The King Takes Up Office Space--in Brazil

The King hits Brazil and no office is safe. Sure it's not in English, but grabbing your boss' ass is universal. In spot two, always amp up teens and give them a Ferrari. *awaiting beach thong/banana hammock spot next* (Crispin haters, save the emails, Ogilvy Brazil and Hungry Man did them.)

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Joe Jackson Sells Out--One More Time

(Not, Michael Jackson's Joe Jackson either, freaks.) Guess it wasn't for a "limited time only" seeing as it ran last year--and then again this weekend. I hadn't seen this Taco Bell spot then so why not post about now, and open/reopen the debate about selling out. As one blog comment summed it up:

"Actually, f*** the Gordita, Joe Jackson's new album Rain is mind-blowingly amazing. Check it out, and forever ditch the Taco Bell."

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Why Should You Care About Another Christmas Spot?

Slow news day? Nah. We get everything sent in here. So if you've had your fill of foodie/celeb cook porn, avert gazes now. Otherwise, if you watch any deal of cooking on TV, you know Jamie Oliver is a more unkempt UK version of Tyler Florence. But peppy, ain't he! What I liked about this quick-paced Sainsbury's spot came right at the end though. I actually got to hear someone say: "Christmas" in a commercial. Not, "Holiday" or "This Yuletide Season!" Maybe the PC police haven't worked their way across the pond or that's just how they say it, but, Happy Christmas back to ya, bitches!

(Spot below.)

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Subaru Crowdsurfs Away Life's Bumps

At first, it seems like another epic epic with a cast of cgi thousand$. But this :90 from Leo Burnett Sydney grows on you. (After the jump). As you watch, the visuals seem to cover off the usual stuff any car brand could claim or own as the "We support you" metaphor works overtime. But the voiceover brings it around to show the uniqueness of a Subaru ride. Then you smile.

That is all. Continue with your day.

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"You Either Get Shot Through the Head or You Have a VW"

British humor--second to none. While it's been 30 days since my last suicide spot, this one after the jump... isn't. I explain--you follow along: It's for the new VW Scirocco running on the BBC's Top Gear with car freaks Jeremy Clarkson and James May. Branded entertainment with a suicide chaser. This series of fake spots skirts the issue of death and dying (and the UK's advertising regulatory guidelines on little things like suicide) by posing those scenarios as a hypothetical. So here it goes again, will anyone be offended at a fictionalized depiction buried in a spoof? Does context matter? (Isn't the real question, why would someone do it over a VW?)

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Caribou Coffee Gets Real

Second-largest gourmet coffeehouse retailer and one of the thorns in Starbucks' side, Caribou Coffee is rolling out their first TV from Colle+McVoy below. Get Real covers on the chain's focus on handcrafted drinks. (Isn't anything prepared in restaurants crafted by hand? I think it must be!) But, the bigger jab here is right at SB with this "Real People" go to Caribou theme. Hmmm, at the risk of someone going, dude, seriously, it's just a TV spot, time to get a little more real.

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Downhill Turbolator Now Standard on All 2010 Dick's

What happens when Dick's closes for the night? Peyton Manning comes in and throws a few balls, Jeff Blake stops by to work on the backhand, and Lindsey Vonn shows up to put Under Armour's ColdGear through the Cold Abuse Simulator. (Perfect for Coors! I kid.) Production house Shilo says we got this after the ski jump. (And for ski freaks into balance porn, there's this too.)

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Cheesy Pick Up Lines Will Get You A Free Turkey

So what do cheesy pick up lines and turkey have to do with each other? Aside from the fact guys who deliver them are turkeys? It's a promotion for Piggly Wiggly, of course. A turkey promotion.

Those who shop at the store get free Greenbax each time they use their PFC card. For just five Greebax, shoppers can get their hands on a free turkey. Ideally, one that doesn't spout cheesy pick up lines.

Change Starts With Your Underwear. And Office Nudity

Ever experience that moment at work when time seems to stop? You glance around the office? You notice every little detail? You marvel at the beauty of things? You are overwhelmed with feelings of goodness, righteousness and environmentally sound principles?

Nah. Neither have we which is why this is all encapsulated in a commercial instead of real life. Because in real life time never stops, there's nothing special to see in the office, details involve strange looking stains on the rug, no one is beautiful, you never ever feel anything but misery and most assuredly, no one's clothes are magically torn from their bodies...in slow motion.

Which, again, is why this is all in a commercial. A very strange commercial. A commercial for organic underwear maker PACT.

Strange as it is, it truly does make us wish there were days like this when the walls would part and we could escape into nature for a welcome respite from the difficulties of the day.

The tagline for this campaign? "Change Starts With Your Underwear." Perfection.

Walmart Thanks Troops For Helping Us Live Better

It's never a bad thing to thank the troops for the work they do overseas. Everyone appreciates the work they do even if we don't agree with the politics of it all. Hate the war, love the soldier. That's what it's all about.

So it isn't easy to bash a commercial whose sole purpose is to thank the troops for the hard work they do. So we're not going to do that. We're just going to say Budweiser (it was Budweiser, right?) did it much more effectively with its commercial featuring the troops arriving home in an airport.

We still like the work The Martin Agency did here for Walmart.