More advertising ‘fun’ today in the Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times today ran a huge promotion for the movie Despicable Me on the front page of its calendar section today:
Now, this one doesn’t strike me nearly as bad as did the big Universal Studios Tour ad from last week. Mostly because a) it’s clear right away that this is an advertisement, and b) it’s not hard news the ad is mimicking.
But it’s still awfully obtrusive. The ad leaves precious little room on the front for editorial copy, points out Kevin Roderick of LA Observed.
And then, after another full-page ad for Despicable Me, the review of the movie itself runs, Roderick reports:
While the ad screams that it’s “this year’s coolest animated comedy!,”[Kenneth Turan]Â says otherwise: “a 3-D animated feature so saccharine that sappy sentimentality is more of a danger than exposure to evil.” Funny, his second paragraph makes reference to an “exercise in false advertising,” and he doesn’t mean what the LAT ad department did to the Calendar section today.
Read up here on last week’s advertising misstep by the L.A. Times.
Thanks to Bob Beamesderfer for the tip!
July 10th, 2010 at 12:36 am
This doesn’t bother me at all — how many times do we blow out the “it” movie of the moment (Dayton Daily News’ treatment of “King Kong,” anyone?) without reaping 1 cent from the film studios?
I would have a much different reaction if the ad were on A1. But since it’s on a section that is pretty much free advertising for movies, music venues and other entertainment, I say go for it.
July 11th, 2010 at 3:40 am
Like Bryan said, an ad like this in the Calendar section doesn’t really phase me. It’s the A1 stunts that really boil my feathers. (It’s late. Indulge the mixed metaphor.)
I used to get the Sunday Times, and occasionally I toy with reviving my subscription, if only out of solidarity for the trade. Then I see crap like the Mad Hatter… the “Southland” sellout… the “King Kong” stunt… and I can’t stomach giving them any of my hard-earned dimes.