The Tom Tom brand GPS systems are trying to remain relevant by adding celebrity voices. This video shows how recording celebrity voices can be a challenge.

There’s a new Geico commercial with a talking pothole. It is completely ridiculous. It is not really offensive, but the pothole has the voice of a southern woman. The voice is somewhat stereotypical, and reminds me of what Designing Women would sound like if that show were made today.

Here’s a link if it doesn’t show above Watch on YouTube

If you ever thought kids matured early in New York, this spot for Evian Water proves it.

Here are all the kinds of Oreos, brand extensions and licensed food items we found at the grocery store.

Oreos
Double Stuf Oreos
Peanut Butter Oreos
Chocolate Oreos
Cool Mint Oreos
Fudge Sundae Oreos
Halloween Oreos
Reduced Fat Oreos
Golden Oreos
Golden Chocolate Oreos
Golden Double Stuf Oreos
Oreo Fudgees
Oreo Fudge Rings
Oreo Cakesters
Oreo Chocolate Cakesters
Oreo Peanut Butter Cakesters
Golden Oreo Cakesters
Oreo Fun Stix
Golden Oreo Fun Stix
Sugar Free Oreos
Mini Oreos
Oreo Mini Cakesters
Oreo Thin Crisps
Oreo Snack Cakes
Oreo 12 Packs
Oreo Variety 12 Pack
Mini Oreo 12 Packs
Oreo No-Bake Jello Dessert
Oreo Pie Crust
Oreo Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Oreo Marble Mix’ins
Oreo Cones
Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches

I recently saw a commercial for Kraft American Singles that was shocking to me. Some of the copy in the spot included “This is America and this is our cheese.” Another statement was “Only in America could we make this cheese.” All I could say was wow.

My first thought, and the point of this post, was that American Cheese represents all that is soulless about American food manufacturing. Kraft is touting a highly-mechanized, plastic-looking product that includes wasteful packaging as emblematic of America. Over 230 years of dynamic national history and pride reduced to an orange processed cheese product.

I’ve watched a lot of episodes of Unwrapped on the Food Network, which shows how processed most American food is, but I have never seen a show about American Cheese singles. I don’t think I would want to see a cheese-related liquid rolled out in sheets or poured in molds, or some other manufacturing process to make these singles. As it turns out, “these ’slices’ are actually individually poured onto each plastic wrapper and then set to emulsify.”

I did an internet search on American Cheese. According to Wikipedia, the first use of the term American Cheese was used by the British as a derogatory term to refer to what they thought of as inferior Cheddar Cheese made in the former colonies. The term took on a new meaning once James L. Kraft patented cheese processing in 1916 to stop the aging and spoiling of cheese. According to American Heritage, “Kraft stormed the consumer market with an advertising barrage that gave cheese one of its first recognizable brand names. By 1930 more than 40 percent of all the cheese consumed in the United States carried the Kraft label.”

Further inquiry into this quintessential American product yields the government regulation surrounding the terms that can be applied to various forms of processed cheese. Again, from Wikipedia:

In the United States processed cheese is defined, categorized, and regulated by the Food & Drug Administration under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 (Food and Drugs), Section 133 (Cheeses and Cheese Related Products). Pasteurized process cheese can be made from a single cheese or a blend of several cheeses. Cream, milkfat, water, salt, artificial color, and spices may also be added. The mixture is heated with an emulsifier, poured into a mold, and allowed to cool. The definitions include:

• Pasteurized process cheese (100% cheese which includes “American Cheese” and “Pasteurized process American cheese”), (e.g., “Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese”, “Land o Lakes American Cheese”, “Laughing Cow”)
• Pasteurized process cheese food, which contains at least 51% cheese
• Pasteurized process cheese product which contain less than 51% cheese and cannot be advertised as cheese by the FDA (e.g. “Velveeta, “Kraft Singles”)
• Pasteurized process cheese spread (e.g. “Cheez Whiz”)

And drilling down into the processed cheese links more, I discover a product called Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC), an unregulated, non-food product imported from overseas that is taking the place of milk in many American singles. Now I’m not going to get into the family farm debate about this, but even the existence of the debate points to more things about this product that confirms Kraft’s statements in the commercial.

Due to a history of food processing, advertising expertise, government regulations and complex trade regulations, it turns out Kraft American Singles could only be made in America.

I am sure that this little novelty would be snapped up by Chia collectors, but would an Obama supporter really want a Chia pet version of their president? Thanks to Handmade Gone Wrong.

Millie Garfield is one of the oldest bloggers on the internet. It helps that her son is blogger and video blogger Steve Garfield. This video is a great perspective on how regular people view packaging inconsistencies.

Craig Ferguson describes the rise of youth culture as triggered by a change in advertising and marketing.

The Triangle Social Media Club recently received a box of chocolate, as part of the Real Chocolate Relief Act, from the Mars company to share at an upcoming meeting. The above video shows us opening the box and diving into the candy.

There is something infectious about this song that makes me want to listen to it over and over. I am not normally a fan of dance music, but I really dig the beat. I am also not a big fan of the message, either, and I can chalk that up to being a parent, or maybe just leading a relatively boring life. But there is one redeeming feature that is actually a product placement. Trojan condoms took the unusual step and paid to be included in this video by Cobra Starship, featuring Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester.

According to an article in the NY Daily News, “even though Trojan is a regular advertiser on cable channels such as MTV, Comedy Central and Spike, Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing for the brand, said he is frustrated with restrictions the major broadcast networks continue to place on condom ads. ‘We have these media barriers, and so we are looking for ways to broaden our reach,’ Daniels said. ‘If this is effective, we will look at doing more of it.’ ”

This is one more instance of the blurring of entertainment and advertising due to the fragmentation and dissolution of mass media. Bands can’t get their music heard, so they license it to advertisers for use in commercials, and now brands are paying musicians to feature products in their videos so they can reach the band’s audience.

(Hat tip to Brand Freak)