Trash Talk: Photoshop irony, Tomboy-phobia, and the rhymes-with-cupid electronics giant

Here’s what’s making industry opinion-makers cringe this week:

Photoshop Irony

Remember the L’Oreal ad that was banned in the UK for over-Photoshopping Julia Roberts? Adverblog’s Martina Zavagno points out the great irony with the L’Oreal Men’s new video:

The video is rather amusing, and it shows the wonders of Photoshop retouch, an art we all know L’Oreal masters, especially after the Advertising Standards Authority banned their Julia Roberts print campaign for creating a “false impression of beauty.”

– Adverblog

Tomboy-phobia

What’s this mom’s deal? AdFreak‘s David Gianatasio wonders what Tide has against tomboys:

The brand wants it both ways—edgy and safe—and ends up with content that’s awkward and confusing. Sweater-swathed Mom does seem Stepford-Wife-ish in her over-art-directed house, and she’s big-time into girls-should-wear-pink gender norms. Still, there’s wiggle room, and it’s unclear (on first viewing, at least) if she is indeed meant to be the butt of the joke.

– AdFreak

Rhymes-With-Cupid Electronics Giant

Sony fans are eager to get their hands on the PS Vita while it’s still relevant. With a scheduled release date in 2012, and all the cool games coming out in 2013, Benzinga’s Louis Bedigian asks “If the ‘A’ in Apple stands for ‘Awesome,’ What does the ‘S’ in Sony stand for?”

At that rate, PS Vita’s launch is likely to resemble that of the Nintendo 3DS. Super Mario 3D Land, the Nintendo device’s most anticipated (original) game, will not arrive until November – more than six months after the system was released. And unlike the 3DS, PS Vita doesn’t have any unique gimmicks to push it out the door. Its dual-touch feature (one touch screen on top and one touch pad underneath the system) is not enough to sway consumers, especially when there aren’t any cool games to demonstrate the purpose of that feature.
– Benzinga