Earl Woods Was Not Talking to Tiger in Nike Commercial

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The audio used for the Earl and Tiger Woods ad was taken from a 2004 interview of Earl Woods during which he was talking about his wife Kultida, not Tiger. When Earl says "I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what you're thinking was, I want to find out what your feelings are and did you learn anything?", he is describing his personality in comparison to Kultida's.

It's safe to say the voiceover used for the Earl and Tiger commercial is completely out of context to the subject at hand and adds a heavy dose of ammunition to the arsenal of the ad's naysayers.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 9-10    
Topic: Celebrity, Worst



The Tiger Woods Spoof Ads Roll In. And They Are Bad

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If you're going to make a spoof, at last try to make it funny. This one from Landline is lame. In act, it's beyond lame. And it's embarrassing. These guys can do much, much better. We've seen it. This is just beyond bad. The Jimmy Kimmel spoof makes this one look like the work of a kindergartner.

And this one from Someecards is equaly as bad.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 8-10    
Topic: Celebrity, Video, Worst



Nike Sponsors Tiger Woods' Mea Culpa in 'Daddy Death Card' Ad

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Last night, ESPN and The Golf Channel aired a new Nike commercial featuring Tiger Woods...and his dead father. The black and white commercial with Woods in Nike garb staring motionless into the camera is voiced by his late father, Earl Woods, who says, "Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?"

Of the commercial and Woods, himself, Nike said in a statement, "We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 8-10    
Topic: Best, Celebrity, Commercials, Opinion, Strange, Worst



When You Idle Your Car You Piss on the Planet

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So...that's really all there is to say about this Canadian commercial from Idle Free Calgary.
Well, wait. Maybe we do have a thing or two to say about it. First off, who the hell even thinks up a cause groups for this sort of thing? People have way too much time on their hands.

Second, the analogy is all wrong. Pissing on the planet is actually a good thing. It makes the grass grow. It's a fertilizer. It's not pollution akin to leaving your car idling for no reason. The logic is completely flawed here.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 5-10    
Topic: Worst



Do Not Watch This 'I'm On A Horse' Parody

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Want to see the world's worst parody? Actually, really, you don't. It will totally ruin your fond memories brought on by the wittyliciousness of Old Spice's I'm on a Horse. So please. Don't watch this horrific homage in which Dalla Maverisks' Caron Butler fails miserable at impersonating Isaiah Mustafa in the stupidest knock off you will ever see in your advertising life.

by Steve Hall    Apr- 2-10    
Topic: Worst



Grab the Diapers! The E*Trade Babies Are Coming to A Theater Near You!

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Please make it stop. Geico tried it with the caveman dude and it failed miserably. Is there any reason to believe a movie about the E*Trade babies won't equally suck? The babies are (occasionally) funny because they are a gag. And a tired one at that. It's like Saturday Night Live turning a skit into a movie. Most fail.

Of course, we'd love for Lindsay Lohan to make an appearance halfway through the flick and wreak havoc when Lindsay the milkaholic pops in. Now that would make the movie worth watching.

by Steve Hall    Mar-31-10    
Topic: Brands, Worst



Ad Banned For Offending. Should be Banned Just For Sucking

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Why are we writing about this crap? Why do we ever write about this crap? Banned ad! Woo hoo! Look at our banned ad! It's so controversial, It's so offensive.

...yawn...

"Bookmaker Paddy Power's latest commercial has fallen foul of regulators who fear it likely to cause widespread offense. The advert - depicts four wheelchair bound actors 'doing a runner' on their bill from a curry house. One of the actors wears a branded Hearts & Balls rugby shirt, to raise the profile of a rugby-based charity that helps players who have been impacted by catastrophic injury."

It shouldn't be banned because it's offensive. It should be banned becasue it is horrifically uncreative and ridiculously stupid.

by Steve Hall    Mar- 9-10    
Topic: Commercials, Policy, Worst



Affiliate 'Ripped Off' by Panties.com Program Manager

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Want to know how cheap and slimy some marketers can be? Look no further than Panties.com. The online purveyor of panties, thongs and other lingerie ripped of one of its affiliates.

In a recent campaign, Panties.com stated, "We are so confident you'll make a sale that we'll pay you $50 if you put one of our new panties.com banners on your website and do not make a sale by February 28th!"

Eric Nagel took them up on their offer. But, as he explains on his blog, at the last minute, Panties.com Program Manager Lila swooped in and made a purchase negating the $50 bonus netting Nagel the usual cut which, in this case, was $7.50.

by Steve Hall    Mar- 4-10    
Topic: Online, Worst



SeaWorld Death Leveraged For Animal Cruelty Campaign

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In a morbid bid to capitalize on the SeaWorld tragedy, the World Society for Protection of Animals has hired Work Club to create a new campaign to dissuade British tourists from patronizing "cruel" attractions while on vacation. In other words, don't go to SeaWorld.

"Our aim is to reduce the economic viability of tourist attractions that rely on animal cruelty to generate revenue from British tourists," said WSPA UK's Director, Suzi Morris.

All well and good but your timing is a bit questionable, Suzi.

by Steve Hall    Mar- 4-10    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Worst



Copywriter Wants to be Treated Like She's in Kindergarten

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She's cute and she's young but she's mostly wrong. Not that it matters that she's cute or young. But she's still mostly wrong. Of course a creative brief should be brief, concise and not an attempt to share the entire strategic plan or be misused as a CYA document. But when Rapp Worldwide Senior Copywriter Lauren Warner tells us a creative brief should be written as if we were speaking to a kindergartner, well, that's just stupid.

Yes, we need to avoid throwing the kitchen sink into it. It needs to offer insight. It needs to distinguish the brand from another. It needs to form basis for the development of a great idea. But to argue the brief should be oversimplified to the point it leaves out important information (um, demographics, competitive information), that it should be "fun" and that it should be akin to something like "short sentences + action verbs = happy creative team" makes all creatives sound like a bunch of whining twentysomethings. Oh wait.

Seriously? Seriously, Lauren? Do you really think creatives should be spoken to as if they were five-year-olds who can't interpret anything more complex than a Dick and Jane book? Seriously?

I've always had a simple solution when it comes to dealing with people who complain about process and it's simple: do your fucking job.

by Steve Hall    Feb-25-10    
Topic: Worst