Fred Willard gets in holiday spirit with Alltel

Fred Willard and the nerdy Alltel sales guys in a rhyming holiday spot? You're not tripping on eggnog—it's true! Fred amiably narrates the proceedings in the ad below, reclaiming some of the dignity he lost by appearing in those FedEx mock-infomercials. Much of the Alltel action takes place on a stage—an attempt, perhaps, to evoke an aura of festive yuletide pageants. Or maybe it just saved Campbell-Ewald some bucks on location filming. Do I detect some heat between Chad and Heather at the store? Oh yeah, they'll hook up—thanks to the free LG Touch with a one-year contact. The nerds, as always, are left standing out in the cold.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Previously on AdFreak:
Alltel giving the same gifts for the holiday

Published on November 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Alltel, Campbell-Ewald, Gianatasio, Holidays, Telecom

Alltel giving the same gifts for the holiday

Campbell-Ewald and Alltel give Chad and the gang the Rankin-Bass treatment in a suite of holiday spots. They're well done and diverting, but the approach seems strangely familiar. Oh right, Alltel produced a similar effort last year! There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it's like getting a slightly different red tie two Christmases in a row. No matter how nice the second one is, the novelty has worn off—the thrill is gone. Also, the rival sales guys seem kinda subversive in a South Park-y way, while Chad and Santa come off as patently uncool. I was rooting for the mischievous crew to hijack the sleigh and bombard the countryside with Xboxes, iPods and Kindles. Let's face it, Alltel, your stuff's not on too many Yultide wish lists. By the way, a red tie really would bring out my ruddy complexion nicely—and I didn't get one last year. In case anyone was wondering.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Alltel, Campbell-Ewald, Christmas, Gianatasio, Telecom

Alltel sales guys haven't changed one bit

What were Chad and the Alltel "sales guys" like as kids? I'd hoped to make it safely to the grave without ever finding out. No such luck. In Campbell-Ewald's "Lemonade Stand," we see how it all began. They were whiners as kids, and they're whiners now. Talk about arrested development. And I mean that in terms of the overall campaign. It feels a bit tired at this point. The series probably reached its zenith last holiday season with the Rankin-Basstastic animated "sales guys" in "Santa's Little Helper." In terms of the new spot, well, calling Chad a "ding dong" was a nice touch. It's just so true.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Alltel, Campbell-Ewald, Gianatasio, Telecom, TV