Why I Think Nationwide Insurance Company’s TV Ads SUCK: When Advertising Is BADvertising

I’m opening my drawer in the “WTF Were They Thinking?” file.  Exhibit A is the misguided, jack-assed advertising campaign costing Nationwide Insurance millions of dollars. Just call me Addy Oakley –  The World’s Greatest Spokesperson in the World campaign is in my crosshairs and my trigger finger is twitchin’ to shoot holes in it.

The insurance industry in general has a long, storied history of low-to-no consumer confidence. Who among us didn’t cheer for the young lawyer outsmarting the sleazy, fly-by-night insurance company in John Grisham’s book (and movie) The Rainmaker? Most folks I know would rather have hot coffee thrown in their face, followed by a lit cigarette and a chaser of muriatic acid, rather than endure an evening with an insurance agent.

So what does Nationwide Insurance (or let’s be clear, their ad agency) do? They take the worst possible stereotype of an insurance agent and make that guy the company’s icon! WTF?!? Why is it that I, the voice of reason, am not sitting in on these pitch meetings?

Take, for example, this ad. Would this guy, who blatantly lies to a naive woman (thanks, guys, for marginalizing women once again with that overdone stereotype…guess you fancy yourselves modern-day Mad Men) about her singing abilities, be someone with whom you’d trust your insurance decisions?!? And how many women do you know (whose careers don’t involve pole dancing) that are willing to meet some strange insurance agent beneath a shady tree in a city park?

Or this ad, in which he schmoozes yet another gullible woman–apparently the only kind willing to meet with smarmy insurance agents–via his faked phone call to corporate, with the pronouncement that he’s changing the company name from Nationwide to Nation Pam to honor her? WTF?!?

News flash: The last thing customers want is to be patronized by yet another dishonest insurance company. We’re already up to our assholes in those alligators. Okay, maybe the last thing customers want is the World’s Smarmiest Spokesperson in the World performing his 3-handed freakazoid shadow puppet show on their wall. Only Jerry Sandusky could freak me out more.

Dave Dorman Confidential: Why I Don’t Attend DragonCon (via Dave Dorman)

Controversial? Yes. Honest? Yes.

Dear Friends, First, let me post my upcoming appearances, so it's front and center: * Detroit Fan Fare Days 9/23 – 9/25, 2011 * Dallas for Star Wars Fan Days 10/8 – 10/9, 2011 * SteamCon in Seattle 10/15 – 10/16 My longtime friend and award-winning sci-fi/horror writer Del Stone Jr. has held my secret for all of these years. As DragonCon started growing its attendance trajectory and publicity, more and more people have asked me if, when and why I … Read More

via Dave Dorman

Oy Vey! New Apple iPad App JUDOKU Teaches Users About Judaism

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, July 27, 2011–Oy vey! Move over, world of Sudoku apps targeting Jewish youth…there’s a new game in town! Okay, so maybe the Jewish Sudoku mobile gaming market isn’t huge, but it’s just grown by one. Today the Apple App Store published Judoku(TM), an educational Sudoku puzzle game aimed at educating Jews and Gentiles alike on the basics of Jewish culture.

Judoku (rhymes with Sudoku), developed by ACME Digital Laboratories LLC, is not your everyday Sudoku app. The iPad game, which sells for $1.99 on the Apple App Store, can be played as a traditional Sudoku game, with numbers 1 through 9 ordered across columns and rows, or by using Jewish symbols or the Hebrew alphabet in place of numbers. The game also includes humorous explanations of the Jewish components to further engage and educate players.

Judoku creator Andrew Charon, who was lead developer on the Webby Award-winning Yearbook Yourself app with its 450,000 visits, said “I’ve been creating educational games for companies like General Mills, Colle+McVoy, takemefishing.org and Blue Earth Interactive for many years, and most recently, I created a successful mobile app Sudoku game. My whole life people have asked me questions about Judaism, and then it occurred to me–here’s the opportunity to merge both into one fun user experience! I wanted a captivating tool I could use to teach my own children about Judaism. Learning the Torah was competing for their attention against Angry Birds and Justin Bieber Tweets. I figured if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! That, and frankly, I really just wanted to create something called Judoku,” he added.

According to Charon, whether or not Judoku will be released for devices, such as Apple’s iPhone and iPod, or for Android and Blackberry devices will depend on the demand for the game from users of those devices. “I’m eager to hear how people are using the game, what they’re finding useful, and just getting their overall feedback. I’m expecting a lot of questions — it’s sort of a Jewish thing.”

For more information on Judoku, please visit http://www.judoku.net or http://www.acmedigitallabs.com; for review copies of the game, please contact ACME public relations firm WriteBrain Media by phone at 630.215.5623 by email at denise@writebrainmedia.com or via Twitter.com/writebrainmedia.

ABOUT ACME DIGITAL LABORATORIES LLC (ACME)

ACME Digital Laboratories LLC (ACME), founded in Chicago in 1997 by Andrew Charon, is now a Minneapolis-based creative software development company specializing in web and mobile application development. Judoku(TM) is the latest app developed by ACME. Previous mobile applications include The Crazy Monster Matching Game (iPhone) and The Monster Madness Memory Game and Sudoku Mania (iPad).

ABOUT ANDREW CHARON

Andrew Charon, the Webby Award-winning lead developer of Yearbook Yourself, has been working professionally in web development, design, and marketing since 1996. The Rubik’s Cube may have been the impetus for his award-winning career. At age 11, Fargo, ND native Charon was featured on his local ABC-TV affiliate for solving the Rubik’s Cube in record-breaking time. Currently, Charon is a full-time contractor at General Mills with a focus on creative software development, user experience, design and interactive strategy. Previously, Charon was employed at Minneapolis-based agency Colle+McVoy as a Sr. Creative Developer. He was a significant part of the agency’s transformation from a traditional to a highly interactive-focused agency, and while there, lead many award-winning projects for clients such as Yahoo!, Johnson and Johnson, Taubman Malls, Manhattan Toys, Kiehls and Rhymsayers Entertainment. With an undergraduate degree in fine art, Charon is continuing his education at the University of St. Thomas masters program in Software Engineering and Information Systems. Charon enjoys spending time with his family, long bike rides, around Minneapolis, soccer and listening to and composing his own music. When he’s not developing games for his clients or his children, he’s…sigh…still developing games.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Denise Dorman | WriteBrain Media

P: 630.845.4694 | M: 630.215.5623 |E: denise@writebrainmedia.com

Twitter.com/WriteBrainMedia | Facebook.com/writebrainmedia

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