Bridgestone -- Screaming Super Bowl Ads

Screaming Animals -- C+

I feel like this is a combination of things I've seen before. The continued scream, animals in front of cars doing something. The only redeeming qualities are the silently screaming grasshopper and that woman's strange cartoonish face. And I don't think the copy at the end fits. For drivers who want to get more out of their tires, it's Bridgestone or nothing. Not running over animals is getting more out of your tires? That seems like it should be the cost of entry. For drivers who want pretty standard tires, how about Bridgestone?

The Hawk:
The first thing I thought of when I saw screaming animals, was the other recent car ad featuring animals with human qualities -- the Jeep Liberty ad -- which we both ripped. I guess this one is good for a bit of a chuckle, but the branding seems horrible. Mouth is correct about the mis-matched copy and on top of that, there have been a ton of ads over the year for actual cars, featuring this type of "quick swerve" action. They also wait too long to mention Bridgestone. That needs to happen earlier, then viewers wouldn't be left guessing. Further review bumps it a little from my initial grade, up to a C-.



Unexpected Obstacles -- B+

This brings to mind a very real fear I have. The night deer fear. Whenever I'm driving in a wooded area at night, I'm paranoid that a deer is going to bolt out in front of me. Sometimes, I can't even watch the road, I just scan the woods for a family of deer cantering out toward the road. After the deer, I love seeing Alice Cooper there. I didn't expect that. Richard Simmons is what he is (for some reason, hearing him shout "I believe in you" after we've gone to title cards makes me laugh). I think using two celebrities was sort of cheap. They could have come up with something else that was funny and unexpected, like an old lady in a bathtub with her cat. Wouldn't expect that. I also would have liked to see more of what the tire is doing. I understand it helped him avoid hitting thingsl, but maybe a slow motion capture of the tire gripping the road or something? Fear the deer. Go Bucks!

The Hawk:
I have the same general complaints with this one, only they switched not-really-that-funny animals with B(C? D?)-Level celebrities. Most Americans who once recognized Alice Cooper probably fried their brains away and thought some sort of sad clown was featured in this ad. The lighting is terrible as well, making it hard to see anything, and I'm STILL left asking: "Hey, what car was that for?". Can't wait to see the third edition! F.