Art
'The New Normal' of Awful COVID-Themed Commercials
These days, brands love to pretend to care about us. During a pandemic, that's gotten really weird.
Advertising
In Brief
Disturbing Ads Warn of Uptick in Domestic Violence During the World Cup
The violence associated with professional sports doesn't limit itself to the playing field, as a new campaign by the UK's National Domestic Violence Hotline makes clear in a new series of ads.
Art
The Long and Toxic History of Exoticism in Tobacco Advertising
An exhibition at the Wolfsonian-FIU tracks romantic and racist stereotypes of native cultures in European tobacco advertising from the 1880s to the 1940s.
News
In Long Overdue but Welcome Step, Britain Will Eliminate Ads that Perpetuate Gender Stereotypes
The Advertising Standards Authority in Great Britain is calling for the creation of new standards when it comes to ads that feature harmful gender stereotypes.
In Brief
Pepsi’s Tasteless Protest Commercial Gets Memed
Pepsi's recent and risible "protest" ad has birthed memes that liken it to everything from Tiananmen Square's "Tank Man" to Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother."
In Brief
Meta-Corporate Ad Torches Burning Man
David Foster Wallace was right, meta-television is the future, but a new meta-corporate ad by Quiznos may be one of the best examples of how corporations will serve up anti-corporate humor for the masses in an attempt to advance their own toasty agenda.
Books
The Promise of Glamor and Adventure in Mid-Century Airline Advertising
From the end of World War II to the 1970s, airline travel experienced a revolution in extended routes and better aircrafts.
Art
The Man Who Harmonized Form, Function, and Friendliness in Corporate Design
Before the 1950s, most advertising was just copywriting paired with an image with little thought to the overall company or visual identity.
Art
The (Un)Changing Portrayal of White Women in 100 Years of Advertisements
The idea is so ingenious, it almost seems obvious: take advertisements and remove the text that makes them so, leaving only a string of images behind.
Art
An Avant-Garde Map that Enticed Fearful Customers to Air Travel
When aviation took off in the early 20th century, safety was still shaky and the public needed some convincing to get them soaring among the clouds in the noisy metal contraptions.
News
Artist Ticked Off at Watchmaker's Unauthorized Use of His Work
The Saudi artist Ahmed Mater is suing watchmaker Swatch for using one of his works to sell a luxury timepiece.
Art
The Design Battle to Sell, and to Stop, Smoking
In terms of breadth and controversy, two 20th-century advertising campaigns are almost unrivaled: the drive to sell cigarettes and the backlash to get people to stop smoking. Selling Smoke: Tobacco Advertising and Anti-smoking Campaigns at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale