ColemanMedia Report

A study released late last week by the Center for Population Growth in Advertising revealed that as a group, online ad sales representatives now represent the 4th largest country in the world, surpassed only by China, India, and ubiquitous social network Facebook. According to the study, online ad sales representatives, who have achieved explosive growth over the last 12 months, now outnumber the total population of the United States, Canada, and Portugal combined. “The numbers are unprecedented,” said lead researcher Petros Pythagorean. “By our best estimates, there are over 522 million ad sales reps currently calling on media buyers in the US, generating just over 7 billion calls and emails to agencies every week. Compare that to just 12 months ago, when there were only 1,400.” What’s behind the sudden growth? “We credit recent news about a potential recovery of the advertising industry,” said Pythagorean. “Oh, that and the 600,000 new mobile and social media companies that have been founded in the last 12 weeks.”

A new marketing campaign from Skittles that encouraged teens in China with messages of fun and rebellion has inadvertently landed an entire generation of teens aged 13-17 in an undisclosed Chinese prison, according to officials with the Chinese government, who asked to remain anonymous.  The campaign, which urged teens to “Skittlize routine school activities,” reportedly backfired when the teens refused to turn in homework assignments on time, landing them in a state prison somewhere in the rural Xinjiang province.  Regardless, the Skittles marketing department is pleased with the results.  ”We consider this campaign a monumental success,” said Kitty Wang.  ”Our brand awareness within the target market is through the roof.  Our challenge now is that our entire target market is now in jail, and physically unable to buy our product.  And we have no word yet on when they might be let out.”