Tiger Woods held a press conference today (that was streamed live on the Web, no less) to apologize to us.
In case you’ve been living under a rock with no TV, Woods has had some extramarital affairs. So, why do we need an apology in such a private matter? I’m not sure. Was it a PR move for his remaining sponsors? His wife’s idea? A dare? I would believe any of those reasons over just his need for the world’s forgiveness to get on with his life. Think about it… If a friend, co-worker, relative, or total (non-famous) stranger cheated on his or her spouse, would you get an apology? Absolutely not.
Tiger, go away and play golf. We don’t care about what you do in your free time. Really, we don’t.
Sometimes I envy the days when the media would look the other way on the transgressions of famous people (Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., JFK, FDR, etc.). There are things that are just none of anyone else’s business. Think of how many tabloids would be out of business!
AdFreak has a great graphic of what you could buy instead of a Super Bowl commercial. While I don’t like some of the suggestions, the point remains clear: Super Bowl ads are a giant waste of money.
Yes, I know some of them are iconic and some of them are wildly popular. And, the ads are a main reason that people tune into the game. Agencies know the audience numbers are unbeatable on any other day in the modern television landscape. So, the ad dollars makes sense to some companies. (How else would GoDaddy be a household word?) But, most of the ads we’ll see on Super Bowl Sunday will only end up as a blip on our busy, over-programmed, short-attention-span radar.
I don’t begrudge the network for charging the amount they do for the airtime. I’m a firm believer that the free market should decide what the going rate is. If there are companies willing to pay it, then the network should reap the benefits. But, in this recession, does it really seem wise from the company’s perspective to pay $2.6 million for a 30-second spot during the game? Yes, that is over two and a half million dollars!
That’s why Pepsi’s decision to not place Super Bowl ads this year is so great. After almost 25 years of placing ads during the Super Bowl, they have decided to put the money towards a social media campaign. Pepsi usually purchases many 30-second spots during the game, so this is a huge chunk of change the company can use throughout 2010 and beyond. Plus, the announcement has been so startling that Pepsi is now getting more Super Bowl buzz than its rival Coke.
We’ll have to wait until next year to see what effect Pepsi’s pull-out will have on the ad rates. Could this be a trend other companies will follow? Until the economy bounces back and people have jobs again, I sure hope so.
Not that anyone believes anything Pat Robertson says, but he’s really proven how hateful he is with his latest comment on the Haitian earthquake. While tens of thousands of people have lost their lives in Haiti, Robertson said they asked for it by making a pact with the devil:
“They were under the heel of the French…and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French,’” he said.
Robertson continued: “True story. And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ They kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.”
I know what we’re cursed with, Pat. Having to listen to YOU, you old conservative, hate-slinging, ignorant windbag.
For the record, earthquakes are caused by the shifting and moving of the Earth’s plates. Not the devil. Not a curse. Not magic beans or any other hoodoo you can dream up. I’m pretty sure an elementary school child could tell you that.
But, while we’re focusing on him, let’s not forget some of Robertson’s other gems in the face of disaster:
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Robertson said civil libertarians and gay rights groups bore responsibility for the strikes.
He has also said Hurricane Katrina was an expression of God’s wrath over abortion, and said Ariel Sharon’s stroke was God’s vengeance for Israel’s ceding land to the Palestinians.
Then, the EZCracker is here to solve all your egg-cracking problems!
Really? Is this how pathetic we’ve become? Cracking an egg is neither difficult nor time consuming. I think this product should only be purchased by amputees and people with severe arthritis. Anyone else who owns one has surely lost his or her dignity.
What’s next? A product that will shovel the eggs into our mouths for us? I can hear the informercial now…. “Using a fork is hard! And, how many times have you poked yourself in the eye? Well, put down that fork because now we’ll do it for you….”
Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.
Some people had common sense.
A couple in Washington is collecting aluminum cans in order to pay for their summer wedding. Getting hitched ain’t cheap, so kudos to this enterprising couple. I can’t wait to see how they pay for the honeymoon.
An interactive media company in NYC developed a video to entice potential interns. When working for peanuts, a quick video of your responsibilities helps–especially if it looks fun. This makes the want ads seem so 1990s.
And, some did not.
While giving an interview on Good Morning America, Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of NYC, said there was never a domestic terror attack on G.W. Bush’s watch. Really, Rudy? Did you forget about 9/11, which happened when YOU were mayor? More absurd than this ridiculous partisan sniping, GMA’s correspondent did NOT call Guiliani out on it. Just nod and smile while you’re on camera. No need to actually think.
A woman in Ohio punched though a McDonald’s drive-thru window because McNuggets weren’t available. Man, what’s in those things?! We know the nuggets are good, but punching the window…wow.
Some British researchers concluded that the female G-Spot is subjective, so therefore must be a myth. No physical exam was performed. Instead, the women (all twins) were asked whether they believed they had a G-Spot or not. 56% of the women said yes, but no pattern between twins emerged so the researchers concluded those 56% were misinformed about their bodies. The study seems anecdotal and not very thorough. It’s a sad commentary when such shoddy methodology is used, especially on such a delicate subject. If it’s going to be proven or disproven, do it right.
Anyone who bet the farm on Susan Boyle’s first album. But, her success isn’t really much of a surprise considering the world’s response to her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. We’ve been rooting for her since we heard her first note.
Despite complaints, a Connecticut elementary school principal maintains his ban on religious symbols in his public school’s classrooms. Hooray for the separation of church and state!
And, some did not.
An employee of the Arizona school district is accused of using school computers to search for the existence of alien life. It will take over $1 million to fix the problems in the computer system. Can the aliens chip in on this one?
Anyone who buys apparel from White Castle, especially something that looks disturbingly close to a muumuu. Do your dignity a (smaller) favor and buy a Snuggie instead. [Thanks, Consumerist!]
TV viewers tuning into Steven Seagal Lawman who aren’t just gawking at the incredibly absurd. Is it me, or does it seem like someone is going to get inappropriately injured here?
LG is doing a PSA campaign with James Lipton (of Inside the Actor’s Studio fame) warning teens to think before texting. I’m not sure it’ll work but kudos to LG for tackling the issue.
There are 4 ads, and Lipton’s beard plays an important role in each. This one is my favorite. Yes, Lipton says “tweets about his beets.”
Are you planning on getting up at the crack of dawn on Friday to snag some sales? The stores hope you will. The name “Black Friday” refers to the fact that retailers generally move into the black (in other words profitable) on that day. But, look deeper into the fine print on the sale items and you may decide to stay home instead.
Many stores pull some sleazy shenanigans to get customers in the door. Here are some things to look out for.
Limited quantities
Yes, those deals on the flat-screen tvs look too good to be true. The sales are real, but only for the first few people who can grab one. The stores knowingly limit the amount of items for sale–and there are NO rain checks. So, if there are four tvs available for the deal price and you are number five…so sad, too bad.
Sears has not officially revealed its Black Friday sales. However, the company confirmed to CNNMoney.com that two of its post-Thanksgiving deals include a Samsung 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $599.99, “Only while quantities last, minimum three per store, no rainchecks.”
“Sure, you probably have more, but how do you put out a circular to millions of households and only have three?,” Dworsky asked.
Taking advantage of not-so-tech-savvy consumers
Stores knowingly offer the killer deals on lower-quality products, especially electronics, because consumers won’t know the difference. These have far less features than the standard models in a product line.
Dworsky cautions that retailers usually don’t advertise these models as derivatives. “There’s no way the average consumer will know that the TV model they are buying is not the standard one unless they are savvy enough to compare their model numbers,” he said.
The risk
A Black Friday stampede at Wal-Mart last year resulted in the death of an employee. This year, some stores have changed their policies to avoid chaos, either staying open throughout Thanksgiving night or giving numbers to those in early morning lines. However, not all stores have revised the “winner-take-all” atmosphere of Friday morning. If you’re in the market for one of the hot items, be prepared to hold your own against the masses.
Also, you risk getting up at THE CRACK OF DAWN to come home empty handed. Talk about presentus interruptus. That would be too depressing for words.
Me, I’ll be in bed at 5AM on Friday. I’ll wait for the Cyber Monday deals and shop in my pajamas.
Too much, too soon. That’s my reaction to this ad from The Gap:
Actually, I’m not ready for holiday cheer. Not this early, and certainly not with this much enthusiasm. This ad makes me think I’ll never feel cheery again.
Can we just get to Thanksgiving without the holiday hoopla? We know gift-buying season is right around the corner and stores count on consumers opening their wallets to make their year-end profits (especially this year). But, with some stores putting out holiday decorations in August, we’re already feeling creeped out. Give us some space, retailers!
We have now learned that most of us are too lazy to even fast-forward through the commercials in our recorded programs. The NY Times said:
According to Nielsen, 46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old for all four networks taken together are watching the commercials during playback, up slightly from last year.
Even the networks are flabbergasted:
“It’s completely counterintuitive,” said Alan Wurtzel, the president of research for NBC.
Apparently, everyone over-estimated us. Experts say TV is a passive activity, which accounts for the reason why viewers sit through ads when they don’t have to.
I watch a lot of TV in the background while doing other things. Therefore, I’m not paying attention to either the show OR the commercials. You say waste of electricity; I say pleasant background noise. But, if I’m really watching a show (perhaps a 30 Rock or Mad Men episode), you better believe I skip the annoying commercials.
So, wake up and don’t waste your time! Skip the ads in your recorded shows. On average, you’ll save 18 minutes during each hour. It may not sound like a lot at first, but here are some suggestions on how to spend an extra 20 minutes in your day. (Write your own obituary? Really?)
Daily Dose of Common Sense cuts through the crap, hype, and pseudoscience to tell it like it is. Part science, part news, and part, er, common sense, this site may be harsh sometimes but it's just tough love.
AdFreak has a great graphic of what you could 
Not that anyone believes anything Pat Robertson says, but he’s really proven how hateful he is with his latest comment on the Haitian earthquake. While tens of thousands of people have lost their lives in Haiti, Robertson said 
Are you planning on getting up at the crack of dawn on Friday to snag some sales? The stores hope you will. The name “Black Friday” refers to the fact that retailers generally move into the black (in other words profitable) on that day. But, 
We have now learned that most of us are too lazy to even fast-forward through the commercials in our recorded programs. The 
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