The Ad Generator

January 24, 2007 2:59 PM

The Ad Generator is a generative artwork that explores how advertising uses and manipulates language. What it actually does is that it randomizes words and structures from real advertising slogans and pairs them with related images from Flickr, generating fake ads on the fly.
posted by sveskemus (53 comments total)

I got "Do Hands" with a picture of feet.

I'm sure it means something, but "Do Hands" only made me think of Mr. Hands [NOT BESTIALIST].
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:03 PM on January 24, 2007

Randomly not safe for work.
posted by ColdChef at 3:10 PM on January 24, 2007

Pretty cool! I like the pseudo-engrish it makes.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 3:10 PM on January 24, 2007

Randomly not safe for work.

Aw shit! I didn't think of that. I have looked at it for quite a while and nothing NSFW popped up. I guess I just assumed Flickr would be work-safe. I'll add a nsfw tag and if the admins feel like it I'm okay with adding NSFW to the post itself, too.
posted by sveskemus at 3:15 PM on January 24, 2007

Some of the random ones I'm getting are hilarious. I'm not sure if it proves the point it's creator intended... but it's pretty damn funny.
posted by defenestration at 3:16 PM on January 24, 2007

Very nice. Surreal, scary, very Zen. Thanks.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:17 PM on January 24, 2007

this is a great idea, but is it just me or is it really poorly executed?
posted by etowernyc at 3:17 PM on January 24, 2007

I got one that said "Simple innovation", and had a photo of a statue of a dog that was half buried in the dirt. I wish I could have saved it.
posted by agropyron at 3:19 PM on January 24, 2007

[Photo of a duck feeding her ducklings]

YOU'RE IN AMERICAN MIRACLES.
posted by defenestration at 3:19 PM on January 24, 2007

I got one of a bunch of half-naked fat dudes in frilly mini skirts and bras with the caption, "LESS IS ESSENTIAL."

I lol'd.
posted by katillathehun at 3:20 PM on January 24, 2007

I got one that said "GENERATING ADS..." on a blank white screen. Very meta.
posted by found missing at 3:24 PM on January 24, 2007

Hmm, I think we killed it. Here's one I captured before it died.
posted by agropyron at 3:25 PM on January 24, 2007

I just got this photo with the caption, "ESCAPE THE SCIENCE."
posted by defenestration at 3:28 PM on January 24, 2007

Its everywhere you. (guitar neck? haha)
Beer through safety. (a can of stella balancing on the corner)

I love conceptual art projects like this!
posted by shownomercy at 3:32 PM on January 24, 2007

SPEED IS YOU
posted by boo_radley at 3:38 PM on January 24, 2007

Oh, shit. I thought that *was* the generator. Fuck.
posted by boo_radley at 3:39 PM on January 24, 2007

Or, make your own.
posted by CrunchyFrog at 3:40 PM on January 24, 2007

I don't think this one can possibly be topped. (maybe not safe for work)
posted by scodger at 3:43 PM on January 24, 2007

What the hell
posted by boo_radley at 3:44 PM on January 24, 2007 [1 favorite]

boo_radley writes "What the hell"

Holy shit.
posted by defenestration at 3:48 PM on January 24, 2007

Monkey the fart for follows.

I'd buy that.
posted by blue_beetle at 4:01 PM on January 24, 2007

Better it, indeed.

Better it than me.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:15 PM on January 24, 2007

[Photo of man hugging cat]
HUMAN IS LESS

[Photo of sign inside a Jimmy John's reading, "Tasting is Believing"]
INVENTING IS BELIEVING

[Photo of interior of a BMW convertible]
THE FLOWER OF LIFE

[Photo of a very well-endowed woman's cleavage]
THE POSSIBILITY OF MILK



I'll buy twenty of each.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 4:16 PM on January 24, 2007

Ideas for money
The finger of art

Needs more language about freedom and pride. Ads always seem to promise that.
posted by hydrophonic at 4:18 PM on January 24, 2007

Is it borked, or what? I skip the flash detection and get bumped to a 404.
posted by juv3nal at 4:24 PM on January 24, 2007

I've gotten a few great ones.
My list-topper is "Drive at the Speed of Beer".
The image was a blurry, shaky view from the front seat of a car.
Frightening.
posted by tehloki at 4:25 PM on January 24, 2007

I got one that said "Simple innovation", and had a photo of a statue of a dog that was half buried in the dirt. I wish I could have saved it.

You could have. PrtScn and copy to a picture editor. Or, you knew that and weren't fast enough.

The three I got were not funny, but I like the idea. I just have no patience. Finger of art. Cute. I hate ads. Fake ads are better.
posted by Listener at 4:34 PM on January 24, 2007

This just put me out of work.

Thanks Metafilter.
posted by tkchrist at 4:38 PM on January 24, 2007

I got "Lick the milk," with a photo of a black guy and a white girl licking another white girl. That's my new favorite thing.
posted by grrarrgh00 at 4:55 PM on January 24, 2007

I got a view of NYC from the top of the Empire State and the tagline "IS IT CIVILISATION".

Great idea and thanks for linking to this.
posted by randomination at 4:59 PM on January 24, 2007

I wish I could have saved it.

What Listener said: you have a PrtSc key on your keyboard. Upper right, hanging out near SysRq and Pause/Break and Scroll Lock, et al. On Windows, at least, striking this key will screenshot your screen. Alt-PrtScr will capture only the current window.

Launch adgen, hover over. Paste into MS Paint, etc, etc.
posted by cortex at 5:33 PM on January 24, 2007

this is a great idea, but is it just me or is it really poorly executed?

Not just you. Real advertising would never just use the same black type in the same bottom left corner, over and over again. Well, probably somebody has done that, but it gets boring after awhile. And the whole point of advertising is to be not boring.

Still, a good idea...
posted by LeLiLo at 5:33 PM on January 24, 2007

Ha!

Ha ha!



Oh dear.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 5:38 PM on January 24, 2007 [1 favorite]

And the whole point of advertising is to be not boring.

NOT be boring. I think you may be on to something! Advertising that is NOT boring.

Hold on to that thought and don't talk to anybody else until we get a contract signed.

NOT be boring. I'll be damned. Awesome.

I think I just got my Advertising job back.
posted by tkchrist at 5:47 PM on January 24, 2007

Wow. Serously. I just wish I could pause it!
posted by washburn at 6:51 PM on January 24, 2007

Seriously! Too excited to proofread.
posted by washburn at 6:52 PM on January 24, 2007

Is it borked, or what? I skip the flash detection and get bumped to a 404.

The "skip flash detection" link is borked, yes. Here is the correct link to skip flash detection.
posted by Lirp at 7:35 PM on January 24, 2007

a picture of a Mayan ruin with the line "got civilization"
posted by subtle_squid at 8:04 PM on January 24, 2007

You'd think I'd get tired of this, but apparently I don't.

Not a bad deal.
Never good.
More than I wanted to know.
A lot more than I wanted to know.
posted by hydrophonic at 8:59 PM on January 24, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ricochet at the speed of art.

Deep.

Loved this post. Thanks.
posted by nickyskye at 9:59 PM on January 24, 2007

Fun link. I wish there were a better way to save some of these than screen capping my browser over and over.
posted by sparkletone at 10:06 PM on January 24, 2007

"DEFY SOMETHING UNCIVILIZED FOR"

Penalty! 15 yards! Dangling Participle!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:17 PM on January 24, 2007

I have to say though that a guy playing the keyboards while wearing sunglasses with the caption "LIFE THROUGH MILK" is blowing my mind. I'm imagining a whole story about this keyboard playing dude named Milk and how he got to be on this poster and maybe in the movie version, he could be played by Jamie Foxx...
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:18 PM on January 24, 2007

This engine is addictive and stupid, and I love it, and here are my favourites, which I screenshawt and image-shacked:

Damn furry Americans.
The Capitalist hands of BABIES!
Devolution.
Why employee nametags are so important.
Advice for your homely friends that you take pictures of.
Did we drink ALL the milk? I hope they're not trying to say that we took advantage of them.
This one is almost even beautiful.
posted by Milkman Dan at 7:49 AM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

SMART TIME.
posted by Milkman Dan at 7:59 AM on January 25, 2007

I understand how blanket words like "life," "beauty" and "speed" make it into the mix, but "ricochet?" "Capitalism?" I keep thinking this is meta-satire on a plain above my consciousness.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 8:21 AM on January 25, 2007

I got "Do Rewards" and a picture of a swamp. Personally, I don't find swamps rewarding. I think swamps are punishment.
posted by Cyclopsis Raptor at 10:38 AM on January 25, 2007

Often indistinguishable from actual advertising, the primary difference is that I could watch this all day.
posted by Durhey at 1:37 PM on January 25, 2007

I'm pretty sure I HAVE been watching this all day.
posted by Milkman Dan at 2:20 PM on January 25, 2007

Completely refuses to work in Firefox. Even though I have the newest Flash installed. Screw 'em if they can't detect that.
posted by caution live frogs at 8:41 PM on January 25, 2007

frogs: could be lagging. I know that it stops refreshing every so often when I get a lag spike, then starts up again. Once it just never started back up.
posted by tehloki at 11:24 PM on January 25, 2007

You know, this is sort of like living in "the new" Beijing. I get random images with even more random captions just walking down the street.

Thanks for posting this.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:04 AM on January 26, 2007

Completely refuses to work in Firefox. Even though I have the newest Flash installed. Screw 'em if they can't detect that.


Are you running the Adblock extension? I was running into the same problem but eventually figured out that adblock was blocking something of theirs. Was able to create an exception and get it to run after doing that.
posted by juv3nal at 2:24 PM on January 26, 2007