SalesGenie Super Bowl Ads Not So Cheesy This Year

salesgenie_ramesh.jpg

Ah yes, recall the cheesiness of last year's Super Bowl ad for Salesgenie in which a wannabe suave, debonair dude hops out of his mid-life crisis sports car and utter, "I don't work hard. I work smart." Eesh. At least this year we don't have a repeat of that debacle. But we will have cartoons. Two of them. And cheesiness works just fine in commercials.

In the first ad, a married panda bear couple is stress out because they have now customers and fear they will go out of business. Thankfully, Panda Psychic comes to the rescue and recommends Salesgenie and its 100 free leads offered new users. Love that bamboo sports car at the end.

In the second ad, a Jestons-like Mr. Spacely, Sales VP Hank Bulleymonger, berates and Indian saleman, Ramesh, for being his worst salesman. Thankfully, Google (Genie) comes to the rescue and points the under performing Ramesh to Salesgenie where, yes, he can get 100 free sales leads. Oh course, the story has a happy ending with Ramesh winning a salesman of the year award.

Still sort of cheesy but both spots are dead on message: Salesgenie will give you 100 free sales leads and improve your sales. In our eyes, Salesgenie has redeemed itself and is assured of not winning the Worst Super Bowl 200 Award of the Year. Though they might be labeled mildly racist. The ads were created in-house with the animation done by San Francosco's Mint.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 1-08   Click to Comment   
Topic: Commercials, Creative Commentary, Super Bowl 2008   

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Comments



Comments

This is the most racist spot I've seen in a long time. Can't believe Fox is allowing this to run. Wow.

Posted by: WTF? on February 1, 2008 12:11 PM

You guys need to do more than just spell check. No offense, but there are 2 typos in this article.

Posted by: Em on February 1, 2008 2:16 PM

Em, if we didn't perposefully inert typos, weed hav no commments hear and wee lick commentss a loot.

Posted by: Steve Hall on February 1, 2008 2:22 PM

Steve...
The best part is that the spots are written by... The SalesGenie CEO!!! How fucking great is that?
And WTF is surprised that FOX is allowing it to be run and it's racist... Fuck WTF... This is FOX, the biggest bunch of racist, sexist, fascist wankers in the universe. Bill O'Reily coughs up millions to settle his sexual harrasment suite. He also said what a pleasant surprise it was when he went to Harlem, and the people up there all acted like... People...
WTF... All I can say is... WTF!
Cheers/George

Posted by: george parker on February 2, 2008 8:46 PM

These are far and away the most offensive and race pandering ads I've seen during a major network broadcast.

Posted by: jime on February 3, 2008 8:36 PM

I don't know why salesgenie.com would use a commercial like this. Do they not know that minorities could be potential customers or users of their site? If i were a minority, i don't think i'd go to salesgenie.com. If i were running things, I would also fire the dude who allowed this commercial to run.

Posted by: Dude on February 3, 2008 8:38 PM

Hey Dude...
Pay attention... The dude who allowed this to run... Wrote the fucking thing... He's the CEO... Or in this case... The CGO... For those not quite up to my sparkling wit... That means... Chief Genie Officer... OK. Snore. Good Night.
George

Posted by: george parker on February 3, 2008 9:16 PM

Wow, seriously, guys?

The SalesGenie ads were possibly the single (double?) most racist things I've seen on modern network television.

Offensive as hell. I'd never use SalesGenie based on those ads.

Posted by: Lyra on February 4, 2008 12:50 AM

These ads were SUPER OFFENSIVE... you might as well have had a minstrel cartoon as well, with watermelons... Fox should be boycotted for running such a thing. Did the CEO write this knowing they would cause controversy by being out right racist? I hope no one uses their f-d site

Posted by: Jamesvic on February 4, 2008 12:58 AM

Mildly rascist? That panda commercial left everyone at my Superbowl party aghast at the rampant rascist stereotyping.

Posted by: Gyuss Baaltar on February 4, 2008 9:36 AM

Rather than racist I thought the two Sale Genie ads were anti-American. Both India and China due to their cheap (you get what you pay for) workforces are taking away American jobs yet these ads have an Indian and a Chinese focus. I hope that Sales Genie is the one to go out of business!

Posted by: An American on February 4, 2008 2:22 PM

Rather than racist I thought the two Sale Genie ads were anti-American. Both India and China due to their cheap (you get what you pay for) workforces are taking away American jobs yet these ads have an Indian and a Chinese focus. I hope that Sales Genie is the one to go out of business!

Posted by: An American on February 4, 2008 2:23 PM

The ad was written by the company's CRO ... the Chief RACIST Officer !!!

Posted by: Angry Asian on February 4, 2008 3:16 PM

Super Bowl 200??? Seriously, this author is thinks XLII is 200? That means the first Super Bowl was played in 1808!???

I found both commericials to be offensive. Nobody at the party was laughing at this crap and was left with a WTF look on their faces.

This author has no credibility or intelligence.

Posted by: Bugger on February 4, 2008 3:21 PM

Whoa nelly! Talk about knee-jerk reactions! If you're so dang angry about the asian-indian stereotyping, why don't you fire off some emails to the founder and chairman of salesgenie.com. He wrote and conceptualized the ads himself. His name is VIN GUPTA, and he's Indian, you brainiacs!

Posted by: wonderdude on February 4, 2008 3:24 PM

Ya... I can't believe Fox actually allowed these racist pieces of garbage to air. And during the Super Bowl no less!! Why didn't they just draw a black person eating watermelon and picking cotton?? How about a hispanic gardener doing a hat dance?? Garbage, pure garbage. The execs at Fox should be ashamed of themselves for letting this filth get on the air. Screw you Sales Genie.

Posted by: Adopted Chinese on February 4, 2008 3:27 PM

For those (rightfully) offended by the Sales Genie ad - welcome to club ! Signed, Italian-american constantly watching commercials that portray my people as murderous and idiotic thugs.

Posted by: Jason on February 4, 2008 3:52 PM

Racist Superbowl Ads:

Token Asian women as eye candy and stereotyped images of Asian men.

The most notable ad was the horribly unfunny and tasteless Salesgenie ad, with Pandas speaking in Chinese accents. Someone’s going to be apologizing tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that.

How about the racist ad with the Indian and Asian guy? Can’t remember who the hell the ad was for.

Typical trash ads developed by advertising firms with a bunch of white people with racist attitudes towards minorities.

Look closer at the ads.

Token Asian women catering to white guys

Dweeby Asian guys that look like they play with themselves for entertainment.

If they had an ad with a donkey speaking with a spanish accent you would find LULAC up in arms.

The ad agency Creative:Mint is located in San Francisco.
Daniel Grace
855 Sansome, Third Floor
San Francisco
415-362-9991
daniel.grace@creativemint.com

Probably staffed by a bunch of thirty something white guys trying to look “hip” with 2 day old stubble, narrow hipster glasses and funky striped shirts.

They must have been spending too much time in Chinatown looking at the “exotic cutesy” Asian women and the heathen VC Asian men during their “cultural trips” to the Chinese greasy spoon restaurants on Kearney Street.

Typical TV and print Ads

White guys, one token black and one token Asian woman for eye candy and exoticization.

White guy with Asian women looking like she “feels so lucky” to be with a White guy

Posted by: pissed off on February 4, 2008 5:33 PM

Racist Superbowl Ads:

Token Asian women as eye candy and stereotyped images of Asian men.

The most notable ad was the horribly unfunny and tasteless Salesgenie ad, with Pandas speaking in Chinese accents. Someone’s going to be apologizing tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that.

How about the racist ad with the Indian and Asian guy? Can’t remember who the hell the ad was for.

Typical trash ads developed by advertising firms with a bunch of white people with racist attitudes towards minorities.

Look closer at the ads.

Token Asian women catering to white guys

Dweeby Asian guys that look like they play with themselves for entertainment.

If they had an ad with a donkey speaking with a spanish accent you would find LULAC up in arms.

The ad agency Creative:Mint is located in San Francisco.
Daniel Grace
855 Sansome, Third Floor
San Francisco
415-362-9991
daniel.grace@creativemint.com

Probably staffed by a bunch of thirty something white guys trying to look “hip” with 2 day old stubble, narrow hipster glasses and funky striped shirts.

They must have been spending too much time in Chinatown looking at the “exotic cutesy” Asian women and the heathen VC Asian men during their “cultural trips” to the Chinese greasy spoon restaurants on Kearney Street.

Typical TV and print Ads

White guys, one token black and one token Asian woman for eye candy and exoticization.

White guy with Asian women looking like she “feels so lucky” to be with a White guy

Posted by: pissed off on February 4, 2008 5:34 PM

I am the head of business development at a startup new media company.

They can forget about getting ANY business from my company from now on. Good thing we almost used up all of our leads!

Posted by: angryasian on February 4, 2008 7:01 PM

"Mildly racist?" Are you kidding me? Mildly racist would be if a Hispanic guy was shown eating tacos for taco bell. No, this was an attack on Asians, who are portrayed as foreigners with funny accents and strange customs, for which mainstream America uses as a means to exclude Asians from society. Who the hell cares if the CEO is Indian? He's exploiting his own people for the sake of his own greed. That's worse. That racism with betrayal. If this was a black person portraying black stereotypes, the ad would be banned, the company would be fined, and Al Sharpton would be on tv decrying outrage. But because it's Asians, they can be victimized. Screw that.

And for the idiot that said this was anti-American, your letting your biases come before your rational thinking. America's economy isn't going down because low-paying jobs are going to Asia, it's because our wonderful president has pretty much excluded this country from the ongoing process of globalization and the international trade that comes from it, with a series of really stupid diplomatic decisions. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm criticizing my president. That must be anti-American too.

Posted by: wtf was that on February 5, 2008 4:37 AM

These were two of the most offensive ads I've ever seen...I don't know what (if anything) those people at sales genie were thinking. I have been actively telling anyone and everyone to boycott this company based on this advertising alone (and I suggest that you all do the same!).

Posted by: Sue on February 5, 2008 11:58 PM

Dear Creative Mint,

There is such a thing as bad publicity. Please let grown-ups look at your "work" before releasing it to an unsuspecting public. Oh, and don't take jobs from CEOs who don't know how to let creatives run the show.

Ouch.

Posted by: Artoo45 on February 6, 2008 1:51 PM

This is not "mildly racist"; this is BLATANTLY racist. These ads were obviously designed with these stereotypes in mind, as they are the only things that stand out. It may be my white guilt but these DIGUSTED me

Posted by: sadrec on April 20, 2008 8:30 PM