Take Aim At Bad Ads

by Linda Formichelli, contributor

Talk about invasive advertising! First there were ads above urinals. Then there were ads in port-a- potties. And now comes the next leap—ads at the bottom of the urinal. Phillips Beverage Co., the producers of the new whisky Revelstoke, have placed ads directly on the rubber nets that adorn the bottoms of urinals in local pubs wherever the rye whisky is sold.

Think we’re kidding? Unfortunately, no. That’s just one of the intrusive ads you’ll read about on the BadAds weblog at www.badds.org. Other doozies include ads at the bottoms of golf holes; IBM’s recent graffiti ad campaign, for which it was cited by the city of Chicago; digital advertising inserted in video games; and taxi drivers who deliver promotional speeches and wear hats with advertisers’ logos while passengers are treated to audio, full-motion, and static visual and print messages.

For consumers who think that ad creep has gone too far, BadAds offers detailed contact information for the offending advertisers, links to advertisers’ online feedback forms, links to just about every newspaper in the US for sending letters to the editor, and even a quick tutorial on how to write an effective complaint letter. The site also offers free stickers, free site graphics, and a T-shirt contest.

BadAds, which started in November of 2000, is a volunteer effort by two professional writers who got one too many telemarketing calls and way, way too much spam. “Say you shelled out eight bucks for a movie plus ten bucks more for popcorn and soda, only to be treated to a commercial or three before the previews,” says W. Eric Martin, co-owner of BadAds.org. “You could do what most of us do and complain to your friends until they start screening your calls. Or you could visit Badads and fight intrusive advertising at its source.”