Bridgestone Fails to Dazzle, Pays God-Knows-What for Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons

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Don't get us wrong. Richard Simmons impressions are funny. Richard Simmons in the flesh is funnier still. How Bridgestone fucked up the formula we don't know, but we're guessing it probably had something to do with the mild shock we experienced from the squirrel ad, which it featured first.

Oh yeah, Alice Cooper's in this ad too.

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 3-08    
Topic: Best, Celebrity, Commercials, Super Bowl 2008, Television



Super Bowl Ad Orgy Kicks Off with Focus, iPhone Ripoff

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Here we go, starting with the outdated-hipster head-bobbing for Ford Focus and Verizon's wannabe iPhone. (Stacking 'em up, knocking 'em down like Dominos? Yeah, nobody's ever done that before.)

The tail-end of the pre-game ads are followed by a bunch of meatheads carefully pronouncing "Resiliency" (phonetic pronunciation in the background and everything). This kicks off the game.

Foreplay foreplay foreplay. Give kickoff already!

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 3-08    
Topic: Best, Commercials, Super Bowl 2008, Television



Sweden Home to Oddest McDonald's Ads Ever Created

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OMFG! WTF? We don't know what drugs they use over in Sweden but, damn, we want some now! Or at least we want to know what goes on inside the minds of DDB Stockholm Copywriter Magnus Jacobsson and Art Director Frederik Simonsson who created these three off-the-charts whacked ads for McDonald's.

We have a news anchor parrot scratching his shoulder while motocross riders appear in the background. We have moaning blobs floating about amoeba-style. And we have a guy with a Pinocchio-style nose which looks like a hot dog....connected to another guy's nose!! Each scenario is interrupted with a thudding Wake Up call jarring you out of these wacky situations.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-24-08    
Topic: Best, Commercials, Strange



You're into Yoga? Pardon Me While I Cream Myself

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Did you ever have that fantasy about looking so hot that other hotties literally pause on the street to look at you? Or make love to themselves against your windows? Or put on period costumes to play kinky games around your body while you complete yoga postures?

We all have. And it's all in this Equinox spot by Fallon.

But wait! There's more.

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by Angela Natividad    Jan- 9-08    
Topic: Best, Campaigns, Commercials, Magazine, Racy



Ditched Toys Are the Reason We've 'Smurfed' Up Christmas

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"So what if I'm gay? You let my rainbow fade away," accuses a Care Bear in this awesome video where toys rebuke cynical adults for ditching them after puberty, thereby ruining their Christmases -- and ours -- forever.

And if our He-Man could talk, he probably would be just that ditzy.

Thanks go out to Grey, Vancouver for putting it together.

by Angela Natividad    Dec-20-07    
Topic: Agencies, Best, Spoofs, Trends and Culture, Video



Whaddaya Know, a Deliciously Watchable Zune Ad!

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Finally a Zune ad we like. It is fun to watch, slightly nostalgic, and smacks a little of springtime (something we need right now because winter is sucking out our souls).

This spot is called Intergalactic Swap Meet. Think Sony Bravia with a dash of Little Deviants (because it's a bit dark, not all pop and Technicolor).

That whole "sharing is caring" thread is present as in the previous spots, but it's not sickening or otherwise objectively lame like in previous efforts (observe hither and yon).

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by Angela Natividad    Dec- 5-07    
Topic: Best, Brands, Commercials



Scorsese Makes Us Throw Up...And Heap Praise

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Even when a man as important and legendary as Martin Scorsese is involved, ads which spend half their time on the "making of" aspects and credits of those involved always seem egocentrically forced. That is not to say this creation from JWT Spain for Freixenet Cava isn't good. It is. It's very good. In fact, it's amazing if you cut off the "making of" puffery and credits at the end. Because when you layer on commentary from JWT Executive Creative Director Alex Martinez like, "never before has art been so close to and tied in with advertising," if sort of makes you want to throw up...a little...in your mouth.

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by Steve Hall    Dec- 3-07    
Topic: Best, Creative Commentary, Video



Coffee Shops, Canada Horrifies, Workplace Defaces, Dell Over Tries

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- Get your free, steaming cup of Eight O' Clock Coffee when the brand gives the stuff away at nine U.S. malls on black Friday, the perennial number one shopping day of the year.

- Jesus fucking Christ! Could this spot....and this one be any more blunt in delivering its "prevent accidents" message? Via.

- Dell's got some weird shit going on with its IT Room viral wannabe project.

- Advertising or Peanuts has re-branded and re-focused and will leave behind what it claims to be a "creepy advertising house of mirrors" that is the world ob advertising blogs in favor of a daily column written by "a different advertising big-brain for every day of the week." Nice but it might be nice to add a "home" link to individual story pages to easily get to the main page without the hassle of cutting the URL. Link your header logo. It's the easiest solution. Oh, there's a link at the bottom of the page. Not so obvious.

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by Steve Hall    Nov-12-07    
Topic: Best, Promotions, Video



'Hulu' May Be the Last Sound Joost Ever Hears

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With virtually no load or lag time whatsoever, today we blew two hours of our workday watching Sideways online.

We didn't need to pay for, illegally download, or sacrifice precious computer space for it.

And while the occasional :15 or :30 ad cuts through our experience, we're willing to deal. The content is worth the trouble.

This is all part and parcel of Hulu beta, a valiant joint effort between News Corp. and NBC Universal.

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by Angela Natividad    Oct-29-07    
Topic: Best, Online, Opinion, Television



Wandering Eyes of Men Not Good For Financial Future of Women

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Perfectly illustrating the lustful fantasies of the male mind and how those fantasies can harm others comes this brilliantly informative commercial from Mercator. Acknowledging men's penchant (or helpless desire) for younger, hotter, sexier, cuter, slimmer, bustier and more bootylicious, Mercator, with simple visuals and a few words, urges women to rely upon themselves when it comes to their financial stability.

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by Steve Hall    Oct-23-07    
Topic: Best, Commercials