Making of the Greyhound Jingle 1963

Here's a promo disc from 1963 with the making of the Greyhound Bus jingle. This was given out to employees and vendors of Greyhound. Listen to part 1 here, and part 2 here.  And special bonus, the orchestra is led by the great Raymond Scott!

Funny Oil Stop Signs

I think I'm spotting a trend here.

Well, it's just an oil change, right?

Denny's Marketing Genius

Congratulations to Denny's for the catagory extension of the decade.
Behold the Breakfast Appetizer!

I can't count the number of times I've wished for something to eat while breakfast was being cooked.
And what an appetizer...blueberries and white chocolate chips in pancake batter, deep fried, frosted with powdered sugar, and dipped in pancake syrup!

No joke, this is serious marketing genius.

I See Stick People

Click for a wallpaper sized pic.

I'm seeing them everywhere. Peeking out from behind corners, in my face at the store, blinking past on TV.

Stick people logos.

The other day I figured out why they bother me.

1) They're easy to make, and they don't require a lot of talent.

2) There's an implied universalism that irks me. Isn't EVERYONE running in the 5K? Taking Crestor? Signing up for the Conference on Communication Interfacing? You're not on board with the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research as they lead the way to a healthier future?

Please companies, try a little harder, and demand more from your logo designers. After all, stick people logos have been around a long time.

Coolest Business Card Ever

Once I met this guy. I asked, "What do you do?" He gave me this card.

Coolest business card EVER. Click to enlarge.

Microsoft for Dummies

Does this mean you're twice as dumb if you use Vista? Just wondering.

Red, White, and Green

This isn't a political rant, but an advertising rant: Why does the Democratic Party keep changing the flag colors?

The old red, white and blue got a makeover several Democratic conventions ago for TV. The flag behind the podium was turquoise and salmon. It looked really pastel and horrible on video, where NTSC smeared it all over the screen.

Here's this year's logo for the Democratic National Convention Committee:

It looks off color again, so let's look at it in Photoshop. Click the pic to enlarge.


The darker or true blue should be RGB or Red Green Blue value 0 0 255. Here it is 0 144 214. This means that green has been added to the blue.


The lighter blue is still greened out towards gray. The RGB value is 1 74 142.


Same story for the red. It should read 255 0 0. It is 238 48 34. Again green has been added.


More green on the lighter red. RGB value is 248 163 134.

I don't understand what message this is supposed to be sending. They're trying to co-op the power of the red white and blue American flag, but at the same time change it to make it hip. This sends a message to me that says, "We're American, but cooler than those other Americans."

From an advertising point of view, this is a really elitist message. Stick to the true colors if you want the benefits of the image. This goes double for the upside-down flags.

Super Hero Band-Aids

Cover up your boo-boos in superhero style! Seen on Dump Trumpet.

Click here to see the website.

Incredible Shrinking Old Spice

Here's a shot of the latest shrinkage of the Old Spice deodorant case. Now $1.99 buys you a third less product. I've used Old Spice for a lot of years, and I swear when I started it was 6.25 ounces. Every once in a while they raise the price, then shrink the size, then drop the price back to the old amount. Now they're just shrinking the size and keeping the same price.

C'mon, Procter & Gamble! Give us a break! After all, how many of us Old Spice users are left?

Click the pic for an enlarged version

Eat Me - Fast Food Animal Spokesmen

I saw this blog the other day, suicidefood, where someone is outraged that animals are used to advertise their own tasty selves.

I totally disagree. It gives me a warm feeling to be welcomed to a restaurant by a happy pig, cow, chicken, or fish. It's an extra stamp of approval that makes the food taste even better. Over the years, I've also collected pictures of animals advertising food, but only because I like them. Here are some shots I've taken around the country, click on any pic to enlarge.

BB's Bar-B-Q in Franklin Tennessee. What could be more welcoming than this?

Hog Heaven near Centennial Park in downtown Nashville.

The Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Notice the neon crab presiding, and the crab hoodie.


King's Island in Cincinnati has the Busytown Grill.

Huckle Cat serves up the grub.

The Fish Market in Atlanta.

Mr. Barbeque in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Miss Fried Chicken and some great pies are there.

Nashville Tennessee has King Fish in the Germantown area.

Back to BB's Bar-B-Q. Had dinner here tonight. A jumbo barbeque sandwich with hot sauce and extra slaw.

EXTRA SLAW!