So now there's Ratvertising. 1-800-Got Junk, a junk removal service, has hired a bunch of rats to scare the crap out of people and the crap out of people's houses by unleashing the varmints which, of course, make people scream, which, of course, make people pick up the phone and dial 1-800-Got-Junk. Well, sort of. They don't actually release the rats, they just act out this scenario in a couple commercials created by Vancouver-based Rethink, produced by the always excellent Reginald Pike. See the ads here.
Apparently, we're the only ones that don't like this Freddy Kruger Fonzies commercial. Every ad blog has this thing up. It was sent to us. We watched it. We said "whatever" and thought we'd move onto something more clever. Nope. Apparently Freddy Kruger has died so many times and been "so over" for so many years it's OK for some horror-hipster creative team to whip up this overly predictable slop. Some like to call it foreshadowing. We like to call it a bad concept. We can just hear the copywriter during the concepting meeting. "Dude, the AE says these Fonzie chips are, like, finger licking good. Check this - we should get that Freddy Kruger dude to lick his fingers in the spot an then have him scream and shit. That would rock!" Not.
We think this one's been kicking around for a while but if you were ever curious where Burger King's Whopper Junior comes from, this "commercial" answers your question.
Here's another one of those very weird Asian commercials. As you begin to watch it, you might think you have stumbled upon something a bit X-rated. Have no fear, the ending makes it all clear. If your boss catches you watching it, though, make sure he or she watches it until the end before they wonder what you do in your cube all day long.
This commercial for Vicks, which appears to come from the U.K, is just weird. For the first half of the commercial, it plays like a normal, boring over the counter cold medication ad. In the second half, it turns into an odd twist on the old kid freaking out in the grocery store theme. Indeed, a strange combination. The word "disjointed" comes to mind but we still get a kick out if it. What do you think?
Dave Blake sent us, and apparently everyone else in his address book, this old-ish commercial for U.K.-based William Lawson Scotch Whiskey. He tells us it's "never been seen" and that the agency was asked to change the ending to a more politically correct one. Apparently humping....oh...just watch the spot and find out. It's really not even that good. Let's hope this isn't some lame viral revival or something.
We all know VISA's launched a huge, new campaign with the new tagline, which we like very much, "Life Takes VISA." We all know there's tons of TV spots supporting this campaign but one, which we saw a couple nights ago, just seemed to stand out from the crown. It's called Worm/Recycling and sort of makes you wonder what it is at first as it begins with line drawings of a worm breakdancing to electronica before it becomes obvious it's a commercial for the VISA check card.
The commercial was created by TBWA\Chiat\Day and the nifty special effects work was done by Brickyard VFX which did the special effects on the Comcast Slowskys ad.
Amid the legal wranglings between Coke and Pepsi over the Powerade/Gatorade calorie thing, life goes on in the form of a new Gatorade commercial featuring Rolando Cantu, a Mexican who some said would never make in in the NFL. Well, he did and he's now playing for the Arizona Cardinals. It's the usual "underdog makes good" story but that's what sports fans like. The work was created by two-time Ad Age Multicultural Agency of the Year Dieste Harmel & Partners in Dallas.
Some marketers just don't know when to leave a good thing alone. Last summer, Chicken of the Sea launched an interesting commercial that mixed sex appeal with humor in the form of a hot chick strutting through a lobby wearing a miniskirt and an exposed, very flat belly. She has all the guys drooling until she gets into the elevator, the doors close and she lets her gut bulge out with the joke being she wouldn't have that gut if only she had eaten tuna.
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Concrete Pictures has launched four goofy spots promoting Scripps Networks' Video On Demand offerings. Designed for HGTV On Demand, Food Network On Demand, DIY On Demand and Fine Living On Demand, the spots feature Sally Ordinary, Felicia Fraidycat, Desperate Dan and Annie Active each demonstrating wht VOD can turn your life around.
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