Reuter reports Facebook has agreed to dish out a whopping $10 million to settle a lawsuit over ads brought by five people who claimed their faces and images were used in Sponsored Stories ads. Facebook, however, is not paying back to the five Facebook users from California who claimed the social networking giant has violated the California law and their right to privacy by openly publicizing their ‘likes’ in the sponsored advertorial like content ‘sponsored stories’. Facebook has chosen to pay $10 million to charity.
The verdict is seen as yet another blow to Facebook, which since its disastrous public offering last month is sailing through rough water. Off course, it does not want to open the Pandora ’s Box wherein millions of users suddenly dream of becoming millionaires just by suing it for the sake the ‘privacy breach.’ The proposed class action suit could have included as many as one in three Americans, with billions of damages.
The lawsuit saw Mark Zuckerberg saying that a trusted referral was the ‘Holy Grail’ of advertising. chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg is of the belief that the “value of a ‘sponsored story’ advertisement was at least twice and up to three times the value of a standard Facebook.com ad without a friend endorsement.” Sponsored ads are more successful than other Facebook ad units and notch 46% higher CTR, as reported here.
A video on YouTube from the official Facebook channel
Will you ever tuck a big butcher knife next to your new born baby? You will not. Then why are you co-sleeping with her? It could be as dangerous. That’s the raw message City of Milwaukee’s Health Department wants to propagate with an aim to ‘wake parents up to the dangers of co-sleeping.’
They surely get their point across, get your attention, but the question is, have they gone too far considering the sheer shock value associated with it. Isn’t it too personal for government to interfere? Co-sleeping has always been a matter of hot debate which will never be settled.
Co-sleeping mom Christie Haskell believes that agency/health official should inform parents how to safely co-sleep (certainly not on stomach or fluffy bedding) rather than over dramatizing the whole issue.
Imagine a world without boundaries, without politics, without fighting over sharing of resource, without agendas and vested interest.
Huffingtonpost Post wonders if this is the beginning of a new international diplomacy.
On a lighter side, you wish if the world has more beautiful and se-xy ladies like German chancellor. Then you wonder, at the top, be it in corporate or politics, if the world is too much tilted around men and not women. May be a next ad series from Benetton.
If you wonder, what went beside strategizing the creative, this is what Alessandro Benetton, executive deputy chairman, who presented the ads in Paris, had to say, “they were meant to promote the idea of -unhate. The images are very strong, but we have to send a strong message. We are not wanting to be disrespectful of the leaders … we consider them “conception figures” making a statement of brotherhood with a kiss.”
In the wake of gay-recruitment-and-US-army hullabaloo (here & here), let’s take a look at some of the print ads and television commercials relating to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered). Having a straight conservative philosophy towards life I was not much in the knowing that there is a considerable market force behind this demography.
Big brands either subtly or simply on-your-face way have been creating advertisements around homosexuality. Often, some of those become center of controversy. Yet, it seems, over the years, marketers have realized the potency of the LGBT market and are actively propagating for gay and lesbian consumers through their creative. Mostly, these ads are targeted to city dwellers as research says, they are single and have large disposable income.
I don’t have the latest stats, but according to the 2006 Gay Press Report, over 183 Fortune 500 brands are active in the gay consumer market up from 150 in 2004. The market size in 2006 was $641 billion. (I’m not sure, how accurate that data was, looks like more exuberance, less substance.)
The only thing that probably I would mildly object. It’s time, advertisers do justice to gays’ intelligence. A half naked is so stereotype. But then, often we do see straight men are also treated the same way, dull, intelligent way. That way, advertisers are equal to all.
Research has shown that true depiction of gays and lesbians in advertising reap better benefit than those who are gross or unnecessarily stereotypical.
This Hyatt Resort ad is an honest try to portraying gays. Hyatt is one of the first hospitality groups to reach out to gays to through advertising. This is one communication which reflects who they are and how the live. Two men embracing under a waterfall will surely get thumbs up from LGBT community.
American Airlines is another example of a major brand jumping into gay bandwagon. Looks like from 50s era, this vintage ad is showing two carefree men stepping off American Airlines together. Nice visual, guys wearing Hawaiian shirts with socks and loafers.
This ad for Snickers is not directly gay. The guy probably can’t manage the 50% extra of Snickers bar. Turned out to be homophobic. A lil bit too much on imagination? Border line gayish…
Fashion brand Kenneth Cole released this ad in 2004, the election yea, when gay marriage became a hot issue suddenly. The ad is showing two men holding hands, the ad copy read, “52 percent of Americans think same-sex marriage doesn’t deserve a good reception. Are you putting us on?” The copy has a seriously double meaning message. Kenneth Cole has been creating advertising sensitive to AIDS and gay issues.
This ad released by Oslo Gay Lesbian Festival committee, I liked the visual and conceptualization.
Dolce & Gabbana will take you completely by surprise. Some may call it objectionable, fashionistas have their own reason to debate.
Watch out for the D&G TV commercial where a hot guy and sexy lady are rushing to meet, they meet eventually, but the lady kisses another lady and guy kissed another guy.
A man in a sleek apartment tries on a pair of jeans but struggles to pull them past his ankles, when suddenly a phone booth containing a blond man partially erupts through the floor. They look at each other with mischievous smiles. Lowering his jeans back down for a moment, he forcefully pulls his jeans all the way up — turning his entire apartment into a complete outdoor street scene. The two men happily walk away together.
Pepsi Gay Commercial with a similar twist like D&G
Gay themed PSP commercial
Heinz Gay kiss commercial
OK, guys, enough gay stuff….I am now checking out this most beautiful and romantic song of all time (supposedly)…lol
