Friday, July 31, 2009

A Note on Movie Trailers

I realize these aren't "real" commercials, but have a couple opinions anyway (believe it or not).
1. If you are a trailer for a scary movie, I hate you.
2. If you are a trailer for a scary movie featuring disburbed, creepy children (which most of you seem to be these days) I have 2 scoops of hate with some despise on top for you.
3. If you're a funny movie, I'll throw you some love- even if I can predict your ending from your 20 second ad.

I always thought commercials for scary movies should only come on after say... 10:00 pm. But yesterday some crazy scary trailer came on at like 7:00; normally I try to quickly mute or change the channel but I couldn't make it to the remote in time and sure enough, my 2 year old watches and looks at me with big eyes, "Scary!" So now I need to protect my own wussy self, and also my little munchkin, who is apparently paying attention to something besides Dora now.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Fladbacks

Let's flashback to a couple of my favorite and least favorite commercials of all time:
Dominoes: The old lady trying to put lipstick on in the airplane bathroom. I don't know what this ever had to do with pizza but I fell to the floor laughing the first time I saw it. Oh Dominoes, do you even have ads on TV anymore?

Geico: One of the Gecko's first commercials for Geico. He stood gallantly at a podium explaining he was a gecko (not to be confused with Geico) and then wrapped up his speech by licking his eyeball. I knew then and there Geico was going to be a commercial giant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qc1H2SMK1s

Xbox: This was not so very long ago but I can't have a blog about commercials without mentioning somewhere how very very creepy the people with the 1/2 heads were. Those commercials grossed me out and in no way made me want an Xbox. In fact, I am now a happy, full-headed Wii owner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSdSnYGL7YA

Mentos: Remember the guy climbing through a stranger's car to get to the other side of the street in a hurry? He was terribly cheesy but I'd take him any day over their newest ad: a woman lifts some dude's nose up and drinks out of it? I think it's something like that- to tell the God's honest truth, I frantically cover my ears and close my eyes when it comes on as every sight and sound in that ad makes me want to hurl.

Klondike: But I should end on a positive note- isn't that the proper way to do things? How much did we love the Klondike commercials? And seriously? Their slogan came in handy for everything! Brother wants to borrow 20 bucks? "What would you dooooo... for 20 bucks?!" Auctioning off a bachelor for charity? "What would you dooooo... for a date with this guy?" It became the most used negotiation tool of it's time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rwhex9szo8

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

LG Fashionable!

Another celebrity endorsement gone right! If AT&T is going after a young, hip crowd (or young, hip wannabes) they got it right with this commercial featuring the LG Neon. The music, the Mary J. Blige, the wardrobe changes ("this phone is versatile and will fit your many moods!")- it just works! I also have to mention my love for the 2nd outfit that morphs onto MJB- I want you in my closet Dress! It reminds me of the dress Hannah Montana wears in one of her shows (the one guest starring Dolly Parton and Vicki Lawrence). Not the same dress, but similar style and color scheme. And yes, I know this isn't "Jules' fashion blog". And yes, I catch the occasional HM episode. And yes, I can feel my credibility evaporating into thin air....

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Marie vs. Jillian

I never thought I'd be so happy to see Marie Osmond. This has got to mean Nutrisystem is booting Jillian Barberie Reynolds as their spokesperson, right? Please Nutrisystem, please let this be the case! For those of you fortunate enough to have missed Jillian's ad, here's a recap: she boasts, "I know I'm not your average girl. I love sports". A girl who loves sports? I've never heard of such a thing! You are such a rarity Jillian Reynolds! She goes on to catch a football and asks, "How many girls can do that?" Really Jillian? How many girls can catch a ball? I'd say most. Including my 2 year old daughter.

I'm all for Nutrisystem, and celebrity endorsements are often an enormously positive thing. Dan Marino? Fine choice. Larry the Cable Guy? If you must. JBR seems to be an unfortunate blip in their line of respectable celebrity dieters. Apparently Nutrisystem's marketing department is full of average girls who dropped the ball on that one.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Introducing Ad Bits

Too much of my time is spent picking Play-Doh out of my carpet, singing Old MacDonald, or emptying my 2 year old's training potty. Glamorous, I know. So here I go a-bloggin'. I have a bit of marketing history and love (or hate) commercials, so please tune in for my thoughts, opinions, and comments on some of my favorite and least fav ads.

I thought it would be appropriate to note my favorite commercial of '09 for my premiere blog. So let's hear it for the Boost Mobile pigs! Talking animals are almost always hilarious to me but talking pigs? The other commercials didn't stand a chance. Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGObGID6Cr4
The hoof motion at the end of his monologue slays me. Of course the best line is, "enjoying the flavors of a fallen friend" followed closely by Pig B's brilliant delivery of "True".

Unfortunately, any love I have for Boost Mobile is hugely diminished by the armpit hair lady.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT89qfDx3yM
Cannibalism references? Hilarious. Bad hygiene? Unacceptable.