BK Goes Crude With 7-Inch Burger Ad

...within an hour of Vatican complaint

(NEWSER) - Well, so much for that: Just hours after its debut, an ad featuring a PhotoShopped pope kissing a top Egyptian imam was yanked. The controversial ad, part of clothing company Benetton’s latest head-turning campaign , was released yesterday and quickly pounced on by the Vatican. "It shows a serious lack of respect for the pope" and is an "unacceptable" manipulation of his image, said a Vatican spokesperson in a statement. Benetton pulled the ad within an hour or so of the complaint, the AP reports. More»

In honor of BK's King, Time breaks down the weirdest product hawkers

(NEWSER) - Now that Burger King’s weird plastic-faced “King” mascot is done terrorizing us , Time decided to break down the creepiest product mascots of all time. You can check out some of their greatest hits in the video gallery below. 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»

Aussies let candy off hook after prolonged ethics probe

(NEWSER) - After what could be history's most prolonged ethics investigation of a piece of candy, advertising authorities in Australia have decided that the red M&M is not a bully. The ad bureau—after a 2-month investigation—rejected complaints from viewers that the M&M's behavior in TV ads set an unacceptable example for children, AdWeek reports. 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.