Old Spice -- Hair and Body Wash

I don't think I need to go into much detail here. Just good, clean comedy. Has this ever been on TV? I'm not sure. Might be a YouTube phenomenon.

"Sure, criminal." A.

Optimum Triple Play, Pirate Rap: F and A

Whoa. When I first saw this, I wrote down "Optimum Online Rap, FFFFFF." I was shocked and amazed and repulsed and maybe offended, all at the same time. But now it's approaching "so bad it's good" status. I'm starting to like the rap and the complete and absolute absurdity of the commercial. A band of cable loving pirates? Mermaids singing the phone number? And a special guest appearance by a rapping sea monster!? I hear they originally wanted Fat Joe to star in it, but he wouldn't agree to ride that inflatable banana (or ski rocket, whatever you call it).

One of the best parts of this YouTube video is that you can see who's responsible for this masterpiece. Globalworks. Let me guess, they specialize in marketing to minorities? You can also see the brilliant title of the spot: Reggaeton Beach English Rotoscoped Towels. Exactly what I would have called it. And I think this comment left by a user sums it up perfectly, "My 9 month old daughter LOVES this commercial...her world stops when it comes on..." As does mine.

The savings are for real, the triple play is the deal.

I have to give this an F and an A.

The Hawk:
This is pretty much genius. A Reggaeton beat with some catchy lyrics, along with hot mermaids singing a phone number commercial? This is better than a lot of radio. I'm pretty sure if I saw this a lot it would get beaten into my head. An ad that conveys information about the product! Success. B+.

Jawbone, Eliminates Noise

I saw this ad yesterday on Creativity's website. A campaign featuring short films promoting this Jawbone earpiece thing, which I had never heard of before. This one and the following rugby player (homophobic readers beware) one are the only two I could find on YouTube. But there's two more in the series, one of which features an amazingly offensive and annoying man yelling at his dry cleaner, that are pretty good. This, to me, is what advertising can be. A great story, told in a way that truly communicates the benefit of the product. The idea that Jawbone "elminates noise" is illustrated perfectly. And everyone can appreciate the slaughter of the annoyingly loud.

The title treatments at the end, where the top lines eliminate the bottom one, are almost as great as the ads themselves. I was so intrigued by these, that I actually went to the company's website to find out more about the technology. And although I loathe people who use these terrible Bluetooth, hands-free headsets, I was tempted to buy one. For about one second. Then I realized I'm not a douche.

While I find the use of gratuitous man-on-man making out to be a cheap, polarizing tactic (see Snicker's Super Bowl ad), I think you still get the point. This is by far the worst of the four, not because of the gayness, but because it features no violent elimination of the offending noise-makers:



The problem is, where will these run? In movie theaters seems to be the ideal location. The Jawbone website (where they have yet to appear) is also a good option. And even if they never get further than being a viral internet campaign, I still think the effort is a success. A.

The Hawk:
I have major problem with this product and the ads. This headset only fits in ONE EAR, correct? So how is the noise blocked out of my OTHER ear? Won't the environment potentially still greatly affect whether or not I can hear the conversation? After reading the website, I see that it does include technology that will allow the person on the other end of the call to hear me better, but that only solves half the problem.

The poolside ad hits home for me, because I find that situation particularly annoying. However, they did not need to have the group of guys carry on for so long. The point was well-proven without going so far over the top.

As for the rugby bar edition... huh? Men kissing causes a lot of noise? That makes absolutely no sense. I wasn't forced to review these, I would never have made it past the 20 or 30 second mark, so I would not have even known what the hell the product was. If I was forced to sit through these at a theatre, as my colleague suggested, I would feel murderous. F. Ad-exec masturbation, anyone?

NBA, Where Amazing Happens: A

"Where amazing happens." What a great, outstanding line. Something about it sounds wrong, which makes it all the more...amazing? A great example of how much you can do with a simple, true idea and great writing. Where never meant to happen happens. Where amazing happens. Where amazing happens. Where amazing happens! I love saying it. Say it with me. Where amazing happens.


The Hawk:

My first reaction to The Mouth liking this saying so much was negative at best. I thought it was too corny and cheesy. However, the more I think about it, it's not the tag line I don't like, it's this particular ad. It is too over the top with the piano music... almost a self-righteous type feel. I bet Mike Breen loves this one. The exploitation of the afro doesn't help my opinion, either. I much prefer the individual player ads that go along with this campaign. Continue reading the next few entries for the reviews of those...

C for this one.

Bud Light, Talking Dog: A

I could do without the corny squirrel line at the end, but that dog saying "sausages" over and over again kills me. Dogs love sausages. After thinking about it though, they maybe borrowed from this classic:

Fatheads, Brian Urlacher: A

I like absolutely everything about this commercial. The old Walt Disney-looking narrator, the presumption that a grown man would actually put a giant sticker on the wall in his office, a violent fire breathing bear, and the writing in the final segment; it's like sweet poetry.

"...plucked from the playing field, like ripened fruit that can smack you in your earhole..."

It almost makes me forget that this is a totally worthless product made for retards.

Skittles, Midas Touch: A

"I met a man on the bus today, I shook his hand. He'll never see his family again. I guess that's pretty awesome."

When he goes to answer the phone, then bangs on his desk...classic.

Skittles, Sheep Boy: A

"You two sheep boys, stop that that jibber-jabbin."

This one makes me laugh, without making me want to vomit.

Cingular, Dropped Call: A

The whole series of these is pretty good. The premise, that shoddy cellular service can lead to awkward conversations rings very true. I can't tell you how many times I either think I'm talking to dead air and stop to make sure someone is there, or continue talking for a few minutes after a call has been dropped. It's one of the reasons I've developed a serious aversion to talking on the phone.

The situations they've come up with are generally pretty funny and the writing and acting feels very natural. I will say that it's getting to the point where you can tell they're reaching for the next one. They should probably wrap this campaign up soon. But it's hard for a client to walk away from something that has been successful (see Mastercard priceless campaign).



Butcher: A+
Great casting. I love "I mean look at us, we probably weight the..."



Raw Meat: B+



Two Day Rule: A



Earl Got Your Tongue: B-



Flowers: B



Manager: B+
"There's a new sheriff in town."



Roger Clemens: B-
Feels a little forced.

And the original, with "Jimmy crack corn" is probably a B+.

Jim Mora Coors Light: A

Sports fans love coach rants. Coors taps into that fact, hoping you tap into the Rockies, and it works. This is one of the best of the series, as it uses perhaps the all-time greatest coach rant. Also, note the subtle placement of the Coors Light logo, the first guy's mention of Coors Light, and quick jingle at the end.

Grade: A