Ad-Surdity

Honda Odyssey

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:10:00 +0000

First: Love Heart's "Barracuda".
Second: Love the artwork. Gorgeous animation. Reminds me of my childhood (I grew up in the 70's and early 80's... custom conversion vans were the epitome of cool)

Finally: What the Hell does any of that have to do with a minivan. You would have trouble putting a large custom graphic on that thing. Never mind that there has never been a sexy minivan. It's kind of counter the whole idea of a minivan (family vehicle). For those who don't recall the 70's, the conversion van with the massive air brush graphic was about a rolling bachelor pad. You got into the situation where you'd need a minivan in the back of your conversion van (which probably had a waterbed and shag carpet, maybe even a disco ball). I know it's hard for folks to recall this stuff, but vans were actually cool and not for soccer moms once upon a time.

Honda would like you to believe that minivans can be cool. They are lying through their teeth. You and I both know why. But you can rest assured, they are lying through their teeth.

More KFC: "Check out those grill marks"

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:58:00 +0000

Again, no clip, but you can click the link
http://www.kfc.com/promos/commercial.asp

Here's what's funny. After the main action of the commercial, we get to see how they put the grill marks on the wrap. Of course, it's a panini press.

I'm looking at it, and the grill marks on the sandwich go left to right. The grill on the press is going from the back of the screen to the front. Check out those grill marks, indeed. They clearly weren't put on with that panina press. I suspect they were painted on by a microwave.

KFC's New World: Same Old Product

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:24:00 +0000

http://www.kfc.com/promos/anthem.asp

Sorry, I don't have the video but you can watch it on the link. The thing I want to bring your attention to is the new sauce free hot wing. A woman says, with this new hotwing, it's a whole new world of possibility.

Actually, it's a whole old world of possibility. This was a KFC menu staple as recently as 2003. I know, because I blew my first attempt at doing the LC diet with them. They used to come in 6 and 20 packs. And they were my favorite thing at KFC.

It's a whole new world. Y2K style. Fun.

Axe Leaves a Crusty Residue?

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:50:00 +0000

So, you have a date coming up. You are a little dirty and you don't have time to shower. So, you spray Axe deodorant body spray (a product that I like and find fascinating) all over. Then, after a brief look in the mirror, you notice, you're kind of crusty. So, you bang your head against the wall in frustration and you crack this disgusting shell of crud that was left on you after your overdose of Axe. But wait. You slam a door into your chest to break off the rest of that filthy Axe. It crumbles and you feel great and ready for your date.

I dunno about you, but my deodorant body spray shouldn't leave a crusty residue. Call me nuts.

I guess Fiber Optic Internet service will lower your cholesterol too: Time Warner Cable

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Okay, here's the ad:

I guess FIOS is Magic!

You have to love competition. It brings out the nastiness. Here's Verizon, with their FIOS service, which I know not much about, other than it's faster than DSL, uses fiber optics, comes from a phone company and apparently costs ~$100/month. I guess they are cutting into Time Warner's market share, so, the ad above.

What's funny is the suggestion that Time Warner cable comes in a box of fiber. And it will be the cure for constipation. Me thinks we're talking about different types of fiber, but if Time Warner's fiber will unblock you, maybe it will lower your cholesterol, too.4 points in 7 weeks or some such number. Perhaps, the TW and Verizon's real competition is none other than...

Warning: May Cause Abdominal Distention

Something Different: A Really Beautiful Commercial from BMW

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:48:00 +0000

I found this commercial on the Ted Blog. It features one of their members. I think it's a slightly different approach to advertising in the current market. There isn't a single car in the ad. There's nothing that looks like a car. There's no discussion of cars. It's a discussion about something completely different, the work of an artist/engineer. Being a TED member, he's bound to pretty sharp.

What makes it good?

The work of the artist and the photography of same. His creations are really striking.
The stripped down nature of the discussion. It's about his work, but it's also about BMW as a brand. The logo at the end, not being tacky, brings it all back to the brand.

At any rate, I liked it a lot. It'd be nice to see more of this between beer Neanderthals.

Superbowl Extravaganza: Tom Petty Breaks Hearts, or something

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:05:00 +0000

First of, let me say it was nice of Tom Petty to shave for the event. I guess he's auditioning for the role of Cousin It for the next go round of The Addams Family.

Something interesting: If you want to see Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers play in the Washington DC Area, you're gonna have to pop $45 + service fees to sit on the lawn. I dunno about you, but that seems steep. Very steep. I think they'll come down.

I especially like that fans at home can play Guitar Hero along with the Heartbreakers.

Tom's voice sounds strange. Not bad, but maybe too melodic for him.

Where's the FCC? Did he just say, "I'm free... freeballing?" If Janet Jackson having her nips on display is fine worthy, I'm sure the Tom Petty Underwear Situation merits at least a stern talking to.

Tom Petty (with and without the Heartbreakers) has 26 highlight songs, according to the geniuses at allmusic.com. Since we've all heart Free Fallin 8 bazillion times by now, and it's not really that great a song, couldn't we have traded it for Refugee, Breakdown, You Got Lucky, Don't Come Around Here, or Stop Draggin My Heart Around? Would anyone mind.

I hope he gets off after Running Down a Dream. Best song he did, he should leave on a high note (unless he's gonna do Refugee).Do you need a clearer picture? I don't.

Last thought: Considering the amount of TV I consume, you'd think I'd own a very large HDTV. You'd be very wrong. If you're curious to know why, aside from a general reluctance to have to bring it in past the wife who would give me that look for a microsecond, and not have a problem with it, but I still feel guilty buying stuff, it's because of events like the Superbowl Halftime, the Local News and CSPAN. There are some things that a blurry picture is better for. Tom & The Heartbreakers and nearly everyone in Congress, better in blur.

One more thought: Who knew they were still making new King of the Hills?

Superbowl Extravaganza: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman Tell You What You Already Knew

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:58:00 +0000

They come back from a commercial with one of those goofy video edits to twenty year old music that are supposed to get you hyped about the game. Since 95% of all sporting events are generally 95% boring, I see the purpose. And I like sports. Just not pro-football so much.

Everyone Does It Better? Say It Ain't So.

Any rate, Joe Buck tells us that no one does it better than they're guys in the truck. He then says,

We may not be the best announcers in the world, but the guys in the truck, they're the best.

We knew Joe Buck had a thing for the obvious, but this is both obvious and honest. I dunno that Troy Aikman is as bad as Tim McCarver, but only because I don't watch that much football. He shows every sign as being a captain of the obvious and sublimely stupid, just like Timmy Mc. Joe Buck shares across sports. He's terrible, all the time. No matter the occaision, you can be sure of a few things. Beer will sponsor. Soda will sponsor. Oh, and Joe Buck will dishonor his hall of fame father, Jack Buck, by sucking. Hardcore. These things I know. And apparently, so does Joe Buck.

Superbowl Extravaganza: LifeWater: It Makes Lizards Fart

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:22:00 +0000

They dance to Thriller. They buy "grillz" for their teeth (who knew they had teeth like an omnivorous mammal). And yes, with a sip of SoBe LifeWater, they fart. And not just any fart. It's explosive.

Superbowl Extravaganza: Go Daddy: Our Website is too hot for TV

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:06:00 +0000

This is the second or third year of GoDaddy.com, a site for web domain registration (if you don't understand what that means, don't worry, you're not alone and no one cares), has run an ad that had trouble getting through the Fox censors. This year, they apparently didn't bother. Their ad, directs you to their webpage to look at the ad they would have run if the network executives were replaced by the editors of Maxim.

Come look at the smut and filth that Fox didn't want you to see.

Here's the Ad they wanted to air.

Quick question: What the hell does having sexy crap have to do with registering Internet domain names. This is a process for geeky guys who never see sunlight. The closest they come to a Danica Patrick bosom, is a GoDaddy.com commercial that Fox won't even let them see on TV. And maybe, that's the point. But, to spend a million dollars to not even show the ad, seems pointless.

On the other hand, maybe most of their business is in registering reality porn sites. In which case, they're talking the lingo of their customers. But badly.

Psychopaths prefer Snickers: Regular and Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Not much to say about this. These guys are clearly fugitives from a local mental hospital. They're out for a roadtrip. Perhaps they're going to rent a boat and hang out with some hookers in your neighbor.

I could rant about this for 2000 words or more, but lemme just sum up what the geniuses at Snickers want you to think of their product.

Some weirdos dressed up like a pilgrim and a viking or something take road trips in their car. They stop at gas stations, and when they need to refuel, they opt for Snickers. Deprived of Snickers, they vandalize the station and dent parked cars. Furnished with Snickers Dark, they further vandalize the station and dent parked cars. You have to wonder if Snickers/Snickers Dark consumption is associated with violent outbursts, psychopathic wardrobe choices, and other general signs of insanity. Based on this series of commercials, I am sure to view Snickers in a whole new light: as an opportunity to play with madness.

Ford Fusion: If You Want to Drive Like Your Mother Told You Not to

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:04:00 +0000

I've been watching Law and Order this evening and it seems like every commercial break has the ad for the 2008 Ford Fusion, featuring young 24-35 year olds demonstrating the features that would be useful to such a demographic.

If you have to drive like a nut job, there's always the Ford Fusion.

I can't find video, but if you've seen it, maybe it made an impression. First, Just-in-Time Justin vaults a rail, dangerously swerves around a garbage truck, and then arrives at his destination right as his clock ticks to 9 AM. He's Justin Time. Oh, pardon me. He's Just In Time. Except where I (and most people) work, it doesn't matter what time you arrive in the parking lot. It's more about when you step in the door, or sign in, or sit at your desk. So, Justin Time is probably just in time to get yelled at by his boss. Remember, the Fusion is aimed at those 24-35 year olds, who are out of college, deep in debt from loans and not quite sure where they are career wise. Justin is a cube slave and we're pretty sure that his boss is a clock watching jerk. So, it's important that Justin get to work on time. I guess that's why he signed up for a $400/month lease for a new Ford Fusion. So he can drive recklessly and be just late, rather than really late. Perhaps $10 for an alarm clock would get him there on time. It's a nice analog clock in the car, though. Too bad it never helped him get to work on time.

Next up is Maria. Maria multi-tasks. Like she drives and does all kinds of business on the phone while she's driving. I will grant that the Fusion apparently comes with a hands free phone that lets you dial with your voice. But, Ford, in what we can only describe as a moment of clarity (I suspect their legal department had something to do with this moment of clarity), puts a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen. They suggest that Maria's behavior might be dangerous and shouldn't be emulated. After all, she's driving around the loop of a parking structure, making multiple phone calls. She's probably also looking at charts and maybe even looking at some fun stuff on You Tube. Like this:

Is there anything better on Youtube? I don't think so.

These reckless drivers are at least reckless in the service of productivity, or a facsimile of productivity in Justin's case. Our final Fusion owner, however, is nothing of the sort. Formula One Frank as he's know, lives only to drive like a nut job. Weaving through traffic, disregarding speed limits, and driving as if he were in a NASCAR race where he could turn left and right. He's also the type of jerk who blindly tosses his keys to a valet, who has to make a diving catch to keep these precious keys off the deck. Jerk might be too light. Ass____ would be how it would come across on a basic cable rebroadcast of this blog. Frank should remember his days as a wage slave. In fact, he's probably tossing his keys to the valet at the restaurant where he works as a prep chef. You know, the last generation off the boat is the worst to the next set of immigrants.

I guess we can conclude that the Ford Fusion is a car so safe (check out the car's site), that you can drive as if safety is no concern.

One Touch Jar Opener: A Commentary on the Manual Dexterity of Informercial Casts

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Here is a two minute ad for the One Touch Jar Opener.

As with many of these mini-infomercials, there are a couple of sequences explaining the problem. First, the gap between a gadget free life and a gadget full one. The later, the gap between other gadgets and this novel solution. In both, the casting directors for these dig deep into their reserves to fine people. The must canvass every drunk tank, Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, methadone clinic, and degenerative nerve disease ward for people clumsy enough to adequately demonstrate the scope of the problem. Here, the woman cannot open the jar. She heats it. She twists on it. She taps it with a wrench. And then, either in a fit of rage or a lapsing of her palsy drugs, it falls and shatters.

"Other jar openers are hard to use." It's a rubber pad. You hold it in your hand, pick up the jar, and you twist. It's really not that hard.

"And they all require too much force." I dunno. Maybe I'm superman. I don't think so, but it's not that hard to open jars. The demonstrator though appears to be deep into her DT's. It's not even a question of force. It's a question of being about to put the goofy device on the lid. If your shakes are so bad you can't even position the device properly, how can you even comment on the amount of force it requires? Perhaps a better demonstration would be a testimonial by someone who strained a bicep opening a jar, perhaps even with the gizmo we're dumping on. Perhaps we could even reenact. But instead, we have a meth addict who's about 20 hours into quitting.

As a bonus, they will throw in a device that can make anyone pour a beverage as if they're a couple days into detox and feeling pretty bad about the decision. Look at that little girl trying to handle the 2 liter. Look at the shakes. If this anemic little girl could lift the 4.1 lb 2 liter bottle just a little higher, we'd have a mess, courtesy of the One Touch Bottle Pourer.

Here's the final question, I guess. Why do infomercial products that might be useful (if you have arthritis or Parkinson's, this might be a pretty useful device) get bundled with products that are clearly junk? If you're RonCo, and you can bundle some okay cheapo knives with the Countertop rotisserie, but the other companies have one product of value and a bunch of crap they have licensed. I guess it's an inventory management thing. No one is going in, thinking, "I'm getting the jar opener or $10 because I'm getting $10 worth of bottle pouring for free. $10 surplus. Yeah!" They're probably thinking, "What's the extra shipping and handling?" I guess, you buy all this crap from invention submission corp or some other licensing company, and you don't know what's gonna be a winner. Maybe you do a little, but you take a risk on the bottle pourer. Then, you gotta get rid of all the ones that came from your contractor in China. You bought em on spec, get rid of em. There are harder sells, but a crappy licensed product has to be up there.

AciPHex does what now?

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:25:00 +0000

I wasn't watching the TV when this ad first came on, but I could swear, the man said Ass Effects. Then, I heard some talk about side effects and proton blockers.

When you put it like that, I guess it doesn't have to be about anal distress...

Now, I dunno much about making up words that sound reminiscent of real words to name your car, your drug, or your new telecom company. But, I think it's probably a good idea to make sure no one, no matter how casually they aren't listening, confuses your product with a crap, fart, or hemorrhoid. And if those aren't Ass Effects, I dunno what AciPHex might do.

FWIW: It's apparently a heart burn blocker. I used to suffer, and when I say suffer, I do not mean it lightly. I was literally floored by it a few times, and I had it all the time. The cure? Go sugar free. It works with a side effect of losing weight and killing your sleep apnea too. I think I have fewer ass effects as well. And couldn't everyone do with fewer events you might describe as an ass effect?

Coors Light: Color Changing Label Has Viagra Like Effects?

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:36:00 +0000

I'm sorry I cannot find video of this ad. It plays frequently during sporting events and if you've seen it, you will know what I'm talking about. If you know where I can find it, lemme know and I'll put it up.

Seek immediate medical attention if your beer label stays blue for over 4 hours.

The Ad:
A guy is in the fridge, looking at his beer. His wife is in the closet or something, apparently peeing. They are both talking about something turning blue. The man, his beer, the new Coors Light bottle, with a color changing label. The mountains are white, until the proper temperature, when it turns blue. The woman, peeing in the closet, is apparently looking at a pregnancy test. Or perhaps a ketosis testing strip. Either way. She's excited. They share dialog. And eventually, she moves out of their water closet and closes on the guy who might be the father of her baby, unless it was that pool guy with the abs after a party with too many bottles of Coors.

At any rate, at the moment of truth, she reveals the little plus sign and he reveals that his thin alcoholic swill has fallen below room temperature. She gets mad, and he tries to cover, by saying it's blue like her eyes. She angrily reminds him that her eyes are green.

So, you might be wondering, where does Viagra enter the picture? Perhaps the beer addled buffoon required some to defeat the inevitable effects of continued large beer quaffing? But no, I'm talking about that other effect of Viagra. The Blue-Green color blindness. But, this instance is stronger than just the regular BG color blindness associated with boner pills. This is so strong, it's had an effect on his color memory. So, either he's been hard drinking and Viagra popping for as long as they've been together (there's no indication that he's been there long term. How could she have actually committed to a guy who is more interested in his beer than her urine?), or his new beer label contains a strong dose of a prescription only erectile drug.

The really sad thing is, I'm not sure who to refer you to if you experience blue-green color blindness due to exposure to the newest Coors Light label. If it's dosing people with stiffy stims, then you'd call the FDA. But, Coors Light is regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. You make the call. But only if you've had a Coors Light in your hand (and not several in your belly) and you cannot remember if the sky is blue or green (it's blue, unless you're expecting a tornado, in which case, it's the other way around).

Bud Light: It limits your vocabulary!

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:32:00 +0000

Apparently, if you drink enough Bud Light, your vocabulary dwindles, eventually leaving you with a single monosyllabic word. Dude. This word apparently serves you in all of life's opportunities and frustrations.

I would be very cautious. Joe Buck, while being possibly the world's worst announcer in any sport who didn't catch for Bob Gibson (I'm talking about Tim McCarver here), is a generally literate person. But exposure to Bud Light and random brain damaged morons has reduced his vocabulary down to a single monosyllable, as well.

The condition appears viral. At the :16 mark, Joe gets an aerosol exposure to the Dude Virus. At the :30 mark, he starts to demonstrate a multiple word vocabulary. He is then brushed by the carrier. Then, either through the delayed first exposure at the :16 mark, or the scarily fast exposure at the :30 mark, his vocabulary is reduced. By the :48 mark, it's gone. All he has is, "dude." While I don't think it could have happened to a better person (imagine, world series and football playoffs without the dulcet tones and nails-on-the-chalkboard play-by-play of Joe Buck (or Schmuck as my in-laws from St. Louis call him).

If you suspect that the Dude Virus has emerged anywhere near you, please contact the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They will give you the best next steps. Or call a nuke strike on your city to eradicate it. Either way.

White Ceramic Sony PSP: Geek Magnet?

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:34:00 +0000

The hallucinogenic properties of most soft drinks and hard alcohol are a major theme in modern advertising and I've already started chronicling the ads touting these powerful drugs in sheep's clothing (see my post on Sprite's "Falling Away" ad). Another common theme today is the ability of a product to attract psychopaths. Witness the current ad for the Star Wars White Ceramic Play Station Portable (PSP) from Sony:

Ownership of this device apparently attracts geeks. But not just any geeks. Geeks who will follow you around, harass you with the surface technical details of your latest technology purchase, embarrassing both you and themselves. I don't know about you, but in my state, they have a word for this behavior: Stalking. From the wiki entry:

According to the United States National Center for Victims of Crime, one out of every 12 women and one out of every 45 men will be stalked during their lifetime.

Now, I dunno about women (well, I know a little and I can guess the rest), but I have about a 2-3% chance of being stalked as a man. Now, if my likely stalker is Gisele Bundchen, fine. But since that's unlikely to happen (and my wife wouldn't approve, either way), I don't think I want to increase my odds of being stalked, especially by geeky losers.

And let's look at the type of tech stalking this guy is doing. At the ten second mark, he declares, "It's a tight one in here," as he rubs up behind his victim, after sprinting to catch the same elevator. He makes a declarative statement about the game, and says, "I like that," possibly commenting on being rubbed up against the stalkee, or perhaps just making idle conversation about the game. Perhaps it's double entendre. At the 14 second mark, he dips down, takes a look at his victim's crotch and says, "Nice unit!" And then, in the button, after the tag line, we leave the victim with his stalker breathing deeply in his ear.

I think I'll take the emptiness of not having a PSP, if it keeps my odds of being stalked in the <3% range.

Burger King: We Like to Screw With You

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:57:00 +0000

Anyone who has read my blogs in the past knows I love Burger King's ads. They stand apart from other chains, are now sadly imitated by Wendy's (something they get at in their new campaign) and were really a good deal of fun. OF course, they all suggest that eating whoppers lead to varying levels of hallucinations, but that's a matter for another post at another time.

Today, I want to talk about the Whopper Freakout. At a random restaurant somewhere, Burger King took their signature item off the menu, and filmed customers as they wigged out. Now, I dunno about you, but when the royal me goes to a fast food joint, I want what I want, and if they are, for some reason, out of what I want, I'll move on. I'm not gonna riot. A whopper is maybe good, but it's not really worth going apeshit over, is it? It's not like you're at the Taillevent and they've just told you they've discontinued the consommé with quennelles.

Burger King runs out of Whoppers, and really, they have other stuff. It's all burgers, people. Settle down. You can still get a coke and some fries with whatever other burger they have. Hell, have two regular burgers and have em dress it like a whopper. It's not like they aren't the "Have it your way" burger joint.

But as to future BK customers, let's think about the real message here. Burger King, just to make a point, will fuck with you. Fuck with you to the point where you will get upset and make a bit of an ass of yourself. Do you want to patronize a company that is willing to screw with you, piss you off, for no other reason than to make some obscure marketing point. I have an idea. Let's try something here. Don't go to Burger King anymore. You can return when they stop making fun of their customers (us) to attract new customers. That'll learn them.

Last thing. In one of the spots, they offer a customer a square burger instead of a whopper. The customer says something to the effect of, 'That's a Wendy's burger and I don't eat at Wendy's." The recent Wendy's commercials, with the random people wearing Pipi Longstockings wigs and having fairly pedestrian ideas about what they want from a fast food joint (like a burger that sizzled at some point). Those commercials are pretty clear attempts to lift the quirky ad and the fresh made vibe from Burger King. You'd expect BK to maybe sit back and ignore, but, instead, here, BK, the quirky ad company uses some hidden camera footage to set the record straight. No one likes square burgers and we're quirkier than you. I dunno about you, but when it comes to food preparation, I dunno if I want the quirkiest company's product.

It Can Only Be... Jared

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:19:00 +0000

"He went to Jared!"
"Oh, he went to Jared!"
"Heeee went to Jared."
"HewenttoJared!"
and then my favorite, the maitre d'hotel from Transylvania.
"He Went to Jared, muahahaha."

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you would be considered by most of the blogosphere to be lucky. What I'm talking about is Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry's persistent, annoying, catchy and brilliant commercials that everyone seems to hate.

How much do people hate them? While looking for video to share with you, I found five parodies of the spots and reams of hatred spewed, without actually finding a single video of any of the spots, including my favorite, the restaurant proposal announcement.

In your typical Jared spot, some woman is showing off her new rock/rocks. As others fawn over her engagement ring or bracelet, she confides, that he went to Jared. Her friends, her elderly relations, her rivals, her pre-pre-teen relatives, her judges and even the maitre d'hotel at her favorite moderately priced restaurant are all wowed. From the wow factor of these people, with their excited exhalations, jealous sneers, and knowing nods, you would think he bought her the Hope Diamond.

Now on sale at Jared!

As much scorn as these ads get, I love them. Particularly the one at the restaurant. Think about this. Here is a jewelry store that is basically one step above Kay Jewelers, and that by being in big box looking stores near the mall rather than in the mall. They do not offer merchandise that is clearly superior to what you might find at Blue Nile, or Kay, or any of the mall places. I don't mean to lump Blue Nile in with Jared and the Mall Crawlers (I bought my engagement ring there), but in point of fact, you can drop a nice chunk of change at any jewelry store and get a nice engagement ring. Your dollar tends to go a bit further in terms of your four Cs and your setting when you don't have to pay brick and mortar costs, but you can get a very nice diamond engagement ring at most places, in my shopping experience. When you're doing this calculus, however, you do want to consider the impact that the box will have on your beloved, obviously. Of course, she might just be thrilled to be asked, so there's that. But Blue Nile, it's a very classy box and I don't think anyone has a negative connotation. TV ads and jewelry, I don't think it's a good way to build brand, I guess.

Back to Jared. The average Jared commercial repeats the phrase "He went to Jared" at least four times. The new one, the "Texting Date" commercial, is the low outlier, and my favorite, the "Restaurant," must have 8-10 utterances of the key phrase. If you know anything about building a brand, you know that repetition is key to mental penetration. So, are these effective ads? I need only ask you if you can hum "It can only be Jared," and you have my answer.

In my favorite, the restaurant scene, the couple has an announcement to make. The bride to be flashes her ring, and proudly proclaims the signature phrase, "He went to Jared." It passes down the line of an extremely long table, through relatives of all ages, then to an Asian woman at a booth, who seems more vexed than happy. A note here. There are four emotions that people have when told or when telling of his jeweler of choice.

Joy
Pride
Knowing appreciation
Jealousy

I find the last two to be the most interesting responses for Jared to put in their commercial. You have to wonder who is the target of these Jared ads. Is it the woman, who is going to buy her own engagement ring? Perhaps it is the unmarried woman who is going to nag her commitment phobic (I am married) significant other, not only into popping the question, but also into buying her rings from Jared, rather than Tiffany, Blue Nile, Kay or a local operation. If either of these are the case, the envy makes sense. Women, apparently, like to make other women hate them (perhaps someday I will take apart the Quizno's Sammies commercial). Who knew? But, if the target is the commitment phobic boyfriend, as I suspect it is, this is not a selling point. If there's one thing that will reinforce commitment phobia is when your beloved starts talking like she's on a soap opera. And that's where the jealous friend or rival in a Jared commercial is making me think, maybe I should low ball on this a little and go to Kay.

Knowing appreciation is my favorite. The judge in the ballroom dance competition commercial is the truest display of knowledge and respect. His "He went to Jared" says, "Her lover could have blown a lot of money on the Blue Box of Tiffany, but instead, he got all the quality of Harry Winston at a Kay price, indeed, he is the smartest."

The other knowing appreciator is actually my favorite. I've mentioned him at least twice. It is in the restaurant scene. Hearing the Asian woman's catty jealousy, he bursts forth, unsure of what to do for this monumental occasion. Not only has a proposal been made and accepted within a week of this dinner, but the groom to be went to Jared, ferchrissakes. This man, apparently the maitre d' of this restaurant that seems unlikely to have a maitre d', bursts with enthusiasm over not their nuptials but their choice of jeweler. He finds himself, officially, "in a tizzy." I forgot to mention, he seems to be from Transylvania. I guess there was no one with a snooty french accent around. Or perhaps the message is more subtle. People who are impressed with Jared purchases are liable to eat in a restaurant with recent Eastern European immigrants holding key positions on the service staff. I have nothing against recent immigrants, but you have to wonder if these people are celebrating with high class borscht.

After we show some jewelry and bring it back to the blushing bride to be, the vampire waiter pops up with some Transylvanian specialty, which he gesticulates smoothly and hugely over. Look at the windfall. You drop your 3 month's salary at Jared instead of anywhere else and you have immediately won over her entire family, earned the hatred of an anonymous stranger, and impressed the pants off a vampire. Oh, and you scored a free borscht flambe.

Indeed, it could only be Jared.

Welcome to Ad-Surdity: Sprite!

noreply@blogger.com (Pot Kettle Black) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:12:00 +0000

Hello Everybody. Welcome in.

I'm always talking, on my couch, about the real messages that ads on TV put forward. Things that are perhaps unintentional, but the kind of interpretation that someone without nuance in culture or metaphor might take away. This is a piss poor explanation. I'm a lot better at show writing than tell writing (all those creative writing professors telling me to show, not tell, I guess I absorbed it).

Today, we're gonna talk about Sprite's commercial with Benajmin Pacheco's "Falling Away" (falsely attributed to Evermore). If you're not familiar, let's have a look-see.

In this commercial, some guys step up to a basketball court in some very clean, multicultural city somewhere that could be anywhere, but clearly isn't anywhere in the US that you've actually been (That's cause it's Bangkok... been there, it's nuts). A skinny white kid drinks a Sprite. He pulls off his shirt, and takes a back flip into the hard pavement of the urban basketball court. But, rather than suffer either:
a: an injury requires spinal traction

or

b: a massive head wound (Sorry for the small picture, couldn't find a good one)

At least, those are the outcomes you'd expect. But no. As you saw, he fell through the pavement, which parted for him as if it were liquid. Now, I know it's hot in Bangkok (remember, I've been. It's nuts), but it's not so hot as to render pavement liquid. How are we to understand this. There are really two conclusions that someone who doesn't take a large amount of drugs (and therefore working as a creative person at an ad agency) can come to are:

a: Sprite induces hallucinations while deadening nerves to massive abrasions and blunt trauma (a guy does a back belly flop into hard pavement after hanging off a ten foot basketball rim).

or

b: Something about the combination Sprite consumption, youth and Bangkok sunlight and humidity is able to render oddly colored pavement basketball courts liquid.

Since one of those clearly violates the laws of physics, and the other is clearly the easier explanation of what we've seen. So, clearly, the FDA needs to take action, and look at what's going into Sprite.

If you want to contact the FDA about potentially tainted Sprite, contact the district office consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area.