Word From Our Sponsor

Pain is funny in Pepsi Max &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;I’m good&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; Super Bowl ad

Dirk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:11:03 +0000

Not quite sure of the point with this SoBe ad

Dirk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:57:22 +0000

Pepsi’s SoBe brand continues its lizard themed ad trend with this odd 3-D commercial (shown is the 2-D version) featuring NFL stars Ray Lewis, Justin Tuck and Matt Light dancing in tights.

The subdued monochrome ballet is kicked up a notch when the lizards inject a little color and funk.

I’m not quite sure what the point is here. It strikes me as a high-budget spot without much of a cohesive concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCJxa97wp1I

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head venture out for Sunday drive

Dirk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:23:42 +0000

Bridgestone tires, the Super Bowl advertiser which last year brought us a series of screaming critters reacting to a car quickly maneuvering around a squirrel, centers this year’s spot around Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

The couple is going for a nice drive in the country when it encounters a flock of sheep and Mrs. Potato Head screams. See the teaser here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krn38c7qEg4

Cars.com ad just mildly amusing

Dirk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:04:36 +0000

Cars.com tries to convince Super Bowl viewers to use its car buying service by telling the story of David Abernathy.

The ad chronicles a list of examples of this fictional character displaying extreme confidence beginning with congratulating the doctor at birth and negotiating a later bedtime with pie charts. He progresses on to asking out a much older girl with a “Call me” note, saving class pets from a burning school, applying as a Princeton student to become dean of the school and performing open heart surgery at an opera house using a pen.

But at 28 when he has to buy a car, this guy has to turn to Cars.com to regain his confidence.

Mildly amusing, but not quite Super Bowl quality material.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqT2xbODNr8

Does Careerbuilder really need more job seekers in this economy?

Dirk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:20:53 +0000

Careerbuilder.com continues to show us how much existing jobs suck with this mediocre Super Bowl ad teaching us rules to tell if you need a new job (this version is an extended 60-second ad).

Some of the signs include screaming in your car, dealing with a passing coworker muttering, “Hey dummy,” punching small animals such as koala bears and sitting next to a guy in a Speedo picking his toenails.

The odd thing about this approach at this time is that Careerbuilder and other job sites probably have no shortage of job seekers. Perhaps the company should have fashioned an ad going after employers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tMMFja-Fw

Sick of your rhino or ostrich? Adopt a dog

Dirk — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:51:51 +0000

This funny Super Bowl ad from Pedigree dog food tries to entice viewers into adopting a dog by showing what it’s like to own some, well, rather odd pets.

We first see a woman holding a leash calling for “Rusty” to go for a walk. Rusty, a hippo, bursts in from the other room, tramples through the living room and slams right through the door.

Others include an ostrich chasing the mailman through the front yard, a giant warthog annoying a grandma during a family car ride and a steer stariing stoically while getting hit in the face with a frisbee.

“Maybe you should get a dog,” the voice-over announcer says while hyping the pet food’s adoption drive.

Well done ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl0×3LlWIig

Latest E*Trade baby ad best of the bunch

Dirk — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:24:49 +0000

The first two of these E*Trade baby ads debuted during the Super Bowl, but this latest installment is my favorite.

The opening Super Bowl ad in which the baby says, “I just bought stock. You just saw me buy stock,” before spitting up was just OK. The second in which he uses his extra coin to rent a clown, but then says of Boo-Boo, “I really underestimated the creepiness,” was better.

This one I really like.

The baby is chatting about E*Trade Mobile Pro when his Blackberry vibrates with an e-mail, to which he gives a look at the screen and then says, “Oh … bad girl … man.”

He tries to return to the subject when his interrupts with a “Rock Me Amadeus” ringtone prompting an “Oh God …. relentless.” He says to hang on a sec before picking it up and saying, “Hey, girl. Can I hit you back?”

Cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG4jlJyxRUA

Microsoft hits CTRL-ALT-DEL on Jerry Seinfeld / Bill Gates ads

Dirk — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:33:36 +0000

The teaming of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Microsoft founder Bill Gates was, thankfully, short-lived.

The Associated Press and several other media outlets are reporting today that Microsoft has pulled the plug on the campaign, choosing to go with a new approach that pokes fun at Apple’s Windows vs. Mac campaign.

The Seinfeld/Gates campaign for Vista - though you’d never know it because the OS is not mentioned - was apparently designed to be a short-lived teaser. But apparently a lot of people agreed with my panning of these spots.

This extended version of Ad #2 is especially painful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUSUtJY4WBw

Pizza Hut bacon mac-and-cheese considered fine Italian dining

Dirk — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:11:55 +0000

OK, let me get this straight. People are mistaking take-out bacon, macaroni and cheese for fine Italian pasta?

You’ve got to wonder where they get these “real people” for hidden camera-style ads like this one for Pizza Hut’s pasta dishes. I guess if you give folks a free meal, they’ll say just about anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF4FtWghQAw

Brooke Shields rants against babies for minivans in Volkswagen ad

Dirk — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:17:58 +0000

I’ve criticized Volkswagen ads in the past for being pompous and this “VW Beetle interviewing guests” campaign as being a bit odd, but I kind of like this installment featuring Brooke Shields.

It begins with the old car interviewing Shields before she goes into a public service announcement rant against couples having babies just to get into Volkswagen’s new Routan minivan.

Meanwhile, the couple that had been smiling next to the van behind her starts to get ticked off at her comments and eventually walks off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qL_9Gmonuo