Is CarMax shipping me with all this irony?

I thought irony could never die. Then I saw these two ads for CarMax from BooneOakley. They ooze smarmy, post-modern self-awareness, but in this case, I’m not sure that’s such a great thing. Are they so bad they’re good, or so good they’re bad? (I mean, are they bad in a good, postmodern way. You know. It’s all about irony.) Anyway, “Are you shippin’ me?” is a cute line, but they need to throw in some faux Brady kids to really seal the deal. Did you know the actresses who played Marsha and Jan may have had a fling? Now that’s ironic!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2)

South settling scores with its tourism ads

In the South, nothing heals those old Civil War wounds quite like sharply worded trade tourism advertisements. Take this print spread for the Fayetteville, N.C., visitors bureau. Running in military magazines, it promises soldiers groups that they’ll get a much more hospitable reception than William Tecumseh Sherman and his troops did in 1865 (or Charles Cornwallis did in 1781, for that matter). Sherman’s army all but flattened Fayetteville, which was deemed “offensively rebellious.” Finally, Fayetteville strikes back. Not that the town still despises interlopers. “You and your group are more than welcome to invade and occupy our town whenever you like,” says the copy. By Durham agency The Republik.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Kids are smoking early in New York State

New York City has the insufferable Throat-Hole Guy to robotically voice its anti-smoking message. Not to be outdone, New York State has its own batch of disturbing anti-smoking ads, including the one that shows kids breathing out smoke—victimized simply by being around parents who indulge in the habit. The best shot is the girl shown here, who has a kind of Exorcist thing going on as she chuckles maniacally, smoking pouring from her nostrils. Given the incessant competition between New York City and the rest of the state, we should probably expect NYC to introduce Throat-Hole Kid shortly.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Schwan’s wants to overhaul your marriage

Since at least the mid-1970s, most advertisers have shied away from using the word “housewife.” Schwan’s Home Service, a frozen-food delivery company, has no such qualms in its first work from Hunt Adkins. “Research shows that 95% of housewives could use a housewife,” one billboard proclaims. At first, this seems kind of nostalgic. Then I realized what they’re really trying to say: Women should stay at home, eat frozen food and marry other women. That’s a utopian vision, to be sure—but what about the men? Should they cook all day at their jobs downtown? That’s fine for chefs, but elsewhere it could lead to office fires and decreased productivity. Still, they’d get to go home at night to two wives and Schwan’s dinners, so I guess it all evens out.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (22)

Vancouver’s film audiences have seen it all

TBWA Vancouver and the Perlorian Brothers have put together some amusing promos for the Vancouver International Film Festival. Once you’ve seen some of the shocking fare at the VIFF, the spots suggest, nothing will faze you in your everyday life—not creepy floating children, suburban freak parades, vicious interrogations or random severed ears. The VIFF opened last night and continues through Oct. 12.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another CGM player with a pipe dream

The consumer-generated ad fad shows little sign of dying down. There’s a new startup on the scene dedicated to soliciting spots from consumers and bypassing the pros. The company, Adwidth, uses the typical David vs. Goliath pitch: “You can make advertising more interesting than the media establishment; in fact, we think the audience is more likely to watch your ad over the professional ads.” Take heart, “media establishment.” As the company states in its press release, “Adwidth has not publicly announced their business model at this time.” Doesn’t sound promising.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on September 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Morrissey

Ad execs are officially the new TV hotness

Looks like advertising is joining medicine, law and detective work in the ranks of overused professions on TV dramas. On the heels of AMC’s Mad Men comes TNT’s Truth in Advertising, slated to star Eric McCormack of Will & Grace and Tom Cavanagh of Ed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show takes place in the fictional Chicago agency of Rothman, Greene & Moore. McCormack will play an art director who “must learn to cultivate his inner shark” when he’s promoted to creative director. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there will be sizzling sexual tension among everyone in the agency, except for the token comic-relief guy in media planning. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go punch out one of my colleagues for having a lesbian affair with the designer I’m secretly in love with—and all this on the eve of The Big Pitch! How do I even get work done around here?

—Posted by David Griner

Published on September 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Griner

Razr 2 has all sorts of fun, colorful features

The Motorola Razr 2 is a nifty phone, judging by this ad from Michel Gondry. First off, it’s as big as a house, which ordinarily would be a drawback, until you realize what’s inside. You turn the phone on by jumping on a hopscotch grid on the sidewalk. Once activated, the giant handset lights up in squares, which contain helpful, application-specific faces, then falls back to reveal a forest of spiky trees, from whose branches you can conveniently retrieve your e-mail. You enter the phone through a window on the floor, and a robot will photograph you driving a car, riding a wave and flying an airplane. The robot can also become a drummer/racecar driver and entertain in various musical styles. As an added feature, your fellow concertgoers can morph into blue waves, so you can go for a swim. To turn the phone off, you simply call out for a giant glowing hand, which swoops down from the night sky and does it for you. For a couple hundred bucks, it looks like a steal. Read more, and see a making-of video, on this site.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Geeks way off base with silly ‘nerd auction’

The members of a computer club at Washington State University have decided that a “nerd auction” would be a great way to recruit more women into computer-science programs—and to get themselves some action. Tech nerds are offering to trade computer skills to sorority members in exchange for makeovers and dates. Talk about an insulting stereotype! I mean, surely there are a few sorority sisters out there who can figure out how to download Firefox on their own. And as for the nerds, well, they don’t need any help either. Check out this movie clip—who wouldn’t want to invite one of these dudes to a freshman mixer? Oh, and if any Gamma Phi Betas need help with Firefox, just let me know.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lindsay Lohan saved by lazy proofreader

At first, I couldn’t understand all the fuss over this Canterbury Institute ad alluding to über-troubled tabloid queen Lindsay Lohan. It’s been blasted as tacky and going way too far. Hollyscoop.com suggested it would “upset a lot of people.” But I think I’ve figured it out. It’s the use of the word “Don’t.” It is indeed perplexing. Hard to understand how an extra word like that slipped in there. Just goes to show you that people don’t proof ads like they used to. Still, the mistake is a fortunate one for Lohan, as it softens the message a bit. And if she’s still upset, she should get back to focusing on her work. Maybe she could make a direct-to-Web Herbie: Fully Loaded sequel. Fully loaded, huh? Never mind.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4)