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Tag: Advertising

Experience Survival

Posted on October 30, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

I saw this ad on Queen Street: Experience Survival, a Discovery Channel advertisement that shows a young bushman creeping through the grass with a bow and arrow.

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It’s been a Banner Week for Censorship

Posted on September 17, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

For the practice of censorship, this has been a banner week (so to speak), confirming yet again that after hundreds of years of book burning, muzzling, and downright ham-fistedness, banning remains the preferred method for institutional authorities to regulate behaviour they oppose.

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Canadian Vinyl Asbestos Planks

Posted on July 20, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

While searching through memorabilia, I found a magazine the hospital staff gave my mother when I was born (© 1959 by J.S. Hunt Publications Limited). The first item inside the front cover is a syrupy verse titled “God’s Masterpiece.” Yup, that’s me.

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A Taste of Mischief

Posted on October 8, 2009October 17, 2022 by David Barker

“She looked back and felt a shiver as she caught sight of him in the throng. Their gazes locked across the crowded room. His expression alone sent another shiver through her. There was both challenge and promise in his eyes. It left no doubt. He had recognized her.”

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American Spirit Organic Tobacco

Posted on April 17, 2009October 17, 2022 by David Barker

I don’t know where to begin with this one. It’s an ad for American Spirit cigarettes made from 100% organic tobacco. How politically incorrect art thou; oh let me count the ways! I suppose I could start with colonialism and the “American Spirit.”

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United Church of Canada responds to atheist bus ads

Posted on February 2, 2009October 17, 2022 by David Barker

The United Church of Canada has responded to the atheist bus ad campaign by launching a campaign all its own.

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Atheist Bus Ads Coming to Canada

Posted on January 31, 2009October 17, 2022 by David Barker

The British Humanist Association has funded the atheist bus ad campaign in London: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

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A Plant That Contains Wheat

Posted on December 8, 2008October 17, 2022 by David Barker

For those of us who like to troll the waters of ambiguous language, one of the most rewarding angles (in a manner of speaking) is to read descriptions on product packaging. While those who do the layout for packaging are generally more intentional about their use of ambiguity, this skill isn’t a job requirement for those who write copy for the ingredient list.

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Curves Would Grey-Wash Graffiti

Posted on June 30, 2008October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Curves, the weight-loss people, have had an ad out for a while. I’m referring to the one called Hearts: “Curves works for your heart – and every other part of you.” The ad evinces a philosophy of health that serves the whole person.

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The Popular Science of Weed

Posted on January 24, 2007October 17, 2022 by David Barker

My son likes … well, what are some of his interests? Playing table tennis with kids in Japan, & Gears of War on his Xbox (I can’t believe I allowed a Microsoft product into the house), capturing sequences of Halo and making his own movies from them, hunting down the Frag Dolls online.

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Advertising and Conspicuous Consumption

Posted on April 23, 2005October 17, 2022 by David Barker

The first—quarter earnings statement from Google is out. Its earnings have jumped by 477% and revenue has doubled thanks to online ad sales. At the same time, reports from the Inuit indicate that global warming is advancing three times as quickly in the Arctic as elsewhere in the world.

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