Seriously. Looking for a plastic pool that will ultimately turn into a germ factory in your back yard is tough enough. Do you think the company could spring for an actual picture?

Below is what we are so far classifying as the world's worst product shot. If you'd like to send us any worse that you've seen, we're all ears.

Bet they studied their advertising expendetures to death, only to leave off a decent shot of the photo near point of purchase. The kids look to be enjoying themselves, although they obviously are not enjoying themselves in this pool. Comical, but unfortunate.

Little Tikes Whale Slide Pool.

Alright, this is borderline absurd, but interesting nevertheless.

Point taken ... great low prices. And I know that Alpha's are fairly mainstream in Europe, but seeing an ad pushing rock-bottom cost tramples all over my original brand perception of them as a cool company, as communicated via Dustin Hoffman's ride in The Graduate. Low, low prices? Are you trying to seduce me? Is that what you're trying to do?

In a lame attempt at coolness, this video has emerged as a part of a viral marketing effort to introduce consumers to the fascinating new Microsoft stores. To their credit, it's been viewed over 740,000 times. Unfortunately for Microsoft, that means a large percentage of 740,000 people who are as impressed with half-hearted 'dancing' as we were.

For the record, I do have a Mac on my desk. Carry it everywhere I go. But I also have a PC. I carry it ... well, when I have to. Actually it looks fairly slick and isn't too bad. But it's not like the other. Functional. Gets the job done, but that's about it ... kind of like the dancing going on here. So in that respect, I guess the video may be spot on.

Here it is. And if you feel like I did after watching, directions to the nearest Apple store can be found here.

I think there's a saying for this: Show me my competitors' ads on a fly and I'll show you my branded over-sized fly swatter.

Think something 'small' like typography doesn't matter? Then ask the fine people at Swedish furniture seller IKEA if they've received any feedback from their customers on their recent change from the highly stylistic Futura to the Microsoft-created Verdana font.

Why companies do something like this is a mystery, particularly when type plays such a huge role in the company's image (all-text logo, massive billboards, promo call-outs in catalogs, etc.). I'm sure the thought is that it may be an outrage at first, but eventually everyone will forget about it and move on. And honestly, they probably will, with a bit of exposure in the media because of it.

But in IKEA's case, it may really matter. A brand that's built on whimsical style and a half-serious treatment of itself begins to become mainstream when it uses mainstream typography. Have they become the new General Furniture Outlet? Will they can the blue stores and cram them into strip malls? Will I still be able to smell those Swedish sticky buns from a mile away?

Who knows, but the design community is right in their statement that the change to such a common font sends signals that the company is destined to ass ume a more common path, which runs counter to the reason people go there in the first place.

Don't get us wrong. We use Verdana ourselves for certain projects. It's not evil. But it doesn't work for IKEA . You can get a cheap lamp anywhere. But you can't get one with IKEA's panache. Take that away - one letter at a time - and you change the image of your company.

Our man Don Stoppenbach was responsible for bringing this to our attention. Charming, smart, fontastic.
Well done, Stopper.

(download)

Click here to download:

IKEA_Verdana_Say_it_aint_so..zip (227 KB)