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...
Sunday, May 30, 2010
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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