Wanna be my......?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxImjS2dvY

This Subway commercial shows the power of a pretty girl. 

Using little kid voices overlaid the adult's brings a level of innocence to the feel of this commercial.  Samantha merely has to ask if Todd would like to be her boyfriend before he jumps at the chance.  Unfortunately for Todd, Samantha is only in their relationship for the Subway Melt.  Not exactly selling "sex" itself, this commercial plays upon stereotypical ideas of a nerdy type boy who wants to get a pretty girl.  The second Samantha gets her "man," she uses her new relationship status to grab his Subway Melt and walk away.

The actors are unknown to me, like Jared the normal Subway spokesperson, so they are not tied to Subway and may not hurt the campaign if they were to be involved in trouble. 

Overall, a fun commercial to watch and makes me want to try this new Subway Melt, just to see if it's worth the trouble of a new relationship!

Why so blue?

The first time I watched a new Jimmy Dean sausage commercial I had to laugh.  This very plain looking guy is wearing a sun suit, oh wait, he is the sun.  He's put through different scenarios in which his friends and co-workers are not doing so well, and he asks them if they've had a good breakfast from Jimmy Dean.  Unfortunately, they haven't.  He hands them yummy Jimmy Dean breakfast and their day improves dramatically.  Rainbow is no longer blue, Moon gets full, the planets are in sync,and Thunder is back booming at full velocity.
After the initial laughing, I had to admit these commercials appeal to me.  The Sun is so sweet and his generous act of sharing a warm breakfast with everyone is heart warming.
In regard to him being their spokesperson, it works.  He's not the "actor", he's the Sun.  So, it's safe in using him to promote your product.

Planets are aligned:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvHj0vovQHI
Rainbow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bSv2xRui_Y&feature=related
Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHjWO6CTn0Y
Thunder and Lightning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQO72nKJlAc

Conan O'Brien

With the controversy that surrounded Conan O'Brien's departure at NBC he is still a hot topic of discussion.  I know for weeks after the hullabaloo there were "Team Coco" buttons that sprung up everywhere.

Obviously he has a great publicity team and they started working overtime after he left NBC to help find him another job and keep his appeal strong.  TBS felt that Conan is a strong draw and would work well with George Lopez on their nightly lineup.

Conan O'Brien has been advertising himself with "anti-advertising" ads. In one anti-ad he pulls his own stunt driver out of a car rigged with explosives because he has no time to promote his new show, because he's too busy driving off a cliff in a car filled with explosives.

I really think Conan worked well with the controversy and it has made him even more exciting to watch!   I'm definitely Team Coco!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSFbf0f4Ch8  car off cliff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIZCtDJtFPw   -pride in his craftmanship
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/08/conan.debut/index.html?section=cnn_latest article

The difference between us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ZZreXEqSY

This commercial plays on the stereotypes of men and women.  Women love clothes and shoes and HUGE walk-in closets.  The woman in this commercial cannot wait to show her friends the walk-in closet.  Her friends are so excited to see it, they start screaming!  While they're screaming, they hear screams coming from another room.  The man's friends have just been shown the walk-in refrigerator filled with Heineken beer!  To them, it's just as exciting.

This commercial uses the stereotypes well.  It shouldn't be offensive to women or men because it shows them both in the same situation, overly excited about their dream room!

The actors used in this commercial wouldn't be considered the main characters, I believe the dream rooms are the focus.  The Heineken is used appropriately because it is the focus of the men's excitement!

Aliens know what's going on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QgYDvuZ4iA&feature=related

In this Corn Pops commercial two little Pops sit on their porch talking about how they were crunchy today and how they were crunchy yesterday.  This lets the viewer know, Corn Pops are crunchy! 

Suddenly, an alien beam appears and starts pulling the Corn Pops to the alien ship.  As the little dog Pop barks, you hear from the ship, "Save yourself Tasty!,"  but alas, he is also pulled into the ship. Then the view is moved to the billboard advertising Corn Pops and there is a cow in the background.  The alien ship levitates the cow and instead of moving her to the ship also, the aliens flip the cow over and take her milk.  While alien looking letters appear on the screen saying "Gotta have my Pops." 

The first time I saw this commercial I had to laugh, because of the sheer ridiculous taking of the milk.  It makes it's point clearly. What is cereal without milk? The first time I saw it though I missed the dog part and so the second time I saw it, that added to the humor value for me.

The Pops are safe to use as trade characters.  They won't get in trouble and the humor used in all of their commercials is slightly tongue in cheek and poking fun at themselves.  I don't see them as gimmicky or cliche.  I enjoy the humor.

Mayhem is coming...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZo3GQvlhbw&feature=related
I know a few people have commented on the Mayhem advertisements from Allstate but I wanted to focus on this for my blog today.

This is the intro commercial, the very first signs that Mayhem is coming.  I noticed that in this first ad, there are no scratches on him, he has no bandages, no bruises, no cuts.  Now that we've seen Mayhem in many commercials, knowing the full spectrum of what Mayhem has gone through in the ads that I've seen so far, this commercial seems so benign.  He hasn't fallen out of trees yet, or off of the roof, and he hasn't destroyed the back seat of the SUV yet.

I like having seen most of the commercials, the completing of the "storyline", or the further adventures of Mayhem.  It feel invested, I want to see the next Mayhem "mis-adventure."
However, I almost forget who the commercials are for.  It seems the mis-adventures of Mayhem are more interesting than if I'm protected in case of accidents.

It might be a great commercial to watch, but the effectiveness is becoming lost on me.

Replacement Parts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LzeDg8z-M
This ad shows the importance of proper replacement parts.

A lovely spring setting, the bunny hops through the meadow, not a care in the world.  Suddenly he hears a rattlesnake.  Afraid for his life he looks the snake over, trying to size up the competition and see his opportunity to run for his life.  Imagine his surprise when he sees a baby rattle attached with tape on the tail of the snake.

Apparently the snake used an unreliable source to fix his tail after an accident.  The Traveler's ad remind us that close isn't always good enough as the snake loses his intimidation factor.  The bunnies start to laugh and gather as the VO talks about using reliable replacement parts.

This ad is hilarious and uses humor to have fun with the situation.  Because it's an animated commercial there are no celebrities to detract from the message or the situation.

Million Dollar Hair

Normally you would imagine that a hair product would be demonstrated on a woman.  However the latest commercial from Head & Shoulders capitalizes on the NFL player from the Pittsburgh Steelers whose hair has been the subject of controversy and jealousy.  Head & Shoulders bought a website called http://troyshair.com/en_US/  and on that site it showed in the top left under the main logo that Head & Shoulders is the Official Shampoo of the NFL.  I didn't know that.

Head & Shoulders has invested $1 M on insuring Troy Polamalu's lovely locks.  Why insure some football player's hair?  It is his personal trademark, and has apparently inspired Head & Shoulders to use Troy's hair as it's celebrity endorsement.

In this commercial Troy doesn't do a lot of the talking, in fact, Troy's part relies on his hair doing the talking for the product.  His fellow teammate notices that his bottle of Head & Shoulders Endurance, for guys who want thicker looking hair, is almost empty.  He turns to Troy and asks if he's been using the shampoo.  Troy denies it and each time the camera comes back to his hair, and it's fuller and thicker looking until there is no longer a chance for him to deny it.

Troy Palamalu is a fairly safe celebrity to use to endorse your product.  The most controversy that Troy has been in involved his hair and if it was too long for the NFL.  So, I believe that Head & Shoulders chose a smart bet for their commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaJFnGGECJo&feature=pyv&ad=6341746711&kw=head%20and%20shoulders%20commercial&gclid=CJ3wvPT8tqQCFQkFbAod_2BiIw
Head & Shoulders bought a website called http://troyshair.com/en_US/

Visi-who?

Capital One has introduced the Visigoth back into modern times.  The Visigoths are a Germanic tribe very similar to Vikings.  According to the Britannica online Encyclopedia the Visigoth is a member of a division of the Goths . One of the most important of the Germanic peoples, the Visigoths separated from the Ostrogoths in the 4th century ad, raided Roman territories repeatedly, and established great kingdoms in Gaul and Spain.

In these Capital One commercials, viewers see the Viking-like trade characters, the Visigoths, using their Capital One Venture cards to earn Double Miles so they can earn vacations faster.
These commercials then show the Visigoths vacationing in various places, while encountering familiar vacation mishaps or truly conquering the places they're visiting. Perhaps not every viewer has experienced needing to itch their back on a cactus, or toppling a sand castle on the beach but the purchases the Visigoths make to repair things they have broken while on vacation still earns them double miles.


Ski Vacation:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw267Zw2A20&p=2BAD0E652D6BD7D3&index=12&playnext=2
Grand Canyon Vacation:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xzIOeD3kTA&feature=channel
LA Vacation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcVXnZyRj8A&feature=channel
Beach Vacation:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKXCVWTE3TM&feature=channel

Over the Limit?

The commercials "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" have huge visual impact on me.  There are no celebrities in them, and they are very sobering to watch.  The cars and motorcycle portrayed are nondescript, they could belong to anyone you know.  The vehicles are full of liquid, and as they swerve down the road, the voice-over says, "If you drive drunk, we will find you."

When the officers pull these cars over they ask, "Sir, have you been drinking tonight," and the driver opens their door or window and all of that liquid comes pouring out.  It is a visual representation of the alcohol they've been drinking.  The voice-over goes on to say, "Make no mistake, you will get caught and you will be arrested."

These commercials seem to reassure the viewer that the police will find drunk drivers even though they try to hide. 

These ads are on Youtube.com and I have seen them on TV.  The end of the ads show them being paid for by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTEJawOTU-A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcbKSJIYXZA&NR=1    (the motorcycle ad)

Geico's humorous approach to insurance.

The adage from chapter 3, "Laugh with them, not at them," is prevalent in most Geico commercials.

I like the Geico commercials in which the announcer asks if Geico will really save you money.  There are many different versions of this 2 part commercial.  He then asks the viewer another question with the answer being presumably "yes."    In one, the scene cuts to an antiques dealer telling a lady that her bird in the hand is indeed worth two in the bush. Another shows Ed "Too Tall" Jones being to tall for a medical exam because he really is too tall.  My personal favorite is when the announcer asks if the little piggy cried "Wee wee wee!!" all the way home.  Yes indeed, he does cry "Wee" the whole ride home, much to the disapproval of the mom who is driving.

Do woodchucks chuck wood?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjGwusHrOtk
Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aZLw_KBdqc
Little Piggy:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg
Bird in Hand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdfeW2h8Qo4&feature=channel

Kidzilla

Nissan's new commercial for the Altima made me laugh.  A young boy is playing with his toy cars. At first, it seems almost cute that this little boy is "Vroom-vrooming" his cars. Elvis Presley is singing "You look like an angel, walk like an angel..."

Then you realize that he is playing really rough with his cars.  He's using a plastic bat to hit them and dropping them in the toilet and trying to flush them among other things.  He throws them to the dog, drives them in the sand and even stomps on them, Godzilla style.    The music continues, "You're the devil in disguise.."

Next the camera pans across his bedroom floor.  The only car that is intact and hasn't lost it's wheels or become crushed is the Altima.  The voiceover says that "The Altima is put through over 5,000 quality tests, so it will stand up to just about anything."

This presents the Altima in an unusual light.  People may not think of what kinds of daily wear and tear your car experiences.  The ad uses intelligence to allude that the punishment that this kid is putting the Altima through is what your car goes through on a daily basis.

I wasn't allowed to play with my cars like that but I can connect with this commercial because I have seen this type of play in many other kids.  This approach makes it believable to me.


<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in60bGJEzUk>

The Skinny on Ads

Some of my most favorite ads are the World of Warcraft Machinima ads. World of Warcraft, also known as WOW is a multi player online game.  Over 11 million people play this game.  In these commercials Mr. T, Verne Troyer, Ozzy Osborne and William Shatner all express their love for World Of Warcraft, and which characters they each play in the game.  To me, it doesn't matter if they really play the game or have been paid to make the commercial, I'm drawn in because they make me laugh. Since I play WOW, I am interested as a consumer when these commercials are on television because they pertain to me. These ads remind you how fun it is to be playing World of Warcraft, and ask the question "What's your game!?"
These ads use celebrity endorsement and it has stopping power.  The first time I saw this ad I immediately went to youtube.com to watch it again and then watched all the other commercials like this, including Jean Claude van Damme's commercial which is in French.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0DtmxYFuE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OgYWLSrmlI&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyUNDbo2KMU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Xe2jyK3rM

The other ad that tickles my fancy this morning is when someone makes the "i got my eyes on you" motion.
This is for Chef Boyardee.  Three moms are sitting in lawn chairs on the sidewalk of their cul-de-sac while their kids are eating Chef Boyardee.  One mom is separate from the rest, 2 houses down, facing her garage door.  Another mom asks why "Julie" is over there...and the response is because she almost told the kids there are vegetables in every can of Chef Boyardee.   Then that same mom who asked the question sees Julie look over her shoulder and gives her the "I'm watching you" fingers...It's hilarious to think that these moms are so intent on not telling their kids that Chef Boyardee has vegetables in it, that they will punish another mom for almost telling the secret.