best of
02/05/2007
Best Superbowl Commercial: GM Robot
Amidst a sea of lame Super Bowl commercials, the GM robot stands out. I was watching the Super Bowl in a room full of beer-guzzling guys who fell silent at the sight of this lonely metal fella -- he just struck a chord with everyone.
Like the Bud and Geiko commercials of Super Bowls past, GM created a character that people could relate to, a shiny yellow robot who embodies fear and vulnerability. And just like the best of us, he knows how to survive and adapt to a rapidly changing future.
Though I'm a sucker for suicidal robots, my favorite part of this commercial is when the GM bot finds work as one of those street-side sign wavers. Can you imagine seeing a robot hanging out in front of your local condo development?
01/02/2007
Happy Morning
To kick off 2007, I want to flashback to my favorite example of commercial insanity from the oh-so-far-away year that was 2006. This Folgers ad features freakishly happy townies cheerfully singing praises of morning. Emanating a brilliant yellow light, these happy singers remind me of something I once saw on the Teletubbies.
The spot features happy oompa-esque creatures creeping into bedrooms and bringing the joys of coffee. Part of the “Tolerate Mornings” campaign, the Saatchi & Saatchi vid goes so far as to claim that coffee is life’s greatest vice for avoiding death. According to an article in Adfreak, “If you're going to go over the top, and associate your product with death and insanity, you might as well go all the way.”
Even more absurd is the website that accompanies this ad campaign. With helpful services such as a Boss Tracker, an automated morning email response, and a personal wake up call, Folgers seems to have noticed that not only do we need coffee to wake up -- we need the blinds drawn and the sheets pulled off of our beds.
11/14/2006
Xbox Cops and Robbers
In a closed course-game of “good guys” and “bad guys”, every one has a chance to put on a badge or ski mask and wreak havoc. Weaving through traffic and jumping off buildings, at the end of round one… they switch? Is this what people did before the advent of 3D video games?
This made-for-TV game of hide-and-seek is nothing short of child’s play. Created for Microsoft's Xbox 360 “Jump In” campaign, this spot shows a group of adults playing a full-scale game of cops and robbers.
Kids, don’t try this at home.
