Tribble points us to a new scandal for the downtrodden GSD&M. Seems the agency is getting sued. The Austin Statesman, spends quite a bit of time following the turmoils of the shop and from their pages, it seems:
“The lawsuit stems from a national advertising campaign that depicts a man waiting to check in for a flight who is asked by attendants to spin a wheel for a prize: a seat on a large plane. A song similar to the theme from “The Price Is Right” plays.”
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The client, Southwest Airlines, is also named in the suit. The onus is on , owners of the show, to prove that consumers will be confused by the and say, head to the airline’s website rather than that of the iconic game show. You might think this is an impossibility. However, consumers can be daft. Totally daft.
Agencies and brands are always getting sued. With their army of lawyers, you’d think they could secure this kind of stuff out of the gate. For example – take the Addams Family themed spots created by BBDO for Mars’ brand M&M. The agency and brand cleared only some of the rights with the “Addam’s Family Foundation,” failing to clear incidentals on the usage rights for likeness of the characters portrayed in the print and TV spots. Mars is now being sued, though BBDO stays in the clear. Ryan Bowling, a spokesperson for Mars, said that it was the company’s policy not to comment on pending litigation. C’est la vie.