny like a grisly hit-and-run, this promo, co-starring Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live," should turn things around. Though I’m pretty sure Leno […]

Ad Nauseam: What “Cash for Clunkers” Hath Wrought

By Ben Fried | Jul 24, 2009 | No Comments

The government’s Cash for Clunkers program officially begins today, but car dealers have been running ads like this one for a while already. They have to keep the public informed: Now you can trade in your old car and buy a brand-new SUV or pick-up truck with a hefty assist from Uncle Sam. Here we […]

The Opposite of Ad Nauseam: Farrah Fawcett on a Bike

By Brad Aaron | Jun 26, 2009 | No Comments

It’s been a tumultuous week in more ways than one. We’re going to leave it behind with a flashback, via Cycelicious, to the late 1970s, when Farrah Fawcett pedaled to promote her own line of shampoo. What helmet could contain that hair? We couldn’t find video of Ed McMahon or Michael Jackson on a bike […]

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