This is a blog addressing commercials and their advertising tactics but I want to pose my own commercial here. Yes, gratuitous self-pimping:) Here we go!
Welcome to the long-awaited release of Shards, my webcomic. What's it about? The brothers Grimm accidentally broke the magic mirror and Mother Goose has gathered a band of fairy tale heroes to get back the shards. Stories modern and ancient collide in Shards: Grimm fairy tales are back.
Please check it out and I hope you like it:)
Shards Webcomic
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Delays??!??
LOL, yes, lots of exclamation points and question marks. Sorry for the delay of Ad Vices posts but my webcomic, Shards, is almost ready to launch; within the week even!; and I have had to devote a lot of time to polishing some stuff to be extra shiny and ready to go! That, and doing more comic strips to give me some lee-way, and redoing others that looked shabby from when I first started. So, more to come, but never fear. Ad Vices is not gone!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
21st Century Auto Insurance-7.10.10
I am back:) Here's the newest "Ad Vices" to get you all back on track:
This next commercial caught my attention slowly.
At first, I thought it would be a decent commercial but as I followed along with their "us vs. them" scenario, the end result was confusion. Too much time is spent saying that the two insurance companies offer and give the same things. Quit while you're ahead! I found myself asking, "Who is making the commercial? Geiko or 21st Century?" My confusion reached a head when the man displays signs stating the amount you save with each company. My brows furrow and I am stuck like that even after the commercial ends. Their big mistake was showing you a higher number pointing to Geiko. I understand they wanted to say that if you switch FROM Geiko TO 21st Century you could save more but the commercial only has about 30 seconds to show the skit and do their ad. The meaning is completely lost. People only see a higher number on the Geiko side and are left confused by the commercial before them.
For this reason, the above commercial rates a FAIL.
It might be slightly memorable but it confuses the viewer as to what product to get. It fails. Period.
This next commercial caught my attention slowly.
At first, I thought it would be a decent commercial but as I followed along with their "us vs. them" scenario, the end result was confusion. Too much time is spent saying that the two insurance companies offer and give the same things. Quit while you're ahead! I found myself asking, "Who is making the commercial? Geiko or 21st Century?" My confusion reached a head when the man displays signs stating the amount you save with each company. My brows furrow and I am stuck like that even after the commercial ends. Their big mistake was showing you a higher number pointing to Geiko. I understand they wanted to say that if you switch FROM Geiko TO 21st Century you could save more but the commercial only has about 30 seconds to show the skit and do their ad. The meaning is completely lost. People only see a higher number on the Geiko side and are left confused by the commercial before them.
For this reason, the above commercial rates a FAIL.
It might be slightly memorable but it confuses the viewer as to what product to get. It fails. Period.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ah-hah!
Ahhh, have you noticed my absence? Aside from trying to learn WordPress/ComicPress and failing miserably so far, my daughter being sick and having to cancel her surgery, and just all-around business, I felt it was okay to take a pause and some time to find a new commercial. Soon to come? 21st Century Auto Insurance commercial. Ciao for now!
JG
JG
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Orkin Commercials - 6.13.10
The Orkin Man: tall, serious, and he excells at what he does. He kills bugs. Big bugs.
The advertising technical effort alone from this pest control company never fails to impress me. There have been at least three commercials utilizing giant animatronic bugs. Here is one of the three commercials currently airing:
The Orkin commercials have been around for decades but these giant animatronic ones are some of my favorites of any commercials. I do enjoy a really well-done puppet and these stand out tremendously. If you like the one above and haven't seen the hot tub commercial or the ant commercial, I would recommend them. All are on youtube, where I snagged the above termite/"Broken Down"/"Is that oak?" commercial.
What marketing techniques did they employ to prove their commercial remains memorable? Freakin' awesome animatronics, creepy bug voice actors along with the stunned human actors, and subtle music; plus the stolid and dependable Orkin man. Always a winner. It is a classic hero vs. villain scenario and it is well played.
commercial rating: PASS due to freakin' awesomeness!
The advertising technical effort alone from this pest control company never fails to impress me. There have been at least three commercials utilizing giant animatronic bugs. Here is one of the three commercials currently airing:
The Orkin commercials have been around for decades but these giant animatronic ones are some of my favorites of any commercials. I do enjoy a really well-done puppet and these stand out tremendously. If you like the one above and haven't seen the hot tub commercial or the ant commercial, I would recommend them. All are on youtube, where I snagged the above termite/"Broken Down"/"Is that oak?" commercial.
What marketing techniques did they employ to prove their commercial remains memorable? Freakin' awesome animatronics, creepy bug voice actors along with the stunned human actors, and subtle music; plus the stolid and dependable Orkin man. Always a winner. It is a classic hero vs. villain scenario and it is well played.
commercial rating: PASS due to freakin' awesomeness!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Nutella -- 6.6.10
Nutella. It is a curious thing, both nutty and chocolaty in a single spread. It is tasty, candy-ish, and most kids love it. Ads and the official website boast its awesomeness with a crisp British fashion. So, why oh why does it make it to Ad Vices?
I will state now that this column will critique any commercial that stands out. It doesn't have to be brilliant or make me cringe to get my notice. No, it could be any little thing. The commercial marketing, both internationally and in America, for Nutella is such an example.
The following YouTube commercial was the only copy of the American version I could find. I apologize in advance for linking to something with bad language in it, spoken by the guy who taped the commercial with a phone or camcorder and then put it on YouTube. He appears very passionate about Nutella, and Kobe Bryant (who was/is the U.S. spokesman for the product).
So, Nutella is tasty, smells awesome, and has Kobe Bryant eating it. I actually like it, too. My only problem is with the commercial's claim that it is healthy and can be a good additive to help make a nutritious breakfast.
Hm. It's primary ingredients are sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa, and skim milk. The ads say that, when put on something like whole grain toast, it is part of a healthy snack. Sure! Um, if you take out the Nutella:) My beef with the ad is simply that it claims something with tons of sugar and fat enriches the bread, and a healthy diet. I don't buy it.
Commercial Rating: PASS
Nutella is successful in leading most people to believe that it can be a good substitute for peanut butter or jelly or butter or some such, when it is about the same nutritionally, or in some cases worse.
If you're still curious about all this, visit the Nutella site:
Nutella site
and then this one:
Nutella not so healthy?
I will state now that this column will critique any commercial that stands out. It doesn't have to be brilliant or make me cringe to get my notice. No, it could be any little thing. The commercial marketing, both internationally and in America, for Nutella is such an example.
The following YouTube commercial was the only copy of the American version I could find. I apologize in advance for linking to something with bad language in it, spoken by the guy who taped the commercial with a phone or camcorder and then put it on YouTube. He appears very passionate about Nutella, and Kobe Bryant (who was/is the U.S. spokesman for the product).
So, Nutella is tasty, smells awesome, and has Kobe Bryant eating it. I actually like it, too. My only problem is with the commercial's claim that it is healthy and can be a good additive to help make a nutritious breakfast.
Hm. It's primary ingredients are sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa, and skim milk. The ads say that, when put on something like whole grain toast, it is part of a healthy snack. Sure! Um, if you take out the Nutella:) My beef with the ad is simply that it claims something with tons of sugar and fat enriches the bread, and a healthy diet. I don't buy it.
Commercial Rating: PASS
Nutella is successful in leading most people to believe that it can be a good substitute for peanut butter or jelly or butter or some such, when it is about the same nutritionally, or in some cases worse.
If you're still curious about all this, visit the Nutella site:
Nutella site
and then this one:
Nutella not so healthy?
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Burger King Commercial -- any of them -- 5.30.10
Apologies in advance if I am not as succinct. I'm sick today:( Ah, well. Carry on!
Last week, Ad Vices highlighted the winner of my "Best Come-Back Of The Decade" award. This week in the spotlight is the entire run of Burger King commercials over the last decade. The francise has earned my "Worst Commercial Of The Decade" award not for one single commercial but for a string of several odd, kooky, or just plain bizarre commercials. There are too many to list but here are some of the main themes/catch phrases:
"Wake Up With The King"
"Don't Go To Bed Before The King"
"You Think Yer Special/How Did You Earn It" (for the BK Steakhouse)
Now, I dunno about you, but the King creeps me out. He lurks, he stalks, he's a stranger in your house or outside your window. The BK commercials always leave me feeling dirty, or looking over my shoulder. I don't mind the product, per se, but the commercials are so... icky! Perhaps they are shooting for an all male demographic. Not sure. I don't know any women who like the commercials but several men who do.
One of the worst and most controversial commercials BK has done I could not find on YouTube: The wife in bed with the King and the husband coming in. Using pseudo-adultery to market your product? Eh... That just sits wrong with me. The newest uproar of course is calling the King crazy for lowering the price of some of the products and certain groups of people who argue that BK associates are making light of the mentally ill or some such. Now, as an observer of BK commercials over the years, this particular commercial is mild compared to other BK endeavors. I don't know why they think the commercial is insensitive when many movies portray the mentally ill and how they are handled in a very Hollywood and unrealistic manner.
I will leave you with this particular BK gem. It's the King, but he's pimping Spongebob Squarepants in an extremely memorable way:
Rating: PASS, but only because you can't ever forget that creepy King and his stalker ways...
Last week, Ad Vices highlighted the winner of my "Best Come-Back Of The Decade" award. This week in the spotlight is the entire run of Burger King commercials over the last decade. The francise has earned my "Worst Commercial Of The Decade" award not for one single commercial but for a string of several odd, kooky, or just plain bizarre commercials. There are too many to list but here are some of the main themes/catch phrases:
"Wake Up With The King"
"Don't Go To Bed Before The King"
"You Think Yer Special/How Did You Earn It" (for the BK Steakhouse)
Now, I dunno about you, but the King creeps me out. He lurks, he stalks, he's a stranger in your house or outside your window. The BK commercials always leave me feeling dirty, or looking over my shoulder. I don't mind the product, per se, but the commercials are so... icky! Perhaps they are shooting for an all male demographic. Not sure. I don't know any women who like the commercials but several men who do.
One of the worst and most controversial commercials BK has done I could not find on YouTube: The wife in bed with the King and the husband coming in. Using pseudo-adultery to market your product? Eh... That just sits wrong with me. The newest uproar of course is calling the King crazy for lowering the price of some of the products and certain groups of people who argue that BK associates are making light of the mentally ill or some such. Now, as an observer of BK commercials over the years, this particular commercial is mild compared to other BK endeavors. I don't know why they think the commercial is insensitive when many movies portray the mentally ill and how they are handled in a very Hollywood and unrealistic manner.
I will leave you with this particular BK gem. It's the King, but he's pimping Spongebob Squarepants in an extremely memorable way:
Rating: PASS, but only because you can't ever forget that creepy King and his stalker ways...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Jack In The Box commercial from two months ago- 5.24.10
Jack In The Box has been around for many years. It is this week's featured commercial because, of all the commercials out there, Jack In The Box wins my coveted "Best Come-Back Of The Decade" award for the second year in a row (see next week's installment for the winner of the not-so-coveted "Worst Commercial Of The Decade" award).
This francise has had its ups and downs, with e. coli in the patties in the early 1990s and then the rise of "Jack's Back". Jack In The Box did something revolutionary coming out of the 1980s: They destroyed their mascot, on television! They blew up the clown! And from that sad, clowny phoenix's ashes arose Jack, the fictional spokesman and man in charge of the whole thing. Wow.
The creative minds behind this brilliant scheme hit a real winner. The new "mascot", Jack, owns the place and has a lot of qualities we as a people envy or strive to put in office. Just look at him! Despite the clown head, he wears the dark blue "Kennedy" suit we like to see Presidents wear because it shows he's in charge, he knows what he's doing, and we can trust him. Yeah, all that in a suit, but his stance, his appearance, even the clown head are all things expected and comfortable in a leader role. He keeps it real, modern, but without alienating any particular demographic. That, and he's got a sense of humor without being a (metaphorical) clown. Ronald McDonald has, as the young ones say, been served.
Of the myriad JITB commercials out there, I want to showcase this one aired a few months ago:
Commercial Rating: PASS
This JITB commercial is a sign of the times. It couches two products, both of which are choices at Jack In The Box instead of one being a competitor's option, in a nice argument between two of Jack's employees. How this commercial varies from most is that Jack turns to the camera and breaks what is called the fourth wall. He speaks directly to the audience. That is an old trick, however, so they modernized the shtick by having one woman suggest to Jack that the two women kiss. Kiss?!
When I heard that on tv, I got on YouTube to play it again and make sure I heard that right. Yes. They had the gumption to show you this marketing scheme in the commercial!
In my generation, men find lesbians hawt. This is a known fact. But just for all those that aren't into same-sex relationships, Jack's neutral reaction and the spoken ploy in the situation still make the commercial funny. The creative minds may even state upon being questioned that they meant it to be innocent and the two women would kiss to make up, but of course we all know what's implied. Lesbianism sells! Theoretically...
In closing, I actually don't recall the name of the product but I do remember vividly the commercial and that it is from Jack In The Box. Remember, the purpose of commercials is to sell the product by having you recall the product and/or the commercial. This and many other JITB commercials rate a definite, if fatty, PASS.
This francise has had its ups and downs, with e. coli in the patties in the early 1990s and then the rise of "Jack's Back". Jack In The Box did something revolutionary coming out of the 1980s: They destroyed their mascot, on television! They blew up the clown! And from that sad, clowny phoenix's ashes arose Jack, the fictional spokesman and man in charge of the whole thing. Wow.
The creative minds behind this brilliant scheme hit a real winner. The new "mascot", Jack, owns the place and has a lot of qualities we as a people envy or strive to put in office. Just look at him! Despite the clown head, he wears the dark blue "Kennedy" suit we like to see Presidents wear because it shows he's in charge, he knows what he's doing, and we can trust him. Yeah, all that in a suit, but his stance, his appearance, even the clown head are all things expected and comfortable in a leader role. He keeps it real, modern, but without alienating any particular demographic. That, and he's got a sense of humor without being a (metaphorical) clown. Ronald McDonald has, as the young ones say, been served.
Of the myriad JITB commercials out there, I want to showcase this one aired a few months ago:
Commercial Rating: PASS
This JITB commercial is a sign of the times. It couches two products, both of which are choices at Jack In The Box instead of one being a competitor's option, in a nice argument between two of Jack's employees. How this commercial varies from most is that Jack turns to the camera and breaks what is called the fourth wall. He speaks directly to the audience. That is an old trick, however, so they modernized the shtick by having one woman suggest to Jack that the two women kiss. Kiss?!
When I heard that on tv, I got on YouTube to play it again and make sure I heard that right. Yes. They had the gumption to show you this marketing scheme in the commercial!
In my generation, men find lesbians hawt. This is a known fact. But just for all those that aren't into same-sex relationships, Jack's neutral reaction and the spoken ploy in the situation still make the commercial funny. The creative minds may even state upon being questioned that they meant it to be innocent and the two women would kiss to make up, but of course we all know what's implied. Lesbianism sells! Theoretically...
In closing, I actually don't recall the name of the product but I do remember vividly the commercial and that it is from Jack In The Box. Remember, the purpose of commercials is to sell the product by having you recall the product and/or the commercial. This and many other JITB commercials rate a definite, if fatty, PASS.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Welcome! And the first ad is... iPad Commercial - 5.18.10
Hi and welcome to the first post of my first blog. "Ad Vices" is a small column I'm starting to express opinions on various commercials I see on tv or hear on the radio. Everyone has opinions on just about everything but what I do is slightly different. I'm going to analyze and grade them. My curve is easy: pass or fail. A commercial passes when it achieves it's primary or secondary goal. The primary goal is to get you looking at and wanting the product. The secondary goal is to get you to pause and remember the commercial, whether it be good or bad. Even a bad commercial can pass. A commercial fails when it does not do either of the above goals or when it just completely sets me off. Hey, it's an opinion column minus the newspaper feel. Whaddaya want?
I have privately reviewed commercials and ads for years now and it's high-time I said my view. I have no training in making ads nor in writing for commercials. I do not have a degree in commerce psychology. What I do have is personal insight.
First up? The new iPad commercial I saw today.
***
Rating: PASS
***
Now, I will mention that I am going to post links to commercials via YouTube but I have no idea how long YouTube keeps such things up. You may have to go find it on your own somewhere else one day, which does date my blog, but I will keep it current and fresh because, as we all know, commercials are here to stay. And they just keep coming!
So, the new iPad commercial. Yeah... If you haven't seen it, click and play it from this blog:
The first line of dialogue: "What is iPad? iPad is thin. iPad is beautiful.", etc.
Oh, this one is a great commercial to start with for analysis. Why does it pass? It uses the great keywords of our culture: "thin" "beautiful". These are powerful words to use in advertising. For women, it is what culture tells them they want to be and must have. For men, it is what culture tells them to want in women. With obesity in the news frequently, those two keywords grasp at our ears and pull our eyes in and make us desire said product. If it is thin and beautiful and you own it then you, too, are thin and beautiful. Clever marketing is nothing to truly be ashamed over. I marvel at it at times, and other times roll my eyes. I will merely call this one clever marketing and express no other opinion.
It uses other great phrases to rope every kind of person in: "crazy powerful", "magical", and who's the genius who came up with "and you already know how to use it". That is brilliant because it speaks to an age of computer-savvy people and also to those who are too busy or too set in our ways to muddle with some new contraption.
"It's already a revolution and it's only just begun." tells us it is new but it'll be here for a while. It will grow with the advancement of technology, unlike most computers. Is this true? Dunno. I don't own an iPad:) But the point is does it make you want to own one? Maybe not jump in your car and go buy one now but would you own one? Be honest. It's what we saw in all those futuristic movies, and ones still coming out. Technology is catching up with our imaginations. Soon we'll be accessing and interacting with 3-D touch screens like in Iron Man! Yeah, the geek is strong in this one.
I digress, but in doing so it proves another point. This commercial hits all the right spots for their consumer pool and offers a desirable if expensive communication toy, er... device.
In essence?
iPad Commercial, 5.18.10 = PASS
Cheers!
JG
I have privately reviewed commercials and ads for years now and it's high-time I said my view. I have no training in making ads nor in writing for commercials. I do not have a degree in commerce psychology. What I do have is personal insight.
First up? The new iPad commercial I saw today.
***
Rating: PASS
***
Now, I will mention that I am going to post links to commercials via YouTube but I have no idea how long YouTube keeps such things up. You may have to go find it on your own somewhere else one day, which does date my blog, but I will keep it current and fresh because, as we all know, commercials are here to stay. And they just keep coming!
So, the new iPad commercial. Yeah... If you haven't seen it, click and play it from this blog:
The first line of dialogue: "What is iPad? iPad is thin. iPad is beautiful.", etc.
Oh, this one is a great commercial to start with for analysis. Why does it pass? It uses the great keywords of our culture: "thin" "beautiful". These are powerful words to use in advertising. For women, it is what culture tells them they want to be and must have. For men, it is what culture tells them to want in women. With obesity in the news frequently, those two keywords grasp at our ears and pull our eyes in and make us desire said product. If it is thin and beautiful and you own it then you, too, are thin and beautiful. Clever marketing is nothing to truly be ashamed over. I marvel at it at times, and other times roll my eyes. I will merely call this one clever marketing and express no other opinion.
It uses other great phrases to rope every kind of person in: "crazy powerful", "magical", and who's the genius who came up with "and you already know how to use it". That is brilliant because it speaks to an age of computer-savvy people and also to those who are too busy or too set in our ways to muddle with some new contraption.
"It's already a revolution and it's only just begun." tells us it is new but it'll be here for a while. It will grow with the advancement of technology, unlike most computers. Is this true? Dunno. I don't own an iPad:) But the point is does it make you want to own one? Maybe not jump in your car and go buy one now but would you own one? Be honest. It's what we saw in all those futuristic movies, and ones still coming out. Technology is catching up with our imaginations. Soon we'll be accessing and interacting with 3-D touch screens like in Iron Man! Yeah, the geek is strong in this one.
I digress, but in doing so it proves another point. This commercial hits all the right spots for their consumer pool and offers a desirable if expensive communication toy, er... device.
In essence?
iPad Commercial, 5.18.10 = PASS
Cheers!
JG
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