Advertising

Windows 7 Just Wants to Hold Mac’s Hand

There’s so much going on in this new Windows 7 ad that I’m still haven’t decided how I feel about it yet. Whimsical animation! Avatar played with PC Na’vi! A Mac in desperate need of ginger ale! Actually, it’s great. There’s something just wonderfully weird about this Microsoft spot. Beyond touting Windows 7 Blu-ray compatibility—which,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Nov 12

A Love Story Told at 325 Photocopies Per Minute

Boy meets girl. Girl runs away. Boy pursues. Girl falls head over heels—literally. It all sounds so familiar, but when it’s been shot entirely on a photocopier, it feels as sublime as the very first time. There’s so much to love about “Photocopy Romance,” this very short short from Never Hide films, which (it turns…

Tech News Brian Barrett Nov 11

Watch This Roadside Become a Battling Robot Spider Flipbook

No CGI. No green screen. Just some deft camera work, 760 frames of animation, and a speeding Subaru. That’s how you turn a stretch of road into the world’s biggest, robot spiderest flipbook. And here’s how they did it: This commercial for the Subaru WRX STI doesn’t tell me nearly as much about the performance…

Tech News Brian Barrett Nov 3

Olivia Wilde’s desperate plea from the year 2050

This is our new favorite dystopian political advertisement. It starts with a fake news report about The Situation marrying Pamela Anderson… but then Olivia Wilde breaks in, from the year 2050, to warn us what’ll happen if we don’t vote. This dystopian ad, from MoveOn.org, is simultaneously creepy and hilarious — if you watch it…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 26

Watch a confused C-3PO and R2-D2 trespass in an UK electronics store

Today a new TV spot debuted in the UK showcasing C-3PO and R2-D2 going absolutely bonkers in a Currys/PC World department store. The droids encounter a rude vacuuming robot, and yes, that is Anthony Daniels doing Threepio’s voice. [Via The Guardian]

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Oct 23

In Soviet Russia, Lego Can’t Even Make Its Own Products Right For Its Ads

This is one of the best series of adverts I’ve ever clapped eyes on. Last month, Lego Russia released a series of ads showing some of its popular sets made up to be, well, not what they’re meant to be. This is probably dangerous fodder for a child to view, so best shield their eyes…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Oct 21

This Billboard Is Made of Cheese

I asked Virgin Media, the UK ISP whose 100MB broadband’s advertised in cheese in London, if I could lick their billboard. They said yes. I’m gonna refrain as I’ve got a cold, but that 110kg of cheese is awfully tempting. The 5 x 4m billboard was created by English food artist Prudence Staite, who used…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Oct 21

Microsoft’s 9 All-Time Worst Ads

Microsoft’s about to embark on a one billion dollar marketing adventure to support Kinect and Windows Phone 7. Good luck to them! Because as these past epically failed advertising efforts show, Microsoft could be about to waste a lotta of money if they’re not careful with the creative: Ballmer Sells Windows 1.0 You may not…

Tech News Brian Barrett Oct 18

Old Spice Guy Betrays Old Spice to Sell Windows Phone 7 in Australia?

Memey treachery! Viral video legend Isiah Mustafa appears in a new video, where he not-so-subtly alludes to the Windows Phone 7 launch, and an apparent ad campaign starring himself. I always thought advertising was a loyal business—how disillusioning. While we will always be big fans of our pal Isiah for so kindly answering our tech…

Tech News Sam Biddle Oct 15

How This Philips Viral Ad Led to a Gun-Toting Bear Hunt

There’s nothing a marketing department loves more than a viral campaign. Millions of impressions! All that BUZZ! But what happens when authorities think your video of a bear just chilling on a street corner is real? Men with guns happen. The video above—which was somehow, some way intended to get people to buy a specific…

Tech News Brian Barrett Oct 14

Did You Mean Battleship?

Hey, look at that! It’s Google being funny in a print ad. This AdWords ad was originally spotted in Turkey, and wins my heart with one excellent visual pun. Fun fact: searching for battlesheep will get you over 15,000 results, with no alternate suggestions. Rightly so! If only all mistyped queries resulted in this much…

Tech News Brian Barrett Oct 13

What Do You Think of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Ads?

We saw two videos a few weeks back when they leaked early, but a third (and better) ad has been released to hammer home the fact that WP7 owners will be using their phones less. It’s a strange message, yes. https://gizmodo.com/windows-phone-7-ads-show-errr-youll-be-using-their-ph-5648608 Strange, but kind of growing on me. Not that I agree with their reasoning,…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Oct 12

Watch These Colors Dance, Then See How It Was Done

How do you make paint move with the grace and litheness of a classically trained dancer? With a Canon 5D Mark II, and a whole lot of patience. See for yourself what 5,000 frames per second gets you: “Bringing Color to Life” was funded by Canon to promote their Pixma printer line. It’s beautiful, haunting…

Tech News Brian Barrett Oct 7

This Controversial Climate Change Ad Made Sony Drop its Sponsorship

They’d obviously spunked a lotta money on the ad, which features a Gillian Anderson voiceover and appearance from famous English footballer/soccer-player Peter Crouch, but when it illustrates exploding kiddies it’s no surprise that Sony wanted nothing to do with it. Made to draw attention to the climate change day October 10th, the 10:10 advert riled…

Climate Change Kat Hannaford Oct 7

Visualizing a World Without Logos

Everywhere you walk. Everything you watch. Every day of your life. Our world is infested with logos large and small. Unless the Unlogo project has its way. Here’s the signageless life they envision, and how they’ll make it a reality. Basically, Unlogo is a way for you to replace any logo with the image of…

Tech News Brian Barrett Oct 5

In Case You Forgot How Google Makes Money

You probably know Google gives Android away for free. You might think Android development still costs Google money. Well, CEO Eric Schmidt tells Newsweek’s Dan Lyons that Android phones already generate enough new ad revenue to cover Google’s costs. You are a pair of eyeballs, waiting to be impressed upon. [Newsweek] Imagery by Sam Spratt…

Tech News Matt Buchanan Oct 4

Windows Phone 7 Ads Show, Errr, You’ll Be Using Their Phones Less…

Microsoft is no stranger to odd advertising. While I do get what they’re trying to say with their two latest WP7 ads (showing the HTC Mondrian), the message still aims left of what they’re trying to achieve. https://gizmodo.com/this-incredible-windows-7-launch-party-video-is-either-5366105 Take a look at the ads below and tell me I’m not imagining things. Sure, I may…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Sep 27

Amazon’s Secret: Incest In The Kindle Ad?

I had to know. What exactly is the story that the woman’s reading in Amazon’s Kindle ad? It appears briefly on the screen before the camera pulls back to reveal the beach. But now I’m almost sorry that I asked… Last week I interviewed the author who wrote the book, Where the God of Love…

Commerce David Cassel - Me and My Kindle Sep 25

Kaiju woman maintains civilian surveillance in Tokyo

Tokyo officials have devised a novel approach to crime prevention: a giant unblinking she-golem that discreetly records citizen’s activities. Street crime in the Shinjuku has dropped 1000%, as the threat of Big Sister coming to life has scared away ne’er-do-wells. Actually, this massive inflatable sculpture is an advertisement for a Panasonic camera. The subject is…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Sep 25

Captcha Advertisements: Annoying Squared

If I asked you to name three annoying things about the internet, two of them would probably be captchas and advertisements. The third would probably involve Justin Bieber, Twitter, or some combination of both. But back to these captcha advertisements… They’re the diabolical brainchild of Solve Media, a New York-based startup that’s looking to shove…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Sep 21

Windows 7 Just Wants to Hold Mac’s Hand

A Love Story Told at 325 Photocopies Per Minute

Watch This Roadside Become a Battling Robot Spider Flipbook

Olivia Wilde’s desperate plea from the year 2050

Watch a confused C-3PO and R2-D2 trespass in an UK electronics store

In Soviet Russia, Lego Can’t Even Make Its Own Products Right For Its Ads

This Billboard Is Made of Cheese

Microsoft’s 9 All-Time Worst Ads

Old Spice Guy Betrays Old Spice to Sell Windows Phone 7 in Australia?

How This Philips Viral Ad Led to a Gun-Toting Bear Hunt

Did You Mean Battleship?

What Do You Think of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Ads?

Watch These Colors Dance, Then See How It Was Done

This Controversial Climate Change Ad Made Sony Drop its Sponsorship

Visualizing a World Without Logos

In Case You Forgot How Google Makes Money

Windows Phone 7 Ads Show, Errr, You’ll Be Using Their Phones Less…

Amazon’s Secret: Incest In The Kindle Ad?

Kaiju woman maintains civilian surveillance in Tokyo

Captcha Advertisements: Annoying Squared

Ryan Coogler Is Shifting ‘Animorphs’ Into a Disney+ Show

No Fooling, ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Hit Theaters April 2027

I Regret to Inform You That the Artemis II Astronauts Are Having Lots of Screen Time

The First ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ Reactions Are Most Solid

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 Is Doing What You Hoped

Wearables Are Getting Very Messy

Trump Wants to Start Privatizing TSA in Latest Budget Proposal

Lost Warship From Battle of Copenhagen Found After 225 Years

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

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