Akademiks New Ad Campaign Pulled Down Because Get-Brain Slogan

Article written by: Rodrick Rainey
Posted on: November 5, 2004

New York officials may not be the only ones caught out.

Akademiks also placed the ads on buses and bus shelters in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco and Philadelphia, the company spokesman said.

Mr Kelly, who said he was his 60s, said that after he was tipped to the hidden meaning of the phrase on Thursday he ran a test among some young MTA workers.

“I went downstairs to the mailroom and showed some of the young guys a copy of the ad,” he said.

“I was watching their faces and they all start smirking.

“Apparently it’s on all the music, in music that’s how they refer to it,” Mr Kelly said.

“I didn’t know anything about it and I’m sure the people that approved the ad didn’t.”

Mr Kelly said it was sad that “you can’t take things at face value any longer”.

“We’ll have to learn from experience before we accept ads.”

The ads followed another recent advertising controversy at the MTA.

A poster commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the subway was found to contain numerous plugs placed by its designer for the Church of Scientology.

New York officials may not be the only ones caught out.

Akademiks also placed the ads on buses and bus shelters in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco and Philadelphia, the company spokesman said.

Mr Kelly, who said he was his 60s, said that after he was tipped to the hidden meaning of the phrase on Thursday he ran a test among some young MTA workers.

“I went downstairs to the mailroom and showed some of the young guys a copy of the ad,” he said.

“I was watching their faces and they all start smirking.

“Apparently it’s on all the music, in music that’s how they refer to it,” Mr Kelly said.

“I didn’t know anything about it and I’m sure the people that approved the ad didn’t.”

Mr Kelly said it was sad that “you can’t take things at face value any longer”.

“We’ll have to learn from experience before we accept ads.”

The ads followed another recent advertising controversy at the MTA.

A poster commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the subway was found to contain numerous plugs placed by its designer for the Church of Scientology.