Get naked, say the pervy scrubbing bubbles
What's really inside your household cleaning products? It could be a bunch of dirty-minded chemicals, who are all bright and bubbly and innocent in TV commercials but who indulge in debauchery off camera, hanging around long after cleaning time to watch you give your naked bod a good scrub in the shower. That's the warning in the video below from Droga5 and Method, the maker of environmentally friendly cleaning products. "When did clean become so dirty?" the company asks, and wants you to ask your elected officials. The goal is to require all cleaning products to list their ingredients on their labels, and to keep depraved bubble gangs out of your bathroom.
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Published on November 20, 2009 | Permalink
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Rhett & Link's zoo spot has a familiar aroma
Rhett & Link are back with another spot, posted above, in their I Love Local Commercials series. For this one, which advertises the Central Florida Zoo, the guys decided to return to "a simpler time in our lives, when something as natural as animal poop made us laugh." There is certainly lots of that here, as well as urination and a couple of humping giant tortoises. The Auckland Zoo in New Zealand got there first, however, in a spot that paid off the poo a bit better. As always, Rhett & Link has also posted a behind-the-scenes video from the shoot. —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 19, 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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Anti-violence site urges you to 'hit the bitch'
There are subtle ways to raise awareness about relationship violence. And then there's "Hit the Bitch," a Web campaign by a Danish advocacy group. Setting up an interface where you're encouraged to slap and punch a woman seems pretty extreme. It's almost like an advergame, except you're delivering an adverbeating! (You can use the mouse, or connect with your Webcam and swing at the girl with your hand.) Getting called a "100% idiot" at the end doesn't feel like much of a rebuke. Perhaps you're supposed to feel guilty, like a real-life abuser might, for continuing to hit the woman just to see what happens next? Who knows. Maybe something's getting lost in translation from the Danish. Via Adverblog.
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Published on November 16, 2009 | Permalink
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Italian child-abuse PSAs truly heartbreaking
McCann Milan is behind these eerie new ads for Casa do Menor in Italy. The print ad (see the full version here) shows a girl covered in hands—a favored image in lots of PSA campaigns lately, serving as a metaphor for everything from AIDS to Parkinson's disease. The companion spot below is truly harrowing, showing a boy struggling for normalcy as he carries a dying version of himself through his daily life. Rough stuff, on a par with that German sexual-abuse ad with the slithering snake. Via Animal. —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 13, 2009 | Permalink
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Colbert withstands Miracle Whip ad assault
The war between Stephen Colbert and Miracle Whip reached new heights last night, with the sandwich spread debuting ads calling out Colbert by name, and the Colbert Report host facetiously admitting defeat on his show. The dispute began in October, when Colbert defended mayonnaise against Miracle Whip's new ad campaign from mcgarrybowen, which says the Whip is way hipper than mayo. Colbert even did a pro-mayo PSA. In response, as MediaFreak reported yesterday, Miracle Whip bought time during every ad break on Colbert's show last night to remind him just how "massively dope" Miracle Whip is. It aired three new spots (see one below) dissing Colbert. For his part, Colbert devoted his opening segment to the duel (that clip's also posted below). "Miracle Whip, I know when I've been bested," he said. "Thank you for buying ad time on my show. Because let's face it, revenue is down throughout the television industry, and I could certainly use the money. To buy more delicious mayonnaise!"
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Published on November 13, 2009 | Permalink
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Yankee fans infatuated with (maybe) Nike ad
In the afterglow of their team's World Series victory, fans of the New York Yankees have been passing around what looks like a Nike ad, listing 15 reasons why the Yankees make their otherwise apparently quite shitty big-city lives bearable. The ad, with an image of Mariano Rivera, is done in the same style as some Nike Sportswear posters seen around NYC during the playoffs, though it's unclear if it's an official Nike creation. There's an apostrophe missing, for one thing. But Yankee fans will forgive just about anything these days. Says one: "I think they're just ignoring punctuation marks altogether for aesthetic purposes." —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Australian diaper ad shows 'poop explosion'
An infant makes a serious mess inside his mommy's crossover SUV in this Australian ad for BabyLove diapers. Mom can handle No. 1's and No. 2's, but when the kid unleashes a No. 3 (aka a "poop explosion"), she can't hide her disgust, and will need Harvey Keitel to clean out the inside of the car. (In a state of shock, she uselessly tries the windshield wipers first.) By DDB Melbourne. Via auto blog Jalopnik, which is concerned about whether the vehicle—identified as a Holden Captiva—can recover. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Finally, a Wii made just for women: the Shii
Probably NSFW. Ladies, pick up a Shii today. Unless you're completely sickened and offended by it. This clip is from a comedy show in Belgium, which explains a few things. The censors over there probably asked them to add that uncalled-for scene at the end. Via YesButNoButYes. —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 11, 2009 | Permalink
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Ha, stupid creatives with their stupid jargon
Amusing video by Joseph Pelling, a freelance animator and illustrator in London. Bring your idea rocket with its huge wings, laser guns and comfortable chairs to your next meeting. Via @bobbbyg.
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Published on November 11, 2009 | Permalink
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Not everyone is smiling at Kodak's new ads
Dave Bry at The Awl is unnerved by this Kodak commercial, part of Ogilvy's new "It's time to smile" campaign. For Bry, it isn't time to smile. At most, it's time to laugh uneasily. He wonders: "Is the grandma supposed to be a ghost? Are they both ghosts? Is this a commercial about the victims of some grisly, long-ago mass-murder coming back to haunt the living?" All that's missing is a dream sequence involving Kodak's dual-cyclops dog. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Discovery Channel still loves the world a lot
Eighteen months ago, the Discovery Channel made people very happy with its "I Love the World" commercial, in which the network's talent sang about their passion for life, the universe and everything. The promo did so well (4.5 million views on this YouTube version alone) that they've gotten the agency, 72andSunny, to do a sequel. Same song, different visuals. Still catchy. The tagline remains, "The world is just awesome." —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Florida Keys ads say there's no app for that
There's an app for almost everything, except for things that occur outside the iPhone's 480-by-320-pixel screen. That's the message in this spot by Tinsley Advertising for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, representing the Florida Keys & Key West. "Real experiences are always worth more," says the voiceover. "So, unplug and reconnect in the Florida Keys & Key West." The Keys join Dentyne gum and Coleman camping gear among the advertisers who are positioning themselves in opposition to the inexorable march of technology. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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A coffee maker saves George Clooney's lifeGeorge Clooney and John Malkovich star in this new McCann Paris ad, directed by Robert Rodriguez, for Nestlé's Nespresso. Clooney gets demolished by a falling piano, but Malkovich, at the pearly gates, gives him a second chance at life in exchange for his Nespresso coffee maker. Clooney once insisted he wouldn't do just any old commercial, but this spot isn't even as good as Spike Jonze's Softbank spots with Brad Pitt. Via Animal. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Illinoisan running against Blagojevich's hair
Rod Blagojevich's hair is visual shorthand for corruption in this new campaign ad (posted below) from Andy McKenna, a Republican candidate for Illinois governor in 2010. We see the state capitol in a giant Blagojevich wig, and various other disgraced Illinois politicians wearing the same. The kid above is also apparently very corrupt. It's a smart way to employ one of the world's best-known political haircuts, though McKenna might be taking it a bit too far. He's on record criticizing Illinois' "hair-brained" financial schemes, and said of current Gov. Pat Quinn: "He's Rod Blagojevich with just a little bit less hair." —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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1993 Taurus a great car for today, says Ford
Great fake press conference here from The Onion, in which a Ford exec explains why the '93 Taurus is the best vehicle for today's cash-strapped consumers. If the $650 price tag doesn't grab you, surely the free cassette tape of Primus's Sailing the Seas of Cheese will. Via Consumerist. |
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Trivial Pursuit ponders which sex is smarter
Hasbro is pitting the lads against the lasses in a new campaign for its Trivial Pursuit board game that aims to determine, once and for all, which group is more intelligent. The comical video above makes arguments for each side based on stock footage of general stupidity. Meanwhile, at the Web site, TrivialPursuitExperiment.com, you're challenged to answer trivia questions on behalf of your entire gender, with the global tally being kept up top. (And don't try to be all smart by logging in as the opposite gender and acting stupid. Only correct answers affect the tally, you idiot.) Smartypants worldwide will enjoy the campaign, but might quibble with the tagline. Shouldn't it be, "Who's smarter than whom?" Via Adverblog. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Christ's death helps out Safeway customers
It's good to know that all that suffering on the cross wasn't in vain. Safeway prices really are to die for. Thanks, Jesus! Via The Denver Egotist. UPDATE: A guy at FAIL Blog is taking responsibility for this, and says it was a prank he pulled on a couple of Safeways in the Seattle area a few Easters ago. |
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Rhett & Link now advertising cheap haircuts
Rhett & Link are back with another new ad in their ILoveLocalCommercials series. This one's for the Salt Lake Community College Barbering and Cosmetology School, where you can get a haircut for just $2, assuming you don't mind getting butchered by someone who's just learning the trade. It's not as good as the Cullman Liquidation or Ray's Midbell Music spots, but they're not going to hit it out of the park every time. As usual, they've also done a making-of video, which you can see here.
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Weezer and Snuggie warm up to each other
The unlikeliest product of the year has arrived: the Weezer Snuggie, which is being hawked in the infomercial above, packaged with the new Weezer CD, for the low, low price of just $29.99. Yes, the Weezer guys appear in the ad, and yes, the product is real. The band's frontman, Rivers Cuomo, told Rolling Stone about plans for a "Wuggie" back in May. "A Wuggie is basically exactly like a Snuggie, except it says Weezer on it," Cuomo said. "The people at Snuggie are doing it with us and promoting it with us. It's a totally legit Snuggie." Shame they didn't keep the Wuggie name.
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Douchebags reclaim dignity with proud PSA
Douchebags have had enough of people mocking them for their pink shirts, Axe body spray and public fondling of women. So, they've put together the moving commercial below (includes some foul language), in which they promise to take no more crap. They're even taking back the word, whose original meaning, they point out, has positive connotations. "Don't think of us as disgusting. Think of us as cleansing." Via YesButNoButYes. |
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Guinness plays God in its latest lavish spot
AMV BBDO didn't take many short cuts for this new Guinness ad (video below), called "World," which breaks today in the U.K. According to the Guardian, they shot in four countries (New Zealand, Canada, Fiji and the U.K.); took three months to build the set for the underwater scene; got army assistance to film the grass-hauling shots at an old bombing range; and hired the set designer from the third Lord of the Rings film to pull it all together. Was it worth it? The ad shows a bunch of men bringing a new world into existence. The connection to Guinness is a bit vague—a churning pint of just-poured Guinness apparently also evokes a sense of rebirth. Or something like that. The tagline, "Bring it to life," is also new, replacing the long-running slogan, "Good things come to those who wait." —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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U.K. refuses to condemn 'Antichrist' sex ads
Lars von Trier's new movie, Antichrist, is provoking outrage all over the place, so it's only natural that the ads are causing a stink, too. A number of British people are ticked off about posters like this one (warning: slightly more butt!), showing the film's main characters having sex in front of a tree, which appears to be growing human hands. The Ad Standards Authority, which often gives amusing reasons for condemning or pardoning ad campaigns, is giving this one a pass, ruling that it's "unlikely to cause sexual excitement." The ruling also said: "The dream-like context, introduced by the hands protruding from the tree, had the effect of making the image of the naked couple seem removed from reality." So, expect lots more dream-sequence butt shots in British ads in future. |
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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DirecTV uses only living people in new spot
The DirecTV commercial with Chris Farley (for which David Spade was reportedly paid $200,000) seems to have disappeared from the airwaves, and has been replaced by the Wayne's World 2 spot above with Dana Carvey and Kim Basinger, neither of whom perished years ago from drug abuse. I wouldn't classify this as a famous movie scene. Garth was always an annoying, second-rate character. Still, Basinger is pretty captivating, and overall it's an improvement over the Tommy Boy fiasco. Some people are hard to please, though—like Matthew Kelley, who says he finds the Basinger/Carvey ad "offensive because both their careers are dead." —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 2, 2009 | Permalink
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