Spoof ads during times of crisis

It all began with a businesspundit.com feature which has soon turned into a ubiquitous viral mail and must have for any self-respecting brand-aware email forwarder. The highjacking of some of the most high profile logos in the industry and toying around with them to fit the current crisis (Anyone for a downjones instead of Dow Jones or a Fail instead of Ford?) has once again proved the power of spoof ads which build on immediate visual recognition of the logo, the typography and the grid, to turn into another message.
It is however, argued that most of the times the spoofing strengthens the original brand as it makes more exposed. As a matter of fact, sometimes brands do it willingly, as in the case of Formula1 where tobacco advertising is banned in certain countries and so the tobacco companies have resorted to transforming their logo from Lucky Strike for example to Look Alike which - seen from far and on television transmission looks identical to the original all while escaping the stringent anti-advertising laws.
Enjoy these spoofs ads, and remember - what does not kill a brand, only strengthens it.