Tag Archives: advertising

04.21.12
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Givin’ on a prayer

There’s an Advil commercial with Jon Bon Jovi during which he refers to himself as “singer-songwriter, philanthropist, father.”

I don’t know anything about his charitable efforts, but I have no trouble imagining that they would be substantial, and that seems to be confirmed by this web site. Still, to me it sounds sort of pompous for anyone to refer to themselves as a “philanthropist.” Even if it’s accurate, it sounds like boasting.

Of course, I’m trying to think of an alternate word or phrase that would convey the same intent but without boasting. “Activist” sounds too political. “Donor” would be a literal match, but “donor and volunteer” might work better.

01.22.11
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The cold hard facts

cola-can

Recently, Kroger changed the packaging design for its store-brand soft drinks. I was looking at the can you see here today and noticed the epigram “COLD – CRISP – REFRESHING.”

You know, when you think about it, “COLD” is a strange product claim to make. Kroger has no control whatsoever over the temperature at which Big K soft drinks are consumed. They aren’t even sold cold, unless you count the soft drink machines in front of the store. The beverage is only as cold as the drinker decides to make it, and if the drinker has multiple brands of soft drink in his or her fridge, all will be equally cold.

I guess that’s why I shouldn’t think about it.

12.16.10
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Kudos to the Yummy M

A couple of months back, I linked to this mesmerizing video, featuring two performers named Cleary & Harding, which I still look at every now and then when I need a smile:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iANRO3I30nM

Well, apparently I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it. Exhibit A: a new TV commercial from McDonald’s (which my youngest niece refers to as “the yummy M”):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQBqKAXTVE0

It’s nice when marketers are able to do something cool and entertaining that’s appropriate to their advertising message. I think this qualifies.

11.13.10
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Allergic to this ad

There’s an ad for the online dating site Zoosk that I’ve found mildly annoying for some time now, and I finally decided I wanted to comment on it.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zuawofo3d4

In case you can’t see the embed, the viewpoint character, a woman, is telling her girlfriends about a blind date. In a flashback, we see him waiting for her in the living room, and he gets allergic reactions to her dog, her cat and the hors d’oeuvre that she’s set out for him. When she walks into the room, she’s horrified at his comically-swollen face.

She’s then seen telling her girlfriends that she’s going to use Zoosk to choose her dates in the future.

Here’s what annoys me. The fellow is not depicted as being whiny or demanding; in fact, he (despite his obvious discomfort) is depicted as reacting calmly and politely to the situation, almost too calmly. So apparently her only problem with him is his allergies, something over which he has no control whatsoever. Fair enough; if you’re a pet person, you probably don’t need to date someone with severe pet allergies. But it seems a little cruel that she’s laughing at him with her friends.

But, how exactly is Zoosk going to help her? I’ve never used Zoosk or any other online dating site, but I seriously doubt that Zoosk screens its applicants by allergy. Maybe there’s a question about whether or not you like pets, but I doubt that question on its own is enough to disqualify you from being matched with someone. She could find someone with pet allergies through Zoosk just as easily as she could by being set up by friends or family – more so, in fact.

06.24.10
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As different as … well, you figure it out

I don’t necessarily know if I’ll go see “Knight and Day,” but I was curious about the song that plays during the TV ads. As usual, the answer was on the Internet.

Strangely enough, the song sounds quite different by itself than it does in the context of the TV ad, with the voiceover. It’s an unusual choice to accompany a fast-moving, high-energy TV ad for a thrill-a-minute action movie, but maybe the fact that people like me are posting about it means that it worked.

04.13.09
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Zooey

From this point forward, I resolve never to wear anything but cotton. Why, you ask? Because it’s endorsed by Zooey Deschanel. I would gladly purchase anything endorsed by Zooey Deschanel, whether I needed it or not. I have been in love with Zooey Deschanel ever since “Elf,” and she caused me not to notice how terrible an adaptation the Hitchhiker’s Guide movie was.

We can only hope she uses her powers for good, not evil.