Let's Stop Talking In Slogans

'Land of Enchantment' isn't doing the trick, say state officials

(NEWSER) - New Mexico has plenty to offer, but people just don't know much about it, say locals after watching tourism plummet almost 10% over the past three years. Now, the state is running a $2.5 million PR campaign to change people's perceptions of the state. "People think New Mexico is all hoity-toity, high-end—or, for the real out-there people, there's Roswell," says a Santa Fe boutique owner. But officials would prefer to project an image of "adventure steeped in culture," the new state tourism boss tells the Wall Street Journal . More»

Six sponsors out of today's game, others reviewing plans

(NEWSER) - More tangible fallout from the Penn State scandal: About six sponsors, including Cars.com, have pulled out of today's noon game on ESPN, and other marketers are asking the station not to air their ads anywhere near discussion of the matter. "I have multiple advertisers pulling ads from the ESPN broadcast," one ad buyer tells the Wall Street Journal . More»

Fast food chain to jump on the fresh-and-healthy bandwagon

(NEWSER) - Burger King is planning a radical change in its advertising strategy that will end the surprisingly long reign of its creepy King mascot. The fast food chain is jumping on the trend of touting how fresh its food is—its latest campaign, launching this weekend, advertises its new guacamole-topped “California Whopper” with wordless images of vegetables being washed and chopped, USA Today reports. More»

Sexist campaign won't boost milk sales, critics say

(NEWSER) - The ad agency behind the famous "Got Milk?" campaign has created a controversial follow-up focusing on premenstrual syndrome—and targeting men. The "Everything I Do Is Wrong" campaign trumpets research suggesting milk reduces PMS symptoms and asks: "Are you a man living with PMS?" Posters with slogans like" I apologize for not reading between the lines" show apologetic men carrying milk cartons, reports the New York Times . More»

Picture talking pill bottles and constant monitoring, writes Alex Poulos

(NEWSER) - If you think ads are inescapable now, just wait a few decades, writes Alex Poulos in the Boston Globe . Future generations will laugh at our primitive tech know-how; the question is “who will laugh last. And I’m afraid it won’t be the consumer,” he writes. Expect ads that are:

• “Intrusive.” The backs of cabs will have scrolling ads, and pill bottles will have audio messages when you open them.