For anyone who hasn't completed reading the Hunger Games trilogy, it might be advisable to stay off the Blue Line for a while. A billboard for Amazon's Kindle features the opening passages of Mockingjay. more ›

Just as the District has started allowing corporate sponsorship and ads in local parks and recreations centers, the city's flagship bikesharing network may soon be branded too. more ›

This marketing abomination to the right here is Kegasus, the, uh, mascot -- I guess? -- of this May's Preakness Stakes Infieldfest. For the six of you that are still reading this post, here's the campaign's website -- which I highly recommend if you want to spend your lunch break gawking at a shirtless, slightly pudgy middle-aged man in a windswept wig encourage you to "be legendary." more ›

It's obvious that the Smithsonian Institution doesn't keep up with Reddit. Otherwise, they probably would have realized that a set of Smithsonian advertisements -- created by two students in 2009 at Atlanta's Creative Circus and bearing the Institutions' name along with some clever copy -- were burning up the Internet before one of the designers tipped them off. more ›

Even in times of severe budgetary crisis, WMATA still has to advertise itself. And what better way to reverse the public's negative opinion about random bag searches, constant maintenance, annoying talking buses, broken escalators, confusing fare structures and so forth than with some state of the art "guerrilla" marketing! Kytja Weir reports that the agency is going to try and get your attention the same way your local emo band does. more ›

TBD's community network, which encompasses dozens of local blogs and websites who serve as an extra set of eyes in exchange for an occasional place on the big kid's homepage, has been thoroughly analyzed, praised, and criticized as one of the more interesting experiments in recent local media history. But did TBD bite off a little more than it could chew when it thought that it would be able to sell advertising on 208 affiliate sites, ranging in size from the incredibly small to some of the more recognizable names in metropolitan-area blogging? It certainly appears that way. more ›

No, these aren't real. But let's be honest: these delightful bits of parody, created by Evan Hensleigh, are way better than most of WMATA's usual advertising. Which is your favorite? more ›

David Berman, poet and frontman of the Silver Jews, once opined that "punk rock died when the first kid said, 'punk's not dead, punk's not dead.'" This just feels like the right quotation to cite upon the realization that the Washington Post actually bought the rights (okay, "sponsored," whatever) to a commonly-used hashtag today on Twitter. more ›

Today the New York Times has a great story on how the medical marijuana industry may well save local newspapers starved for advertising dollars. Basically, the medical marijuana industry in the states where it is legal has been something of a boon to alt-weeklies. more ›

I can believe that Phil Mendelson and his reelection staff are under a fair amount bit of stress, pushing hard to counteract name confusion and hold on to Mendelson's Council seat. But it seems to me this piece of campaign lit, which landed in DCist HQ's mailbox yesterday afternoon, probably should have been thought through a little more. more ›

Selling deodorant has to be a tough job. No matter how you frame it, you basically have to convince people that they either a) smell terrible, or b) could smell better than they currently do. When it comes to ranking the most glamorous accounts at any given large advertising agency, I'm pretty sure that antiperspirant isn't anywhere near the top. more ›

It went as quickly as it came. On Tuesday, mayoral contender Vince Gray's campaign rolled out a YouTube ad in which Mayor Adrian Fenty is seen apologizing to an irate resident for apparently not doing his job. The implication of the ad was clear -- Fenty has fallen short, especially with the District's neediest residents. Today, that ad is gone, pulled from YouTube. more ›

Capital One purchased D.C. area-based Chevy Chase Bank back at the beginning of 2009, and now the Post reports that the transition to the Capital One brand will be completed sometime this fall. Capital One Bank signs with temporary Chevy Chase Bank covers will soon be installed at all 247 branches, with the Chevy Chase covers to be removed on some yet to be announced date later this year. more ›

By DCist Contributor Joe Danielewicz more ›

As you might imagine, the plans have already drawn vocal opposition, complete with a dedicated web site, stopthebillboard.org, which argues that the billboards are illegal and would lead to a slippery slope of LED ads across the city. The BizJo also quotes Gallery Place condo owners concerned that their property values will go down once the bright signage is in place. more ›

The folks at Destination D.C., the city-funded District tourism bureau, have hired Dr. Ruth Westheimer to be their newest spokesperson. An event scheduled at the National Press Club Thursday morning promises an appearance from the diminutive psychosexual therapist, alongside At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown, to celebrate the launch of Destination D.C.'s latest ad campaign, described as a "month-long 'stimulus plan' designed to boost hospitality business by highlighting the romantic and playful side of the District.' Just in time for Valentine's Day -- get it? We're also told that Brown will be there in order to "swear in" Dr. Ruth as "Honorary Secretary of Love & Relationships" of the city. more ›

DCist had just been wondering when the city was going to get around to raising awareness about the impending 5 cent disposable bag fee, which goes into effect in January 1, 2010, and lo and behold, the “Skip the Bag, Save the River” Education Campaign press release landed in our inbox today. more ›

If you've been up at the intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW today, you've no doubt noticed the freestanding scaffolding and truck parked there on the plaza. No, it's not construction beginning on the controversial plaza sculpture (that's been tabled for the moment), but rather a temporary art installation — or advertisement, depending upon your level of cynicism — from HBO and their "Imagine" project. more ›

When you run into a 13-foot tall heart in the District this month, the Colombian government would like you to think happier thoughts about its country. more ›

It's been a little disconcerting to ride my usual Metrobus routes for the last few weeks. I'm always happy to see my friend and fellow DCist editor Martin Austermuhle, but having his steely eyes staring down at me non-stop has been somewhat startling on occasion. "Oh hey, Mart-- oh god, it's that friggin' poster again!" Maybe you're having the same problem. The Reliable Source picked up a little item about Martin's participation in DC Vote's latest ad campaign today, so I was reminded to mention it. more ›

Thanks to the eagle eyes at Consumerist for spotting this kind of amazing TV spot produced by Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot. The spot aims to remind Maryland residents to E-File their tax returns this year by aping those old Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" Ads. Note the Barry White-styled voice over. Note the screechy background soul singers. Note Franchot appearing at the end as though he's proud of himself. We suppose if anything, this thing is so astoundingly silly that it'll at least get the attention of taxpayers. Has anyone actually seen this on TV, or is it special to YouTube? more ›

The Caps look good this year. Not only have they kept together a team that made the playoffs last year and added a celebrity goalie, but their starting left wing is now the spokesman for a major East Coast discount beauty shop chain. more ›

We're here in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, which kicks off tomorrow. We were too wiped out to attend last night's big Media Welcome Party at Elitch Gardens (though there's some evidence we may not have gotten in anyway), but we can tell you that the city of Denver set off an impressive fireworks display over the big bash at around 9:30 p.m. Apart from the actual work of adopting a platform and officially selecting a nominee to run for president, party conventions are more or less one big advertisement, so reporters are treated to an endless parade of parties, meals, and goodie bags.
more ›

One good thing to come out of this year's controversial summer youth jobs program is the video above, an ad starring some of the program's participating students (h/t WTOP). The Neighbors of Seaton Place produced the ad with the teens, which calls on community members to put an end to the violence that is all too common on D.C. streets. more ›

Via Dan Steinberg, here's a behind-the-scenes look at the filming for this year's new Easterns Motor commercial, featuring Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, and other members of the 'Skins roster. The video was produced by Comcast SportsNet. We can't wait to see the new spot for ourselves.
more ›

Flickr contributor brownpau has been the star of the fledgling DCist Videos Pool for the past several weeks, diligently posting short videos of his travels around town for our amusement. We were disappointed to have missed his timelapse of Pope Benedict XVI's popemobile ride until it was too late, but over the weekend he added something I've always meant to try to capture on video: one of the Red line Metro tunnel ads in its entirely, this one for embarrassing box office flop Speed Racer. Not even made in Heaven advertising placement could save this particular Hollywood debacle. more ›