Only a handful of the ads I save to investigate later end up being worthy of full write-ups. So I figured I’d experiment with a mid-month issue that shares a few that are fun to look at, but not worth reading about:

Because back-alley deals with guys smoking cigars and selling computer hardware out of trenchcoats must surely generate feelings of trust and reliability.

I actually already did an issue on Computer-Mate Inc but didn’t find this ad until later, which fits in perfectly with the rest of their convoluted messaging and product descriptions.

To be fair, I kind of love this one (ignoring the gratuitous number of distinct fonts). I really need to explain in writing somewhere what I mean when I say “bad ads,” which is rarely a black-and-white repudiation.

Just standing, facing a wall, holding a computer peripheral overhead, as one does.

Lest you think I’m unfairly dunking on the copywriting of non-native English speakers living a “diversified life in the multi-media,” I direct your attention to the skeleton in the background.

That’s it! Let me know if you enjoy this format and would like me to keep it up going forward. I'm also going to do a better job of explaining what I mean by "bad ads" on the signup page and maybe linking to that in the header of each issue, starting with the next one. Until then!