September 2008 - Posts
Brooke Shields has come a long way since declaring nothing comes between her and her Calvins, but the child star turned sitcom staple still has a canny eye for picking an ad that showcases her talents in the best light.
A new campaign for Volkswagen’s Routan minivan features Shields pretending to be a humanitarian worried about the plight of yuppie parents who are having children simply so they can have an excuse to buy a Routan.
"Have a baby for love, not for German engineering," Shields opines, ignoring and discounting the confused pregnant women and their husbands as they attempt to explain that, of course, they are not reproducing as an excuse to buy a new car.
CONTINUED >>
Looking for a place to spend the night, or the week? The folks at Extended Stay Hotels want you know that if you choose their hotels, you’ll feel comfortable. Really comfortable. More comfortable, in fact, than some people might feel in their own homes, with their own families.
A new commercial for the hotel chain starts off innocuously enough, with an operatic soundtrack coupled with shots of people entering and exiting their hotel rooms.
But wait, why are they pausing ever so slightly, then looking relieved? And what’s up with the fluttering shower curtain, bed sheets and flowers? Why did that woman’s candles suddenly get blown out?
If you’re in fifth grade, chances are you go this one faster than the grown-ups: Extended Stay is using farts to sell hotel rooms.
 |
| Extended Stay Hotels |
CONTINUED >>
We’ll say this about Old Spice’s "Double Impact" ads – once you see them, you aren’t likely to forget them.
In the ad, a centaur – half man, half horse – is in the shower, soaping up and bragging about how he loves Old Spice’s new body wash/moisturizer because he also is two things, "a man, and a pretty smart shopper."
Our narrator then goes on to explain all the benefits of this dual-purpose product before concluding:
"It’s perfect. I should know. I’m two great things. A man…,"
".. and, a provider," concludes a woman who has just walked into the shot.
 |
| Old Spice |
CONTINUED >>
Apple has the Mac guy and the PC guy. Now Microsoft has Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld.
A new ad, apparently meant to promote Microsoft’s Windows operating system franchise, features Gates, Microsoft’s chairman and one of the world’s richest men, trying on shoes in a faux shoe store with Seinfeld, the comedian best known for his eponymous TV show.
In trademark Seinfeld style, the two banter mostly about nothing (or nothing that makes much sense anyway), share a meaningful look about the word "leather" and barely mention the product the company is seeking to promote. The 90-second spot -- the first volley what is promised to be a broad and pricey campaign -- ends with Gates wiggling his behind as the two walk through a mall parking lot.
(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
 |
| Microsoft Corp. |
CONTINUED >>
We’re guessing a new commercial for Chevrolet’s Traverse crossover vehicle is meant to appeal to a woman who fantasizes about having the "perfect guy" – he’s hot, he’s romantic and he does the housework!
Frankly, that kind of reverse gender stereotyping is offensive enough, to both men and women, not to mention outdated. But alas, if only the ad were just that tacky.
Instead, it’s tacky, nonsensical and weirdly evocative of pornography. It’s the type of ad that viewers have noticed, but often only to ask, "What the heck was that about?"
 |
| Chevrolet |
CONTINUED >>
