Idiocy of Expense Report Receipts Likened to Butt Photocopying

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There seems to be some debate regarding the meaning of the boss in this Subway commercial reacting to his employees ass by saying "oochee mama." When the employee asks the boss if he can just photocopy his ass in response to the boss's request for some random lunch receipt, we get that the ad is poking fun at the insanity of expense reports and the ridiculousness of requiring intelligent, grown adults account for every last cent they spend. But we wonder what exactly what the copywriters meant when they had the boss say "oochee mama." Is he gay and admiring the guy's ass? Is he just freaked out at the fact someone is mooning him? Whomever wrote this ad, please explain.

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Strange



Myth of 'Vagina Dentata' Becomes Horror Film

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Guys, prepare to squirm. Prepare to clutch your privates like you've never clutched them before. Here's a movie that is sure to make you wince for the entire length of the film and every time you have sex for the rest of your life. Ladies, prepare to unleash your darkest, most horrific revenge fantasies as you recall that one time you perhaps found yourself with a guy that just wouldn't take no for an answer.

We give you Teeth, a movie about, well, just watch the trailer. There's not much promotion surrounding this movie and probably for good reason.

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Video



Agency Requests Problems to Solve...For Free

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And if you haven't heard, here's Trumpet Groups riff on the RFP, its Request for Problem. The agency, changing the direction this sort of communication usually flows, wants marketers to submit their problem to which the agency will reply with a solution...for free. Of course, Trumpet hopes their solutions are so good the marketer will call for more work and pay next time around.

It's an interesting approach. Or you could just label it yet another example of agency laziness, in this case making the client do all the upfront new business legwork. But we're sure that's not the case here.

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Agencies, Good



JPMorgan Chase Work Stirs Double Standard Debate

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Men have fantasies. Lots of fantasies. And We're not just talking about sex here. In this new commercial for J.P. Morgan Chase from Mcgarrybowen, we see a man doing the James Bond thing to get a stolen credit card back. But, as we find out, he's only doing it in his mind while taking a call from Chase alerting him to some fraud on his card.

As with most male fantasies, it's all about action, car chases death defying stunts and fancy footwork. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact guys in these sorts of commercial always seem to be, well, average looking. Very un-James Bond-like, in fact. While many commercials are filled with stunningly beautiful or mouth waveringly sexy women, we can't seem to get rid of the Verizon Dad and his ilk. Perhaps, not unsurprisingly, its because the guys who create these commercials (and it is all guys in this case) love to look at beautiful women but want nothing to do with any man who might be better looking than them. So, we get Mr. Average who always seems to end up with Mrs. Amazingly Hot.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Commercials, Opinion, Trends and Culture



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Industry Leaders Address Pending Recession

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Just why is it the more senior the executive, the more buffoonish and meaningless their commentary becomes? Advertising Age asked ten industry leaders to comment of the impending recession and what it means to the ad business. Many, from TNS Senior VP Jon Swallen to KIA Motors CMO Ian Beavis to Bear Sterns Analyst Alexia Quadrani to Pizza Hut CMO Brian Niccol offer insight and concise detail on what they see happening in the market and what their companies are doing to keep moving ahead in a downturn.

DraftFCB Chairman-CEO Howard Draft confirms our hypothesis with this bland commentary, saying, "I remain cautiously confident. At this point, we're not seeing any major client cutbacks. Our budgets remain on track." Hey, we all want to be upbeat but would it have been so difficult for Howard to leave press release speak behind and actually offer the industry something meaningful?

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Bad, Trends and Culture



Porsche Cayenne GTS Launch the Last Work For Carmichael Lynch

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Finishing up its work for Porsche as the account shifts to Cramer-Krasselt, Carmichael Lynch, which landed Subaru without review in November, has released its last work for Porsche. To launch the Cayenne GTS in the states, Carmichael Lynch created a new TV spot and, along with Fabric Interactive, a new website which is currently counting down to the vehicles January 28 launch.

In the commercial, a Cayenne driver ascends the mountains overlooking LA and, in a nod to some sort of urban myth, revs its engine to which other Porsches respond. It's really that simple. The site doesn't have much on it for now other than the spot itself, a countdown clock and a little engine rev thingy. Hopefully, we'l see more January 28th.

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Online



Swiffer Needs Your Help For YouTube Contest

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Calling all bored creatives! Swiffer needs you! Swiffer has teamed with Warner music for a YouTube "Swiffer Break-up Music Video Contest" in which contestants create break up videos explaining how they broke up with their old cleaning product and switched to Swiffer. There's just one problem. There's only two entries so far. So, come one. Help out. Don't let let Swiffer suffer the embarrassment of hosting a YouTube contest in which no one participates. Besides, you could win $15,000.

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Good, Promotions, Video



Scooby Doo Sleuths Nab Cable Guy For DIRECTV

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OK, who doesn't love Scooby Doo? But this spot featuring the clan just doesn't seem to click. It's not really the agency's (Deutsch LA) fault. It's more the fault of the notion you can just suddenly implant a commercial message in the middle of a cartoon and everything will go swimmingly; no one will notice the blunt transition from show-focused action to commerce-focused action. Everyone notices.

In this commercial for DIRECTV, the sleuths have caught a cable guy who was trying to stop everyone from switching from cable because DIRECTV carries more high definition programming, We go from Shaggy's "Zoinks!" directly to Velma's droll commercial message quicker than you avert your eyes from that Donny Deutsch Speedo shot. While these transitions are never seamless, this one just seems a bit blunt. Hmm. Maybe that's why they're calling it the 4th wall campiagn.

by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Celebrity, Commercials, Creative Commentary



Ford Slaps Brand Enthusiasts, Returns Love With Legal Punch

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While brands certainly don't want people using their products, logos and other related imagery to create products of their, own, the hammer that Ford legal dropped on the Black Mustang Club seems a bit heavy handed. Recently the club created a calendar which contained images of club members' cars photographed by the members themselves. Ford didn't take kindly to this and asked CafePress, the service the group had chosen to print the calendars, to kill the project claiming all the images in the calendar are the property of Ford...including the Black Mustang Club logo (this has been clarified in the update below. in actuality, it was CafePress which, based on past Ford trademark dealings, initially refused to print the calendar).

It's understandable that a brand would and should do everything it can to protect itself from any kind of potential negative effect but to attack a group of people who, clearly, love the product in question simply for showing their love of that product is, well, idiotic and more harmful to the brand had they done nothing at all.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Brands, Consumer Created, Specialty, Worst



Sony VAIO TZ Takes Flight in New Hispanic, Latin America Campaign

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To introduce Sony's ultra light VAIO TZ, Los Angeles-based agency Ignited has taken the light-as-paper metaphor to heart with new print, outdoor and TV work, part of the brand's ongoing "Like No Other" campaign. While we're not sure we'd be fond of our laptop suddenly fluttering off in the wind or getting snagged and carried off by a flock of doves, we do think the metaphor is beautifully crafted. Besides, we still have faint memories of high school physics and realize that, even at 2.5 pounds, the TZ isn't likely to stay aloft for too long.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-14-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Magazine, Outdoor, Television