Category Archives: going critical

Beauty is in the eye of the beh… AHHHHHHH!

I saw this floor display for Mission Athletic Care in our local Lowe’s Home Improvement store and I can’t decide if this assembled quirk is a design fail or design win.

Eye caramba!

Eye caramba!

Let’s call it a fawin.

Sometimes my contact lenses feel like this.

Sometimes my contact lenses feel like this.

PetSmart proved it has smarts with Pokémon GO.

I got a powerful Pokémon and a ten buck gift card by playing inside a PetSmart. Nice!

I got a powerful Pokémon and a ten buck gift card by playing inside a PetSmart. Nice!

I’m not sure if this was an isolated, local endeavor done on a whim or a franchise-wide effort, but as I walked into my town’s PetSmart on Sunday, I noticed a sandwich board by the door with something about Pokémon GO handwritten on it. I didn’t stop to read the details, but it did get me to open the app and I somehow managed to catch a sweet Hypno Pokémon with CP880 (that’s a good thing) in the litter box aisle while an amused stockboy watched me flailing around with my iPhone.

I only caused minimal damage to the merchandise. Continue reading

Behold, the Asshole Lane.

Behold, the Asshole Lane (AKA the Testy Twat Triangle). It is found at the intersection of Main Avenue and 26th Street in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Home of the Asshole Lane

Home of the Asshole Lane


Its origin was probably one of good intentions, or at least an attempt to correct a mistake, but all that has long been forgotten. Continue reading

Great Moments in Direct Mail

Ahhhhh… That awkward moment when the U.S. Postal Service mails you a booklet of great direct mail printing ideas and it arrives damaged.

USPS Direct Mail Piece

Danimals — The Tenth Circle of Advertising Hell

Actual transcript from a Danimals commercial:

Girl: “What’s with the cool music?”
Boy: “We’ve been squeezefaced!”
Girl: “Squeezefaced?”
Boy: “From the deliciousness of Danimals Squeezables! Wanna get your squeeze on?”
Girl: “Bring it on!”
Boy: “Whoa! Cool!”
Girl: “It’s so good!”
Boy: “This is awesome!”
Boy: “Double squeezeface!
Girl: “Look!”
Boy: “Whoa!”
Girl: “Wanna try one?”
Principal: “Wow!”
Boy and Girl: “School rocks!”
Girl: “New Danimals Squeezables!”
Boy: “Squeeze more fun into lunch!”

When I’m feeling sad, I simply remember that I don’t work on the Dannon Danimals account and then I don’t feel so bad.

If you thought those Star Wars prequels were bad, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!

Step right up and don’t be shy, because you will not believe your eyes!

Behold, the carnival-attraction majesty of Space Odyssey 2000!

Space Odyssey 2000 is not to be confused with “2001: A Space Odyssey” — It’s completely different! Totally different! Continue reading

Heinz shows us that not all labels are bad.

Heinzsight. I love it when somebody takes a brand and puts more into it than they have to. In this case, Heinz did some sweet seasonal ketchup bottle labels — They didn’t have to, but they did, and that made it better. Brand personality, yo.

Groovy work, Heinz. I hope you do something like this again soon.

NOTE: I was told there was also a summer beachball tomato label, but alas, I was not in time.

An ordinary wallet can cost you over a hundred dollars…

An ordinary wallet can cost you over a hundred dollars… if you are a total friggin’ idiot and/or it is made with albino rhino penis skin.

With great expectations come great disappointments.

The promise.

The reality.

Dammit.