Burger King barely avoided the The Distillery’s Hall of Shame. But as is said in Isaiah 11:16 (KJV), …and a little child shall lead them. And therein BK only barely avoids The Distillery’s i-media and immediate damnation. There is essentially nothing noteworthy at the primary Burger King site, but things change when we look at the Burger King Kids Club.
I am pleased that once you get past the first page, all other pages clearly state, Hey kids, this is advertising. Granted, that very likely does little good with the vast majority of kids visiting that portion of BK’s site being quite young. Their brains are not yet cognitively developed enough to comprehend the warning’s meaning. That development does not fully occur until the age of 10-12 years old. (And that is why some countries ban any form of advertising to children under certain ages entirely.) But still, it is a step forward from times past for Madison Avenue and American marketing.
Beyond the unavoidable advertisement for an upcoming kids’ movie, where there just happens to be no warning for kids at all, we find Honbatz. At first glance, it appears innocent enough and offers a few fun things for kids to do, but interlaced is advertising which simply should not be there. Kids’ meals and Burger King screen savers and wallpapers simply do not go together. This is the sort of advertising, regardless of its placement, that gives marketing a bad name.
Lamborghini (Hall of Shame no longer!)
Saturday, 6 May 2006; 22:47Maybe Time-Warner cable is right. Maybe I really am delusional and hallucinatory. Only a short while ago, The Distillery visited the Lamborghini site and found it bereft of anything approaching 21st century internet advertising and “immersive” content. Was I not seeing what was there? Did I banish it to The Distillery’s Hall of Shame by mistake? No, I do not think so.
Regardless, the point is moot. Lamborghini has jumped onto the internet with a passion for exquisiteness typical of its fine automobiles. We now find a fully Flash-powered site filled with sights and sounds. Almost approaching art is the black and white mini-movie featuring the Gallardo and shot through the streets of New York City. (Follow model range to the screen featuring four different models and then click anywhere on the automobile images. Next click on Gallardo and then on movies.)
You will also find mini-movies (a.k.a. extended length advertisements) for the Murcielago LP640 and Gallardo Spyder. A couple of others are also scattered around the site, including aged interviews with the legendary Ferruccio Lamborghini, himself.
Welcome to the internet and the Information Age, Lamborghini. If The Distillery gave an award for Most Improved, you would win it hands-down.
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