AIMS Worldwide reveals, rates and reviles the World’s Dumbest Ads

FAIRFAX, VA – February 27, 2006 – “If the facts don’t fit the theory,” declared Albert Einstein, “change the facts.” Over the past several decades, the ‘art’ of advertising morphed into the ‘science’ of marketing, and the ‘scientists’ at AIMS Worldwide sadly state that most ad agencies simply press ahead as if the calendar reads 1960 and mass consumer advertising is king.

“Here’s our theory,” said Gerald Garcia, president and CEO of AIMS Worldwide, Inc., “unless action is taken as a reaction to a message within an advertisement, then advertising is a fruitless exercise, a waste of good money and just plain dumb. I hate to use that word, but here dumb truly applies.”

AIMS Worldwide assembled a review panel to identify examples of wasteful mass-market advertising, which it showcases on the recently launched ‘World’s Dumbest Ad’ section of its website at www.aimsworldwide.com.

The review panel’s first candidate is what they believe to be an institutional ad for wine that ran in a national magazine with an estimated price tag of around $200,000.

“Someone signed off on the creative and spending money on the placement, but our panel doesn’t think either the ad or the media buy achieve a return on marketing investment,” Garcia said.

“We are not criticizing art, which may be beautiful, engaging or provocative,” he said. “Based on the theory of action, however, if results cannot be measured and a return provided on the client’s investment, it is quite simply a dumb ad.”

Garcia encourages all new-economy thinkers to visit the website, study The World’s Dumbest Ad and cast an online vote if they would spend shrinking marketing dollars on it. AIMS also invites comments on the dumb ad ‘du jour’ and welcomes submissions of other dumb, wasteful or ill-advised ads from print, broadcast, online and outdoor media. In 2006, AIMS will select the ‘biggest losers’ in each media category to receive Dummo Awards.

Contact: Gerald Garcia, 703-621-3875, ext. 2256, ggarcia@aimsworldwide.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future activities, performance, events or developments are forward-looking statements. Although AIMS Worldwide, Inc. believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.