Billy Mays wants to sell you some ESPN360

Arnold today launches a pleasingly goofy campaign for ESPN360.com starring Billy Mays, the bearded infomercial guy usually seen shilling for OxiClean. See all four ads here. This genre's been parodied to death, but the ESPN spots score by being even dumber than we've come to expect. They're almost parodies of parodies, so unrelentingly stupid that they're amazingly effective. Mays is no different here than in any of his other ad gigs as he shouts exuberantly about the ESPN360 service, which lets you to watch your favorite teams online, "anywhere, anytime!" The "secret," Mays confides, is the Internet connection. In the ad below, his wife and daughter are seen with thick black beards just like his. Nice! Their grins and gestures seem forced, and their line deliveries are as insincerely sincere as possible. Now that's great bad acting! Also noteworthy is the dead-eyed office drone who robotically explains that with ESPN360, "My job is way less soul-crushing." Hey, we need ESPN360 at AdFreak! Ow, my aching soul!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

December 23, 2008 in Arnold, ESPN, Gianatasio, Parody | Permalink