Legal Sea Foods ads tell tall tales of fishing
DeVito/Verdi casts a wide net—too wide, perhaps—in its latest work for Legal Sea Foods, presenting comical history lessons on "This day in fishing history." We get grainy seafaring footage with captains who celebrate when their catches finally meet Legal's lofty standards. The company's transit campaigns have become mildly notorious around its home port of Boston for mildly risqué themes, and these new spots amplify that effect. One channels an old Whose Line Is It Anyway? bit, as we meet a fisherman who was so pleased to gain Legal's acceptance, "he went home and swabbed his first mate's deck ... if you know what I mean." Yeah, we know. Another salty dog gets a new nickname, Captain Catch. "Which he greatly preferred over his previous nickname, 'The Cockle Gobbler.' " Uh huh. In that general spirit, I'd sum up the campaign thusly: Thar she blows. —Posted by David Gianatasio See also: |
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Published on September 21, 2009 | Permalink
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So, they're saying Lady Liberty stinks?!
When DeVito/Verdi added the Duane Reade account some weeks back, there were those who believed that the iconic and ubiquitous New York drugstore chain didn't need a brand image campaign and was probably better off without one. Judging from this ad, they were right. She smells like freedom, people! Or, at the very worst, like chili-dogs and nachos from the Liberty Island snack bar. Where are these mooks from, Canada? —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on July 14, 2009 | Permalink
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Will the mouse survive this pest-control ad?
DeVito/Verdi produced this Ehrlich Pest Control spot, which, according to press materials, began its life as a regular old unbranded personal YouTube video. Of course, that would only be novel if this were 2006. What's notable here is how effectively the clip creates palpable tension and makes its point using just a cute (to some) yet menacing (to others, like me) creature, a familiar tune and a payoff that doesn't suck—if only because many of us have played out this same frustrating scene in real life. The tagline, "Let us do it," refers to the extermination of rodents. I gladly will. Just make sure every one of those furry cheese-addicts is dead! As for the pro-vermin crowd that talks up useless catch-and-release traps and sonic deterrents that only give headaches to humans, I wonder if they'd find AdFreak's other recent rodent-related clip more ... palatable. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on April 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Ads with fake 911 calls are just really classy
Fake 911 calls are so fun! Actually, I tried to keep an open mind and gave DeVito/Verdi's "Fashion without the victim" ads for K&G a try. Sorry to say, there is a victim here: It's me, and anyone else who's exposed to this particular effort. Not because it's especially controversial. It's more low-rent, straining to break through but falling woefully short. The quivering voice of the caller, the world-weary tone of the dispatcher: It's uninspired, just like the clothes they apparently sell at K&G. The chain's shoppers might not be victimized by high prices, but the dubious "fashions" there (at least the ones I saw online) commit any number of crimes against style. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call 911 and report a real emergency: The McDonald's downstairs is out of McNuggets again! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on March 23, 2009 | Permalink
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