I was really looking forward to watching CBS's Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2010 last night, as it was supposed to countdown the entire decade's best Super Bowl commercials. As we all know, the Super Bowl's commercials are often as exciting, or even more exciting than the game itself (and this is coming from a person who actually looks forward to preseason football, and, despite living in Baltimore, hasn't missed a New York (football) Giants game in six years...on TV, of course).
However, I was quickly disappointed by the spots chosen--the only early standout being Tide's Talking Stain commercial, which ranked 10th.
What was more disappointing was that the entire broadcast seemed to be a giant commercial. Now, you might be saying, Did you read the name of the show? And I'd say you're right; however, as the show went on, I began to get the distinct feeling that maybe some of these advertisers coughed up some cash to be featured. Now maybe many spots from companies like Budweiser and Pepsi were featured because those companies have aired numerous spots during numerous Super Bowls. But check out my list below and you decide if this "special" might have been a little more advertising and a little less...well, special.
Budweiser: 7 (Superfan twice)--plus 2 sneak peaks
Bud Light: 5
E*Trade: 4 (Baby Burp Up twice)
Pepsi/Pepsi Max: 4 (Cindy Crawford twice)--5 if you include Mount Dew (a Pepsi-Cola product)
Doritos: 3--plus 2 sneak peaks
Careerbuilder: 2--plus 3 sneak peaks
Jim Nantz bad balloon boy reference--1
Needless display of CSI: Miami actress noting 2 commercials she liked, which they just so happened to have shown right before her segment--1
Danica Patricks who should fire her dresser and make-up artist--1
Okay, E*Trade's Dancing Monkey spot is one of my favorite of all time; the Baby series was simple, memorable and effective; and I'd forgotten about Out the Wazoo. And it's brilliant. I also still like the FedEx Cavemen, but where was Sprint's Crime Deterrent Phone? Where was GM's Robot? Where was Terry Tate: Office Linebacker?
Terry Tate: Office Linebacker - Watch more Funny Videos
Now Budweiser has had some great spots over the years, but maybe we could've dug a little deeper to show more than one, non-Clydesdale commercial. The Bud Light spots were okay, but they weren't among Bud Light's best, and none were even close to Swear Jar. And I remember thinking the first time I saw Pepsi Max's I'm Good spot that it was just trying too hard.
I barely remembered any of the Doritos commercials, possibly because not one featured Ali Landry. And the fact that Doritos had 2 sneak peaks makes me think Frito Lay paid some money to be featured in this special. Ditto for Careerbuilder, who had a very long commercial featured, but truly not one of their best, along with 3 sneak peaks. Which makes me think, did they leave anything for the actual Super Bowl? That's like putting all the funny jokes in the trailer. I'm looking at you WAYANS BROTHERS!
In the end, it's my own fault for getting excited about this. It's really just another ploy to drum up interest in the game from non-football fans, which I will be recording and rewinding to watch the commercials. But next year, how 'bout we make a little effort and find the actual best commercials as opposed to the ones our advertisers told us to air?
And in case you were wondering, watching in Baltimore City, the most paid advertising was for personal care products, meaning advertisers assumed the viewing audience for this show was ill, irregular and messy. I'll be in the men's room.
--George Convery, Copywriter
Some say the iPad could resuscitate newspapers. Others pitch it as the Kindle-killer. I'll take what's behind Door #3.
Just in case you were wondering why there aren't more local TV ads for strip clubs?
EMBED-Worst Strip Club Commercial Ever - Watch more free videos
I'm not sure what's more disturbing: the commercial or the fact that the place has a respectable restaurant rating on Urban Spoon.
Other local commercial catastrophes: God the Bounty Hunter; Car Dealer Interpretive Dance; Video Game Careers for Losers; Lawyer Sues Piss Out of Insurance Companies.
I never wanted an iPhone. I didn't want to be one of those people--phone always out, talking about apps no one else cares about, showing off their fancy features, uploading uninteresting pictures to their Facebook wall 20 times a day, simply because they can. Then, last summer, I became one of those people. Now I play Skee-Ball during layovers at the airport. I show off my RedLaser barcode scanning capabilities, even though I never actually use it for price comparisons.
I felt pretty guilty about spending so much money every month on something so, well, cool yet unnecessary. Until I saw this article. Think the iPhone's worthless? See what you think when you're injured and trapped under a few tons of rubble. Because, yes, there's an app for that.
The people at Apple are most likely feeling pretty good today, as well as those life-saving folks at Jive Media. And as an iPhone user, I'm feeling pretty good about my phone and my app store investments, Jersey Shore Party App and all. Hey, they can't all save lives.
If you can't view the video below, click here.
--Alicia Taft, Copywriter/Course Developer/One of those people
UPDATE: Looks like someone's been reading the news. I just received an email from AT&T, encouraging iPhone users to shop the App Store. Coincidence?
Read more...
This promo video is all for a new line Adidas is launching, called Adidas Originals. It's supposedly a collaboration between artists, athletes and celebrities to produce a variety of new lines of shoes and apparel (yes, they go way beyond shoes--note the sweet Darth Vader chest box windbreaker the guy is wearing in the spot). There's also a neat "Death Star" application on the site as well, but I'll let you all find it yourselves.
Now I'm not sure the styles are anything mind-blowing, except maybe the Yoda moccasins, not to be confused with the Luke High Tops (although personally they remind me more of Wedge Antilles). They're definitely different, but honestly, someone would have to explain the inspiration behind most of these shoes for you to understand the Star Wars connection.
They may reach a new market or they may just make some sweet collectors' items. It all depends on if the fanboys love them or if the general public thinks they're too geeky. But I ask, how did Nike miss this opportunity to put out some sweet "The Force One's"?
Anyway, I appreciate Adidas for trying something different and for putting in the extra effort for the promotional execution. And thanks to fellow geeks at toplessrobot for the intel. All I know is I'm gonna look badass in my TIE Fighter Tennis.
Thanks to the Kids in the Hall, the best sketch comedy show to come out of the early 90s (You heard me, In Living Color), and to actionjaxsun for posting this on youtube. You'll recognize a young Dave Foley, News Radio and Celebrity Poker, and my favorite "Kid," Kevin McDonald, whose talents you may have seen/heard in Epic Movie or Lilo and Stitch.
I don't know how many times I've wanted to bust out this phrase in meetings and on client calls. I'd actually been trying to find this clip since I got hired at Renegade in 2006. And this time, I found it with the first search. Maybe now someone will get the joke...or maybe I'll just get the blank stares I'm used to. Do yourself a favor and order the first season of Kids in the Hall on NetFlix. If you're sense of humor is as offbeat as mine, you'll love it.
Anyway, here's to the dream that was "Creative Possibilities." Enjoy.
-George Convery, Copywriter
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