Blog posts by Chris Muldoon.
What you could use Google+ Hangouts for if you actually used Google+.
Poor Google+. I want to like you. I’ve already pledged my allegiance (and a baffling amount of my personal information) to the Google digitalopoly by using Android, Search, Maps, Gmail, Drive, Chrome, Talk, and Calendar, just to name a few. You even gave me a little nudge by essentially creating my Google+ account for me […]
Tagged with Google, Hangouts, social media
TV ads of the future – today!
Uh oh, cable television providers. Do you hear the footsteps? There’s a big green monster chasing you. And its name is Xbox. This fall, Microsoft will launch a new advertising format for their Xbox Live apps, which includes ESPN, TMZ, and NBC News, among other fine programmers. The ads will allow viewers to interact through Kinect […]
Tagged with interactive ads, kinect, microsoft, xbox
Time to shape up.
In an announcement that should shock no one, Sketchers paid $25 million to settle false advertising claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission. What? Walking around in hideous sneakers won’t make me the next cover model of Bodybuilding Monthly? I don’t know what to believe in now. Up is down. Hot is cold. Justin Beiber […]
Google giveth. Google taketh away.
It must be fun being Google. If I had that much power, I’d make insane announcements like “Every website must be written in haiku,” and gleefully watch every online marketer count the number of syllables in their copy. Fortunately, Google is a tad more reasonable. Back in March, they announced their intentions to penalize websites that […]
Tagged with Google, SEO, websites
Schmeliciouz.
I’m not originally from Buffalo, so I didn’t grow up with all the wonderful things this area has to offer. Namely, delicious fast food. Yes, as shocking is it may sound, I somehow survived the first 22 years of my life without Mighty Taco, Ted’s Hot Dogs, Jim’s Steakout, Tim Hortons, La Nova Pizza, or […]
Tagged with commercials, Sheetz
Tuning out.
Do you have a pair of friends who are dating each other? It’s usually pretty cool. Until they get into a fight. Then it’s terrible, especially when they drag you into their little squabble. They make you listen to their woes, and insist you pick sides. But you couldn’t care less – you just want […]
Tagged with cable, MSG Network, Sabres, Time Warner
Selling the land of the free.
Being that it’s Veterans Day and all, here’s something that never really occurred to me – our country is a brand. I don’t know why this came as such a surprise. After all, everything else is a brand these days. Colleges. Politicians. Organizations fighting other brands. So it only makes sense that the supposed leader of […]
Tagged with DiscoverUSA
A fresh start for New Directions.
Dedicated. Compassionate. Inspiring. Those are just a few words to describe our client New Directions Youth and Family Services. The agency helps children all over Western New York (and beyond) overcome emotional, behavioral, and educational challenges. And now they have a new website that truly reflects their organization and brand. Introducing fosteringgood.org. After we kicked […]
Tagged with fostering good, New Directions
Hey there, sponsorship deals.
Pop culture quiz. Remember the song “Hey there, Delilah” by the Plain White Ts, circa 2007? Well, did you know that it was inspired by a real-life Delilah? Maybe you did, smarty-pants. But I bet you didn’t know that she’s a national-class distance runner with a sponsorship deal from a major running shoe company. Her […]
Tagged with Delilah DiCrescanzo, Puma, running, sponsorship
Dot-anything.
It’s “the most significant change to the Internet, really, since it was created,” says Peter Dengate Thrush, the person behind said change. Do we have you hooked yet? Good. The organization that oversees Web addresses, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (of which Mr. Thrush is the board of director’s chairman), announced Monday in […]
Tagged with domain name, internet, suffix, web
This is why we can’t have nice things, internet.
Halfway through writing this article, I started feeling slightly gluttonous since it’s my second consecutive entry that defends a fast food chain. But here we go. One of my guilty pleasures is reading the featured stories on Yahoo.com. Don’t judge me. By now, I should be an expert on how to cut my cable bill, the top […]
Tagged with internet, McDonald's, rumor, Yahoo!
USPS has it their way.
Here’s my question – do lawyers at major brands get a bonus if they exceed a litigation quota? A sue-mission, if you will? Because that’s my only explanation for this. The United States Postal Service has sued Burger King for negatively portraying mail carriers in a 2010 TV commercial. (Watch the YouTube video if you need to jog your […]
Tagged with Burger King, commercials, USPS
PSAs have come a long way, baby.
It’s Wednesday night. You’re watching reruns of The Office. Life is good. Then it happens – the public service announcement. Sure, they’re usually promoting a good organization or cause. But Michael Scott’s ineptitude isn’t as hilarious when you feel guilty about not feeding a child in Africa for 75 cents a day. Or when depressing […]
Tagged with commercials, PSAs
Advertising causes a ruckus. Again.
It’s a tale as old as time. Company comes out with an “edgy” advertisement. Someone gets offended and complains. Company discontinues ad and apologizes. Company gains 100 times more attention from the ordeal than they would have received from the actual ad. Everyone wins. The latest installment in our saga occurred in South Bend, Indiana, […]
Tagged with billboard, commercials, Jonestown, politically correct
This is too easy.
The story of an arson case in Iowa City has been spreading around the internet like, well, wild fire. It started when police released a sketch of a potential witness to the crime. And it just so happens to slightly resemble a certain auto insurance pitchman. And by slightly, I mean “holy crap that looks […]
Tagged with arson, caveman, Geico
Weathermen = great marketers.
Let me start by saying, yes, I know weather prognosticators get a lot of flak. The accuracy of their work is always in question. They’re the butt of countless jokes. All in all, it’s not the most glamorous profession (though they do get to play around with a green screen every day, which is pretty […]
Tagged with Buffalo, snow, weather
This just in: Fast food is bad for you.
You might want to sit down for this one – your Taco Bell taco may not be authentic Mexican food after all. Actually, it’s debatable whether it’s considered “food” period. From the useless information section of the news comes the report of a lawsuit against Taco Bell for not having enough beef in their beef […]
Tagged with fast food, lawsuit, meat
And that’s why Nike is Nike.
They say it’s not whether you win or lose – it’s how you play the game. Well, in that case, Nike came out of the college football national championship game brilliantly triumphant. No, their swoosh-clad Oregon Ducks didn’t raise the trophy, falling to Auburn 22–19. But they did come up big with an ad in […]
Take it down a notch, Activision.
I’m in a quandary, blog readers. I can’t decide how I feel about this commercial for Call of Duty: Black Ops. On one hand, it’s one of the most creative spots I’ve seen for a videogame (usually they show a few clips from the game then call it a day). The production is pretty darn good. […]
Tagged with Activision, Black Ops, Call of Duty, video game
When theater of the mind goes horribly wrong.
I’ll admit it – it would be awesome to have OnStar in my car. And I’ve always thought their radio commercials were pretty good. You know the ones – where they use “real life” subscribers calling in to the service for help. They were cutesy, light-hearted spots that demonstrated how convenient OnStar can be. But has anyone […]
Tagged with OnStar
This commercial hits a little too close to home.
While The Home Depot is unsuccessfully instructing me to turn up something called a “Doing dial” (sorry, HD, I have that baby set to the low setting), Lowe’s really hit the nail on the head with their latest TV spot. Take a look for yourself. As a first-time homeowner, I too quickly learned that any […]
Tagged with Home Depot, Lowe's
The show that crashed into the mysterious island that is my heart.
Flashback: It’s 2004, and I’m at my parents’ house in Pennsylvania. My mom switched on some TV show I’ve never heard of. Sure, I’ll give it a shot. That lasted about 15 minutes, when a smoke monster chased the characters through the jungle. Riiiiiight. It was at that moment I vowed to never watch Lost again. […]
Tagged with advertising, Blog, Crowley Webb, Lost TV Show
The greatest thing since sliced bread: unbread.
Throughout history, human evolution has been fueled by innovation and progress. Someone invents something. Then someone else takes it and makes it better. The Model T was great, but can you imagine driving one around today? Or how about using a computer the size of a blue whale? Seems silly, doesn’t it? Then how the […]
Tagged with double down, KFC, sandwich
See you later, Super-Cautious Man.
If you know me, then you know I’m notorious for my risk-taking, high-flying antics. I once fought a 7-foot bear in the Ukraine (after jumping out of a helicopter) and I didn’t even spill a drip of espresso on myself. Or the bear. Impressed? Me too. So check this out, I found a website where you […]
Tagged with dangerously, fun
Nothing defines the Olympic spirit like freaking out five-year-olds.
Ah, the Olympics. Every two years you show up to take over our hearts and televisions. You unite the world in camaraderie. You entertain us with your athletic feats. You inspire us with your tear jerking stories. And you scare the bejesus out of us with your creeptastic mascots. Seriously. Over the next few weeks […]
A little bloggerly advice.
Like an elite athlete in training, we here at Crowley Webb are constantly honing our blogging skills. We do grammar curls. Headline crunches. Then finish it off with a wit-flavored protein shake. Ahh, feel the linguistic burn! And we do it all for you – our fine readers. Which brings us to last Tuesday. That’s […]
Facebook being useful to society. It’s a Christmas miracle!
This morning, I hopped on the old FB for my daily dose of mundane information. What’sHerFace set a high-score in Bejeweled Blitz? Terrific. KidIBarelyKnow is now a fan of “Not being on fire.” Good for him. But wait, what’s this “Please do this for the soldiers, will take 10 seconds” thing people are talking about? […]
Tagged with Facebook, soldiers, thanks
Now, this is a serious case of the Mondays.
We’ve all had awful, terrible, no-good days at work. Maybe you left your delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread sitting on the kitchen counter. Maybe the printer decided to become an evil genius hell-bent on making you feel like an idiot. Maybe your perfectly crafted headline turned out to be cornier […]
Tagged with 911, house fire, Monday
Save money. Laugh at other people.
Wal-Mart is such a wonderful, magical place. It provides the masses with everyday low prices (where else can you dive head-first into a bin of $5 DVDs you’ve never heard of?). It offers smaller businesses a little friendly competition. But its greatest gift to society is undoubtedly the opportunity to people-watch. Next time you’re feeling […]
Now your puppy can look as ridiculous as you!
Just when I thought I was over my infomercial crush, this happens. The Snuggie for Dogs. I think someone’s been reading my diary. On one hand, this is a match made in marketing heaven. Dog owners are crazy (I should know, I’m one myself). Snuggie owners are crazy. Put them together, and watch the low, low payments of $14.95 […]
Tagged with dogs, fur, Snuggie
There is nothing special about this blog entry.
Today, I found a website dedicated to life’s most mundane moments. I thought it would make me feel better about myself. It did. www.mylifeisaverage.com
Tagged with mylifeisaverage.com
I have very sophisticated taste in television shows.
People embarrassing themselves for money. Commentary chockfull of innuendos and bad puns. The token hot chick. When you think about it, what’s not to love about ABC’s game show Wipeout? I mean, nothing screams class like participants taking on “The Big Balls.” If you haven’t witnessed this hour-long train wreck, you’re definitely missing out. Basically […]
Tagged with ABC, Extreme Elimination Challenge, Wipeout
It’s the most aerobically taxing time of the year.
Happy National Running Day, blog readers. What, you forgot to get me something? Don’t worry, running is the gift that keeps on giving. And makes you sweaty. One individual that should be barred from the festivities is James Coleman. Why the hate? Maybe it’s because he was jogging to work one morning, and thought, “Hey […]
Tagged with National Running Day, Ron Burgundy
Everybody loves a good crazy-person rant.
Remember how awesome Saturday mornings were as a kid? No school, pancake breakfasts, and of course, hours upon hours of cartoons. Once you grow up though, the first day of the weekend loses some of its luster. For some reason, yard work isn’t nearly as fun as wearing pajamas all day long. But thankfully, I’ve […]
Tagged with crazy, Kenmore, rant, Steam
The pride of Pennsyltucky.
If there’s one thing I can count on at Crowley Webb (besides the local section of the paper being conveniently located in the men’s bathroom) it’s getting heckled any time my hometown state is mentioned. Yes, Pete, we do in fact have the internet in Pennsylvania, thank you very much. Say what you want about […]
Tagged with Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Shady Maple, smorgasbord
The best thing Liz would have found on a Monday.
Finish the sentence, “Without advertising, _________.” My potential submissions: My Sociology 101 class would have had nothing to complain about. Billy Mays would have followed his childhood dream of being a world-class zoologist. Mad Men would just be a show about womanizing alcoholics. This sentence wouldn’t exist. I’d invent it and be super-duper rich.
Tagged with advertising
Facebook is ruined – everyone panic!
Change. It’s the buzziest of buzzwords. Everyone wants it. Everywhere. Except for one place. Whatever you do, DON’T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON MY PRECIOUS FACEBOOK PAGE. In case you missed it, the social networking website recently launched a new layout. And people are none too happy about it. Here are a few comments […]
Tagged with Facebook, social network, whining