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Rap your McDonald's order at your own risk
It's generally a bad idea to try things you saw in a viral video, as four Utah teens learned this week when they were cited by police after rapping their McDonald's order. Personally, I think the only crime here is that they were re-enacting a 3-year-old YouTube clip that your in-laws have probably even seen (but we've included it below, just in case). Apparently they were also committing disorderly conduct by delaying the drive-through line and making an employee feel "her safety was at risk." So, as a public service, AdFreak would like give a nugget of advice to the teens of America: If Taco Bell's ad team has already beaten you to co-opting some lame white-boy Internet meme, it might be time to find a new prank. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Digital shop enjoys slaughtering magazines
Carrot Creative, a digital shop in Brooklyn, is using Halloween to celebrate the media industry's woes. It posted this photo on Twitter, showing "digital" stabbing to death magazines like Domino, PC Magazine and Blender. Granted, I doubt we'll find many mourners for Cookie. I'm completely biased considering my job, but the glee with which digital people welcome the supposed demise of "traditional" media is perturbing. Yes, the industry is going through a wrenching transition and paying a heavy price for a business model that should have been transformed many years ago. That's meant lots of layoffs and even magazines and newspapers with storied histories shutting altogether. It's a sad picture. I'm not suggesting we hold a candlelight vigil for Condé Nast or get the government to bail out newspapers. Still, it can't hurt to keep the giddiness in check just a bit. |
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Germans attach tiny advertisements to flies
Since skywriting is no longer acceptable in advertising, German agency Jung von Matt has settled for "flyvertising," attaching tiny ad banners to flies and letting them buzz around a convention center during the Frankfurt book fair. Neat idea, but the obvious flaw is that flies are the most annoying things ever, and may not be something you'd want people associating with your product long-term. (The client here, Eichborn, is a publishing company whose logo is a fly.) Reports from the convention indicate that the flies had some trouble staying aloft and kept landing on people. Gross. The banners were attached with an adhesive that naturally dissolves, so as not to hurt the fly. But this could still be considered flysploitation, and some advocacy groups have been rather touchy about flies lately. Via Adland. —Posted by David Kiefaber
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Here's the feel-bad movie tagline of the year
Sherlock Holmes is premiering on Christmas Day, and to make sure you don't forget, they've come up with a cringe-worthy tagline: "Holmes for the holiday." For copywriters who worry that no one pays attention to taglines, this should allay your fears. Blogs far and wide are whining about this one. Movie Cultists says it's "the kind of tagline pun you'd expect from Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." I've seen it also described as "cutesy," "hilariously awful," "stupid" and "groan-worthy." But my favorite comment was from Movie Poster Addict, which asks, "Are we supposed to consider this to be an example of the supreme wit that will be displayed by Sherlock in the movie?" To top-hat it off, Videogum believes this tagline is so appalling that they are challenging their readers to come up with one that's worse. They're confident no one will. There are some fine contenders, however, like: "More funk. More fun. Morphine." Think you can do better? Or rather, worse? Fire away! Or should I say, Sherlock and load. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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DDB presents an 'asstounding' Reebok spot
Kudos to M&C Saatchi DDB Chicago for billing its new butt-centric Reebok spots as "asstounding." The shop doesn't monkey around with what it's after in promoting the EasyTone, a sneaker Reebok has targeted at the baby-got-back crowd for its leg- and caboose-toning capabilities. The spot above, called "Wandering Eye," stars a shapely spokeswoman who can't get the camera operator from coming in for close-ups of her backyard, although she seems quite flattered by it. The inspired tagline: "Better legs and a better butt with every step." Reebok is running the spots on broadcast and cable TV over the next four weeks, marking the brand's first major TV effort in two years. What a way to come back. UPDATE: DDB, not M&C Saatchi, did the creative here. M&C is the PR agency on the campaign. —Posted by Brian Morrissey Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Ogilvy ad breaks through against prejudice
Ogilvy & Mather in Istanbul presents a quietly powerful metaphor for prejudice in this effort for the Zaman newspaper in Turkey. We get surreal scenes of average folks who literally run up against their ignorance in the form of unseen, transparent barriers that inhibit their progress. They become trapped, unable to move forward or connect with others. In effect, they are no longer full and active participants in daily life. They've exiled themselves to a no man's land where they're on the outside looking in. The ambient soundtrack works with the bleak visuals to evoke a mood of sad isolation. The climactic "breakthrough," though predictable, provides catharsis and hope. "Our prejudices. Our invisible walls. Isn't it time to demolish them?" says the copy. At 1:45, this is the director's cut (there's also a :60), but the length allows for an almost hypnotic effect to take hold. Those who think the spot's too long should watch without prejudice. |
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Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink
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Creators of anti-Droid ad unmasked (sort of)
It turns out pros are behind the Apple-fanboy spoof ad (above) of the Verizon Droid ad spoofing Apple ads. The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog has an interview with the creators, described as staffers from a "Boston-area ad agency." The creative director, "Shawn" (they declined to give their last names), doesn't go out of his way to refute the notion that creative directors can sometimes act like jerks. He says the most controversial line in the spot, "iDon't buy brands who bash other brands," is pointed out as being hypocritical within the ad itself (by showing a Mac and PC clip and the line, "i… oops"). "Apparently even in fake advertising, you can go wrong estimating the intelligence of your audience," Shawn says. Ouch. The question remains: Which Boston-area ad agency is it? —Posted by Brian Morrissey Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 29, 2009 | Permalink
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Vodafone recommends stalking Eva Mendes
The nerdy narrative thrust of this 60-second Vodafone spot from Argentina by ad agency Santo is impressive, as is the payoff, which rings so true. What would any of us say to celebrities if we got them on the phone? I'd tell Derek Jeter he's a god (go Yanks!) and advise Bono to lose the sunglasses and accent (it's an obvious fake). I'd warn Jay, Dave and Conan to stop stealing my best AdFreak material and hit them up for jobs. As for Eva Mendes, well, I'd congratulate her on her most recent film, praise her performance, tell her she's the hottest actress around and close with, "It was a pleasure speaking to you, Ms. Longoria." Via Ads of the World. Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 29, 2009 | Permalink
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Hold on to your hairpiece with Stimorol gum
This spot by Ogilvy in Cape Town, South Africa, for Stimorol "Air Rush" gum manages to transcend its hackneyed office-humor setup through sheer unabashed silliness. The new employee's finger-pistol bit as he quips, "I'll see you cats later" and walks away, is almost a misstep. But then he does it again! Once = bad idea. Twice = brilliantly stupid! And a bit creepy, as the move vaguely suggests he might return later with mayhem in mind. Still, it channels just enough Monty Python-meets-David Lynch to work. I'm not sure what the big deal is about his hairdo. My hair usually looks like that even when I'm not chewing the gum. Via AdPunch. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on October 29, 2009 | Permalink
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Talking food is well done in U.K. TV promos
Talking food is everywhere in advertising, but it doesn't get much more strange or awesome than this. These short, comical clips from RKCR/Y&R in London show healthy food items chatting with their unhealthier alter egos (e.g., a grilled sausage and a fried sausage, veggie pizza and pepperoni pizza, etc.) to promote Family Supercooks, a new U.K. show about eating familiar foods in healthier ways. It's hard to pick a favorite from among the motley cast of characters, though the sadistic ketchup is well up there. Adland has more, including the fun fact that some of the characters are loosely based on people at RKCR. |
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Published on October 29, 2009 | Permalink
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MFS's new commercials great for Halloween
Take the platitude-spitting talking heads of the new Edward Jones campaign, and throw in the "I am" certitude of Microsoft's PC ads. Then add the creepy "glowing eyes" effect of horror films like Village of the Damned. What do you get? Oddly enough, it's Allen & Gerritsen's latest TV spots for investment house MFS. They almost make the frigid Edward Jones commercials look warm and fuzzy by comparison. Here, their eyes eerily alight with blocks from the MFS logo, folks deliver lines like, "I am an MFS fund" and "I am an MFS investment." What they are is possessed, and one guy's admission that "I'm all about the alpha" underscores the "alien" feel. At the end, they seem to "beam" the retinal images toward viewers in an effort to bend our minds to their investment-driven will. Good lord, they're inside my brain! I understand now, and I obey! |
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Published on October 29, 2009 | Permalink
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ABC cancels toxic 'V' skywriting campaign
Air-traffic controllers can breathe easier now that ABC has scrapped plans to promote V, its upcoming alien-invasion series, by skywriting giant V's above 26 popular U.S. landmarks. We can all breathe easier, actually, as a Washington Post columnist pointed out that the stunt would spew 800 grams of lead into the atmosphere. One of the proposed flyover sites, Boston's Fenway Park, is still recovering from all the hot air generated by fans about the Red Sox making it back to the World Series this year. The Statue of Liberty was also marked for a flyby, but New Yorkers wouldn't have noticed, because they're bedazzled by the post-season run of the soon-to-be world champion Yankees (Wednesday night's bump in the road notwithstanding). Unfortunately, we might still be in for some noxious emissions. If the "reimagined" V is anything like its stink-bomb '80s namesake, the stench will start to rise as soon as the series (for lack of a better word, and to stretch the metaphor to its very limit) airs. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on October 29, 2009 | Permalink
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Use Bing, and get chomped on by a vampire
As I've noted in regard to infomercial spoofs, you can always leave it to advertisers to seize on a cultural trend, typically six months late, and beat it to death. Or in the case of vampires, suck all the blood out. No less than Microsoft, which has been called worse things than a bloodsucker by its rivals, is playing into this with the new Bing spot above. It shows the typical vampire type guy—greasy, long hair, severely manicured goatee—about to feast on an unsuspecting fawn after she uses Bing to find a place to eat that's suitably dark for his tastes. I'm actually surprised more advertisers haven't gone vampire for the Halloween season. —Posted by Brian Morrissey Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Dogs with Internet-porn habits need daycare
This ad by Jung von Matt for a doggie daycare in Sweden (full ad here) could be a spec piece, award-show fodder created for a local business ... or just a flat-out phony. Life's too short to waste time finding out: It's just a dog-wanking-off ad, after all. The headline is: "What's your dog up to when it's home alone?" Nothing good, it seems. It's easily the most suggestive piece of marketing involving an animal since Ikea Photoshopped a human penis onto a dog in 2007. Though let's be honest. The visual could be worse. And just try watching today's bandwidth-hogging hard-core on a Mac Classic. There's no way! Or so I hear. Via Ads of the World. |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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BBH staffer's Mrs. O blog, now in book form
Everyone in the ad industry loves stories where agencies do things for themselves rather than clients. The success of these projects can be debated. See Honeyshed. Now, BBH New York is celebrating the fruits of its labor with the release of Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy, a companion book to the Mrs. O blog that BBH account planner Mary Tomer started last fall to celebrate the style of Michelle Obama. The blog has remained popular. According to Quantcast, it gets about 27,000 visitors a month. Brain Pickings has an interview with Tomer. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Sir Roger hypes his Majesty's postal service
Sir Roger Moore, who at 82 is not yet a Halloween costume, stars in this new ad by Mother for the British post office. Moore, who played James Bond in the 1970s and early '80s, was chosen for the job because he embodies the "sophisticated and respected" image the post office wants to project. The spot is amusing enough, though one writer at the Guardian calls it "desperately, heartwrenchingly sad" that Sir Roger is giving Sean Connery fans another reason to feel that Connery is superior. —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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'Tekken 6' ads rough you up nice and slowly
God knows it's impossible to make video games classy, but these teaser ads for Tekken 6 (tagline: "What will you fight for?") are determined to try anyway, with their super slow motion and choir music. And were it not for the women in their underpants fighting over shoes, they might have succeeded. There's also a Web site. The first of the two spots, posted below, is more subtle, although as Kotaku noticed, there's no actual gameplay footage shown. Which may be a good thing, since the graphics aren't a huge improvement over Tekken 4 or Tekken 5 anyway. If you're aching for a taste of gameplay imagery, here's someone fighting a giant panda. |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Saatchi's fight for the last beer ends meekly
This Malaysian commercial for Tiger beer from Saatchi & Saatchi has such a visually arresting buildup, I never felt like I was being primed for a punch line until the trap sprang at the end. Two faux-macho goobers try to one-up each other for the last Tiger on the table, transforming into imposing characters ranging from a robo-Stormtrooper type to Tarzan and a gorilla. The latter steals the show, and of course calls to mind Cadbury's drumming simian, but this guy seems more intent on delivering a beat-down than keeping the beat. (Oh man, that's clever writing!) The "twist" ending is predictable, but I didn't see it coming. You might ask: They're in a bar, why not just order more beers? Answer: They're men. And in fact, I've seen this kind of scenario play out similarly in real life. Complete with Stormtrooper and Gorilla. We had way too many that night. |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Apple fan strikes back at Verizon Droid spot
It was inevitable. The Verizon Droid spoof of an Apple commercial (below) has now been spoofed by an Apple fanboy in the video above. It just changes the copy with jabs about ripping off Apple and the interesting claim that "iDon't buy from brands that bash other brands." This makes my head hurt. We can only hope a Droid supporter doesn't spoof the spoof of the spoof. A hole might open in the universe. Via the WSJ's Digits blog. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on October 27, 2009 | Permalink
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Porn-shop clerks prefer Purity Organic juice
You have to respect any juice commercial that begins with the line, "Yeah, we've got dildos," spoken by a middle-aged woman on the phone. This spot's for Purity Organic, the same juice company that brought you the dude with the severe mood swings. Via The Denver Egotist. —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 27, 2009 | Permalink
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'Family Guy' now gives Microsoft the willies
Who doesn't like jokes about the Holocaust, incest, feminine hygiene and deaf people? Microsoft, apparently, as the software giant has pulled out as exclusive sponsor of Fox's upcoming Family Guy variety special, which reportedly includes such potentially offensive material. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, it sounds like a fairly typical Family Guy episode, and the show's been a hit for years, so it's tough to take Microsoft at face value when it claims to have just realized "the content was not a fit with the Windows brand." Now, if this is part of Microsoft's marketing strategy, it's almost inspired. The company gets lots of free pre-show press without paying millions for the airtime. Plus, it gets to enjoy an in-show plug, also free, when Seth MacFarlane retaliates with a dream sequence of a devil-horned Bill Gates commanding Peter to slaughter his family and bury the parts in Windows 7 boxes. Or maybe the gibe will be more subtle. Lois could ask Peter why he "pulled out prematurely," and he could respond: "I got the idea from Microsoft." Actually, the show will probably be funnier without Microsoft's involvement. Laughing at this particular company is always more satisfying than laughing with them. —Posted by David Gianatasio Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 27, 2009 | Permalink
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GU student ripped for personal-assistant ad
Georgetown University sophomore Charley Cooper is taking a lot of flak for putting out an ad seeking a personal assistant. The ideal candidate will attend to tasks like organizing his closet, scheduling haircuts, managing his electronic accounts and doing laundry. It didn't take long for haters to begin hating. The Georgetown Voice accused him of "premature self-importance," and others complained that he was perpetuating the stereotype that Georgetown students are rich, helpless brats. I'd be joining in, but someone in Cooper's family has cancer, and that will earn my sympathy more than his full load of classes and part-time job will. Plus, he's paying $12 an hour, and I don't live too far from GU. —Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on October 27, 2009 | Permalink
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Jimmy John's fuels your cowboy threesome
Sub shop Jimmy John's has been hitting pretty deep into left field lately with new spots by The Ad Store. A few weeks back, the college-centric chain unleashed a flood of new ads that feature Jimmy John's as a vital component of childbirth, bomb defusing and extramarital affairs. But those were downright bland compared to the cowboy-themed threesome going on in the spot above. Still, they've done weirder. Via Adland. —Posted by David Griner Previously on BrandFreak: |
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Published on October 27, 2009 | Permalink
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Garbage talks trash in French recycling ads
The giant trash heap in DDB Paris's campaign for French environmental agency Ademe seems like a decent enough fellow. Once you get past the stench of week-old cafeteria croissants and rotting Brie, he's got a certain joie de vivre, an offbeat je ne sais quoi that's irresistible. I think it's the accent. He sounds like Gerard Depardieu. In fact, there's a certain hulking, physical resemblance, though the pile of garbage is a better actor. He doesn't seem that much worse than most co-workers. Myself included. HR can't bully me into cleaning up my cube, but those memos sure come in handy for swatting away the flies. |
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Published on October 27, 2009 | Permalink
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Buy this stereo despite the psycho hamster
The commercial above, by Lowe Brindfors in Sweden for an electronics retailer, picks up where advertising's previous psychotic rodents left off—in particular, the kidney-eating guinea pig from the G4 Midnight Spank spot below, as well as Las Vegas tourism's killer chinchillas. The hamster here is more visceral than the chinchillas, and more guinea-pig-like in its Monty Python-style infliction of carnage. The somewhat flimsy premise of the ad is that the retailer's stereos give songs like Hall & Oates' "Maneater" some added emotional heft. I actually own "Maneater" on cassette and 45-inch vinyl (yes, I'm 118 years old), but tastes change, and given a choice today, I think I'd rather fight a crazed, flesh-eating hamster than listen to Hall & Oats. Unless they're playing "Rich Girl." That song still rocks. —Posted by David Gianatasio Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 26, 2009 | Permalink
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