Santa joke has this ginger family seeing red
Just as redheads (particularly those of the stepchild variety) are often the brunt of American jokes, they get their fair share of British jibes, too. Only there, they're called gingers. Davinia Phillips, a ginger mother of three small gingers, recently took offense to one such joke on a card she spotted at her local Tesco. (Check out the video at that link. It's worth it.) The card has a picture of a ginger boy sitting on Santa's lap and says, "Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones." "If that had been about an obese child, or a child with glasses, or braces, or a colored child, then there'd be a massive uproar," she complained to the chain. To Tesco's credit, they immediately apologized and removed it from their stores, leaving Davinia with little to complain about, really. The card, however, was not made by Tesco, and is stocked in plenty of other stores. The card maker, Quitting Hollywood, which has the card in its Bad Santa line, gave no comment to the BBC. In a way, Davinia is quite right. But it does make one wonder why people only seem to pipe up when large companies like Tesco with enough money to throw at a potential lawsuit do stuff like this, and not the other stores in the area. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on December 21, 2009 | Permalink
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Dismal holidays reasonably priced at Target
I was not a fan of Target's scary 2-Day Sale commercials from Wieden + Kennedy that appeared around Thanksgiving. And I am so not a fan of the latest holiday Target ads that Wieden is now running on heavy rotation. (Neither is Barbara Lippert.) One spot is posted below; check out six more here. There's just something about having your neighbor accuse you of being ostentatious, Mom and Dad fighting about money on Christmas morning, a little girl whose Christmas is ruined by worrying about money, and that moment when you realize your girlfriend is just not that into you—it all makes me want to strike my whole Christmas list and wonder why I even bother trying. Sure, the spots are well acted and well written, but what's the point of breaking through just to bring me down? Two of the spots—one about that awkward moment when you unwrap something crappy, the other about making fun of Dad's giant ass—are harmless. But who's the target, Target? I'm sure these ads are talking to some people. Disillusioned people whose friends and family suck. People who realize the important thing to remember when Grandma gets plowed and disowns you is that at least you didn't spend a lot of money on your gift for her. But of course, you probably would have spent even less at Walmart. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on December 18, 2009 | Permalink
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Jeff Goodby's holiday rap for young and old
"New school, I'm sick of your shit." So begins Jeff Goodby's rap in this Goodby, Silverstein & Partners holiday video (posted below), as he squares off against a young employee in a battle of old and wise ("I kern my type") versus young and foolish ("We get naked and Skype"). Yes, the white-rap thing has been done, and Goodby's played the old-guy card before. Still, the ("whacked-ass") rhymes are amusing, and it's nice to see one of our Agency Executives of the Decade willing to slum it in a doughnut suit. —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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Published on December 15, 2009 | Permalink
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Duffy & Shanley having Xtranormal holidaysRhode Island agency Duffy & Shanley used Xtranormal's text-to-movie software (one of the breakthrough gimmicks of 2009) to create this animated holiday card featuring two agency staffers droning on and on … about what they should do for their holiday card. An incessant laugh-track punctuates the conversation. Ha ha ha! The employees skewer industry trends like crowdsourcing and struggle, Gap-like, with the proper holiday greeting. It goes on so long, and with such stifling stupidity, it's kind of mesmerizing. And best of all, they didn't dress up the staff like the cast of Mad Men. So, in keeping with the spirit of the season: Ho ho ho! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on December 15, 2009 | Permalink
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Publicis London lip-synchs holiday greeting
It is a bold agency that does a lip-synch video for its holiday card. Publicis London is just such a courageous shop. It shot a video of staffers lip-synching to "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. The results are mixed. I'm sure plenty of people will see it as self-indulgent amateurish crap. The cringe factor can get pretty high at times. On the other hand, it sure beats those e-cards many shops send. —Posted by Brian Morrissey
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Published on December 14, 2009 | Permalink
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Old Navy's suddenly full of Christmas cheerSo, this is the Old Navy spot that placated the American Family Association? The one that convinced the group not to boycott all Gap-owned stores for downplaying Christmas themes in holiday ads? Can anything really placate the AFA for long? The spot, which promotes the retailer's Holiday Hoodies, shows the insufferable Supermodelquins ice skating at Rockerfeller Center and calling out, unmistakably and with ample good cheer, "Merry Christmas!" when their out-of-town friends show up. With all due respect to everyone's beliefs, they're mannequins. How strong can their yuletide spirit be? Still, they do seem more like real people than those hyperactive cheerleaders in Gap's holiday spots. Talk about dummies. —Posted by David Gianatasio
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Published on December 10, 2009 | Permalink
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BK $1 Holidays, for when you care that little
As a person who loved getting those $5 McDonald's coupon booklets from my more estranged relatives every year, Burger King's latest dollar-menu promotion is right up my fast-food-giving alley. At BKDollarHolidays.com, you can pay $1 to send a card with an actual, genuine U.S. dollar inside to the people you care the least about. (That's not just me saying that. The site says the card "lets them know you almost care.") There's even a commercial with a creepy guy in a turtleneck (posted below). It's quite a deal, considering a card itself usually costs more than a buck. I'd send them to all my friends, if they didn't come with a dose of BK attitude. It's hard to find someone who wouldn't be upset to get the "Happy holidays, what's-yer-face" card. Fortunately for BK, every acquaintance of mine who seemed appropriate for this fits squarely within the young, male target demographic. In fact, I just sent a card to both of my bosses! Here's hoping I'm still employed by at least one of them in 2010. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on December 9, 2009 | Permalink
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JetBlue has gift ideas for non-JetBlue fliers
Traditional agencies are far more likely to messenger me things than digital shops are. Maybe it's the bigger budgets, or the belief in old-school delivery channels. It also helps if you're off an account and don't care about the courier fees. JWT sent over a new six-page glossy fake holiday catalog it made for JetBlue, filled with products it supposedly created to help you cope with flying on other airlines. The 14 products include leather in a jar, for those uncomfortable cloth seats; a knee-jockey apparatus, to make up for the lack of legroom; depth goggles (above), to make the seat in front of you seem father away; and the Yumbro robot, to dispense snacks you won't be given for free. The catalog is also on the JetBlue Facebook page. If you try to buy a product, the page tells you it's out of stock due to high demand and gives you the option of going to JetBlue.com instead. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on December 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Enjoy a crazy, groovy holiday at RadioShack
I wasn't that fond of the first batch of RadioShack ads from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners that launched over the summer. I thought they tried too hard to be cool (like my AdFreak posts!) and generally missed the mark (like my … well, never mind). The Shack's holiday messages, however, are sublime—supremely silly and superbly scored with dance-floor grooves. Click here to see seven spots. They effortlessly fuse sound, vision and fun, and at 15 seconds each, they leave you wanting more. Hey, nothing says Christmas like transvestite Sugar Plum Fairies bearing smartphones (above), a rotund rapper with a Nikon fixation, break-dancing astronauts and—most especially—a nutcracker DJ with a creepy ballerina/doll chorus. Forget "White Christmas." The soundtrack to this year's techno-consumer holiday is: "I've got a laptop, baby. … I make music with my friends!" —Posted by David Gianatasio
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Published on December 8, 2009 | Permalink
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Gift ideas for advertising people on your list
If you have an advertising professional or two in your life, you know it can be a challenge to find the right gift for them at the holidays. What could such culturally savvy trendsurfers possibly need? In the spirit of the season, AdFreak has pulled together a few ideas, broken out by job title. So, whether you're shopping for a literary snob of a copywriter or a chronically clock-watching account exec, check out our suggestions (and share your own) after the jump. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on December 3, 2009 | Permalink
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Ogilvy lets it snow in Christmas iPhone app
This could be a first: an ad agency building a holiday iPhone app rather than a Web site. Ogilvy Group in the U.K. has rolled out the free White Christmas application, which lets iPhone users add falling snowflakes to any photo. As the agency puts it, the app is "cheaper than hiring a snow machine." Ogilvy has apparently learned from Dish Network by making it a prominently Christmas-oriented app. There's no talk of a White Holiday. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on December 3, 2009 | Permalink
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Colle+McVoy men have a special gift for you
It's about time for the spate of agency holiday Web sites. Colle+McVoy in Minneapolis has an unusual entry that melds e-commerce, charity and humiliation. Agency Ham is a 2010 calendar that features the shop's male staffers shirtless, pantsless or at least in some faux-provocative poses like chopping wood. The calendar goes for a hefty $29.95 and will be on sale for the next 10 days. Proceeds go to the United Way and Community Health. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on December 2, 2009 | Permalink
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Dish Network just loves the word Christmas
Dish Network really wants you to know it's not afraid to say the word "Christmas." In the insufferable seasonal spot above, employees sing, "We Dish You a Merry Christmas." Most of them probably e-mailed their résumés to DirecTV as soon as the director yelled, "Cut!" As if the commercial weren't annoying enough, Dish has been issuing "statements" about its oh-so-brave decision. There's mention of an "outpouring of both support and displeasure from people across the country" and a boast about how Bill O'Reilly called Dish "patriotic" for airing the ad. Sure, Dish is unafraid to say "Christmas" over and over. But these media releases are hardly in the spirit of the season—they're more self-serving than Gap's holiday ads, which earned the threat of a boycott from the American Family Association for not being Christmassy enough. It would be nice if the AFA, in an unlikely twist, condemned Dish for a crass effort to build buzz. —Posted by David Gianatasio Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on December 2, 2009 | Permalink
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Boost Mobile has Mrs. Claus on naughty list
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus star in separate Christmas-themed Boost Mobile ads from agency 180, part of the long-running "Unwrong'd" campaign. When it comes to wrongness, Mrs. Claus is way ahead of her husband, engaging in some icy-hot lovemaking with a snowman in the stop-motion animated spot above. (Her friend can handle the heat of passion but not the hairdryer that's turned on him when the big man returns unexpectedly.) Santa, meanwhile, burdened by large cell-phone bills, has been forced to make some cutbacks in the spot below, and has replaced his reindeer with mules. Which seems like a minor sin by comparison, and he doesn't seem amorous toward any of his new hires, either. —Posted by Tim Nudd See also: |
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Published on December 1, 2009 | Permalink
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Schweppes brings 1950s Christmases to life
Mother London adds live-action arms and hands (along with some goofy and mildly smutty humor) to classic 1950s Christmas illustrations in these amusing 10-second spots for Schweppes tonic water in the U.K. The voice talent includes Martin Freeman, who played Tim on The Office. The best line has to be: "Don and Tabitha, you're just in time. I'm about to hose down Felicity!" Via The Inspiration Room. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 25, 2009 | Permalink
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Ohio Lottery gets crafty with its holiday ads
Speaking of nutty holiday ad characters, Northlich introduces an overeager arts-and-crafts enthusiast in its new spots for the Ohio Lottery. One ad is posted below; see a bunch more here. The theme is "Makin' It Fun With Maggie." But in Ohio, as in Illinois and every other state, lottery tickets just aren't much fun as gifts. If they're losers, it's like not getting a present at all. If they're winners, it's worse, because then you feel obliged to share, since the giver will be pissed off if he doesn't get a cut. Ohio tickets are especially bad, because you have to go to places like Cleveland to collect. And folks who live there can't afford to move because they waste all their cash on lottery tickets. Look, I'm a grinch, and I usually don't give a sh*t for the holidays. But this year, thanks to Oxfam, I just might. —Posted by David Gianatasio Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 24, 2009 | Permalink
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Target's 2-Day Sale lady totally frightens me
Target is attempting to lure shoppers to its annual two-day sale with a cautionary tale about a Christmas-crazed housewife. Overzealous holiday shoppers are a fairly common theme, but rarely are they as serial-killery as this lady. She hasn't slept in days, she's convinced she'll "win Christmas," and I hope to God she doesn't knife me if I get to the doorbusters before her. The spot below is one of a series. Check out the other ads here. The actress, Maria Bamford, has that special kind of Christmas-crazy down pat. (Bamford is known for her stand-up jokes about depression and loneliness, which comes as no surprise whatsoever.) Target must have realized she'd frighten some shoppers, because they made another spot for people who don't "channel all their insecurities into Christmas." Unfortunately, Target has also just reminded me why I hate Black Friday: having to elbow my way through a store of people just as bat-shit as their spokeswoman while praying I don't get trampled to death. Agency: Wieden + Kennedy. |
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Published on November 24, 2009 | Permalink
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'War on Christmas' army attacking Best Buy
The holiday season means traditions. One of the more recent that's fun to watch is the "war on Christmas," with advertisers taking flak for being too inclusive in their holiday messaging. Of course, they just want to sell more stuff. But that hasn't stopped the vigilant WOC shocktroops from going after Gap for having the temerity to urge people to have whatever kind of holiday they want ("Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanzaa, Go solstice ... go Christmas, go Hanukkah, go whatever holiday you Wannukuh"), an effort that's offensive more for its schmaltziness than anything else. Now, Best Buy is in the crosshairs. The mistake: a lowly circular that says Best Buy offers good cheer for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. It turns out the retailer has scrubbed any mention of Christmas from its advertising, presenting an interesting double standard. One thing is for sure: There's a fair chance Best Buy is in line for plenty of free media from people like Bill O'Reilly. All those shots of the circular can only drive awareness of those $397 HD televisions. Maybe this is an ingenious viral marketing stunt cooked up by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. I smell an Effie. —Posted by Brian Morrissey Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 24, 2009 | Permalink
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JCPenney back in the doghouse once again
JCPenney had some success last year with its Beware of the Doghouse holiday campaign. Yes, the Web site got millions of views. But I knew it had broken through when my father-in-law sent me the link, along with the message, "Too FUNNY!!!" So, naturally, Penney and Saatchi & Saatchi are back with an encore: Return to the Doghouse. The clip below is basically a replay of last year's video, featuring guys who've bought their wives and girlfriends crappy, insulting gifts (vacuum cleaners, gym memberships, etc.) and so they get thrown in the doghouse, which leads to an underground tunnel where they have to fold laundry and face all-female tribunals for parole hearings. Same setting, same actors, even some of the exact same jokes—and it will probably get the same impressive amount of traffic. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 23, 2009 | Permalink
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Creatures great and small love a Garmin gift
Garmin's new holiday ads are stuffed with oddballs: a knight in a station wagon, a leprechaun triathlete, a yeti with a teddy, a golfing Scot and (the real star of the show) a squirrel jamming on a tiny mandelin. And that's just the first spot above. As in past years, the spots feature a choir singing reworked versions of the Christmas classic "Carol of the Bells." The lyrics are a bit hard to make out at times, though perhaps that will make for more attentive second viewings. Expect to hear more from the creatures, especially the "in-house yeti," throughout the season on the Garmin blog. |
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Published on November 17, 2009 | Permalink
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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
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Published on November 17, 2009 | Permalink
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Drive someone nuts with Gap holiday cheer
The holiday season keeps moving up. We're already seeing the rollout of holiday "viral" campaigns. Gap is out with an early contender for most annoying with "Cheer Factory," courtesy of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. It features Gap-clad cheerleaders doing chants like "Good luck with that bird" and "You office party hardied." You can, of course, personalize the cheer for an unlucky friend. The cheerleaders will hold up letters in the friend's name. Recipients are sure to hold this against you for years to come. |
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Published on November 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Illinois Lottery joying people at the holidaysMaybe I'll take the advice of the Illinois Lottery "Joy Someone" spot posted below (by EnergyBBDO and Spank Music, directed by Aaron Ruell) and give the deserving folks in my life scratch tickets as holiday gifts. Neighbors, workmen, local merchants, business colleagues. Well, not Fred from accounting, who insists on coming to work with a cold, but everyone else. I'll hand each one of them a ticket, plus a dime to scratch with. That's class! Their faces will light up as they throw their arms around me and scream: "I'm rich! I'll buy a new house! I'll buy a new car! I'll date supermodels from Beliz!" I'm sure they'd share some of the money. On second thought, I'm handing out candy canes again this year and keeping the lottery tickets for myself. No one's getting rich on my dime but me. Via Adland.
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Published on November 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Wal-Mart and Coke throw giant holiday party
Here's that co-branded Wal-Mart/Coca-Cola ad from The Martin Agency starring John Magaro as the host of a holiday party that everyone (and his mother, and his "surprisingly cool" stepmother) has crashed. He strolls around handing out Cokes from a Wal-Mart bag—no eggnog here, not even rum to mix with the Coke. The guest list also includes "my judo coach, my allergist, my MySpace friends and Twitter list." No room for the Facebook crowd, evidently. You can download the MP3 of the song, and even the sheet music, at this Web site. "When you stock up on joy, there's enough to go round," Magaro sings at the end, in a very Coke-y refrain. I saw this spot last night in an actual Wal-Mart, on a dozen-plus TVs, and it almost managed to cut through the atmosphere of loathing and desperation. What more could you ask of a Christmas commercial? |
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Published on December 24, 2008 | Permalink
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Apple back with more animated holiday ads
Nothing gets my holiday spirit going like watching the children's animated holiday specials: Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch and the Peanuts gang (to name just a few of my DVR'd favorites). So, of course I appreciate it when an advertiser like Apple so skillfully pays homage to the holiday stop-motion classics. Two new spots broke Monday night during ABC's broadcast of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (remember Snoopy's brother Spike?), and whether you're a Macbook-toting Apple aficionado or not, they have to make you smile. PC, dressed in a cheery red holiday sweater, and Mac, in his spindly jeans, attempt to put aside their differences in the name of merrymaking, decorating a Christmas tree together in one ad and celebrating the freedom of an animated world in another. But of course PC can't help adding a little latent aggression to the proceedings. This is the second year in a row that Apple has produced holiday-themed animated "Get a Mac" ads. And just like the shows they honor, they feel like special holiday gifts that just keep giving. |
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Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
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