Amnesty International's Torture Porn Video

Could it be true that advertising is nothing more than the tools of liars? That ads are designed to get you to purchase things that often you don't need and perhaps believe things you shouldn't? Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Just in time for Veterans Day, last week Amnesty International U.K. released a two-minute video, "Waiting For The Guard." The clip shows the recreation of interrogation techniques apparently permitted by the CIA. It's quite dramatic—but to what effect?

U.S. v. Finland In Constipation T.V. Ad Battle

Could it be true that advertising is nothing more than a big pack of lies, designed to get you to purchase things that often you don't need and perhaps believe things you shouldn't? Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

It's the Americans versus the Finns; the venerable Leo Burnett ad agency versus the hottest shop in Scandinavia; Kellogg's All-Bran cereal versus Levolac brand laxative. Both spots use cute visual metaphors to illustrate colon clogging and unclogging. Which commercial is better? To the figurative fecal matter!

New Roomba Ad: Stupid Or Stupid Sexist?

Could it be true that advertising is nothing more than a big pack of lies, designed to get you to purchase things that often you don't need and perhaps believe things you shouldn't? Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

According to iRobot's new advertising for its adorable little auto-vac, Mom is in charge of cleaning up after her pig children and jackass husband. Literally! But since it's tongue-in-cheeky, we shouldn't get our panties in a bunch, right? Riiight. Until the writer of the commercial says he's specifically targeting "Chief Home Officers." Ding ding ding goes the sexism alarm!

How The Little Blue Pill Is Sold Around The World

The Great Diaper Wars

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

I hate babies—no no, not your little heavenly angel! But really, I hate them so much that I can't stand to walk down the diaper aisle in supermarkets. But now, we're all in that diaper aisle, as we happen to be in the middle of a pissing contest between Kimberly-Clark's Huggies and Procter & Gamble's Pampers. K-C is running a T.V. spot that claims that Pampers apparently fit brick-shaped babies better than human babies—and the matter has been dragged into court. Let's take this to the playground!

The Most Exploitive Use Of Ass In An Ad Ever

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

This summer in Munich, a ubiquitous subway poster featured a photo of a woman's ass. And not just any ass; this was an ass that should be used as an erectile dysfunction test by urologists. This ass belongs in a Museum of Modern Ass. When we speak of history's great asses, this is the kind of ass of which we speak. It is the platonic ideal of ass. But! German do-gooders covered many copies of this arsche with posters that called this ad sexist. When you see what was being advertised, you'll probably agree. What follows is Not Safe For Work. Unless you work in Germany. Or at Ass Weekly.

How To Get Head In Advertising

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Hear that giant sucking sound all around New York City? It's Advertising Week 2007—an annual event during which industry blowhards perform acts of love upon themselves so expertly and enthusiastically that it would wow Ron Jeremy. Last night, festivities got under way with Panic! At The Disco at the Nokia Theater. And it goes downhill from there!

Condom Ads About Contraception? Not In America.

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Shocking admission time: I have used condoms. How did I learn about this non-babymaking coupling accoutrement? Not through condom advertising. Maybe next century! Our lack of condom ads is just another reason for Europeans to point and snicker at us. Let's open our American eyes to some of those oh-so-racy international condom ads. Maybe we'll learn something!

Is It Too Soon To Use The Burning Twin Towers In Ads?

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Many agencies gladly put overused iconic images such as the Statue of Liberty in ads. It's profitable: dumb clients understand the concepts and usually buy them. It's easy: no long hours spent coming up with something original. However, manipulating pictures of those two mortally-wounded monoliths is still way off limits. But not in France! Earlier this year, the Paris office of my good buds BBDO exploited them—but for a good cause. Trees! Take a look.

Al Gore Needs Some Ads

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Four major ad agencies are currently putting pretty green bows on their world-saving ideas promoting the Alliance for Climate Protection—the organization founded by former vice president Al Gore. The agencies will be presenting proposals to Gore himself early this month, maybe even this week. I've got some ideas. I'm sure you do, too.

Beautiful Anti-Gun Ad Makes Ya Want To Shoot Stuff!

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

UK ad conglomerate Abbott Mead Vickers/BBDO has produced one of the coolest PSAs you'll ever see. They got a former Navy SEAL to shoot eggs and apples and stuff and filmed it at 10,000 frames per second. Will the commercial help stop gun violence? Probably not. But it really sexes up the agency's TV reel. After the jump, watch stuff go ka-BLAMMO!

Does This Ad Make You Wanna Smoke, Sluts?

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Congresswoman Lois Capps (D., California), is fuming because women's magazines won't stop running ads for women's cigarettes. They won't even write her back! She's thinks it's "hypocritical" for the pubs to run the ads intermixed with editorial about tofu and other healthy crap. Uh, you've come a long way, baby?

The Poopy Pants Commercial

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Alli, known to some of you as prescription diet drug Xenical, has racked up $155 million in over-the-counter sales in only five weeks. It's got a nasty side effect though—anal leakage. Sudden anal leakage. So a competitor has now prudently dramatized this sticky problem by showing a woman crapping herself while out to lunch with her friends.

Good Silly vs. Bad Silly

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

The reason why most ad copywriters and art directors get in this business is that it allows us chances to think up ridiculously silly scenarios to sell products. I once got to work with a monkey to sell a pen. Thanks to online video, silliness in advertising is on the rise. That's great. But some of the silly is silly for silly's sake. And that's really painful.

Let Go Of My Lego!

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

After 15 years, it still amazes me on an almost daily basis how baldly stupid my job is. "We really like the ad, Mark, but could you make it 10% less edgy?" But there are jobs out there stupider than mine—jobs like "Certified Professional Lego Consultant."

The Most Horrible Ad Ever

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

It's a lot of fun making fun of advertising every week. Ha ha, Kenneth Cole's a heel. Ha ha, Donny Deutsch is a cad. Ha ha, I'm a lazy shit. But then one week, somebody emails you an ad that's not fun, and hits you so personally, it makes you sick.

Let's Write Some Hooker Ads!

94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them.

Last week in AdAge Lenore Skenazy got her panties (or whatever her choice of undergarment is) in a bunch over the adult classified ads in the back of reputable newspapers and magazines—she claims they're for hookers! The ads also upset me—they're boring! I've lined up three ads for alleged Ladies of the Night. Let's see if we can come up with some come-ons.