Posts Tagged ‘ads’


Superbowl Ads

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

The Superbowl is the, well, Superbowl of advertising, where companies spend vast gobs of cash to buy 30 seconds of attention. It may have been money well spent as viewership of the game (which mercifully saw the repugnant Colts go down in flames before the Rudy-like story of the Saints) set new records in Canada and the U.S.

It’s great fun to watch the ads during the game - unless you live here in Atlantic Canada. Nope here we are forced watch things like the ludicrously, obscenely bad ad for Permacrete - the company that’s been ruining football games with an ad that was produced on a Commodore 64. Boycott.

ANYWAY, a lot of people are murmuring that the ads sucked this year. I saw a few (online, of course) that didn’t. I really liked this Google ad - smart, fast-paced and fun. It showed me how their product could change my life.

This ad for Dodge probably really resonated with the type of guys who want a car like this…

This ad for the Letterman show was timely and funny - largely for what was unsaid.

And can you really go wrong with Meagan Fox? I mean, really?

And for historical context, let’s recall the iconic 1984 ad from Apple, still regarded as one of the best ever…absolutely brilliant. (And reflecting a brand ethos that continues to this day.)

Baby got Sponge Bob?

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Have you been waiting for what seems like forever for someone to make an ad that featured the Sir Mix-a-lot classic Baby Got Back with SpongeBob SquarePants. I think you know you have.

Well, your prayers have been answered. The always creepy King from Burger King has made it happen.

Now is there something wrong with bringing children’s programming together with such a raunchy - yet heartwarming - song? Probably.

But one thing is clear - you will watch it with an almost visible WTF? thought balloon over your head. But the bigger WTF? may be how this stuff gets through the grinding process of big corporate approvals to actually get on air. The King has changed the Burger King brand, made it a little hipper and quite a bit more weird. That’s not a bad thing. So props to their agency for getting it done.

Baby got back, indeed.