Hasta La Creative!

In an effort to tout Samsung’s new Evolution Kit, some kind of device that makes your tired, old TV awesome and new, the brand has dipped its toe into the anti-objectification of women waters with Evolutionary Husband.

In the ad, a wife, tired of her slovenly husband’s burping, farting, Neanderthal ways, plugs the Samsung Evolution Kit into his back and, poof, he instantly becomes…a stereotypically 1950’s housewife who effortlessly cooks, cleans, babysits and generally serves his wife’s every need…much like the stereotypical 1950’s housewife did for her husband.

It’s no surprise ads over the last 20 years or so have turned the tables on men painting them as idiotic imbeciles who can’t figure out how to use the internet (Verizon!), sackless wimps who don’t have the balls to drink beer whenever they feel like it (Bud Light!) or socially inept buffoons with an IQ of 2 (Holiday Inn!)

Is this trend sexist against men? Is it just payback for all those years marketers portrayed women as bimbo-esque decor to be placed in front of a refrigerator or draped over the hood of a car?

We think it’s a little bit of both with a dollop of schadenfruede tossed in. It’s a well known fact many people find joy in the mockery of others and this fact is exponentially true with men. Men love to taunt and one-up each other.

Acknowledging this joy, this ad will likely be very effective with men in the sense that they can feel superior to this epic couch potato because they are already awesome in the kitchen, awesome in the bedroom and awesome at work. This kind of ad just makes men feel all that much better about themselves knowing there are plenty of other men out there who, in comparison to themselves, are submissive, idiotic imbeciles with no cajones.

And for women, the ad delivers chuckles and inspiration as well. Because as we all know, many men ARE occasional couch potatoes who shirk their household responsibilities in favor of a beer, some beef jerky and a good sporting event. All of which allows a woman to A) feel better that her husband isn’t, in comparison, a complete slouch, B) feel better that she’s not alone and that there are other women out there dealing with slobbish types and C) feel empowered to get her lazy ass husband off the couch because, well, the guy in the Samsung ad did.

So is the ad sexist or just endemic of today’s interpersonal relationship between men and women? We’re going with not sexist on this one. What about you?

Twitter announced a new kind of Tweet today designed to allow marketers to easily collect personal information from Twitter users, if they chose to provide it.

The format, an expanded Tweet called the “Lead Generation Card,” includes a button that with one click allows the user to provide their name, email address and Twitter handle to the marketer as a request for a deal, more information or further communication.

The format is designed to help businesses collect leads — those interested in more information about a product or a service. It’s the latest “Twitter Card,” an expanded Tweet that contains content far beyond the 140-character limitation of Twitter messages, including images and video.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Under a new deal, the network will continue what has already become a 35-year tradition.

We’ve received confirmation that Joe Caruso, who’s spent nearly 20 years at Doner and has most recently served as the MDC-owned agency’s EVP/director of integrated production, is leaving. When asked for comment, the Doner camp has told us that details on when is last day is and/or the agency’s plans for his replacement are being kept “confidential” for now. Sorry, kids. Caruso was elevated to his most recent position three years ago and prior to that, spent well over a decade serving as SVP/director of Doner’s integrated studios unit. That’s what we got for now, but we’ll keep you posted if and when we hear more.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

With over 400 million people predicted to have Smart TVs by 2016, there is an impending “appification” of the TV that presents an enormous opportunity for brands, content creators and media companies. But chances are, few reading this blog have considered rethinking their content strategies for Smart TV consumption, not to mention the accompanying monetization models.

In part, that’s because much of the skepticism about the value of the technology is justified. It’s true, for instance, that many Smart TV components remain underutilized by consumers. The most successful apps have been video apps, such as Netflix. Software development for anything more complicated than basic streaming — especially gaming — has been a challenge because of Smart TV’s notoriously slow (and quickly out-of-date) hardware. But manufacturers remain committed to the technology, and are taking significant steps to correct its flaws.

The latest report from IHS Screen Digest predicts that Smart TVs will account for 55% of the market by 2015 and by 2016 will account for two-thirds of the total units shipped globally. In addition, relatively inexpensive auxiliary devices like the Google TV box and the Xbox can turn any TV into a Smart TV in less than 15 minutes. An expected updated Apple TV that would run the iTunes ecosystem would accelerate Smart TV adoption. Inevitably, Smart TVs will become a key component of many households’ connected-device ecosystem.

Continue reading at AdAge.com