February 2008

Man-Child ETrade Financial companies have been bombarding us for the last few years with ads where small children talk about complex financial terms.  This has always freaked me out, as I feel uncomfortable talking about triple-tax-free bonds with a three-year-old.  This ad brings this trend to a new level, with a talking baby.  The best part was when he spit up at the end.  I could relate ... read more

Ted Ideacast A half-naked pitchman breaks the fourth wall and goes in search of Ted, his 20-34 year old, male 'Target Demo.'  Amusing, and it made me interested in looking into what, exactly, the company does.  Not bad for a smaller player. Shaq the Jockey Vitamin Water The title says it all.  Shaquile O'Neill rides a horse.  Simple.  Funny.  No one danced to outdated top-40 ... read more

Can't Take My Eyes off of You Planters An, um, unattractive woman lures the opposite sex with the scent of nuts.  That about says it all. Hey Chuck T-Mobile Wow - a funny ad with celebrity pitchmen.  Charles Barkley puts Dwayne Wade in his 'fave five,' and then can leave the Heat star alone. Justin Timberlake Pepsi Lots of hype, but it turned out well.  Justin Timberlake shows off ... read more

Napoleon Garmin Garmin tries to make a dent in the GPS market in this ad where Napoleon motors around Paris before meeting up with his troops. Cute, and they get credit for mixing French soldiers and rock. Now, if only Napoleon had that GPS to help him in Russia... Heart CareerBuilder.com Um..... ew. A heart jumps out of a woman's chest, walks up to her boss, and quits. Then, we are ... read more

Thunder and Hank Budweiser Great, now we get to feel bad for Hank, the horse who didn't get picked by the crew at Bud.  But wait - he is training!  And not just training, but training to 'Gonna Fly Now.'  I am pumped.  I think i would rather run a mile than pound a beer, but heck - as long as that horse beats Dolf Lundgren, I'll be happy ... read more

Screaming Animals Bridgestone  A squirrel, and his woodland brethen scream, as a car bears down on the little nut-lover.  Luckily, the car swerves out of the way.  Apparently, the selling point of Bridgestone tires is you can keep your grip on the road.  I want tires that would guarantee I don't feel the squirrel if I don't swerve. Message From Your Heart Doritos This is part of the ... read more

Sleepy Stars Pepsi Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot and an assortment of regular folk pass out while doing their daily chores. Is this an ad for amphetamines? No its Diet Pepsi Max! And, once people drink it, they suddenly can bounce their heads like SNL's Butabi Brothers. A valiant attempt to bring back the mid-1990s. Chris Kattan even makes a cameo at the end, ... read more

We have our first batch of games after the start of the game: Fire Breather Bud Light Man drinks Bud Light.  Man develops ability to breath fire.  Man has allergies to cat.  Inferno ensues.  This ad was kind of bizarre, to be honest.  It doesn't make me want to drink Bud, but it also isn't increasing my awareness of the brand - I knew what Bud Light was before kickoff. Godfather ... read more

Dell has made it clear they want to re-focus on the consumer market after spending lots of effort, and cash, on the business market.  In this ad, a pretty, shiny wrecking ball destroys a pharynx of old, tan laptops before the computer giant's new product appears - a sleek, new slim PC.  For a second, with its white and silver vibe, I thought it was an Apple ad.  Not a funny, or great ad, but ... read more

The chili is on the stove, the wings are on the coffeetable, and the action is about to begin. But, before the kickoff, the ads start rolling: Voice-Activated Operation Product: Sync from Microsoft and Ford The series of ads is familiar to TV viewers who enjoy watching women walk into plate glass windows.  In this installment, doctors rely on voice activation instead of an ... read more