MoMA Store

UPDATE 1/30/18: The MoMA Store, or the MoMA Design Store as it is now known, now discloses on its website the strings attached to the promotion outlined below, namely that the $10 discount for new subscribers is only good “on orders of $100 or more.” Our original ad alert follows.

MoMA does not stand for the Museum of Modern Advertising because, well, that’s not a thing. But a message popping up on webpages for the Museum of Modern Art’s online store could plausibly find a forever home in such a made-up institution — on the floor marked Bad Ads.

As a TINA.org staffer found out firsthand, despite its seemingly straight-forward message — sign up and save $10 — the pop-up is missing some important information that is revealed only after a shopper has relinquished their email address. The catch is communicated in the subject line of the inaugural email from the MoMA Store:

Welcome [name redacted]! Save $10 on Your Next Purchase of $100 or more!

The TINA.org staffer had intended to put the $10 discount toward a $55 alarm clock, so the $100 required minimum purchase ruined that plan. Fine print in the email also gave a one-week deadline to use the coupon and listed a number of ineligible items including certain sound speakers, TVs, and a $25,000 Pablo Picasso catalogue.

TINA.org reached out to MoMA for comment. Check back for updates.

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