Rein in baby video marketing: consumer group
May 1, 2006

Companies are deceiving the public with the marketing and advertising of so-called "educational toys," a consumer group in the U.S. says... MORE»

murmur categories: advertising, kids, logos/branding, activism

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism advertising children education media parenting research

posted by Tessa | 10:35 AM (ET) | Permalink

How to talk to a real person at Rogers Wireless
April 28, 2006

You're a Rogers Wireless customer. You have a problem with your service – nothing serious, nothing a quick chat with a customer service representative can't fix. But circumventing Rogers' automated voice phone system and getting through to a living, breathing human can be a heck of task... MORE»

murmur categories: activism services

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism complaining activism customer service

posted by Tessa | 11:28 AM (ET) | Permalink

Consumer-made advertising backfires for Chevy
March 31, 2006

These days a big trend in advertising is allowing consumers to create their own ads and post them on company websites. You can bet Chevy will be rethinking its use of the trend after someone created an ad that slams the carmaker's fleet of SUVs ... MORE»

murmur categories: advertising, activism, environment, cars

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism advertising SUV activism environment

posted by Tessa | 10:42 AM (ET) | Permalink

Artist takes RFID critique to the road
March 22, 2006

A B.C. artist is planning to hit the road this spring in a commercial transport truck loaded with her worldly possessions, each tagged with Radio Frequency Identification chips... MORE»

murmur categories: activism, technology, privacy

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism shopping RFID privacy technology art

posted by Tessa | 10:43 AM (ET) | Permalink

Run your own fast-food empire
February 2, 2006

A group of Italian artists and activists called Molleindustria has come up with an online 'game' that challenges players to consider their consumption habits and what consequences they may have on the complex chain of command that is fast-food economics... MORE»

murmur categories: food, activism, logos/branding

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism McDonald's activism food fast food business

posted by Tessa | 9:49 AM (ET) | Permalink

Keeping tabs on one man's garbage
January 26, 2006

There’s an interesting project going on in New York that aims to turn one man’s garbage into another’s treasure. GarbageScout.com combines Google Maps with input from users to locate used items that have been tossed in the trash, but maybe deserve a second life... MORE»

murmur categories: environment activism

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism recycling green recycle shopping

posted by Tessa | 11:24 AM (ET) | Permalink

Complaining 101: How to reach a company’s top dog
January 16, 2006

Have a problem with a company/product and want some satisfaction? Sometimes, getting on the horn with Customer Service doesn’t get you anywhere (well, maybe inside a bottle of headache relief tablets!), leaving you feeling powerless and sidelined... MORE»

murmur categories: activism services

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism complaining activism customer service

posted by Tessa | 2:21 PM (ET) | Permalink

Fun with telemarketers
January 11, 2006

I love this. Someone in Amsterdam has created a fabulous anti-telemarketing “counter-script” that you can use the next time your phone rings in the middle of dinner and you’re confronted by the voice of someone with something to sell... MORE»

murmur categories: marketing, privacy, activism

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism telemarketing, marketing, activism, anti-telemarketing

posted by Tessa | 10:00 AM (ET) | Permalink

Sony confirms PSP ‘corporate graffiti’ campaign
December 5, 2005

Sony has confirmed it is indeed running an urban graffiti campaign to market its new PSP (Portable PlayStation), Wired News reports... MORE»

murmur categories: advertising, branding, activism

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, advertising, corporate graffiti

posted by Tessa | 1:51 AM (ET) | Permalink

Is Sony employing a corporate graffiti campaign?
November 29, 2005

Some skeptical citizens in Los Angeles say they’re being preyed on by graffiti bandits – but they’re not blaming the young ruffian type you might imagine... MORE»

murmur categories: advertising, branding, activism

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, advertising, corporate graffiti

posted by Tessa | 10:44 AM (ET) | Permalink

'Buy Nothing Christmas' carollers bring message to mall
November 28, 2005

Cheerful demonstrators opposed to the commercialization of Christmas managed to sing six anti-consumer carols at a Winnipeg mall before security evicted them... MORE»

murmur categories: money, activism

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, activism, anti-consumerism

posted by Tessa | 9:51 AM (ET) | Permalink

Advocacy group takes a swat at buzz marketing
October 25, 2005

A non-profit group called Commercial Alert is taking on buzz marketing. The group has called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to look into whether buzz marketers are violating U.S. law that prohibits deceptive advertising... MORE»

murmur categories: activism, advertising, logos/branding

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, advertising, marketing, viral

posted by Tessa | 11:23 AM (ET) | Permalink

Taking a jab at big box retailers
October 14, 2005

You really must take a look at this short video skewering big box retailers. As seen on Jay Leno last night... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:49 AM (ET) | Permalink

New book on RFID lambastes marketing applications of ‘spy chips’
October 14, 2005

Ad Age has an interesting report (registration required) on a new book that lambastes potential marketing applications of Radio Frequency Identification chips (tiny tracking devices implanted in commercial products)... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:11 AM (ET) | Permalink

‘Store Wars’ spoof promotes organic shopping
May 30, 2005

Looking for a few minutes of escape? Head to an intergalactic parody set "not long ago in a supermarket not so far away”... MORE»

posted 10:33 AM (ET) | Permalink

Advocacy group targets drug makers with satirical ad
March 2, 2005

The Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, has created a biting ad satire of the drug industry. The advocacy group hopes it will stir debate in the U.S. over the need for safer, more effective and affordable prescription drugs... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:35 AM (ET) | Permalink

Wal-Mart ordered to stop harassing workers in Quebec
February 28, 2005

The Quebec Labour Relations Board has ordered Wal-Mart Canada to stop intimidating workers who want to form a union, CBC Business News reports... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 12:05 PM (ET) | Permalink

Pizza, privacy and our neighbours to the south
February 24, 2005

The American Civil Liberties Union charges that the “United States is at risk of turning into a full-fledged surveillance society.” The group argues that the prevalence of surveillance-enabling technologies, combined with Bush administration’s “weakening in legal restraints that protect our privacy,” threaten consumer privacy... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:13 AM (ET) | Permalink

'Shut the cell up': Jammers taking to the streets of NY
February 21, 2005

The New York Post reports that cellphone jamming devices are “selling like hotcakes” in New York City. The gadgets interfere with cellphone signals and can cut of reception – they emit radio frequencies and block signals anywhere in 50- to 200- foot radius ... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:18 AM (ET) | Permalink

Wal-Mart to appeal union decision in St-Hyacinthe
February 14, 2005

CBC News reports that Wal-Mart Canada will appeal a provincial decision to unionize its store in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:15 AM (ET) | Permalink

Device aims to detect corporate transgressions
December 16, 2004

For the conscious shoppers among us, a Ph.D. candidate at MIT's Media Lab has created a device that could help you navigate the maze of corporate ownership and the daunting task of translating personal convictions into good buying decisions.

James Patten's Corporate Fallout Detector looks and sounds like a Geiger counter. It scans the barcodes of consumer products and makes a clicking noise based on the environmental or ethical record of the manufacturer. The more clicks you hear, the worse the ethics of the company behind the product.

For more on the Corporate Fallout Detector: http://web.media.mit.edu/~jpatten/cfd/

Caveat: Of course, after you've sifted through the material at the above site (and watched the "infomercial" for the device: http://web.media.mit.edu/~jpatten/cfd/vid2.php), you'll know the Corporate Fallout Detector doesn't exist at all, but is a fictional product.

That said, it could exist - and it seems to me that Patten's poking at the tricky trouble that can arise when consumer activism itself becomes ... well, a consumer product. Now my head is spinning.

posted by Tessa (Online Producer, Marketplace) | 03:37 PM (ET)

MURMUR ARCHIVES »