What the f*#K is going on around here?

There's something disturbing going on in the world of advertising.

No, I'm not talking about the major holding companies who put out glowing shareholder financial reports with the hopes of generating additional investors and then, in the same breath, tell the employees there's no money for raises. Or bonuses. Or any of that soft one-ply toilet paper for the rest rooms.

No, I'm not referring to the 40-foot long communal workspace tables. "With all of us working at the same table there will be a greater, open exchange of ideas and greater creativity."

And no, I'm not pointing the finger at the human resources folks who have come to believe that professional writers are a frivolous luxury that a well-run ad agency can do without.

I'm talking about a certain zeitgeist that has infiltrated our industry and has reared its ugly head on multi media platforms: the euphemising of the word fucking.

Am I out of my fucking mind you ask?

Exhibit A. Take a look at this commercial for booking.com from the very talented people at Weiden & Kennedy. They singled out and captured that moment of vacation anxiety that we have all experienced with stunning accuracy. But then they rolled out the cheap expletives, or the expletive substitutes. And my appreciation for the spot went out the window. The window facing the air conditioning units and the parking lot. Not the one facing the turquoise blue ocean.

Of course, one example a zeitgeist does not make.

Exhibit B. Here's a screen grab from a Del Taco website.

I've never eaten at Del Taco, but I'll bet it's Unfreshingbelievable.

Exhibit C. This one comes to us compliments of the folks at Philips who have designed and manufactured an electric razor so revolutionary it will have me looking in the mirror and think: I'd do me. Or something to that effect.

It also occurs to me that if you're a guy investing your time on a website about portable shavers, I seriously doubt anyone will want to FAQ you, FIQ you, FEQ you, or otherwise.

How pervasive is this new low-brow trend?

Well, a signed NDA prevents me from disclosing the ad, but two weeks ago I found myself writing outdoor board lines and I succumbed to this phenomena, cleverly using a fucking euphemism to describe a competitor's product.

There are many other examples, but the roundseventeen research budget has been cut in half so the proceeds could be sent upstairs to the holding company to pay for a new company yacht. So if you're still interested you'll have to find them for your own fucking self.