ABOUT ADS OF THE WEIRD

With Ads of the Weird, MSNBC.com takes a look at some of the oddest, most eye-catching, controversial and just plain interesting advertising out there today. Primary writer Allison Linn covers the retail and advertising industries for MSNBC.com. The Ads of the Weird team is always interested in hearing what ads have caught your attention, whether it's online, on television or in print.


Walk different

Posted: Monday, January 21, 2008 4:00 PM by Rob Neill
Filed Under:

We’re not going to get into a PC vs. Mac debate with anyone. And it’s not just because of the “msn” part of the name of this site.

It’d be silly, though to not acknowledge that the iPod is about a ubiquitous as presidential debates. And, for the most part, about as pleasant.

Overpriced? Probably. Best-of-breed? Arguably. But dangerous … well, we never really thought of it until we saw this print ad for the New South Wales police department.

NSW police

The ad, by Australian agency DDB, is part of a series to show the dangers of listening to headphones while crossing the street. It’s an arresting image and probably one that the people in Cupertino aren’t very happy about.

And we thought that Apple products only hurt your wallet.

Thanks to adgoodness for pointing that one out. And while we’re on the subject of narcissistic obliviousness and the dangers thereof, we’re waiting for the next spot that will hopefully show a person talking on a cell phone in his/her car and creating a mile-long traffic jam all by their lonesomes.

(At this point the bosses require us to remind you that msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC News – there, you’ve been told.)

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

I hope ads like these are distributed around generously.  Someone in my running club was wearing earphones while on a club run in the park.  He also attempted to cross the street completely oblivious of oncoming cars and spent several weeks in the hospital thereafter.  Since then, the club does not allow runners to wear earphones on official club runs.

Loud music in general can be very dangerous in general.  Fortunately, I learned this the easy way.  A few years ago I was listening to the radio at high volume with the windows up and the air conditioning on.  I found myself behind another driver who stopped at a green light.  I couldn't understand why on earth this person would stop at a green light.....only to see an ambulance go by on the cross road.  Good thing, I didn't try to overtake that person.

Loud music on or around people in transit in any form should be outlawed.

Emily Wilder, Kansas City, Mo (Sent Tuesday, January 22, 2008 6:21 PM)

Ipods are dangerous. I hear listening to a morrissey mp3 can cause depression.

CarlosdX (Sent Thursday, January 24, 2008 1:27 PM)

Coach knew what he was talking about in Drivers ed. You need all your senses to drive right.

Mark, Tel Aviv, Utah (Sent Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:25 PM)

Approaching a left hand exit at a traffic signal, I once observed a 18-wheeler truck drift out of the fast lane at full speed, with a green light, in to the occupied turn lane ahead of me at the signal. He pulled the truck back in to his lane at the last millisecond, just barely avoiding obliterating the car stopped in the turn lane. As I approached that car in the turn lane, I could see the driver of that stopped car had been fiddling with his radio, or phone, or something, the whole time and NEVER looked up or had the faintest clue he was within a few feet of dying a horrible death, crushed by that truck. So, being distracted by his Ipod, or radio, or phone, saved him experiencing a life changing moment of terror - and probably a pair of boxers and his car upholstery.

Mike N, Crofton, MD (Sent Tuesday, February 26, 2008 12:19 PM)

I have to ask, if that guy had been one of the few people on earth with a Zune, would it be considered a mercy killing?

Jeff P, Simi Valley, Ca. (Sent Tuesday, March 18, 2008 7:14 PM)

Microsoft...msn....blah blah blah...zune..zune who?

Rob, Richmond VA (Sent Tuesday, March 18, 2008 9:54 PM)

Hah. You haven't tried a Zune lately if you're dissing it. It beats iPod hands down.

Richard B, Dallas, Tx (Sent Thursday, May 01, 2008 7:05 PM)

i just traded my zune in for an ipod. man why didn't i just get an ipod in the first place? so dumb.

Diana Phillips, Chicago, IL (Sent Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:19 AM)

Ipod is overhyped.  Zune is just as awesome and doesn't need itunes (which I find very annoying).  People who hate zune so much apparently only say that so they can be apart of the "cool" crowd that loves apple and is all "down with microsoft".

I think it's very dangerous to be out jogging on streets with cars while listening to an mp3 player.  

Patricia, Texas (Sent Tuesday, May 27, 2008 3:42 AM)



SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.): 

 Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private)