Results tagged “advertising”

That Colonel Sanders is a wily advertising pitchman. Remember almost a year ago when fast-food chain KFC offered to pay for pothole repairs in several cities, including Chicago, in exchange for the rights to display their logo on the repair? Pretty crazy, huh? In fact, a few cities took them up on the offer. And now KFC is pitching more towns - including a few in Indiana - on helping them pay for new fire hydrants and fire extinguishers in public buildings. The catch? Putting the KFC logo on the new hydrants. One might question the good taste of advertising "fiery" chicken wings on fire hydrants and extinguishers, but the two cities - Indianapolis and Brazil - are receiving $7,500 for the deal. Maybe KFC can get in on the whole CTA station sponsorship idea we keep hearing about. more ›

Earlier this week, we talked about the Cubs erecting a pair of billboards that would block the view of a rooftop on Waveland emblazoned with an ad for the Horseshoe Casino. Most fans remember the rooftop from previous years when it was painted red and featured the Budweiser logo on it. It seems the new chairman for the Cubs, Tom Ricketts wasn't pleased and Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said the team was: "looking to protect our corporate partner family who invest their resources with us to be our official sponsors. It's important that we protect our brand in the marketplace, protect the value of our corporate partners and protect against anyone trying to ambush our brand." Which seems to be a not-so-subtle way of saying, "We're trying to protect Budweiser." The team never had an issue with the large Budweiser rooftop sign, the bleachers at Wrigley are officially sponsored by Bud Light, and, well, we all know what kind of man Harry Caray was. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But what company is expected to become advertisers on the new billboards? According to CBS 2, Budweiser. more ›

Ever noticed that fast food never looks quite as... appetizing as it does in advertisements? We've all heard food stylist horror stories about shaving cream, glycerin, paints, oils and all the other fake things used to make food look just so for photo shoots. But this piece from The Guardian's food blog puts it all in perspective: side-by-side pictures of fast food advertisements vs. reality. Yuck. We're especially disturbed by number 4, the canned whole chicken. Though, we suppose anyone buying a canned whole chicken is getting what they deserve. If you're on a diet, bookmark this page - anytime you're tempted by fast food, just take a peek.
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• The Brookfield Zoo has a new elephant.
• Two men were hospitalized in separate mugging incidents early this morning in the Roscoe Village neighborhood; police haven't commented if these are connected to the recent spate of muggings in Lincoln Park.
• A CTA worker has died of Legionnaire's Disease after apparently contracting it from being splashed by stagnant water while washing a train car. WBBM has more.

Is it only a matter of time before American pro athletes begin to look like NASCAR drivers, enveloped in countless sponsor logos? As the crap economy takes a bite out of team revenues, more and more are looking into alternate revenue streams. For the Chicago Bears, that means a new deal that will add sponsorship patches to the players' practice jerseys for Training Camp and the regular season. more ›

A chapter is closing in the history of Chicago advertising, after JWT’s North American president Rosemarie Ryan traveled from New York to Chicago Friday to deliver the news to the company’s 50 employees that the Chicago office would be closing. JWT has roots in Chicago date back to 1891, and the Chicago office has battled with the New York office throughout its history to shine as the crown jewel in the JWT network. At one time, the Chicago office was the largest office of the world’s largest advertising agency. more ›

Yelp!, the user content-generated website that touts itself as "real people, real reviews," has come under fire in recent weeks over allegations their advertising sales team has been contacting businesses offering to "move down" negative reviews of their establishments in exchange for advertising on the site. more ›

It seems the economic crunch might finally see Metra go back on their no-ads policy. On Monday, Metra began using a car featuring one of those full-wrap vinyl ads. Unlike the ones you'll see on the CTA for iPods or cell phones or movies, this one at least is for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, featuring the likenesses of, among others, Presidents Lincoln and Obama. It's an attempt to increase non-fare income, according to Metra executive director Phil Pagano. Metra will see what public reaction is and how the ad holds up to the elements before moving forward with any other ads. more ›

The fine folks at North Shore Distillery (by the way, their Distiller's Gin No. 11, the second highest-rated American made gin— their Distiller's No. 6 is the highest rated) are looking for some good local artists to help them design some artwork for future advertising campaigns. To that end, they've decided to hold a contest to choose a winning design and want local artists to enter their best submissions. more ›

In a deal with Titan Outdoor, the CTA is bringing digital ad screens to train stations and even to some buses. The first sign will be tested on the No. 124 Navy Pier bus to see how durable the sign is. The CTA hopes to eventually put such signs on over 100 buses and in all 144 train stations where the signs will also alert commuters to the time until the next train's arrival. Money is the main reason for going digital as it could bring in an additional $10 million a year over the next 10 years for the CTA which we all know has no problem with funding whatsoever. more ›

The Tribune (via wire sources) reports today that MillerCoors is bringing back the "Tastes Great, Less Filling" tagline to its Miller Lite ads. more ›

While not necessarily trying to sell tickets or merchandise, per se, the Chicago Bears have nonetheless decided they need to ramp up an advertising blitz to remind Chicagoans that we're all part of the Bears. more ›

These ads for Americans for the Arts were created by Chicago's own Leo Burnett agency. It's goooood! more ›

Air travel! It just gets funner! Today's latest innovation: Ads printed on your boarding pass. Delta, American, Continental, Northwest, US and United have all signed on with Sojern, an Omaha-based company that puts "destination specific information" on airlines' websites. When you print your boarding pass from home, it now comes with weather info and a slew of targeted ads. more ›

The Kentucky bourbon brand erected a billboard across from Wrigley imploring, "Save our Ballpark's Name." The website listed on the sign, www.saveourname.com, includes a petition demanding that Wrigley remain Wrigley forever. Additionally, Beam will be handing out t-shirts and other paraphernalia around Wrigleyville with the "Save Wrigley" theme all summer long. But didn't the Tribune Co. already say that the Wrigley name wasn't going anywhere? Guess that's the problem when big corporations try to go guerrilla. more ›

For those of you who were following along with our live blog of the "Top Chef Chicago" finale the other night, we're also guessing you had one eye on the tube, as well. more ›

The Chicago Tribune is teaming up with CPS to form a weekly high school newspaper and website, written for and mostly by high school students. The Mash, as the new paper is tentatively titled, should eclipse the Red Eye in terms of quality and worthwhileness almost immediately. more ›

Fascinating article in the NYT Magazine yesterday about a Chicago company that revives old but they hope not forgotten brands like Brim, Salon Selectives, Eagle and Nuprin. After megacompanies merge, sometimes name brands get folded together. And that's where River West Brands comes in. more ›

The publishers of Grand Theft Auto are suing the CTA after the agency pulled the ads for the game a few weeks ago. According to Take-Two Interactive Software, that violates a $300,000 deal and their right to free speech. Also, common sense. more ›

...da dumb, weird ad that associates beloved local sports teams with defecation. We're at a loss. more ›

But Roberto Garza peddling "#1 in Nutrition" Super Buns? Even big name offensive linemen are pretty anonymous as far as pro athletes go. And he's not even that prominent a member of the Bears front line, so who within the marketing department decided that featuring Garza as a "Most Valuable Person" on its boxes of frozen breakfast treats would boost sales? more ›

We try to ignore everything Stella Foster says, but every one in a while, she has some good news. She says those gross, weird AT&T commercials featuring the Harry Caray impersonator will be pulled from the air March 30. more ›

Paul Tilley, 40, died Friday after jumping from a window the Fairmont hotel. His death has been ruled a suicide. more ›

What's the best part about the Monday after the Super Bowl? Why it's heading into the office and listening to Mr. Hilarious Co-Worker re-enact all of his favorite Super Bowl ads of course. more ›

Our pal Ben spotted this Chase ad at the Jackson red line stop and noticed that, despite touting the bank's new Chicago locations, the sign had some local geography issues. more ›

Nothing screams nostalgia like advertising. It's not entirely clear why the commercials from our youth take us back the way that few other things can, but that "588-2300" animation (without the "1-800" tacked onto it) combined with a Charlie Brown-sized Christmas tree makes us all fuzzy inside for the 80s. more ›

South Oak Dodge in Matteson, Ill., normally wouldn't get our attention, but the ad they're running on Fox Chicago, which features "Import Man," a guy in a sumo wrestler outfit who speaks with a crude accent, is pretty offensive. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. Dewars Repeal Day, because you shouldn't take the right to have a drink for granted. Sony Card, because you'll get a free MP3 player if you apply. Love is a Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield's book about women, music, and love. American Express' Urban Adventures-- for information about shopping, dining, and entertainment. Homes for Working Families-- working to make housing affordable in... more ›

Mark Cuban was in town on Monday when his Dallas Mavericks faced off against the Bulls at the United Center. Of course the local media's questions directed at him regarded another pro sport team. When asked about his pursuit of the Cubs, he reiterated his interest in buying the team and that he wasn't interested in owning any other baseball team. He has not filed his official paperwork, however — Cuban said he was "waiting... more ›