Dentyne: Make Face Time

Click here to watch

If you were curious, the song used in all of the spots is called "Summer Day" by Coconut Records.

Dentyne has released this campaign that demands you "Make Face Time" by getting off the computer, turning off the cell phone, and going out to meet with people face-to-face. And with the minty help of Dentyne, maybe even you can score a make-out session!

When surveyed by Dentyne gum, 9 out of 10 Canadians prefferred face-to-face communication over any other form, and 6 out of 10 felt that technology was actually getting in the way of friends and family. While these statistics may be inflated (I'm not sure of the accuracy or randomness of the sample or how the survey was conducted) they are something to consider with the rapid growth of the internet, cell phones, and other new media. Have these innovations caused us to forget about what they were made for in the first place - to better communicate with the people around us?

Right now, I could send a message to somebody in Hong Kong, and they would receive it in seconds. It's a marvel of human acheivement that should not go unnoticed, but I could also do the same for somebody sitting in a room two doors down -- somebody who is easily accessible and who is only a few short steps away -- but should I? This is the ethical question that Dentyne is answering with their campaign. Yeah, you can walk over and talk to them, but laziness and efficiency have led many to choose the simpler option.

We're running head on into a region of human society that has never been encountered before, so naturally there will be problems adapting to the rapid information exchange of the modern day. As of now, our digital world cannot provide most of the things exhibited in the "Make Face Time" commercials, such as intimate human emotion and group interaction on a personal level. These kinds of missing qualities are the attributes that gives new media a bad reputation for being antisocial tools. Hopefully one day our computers and phones and next-new-things will incorporate those human features.

Dentyne is so serious about their intentions to ween you off of your technological addictions that they have a 3 minute timer on their website that will actually stop you from browsing the page and will tell you to "go browse the worldwide something else". Unless of course you're watching the TV ads, then it pauses for you. I guess social interaction still isn't as important as the bottom line.

Maybe, Michael Jordan, Just Maybe

Well I really cannot find any worthy content these days, so I had to dig something out from the old bag 0 tricks. This is an old Jumpman 23 spot, and I fancy it quite a bit. Enjoy.

I'm a PC, and I blog about TV commercials

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And another

Just when I thought Microsoft was done for good this year advertising-wise, they throw this at me while I'm watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (disgustingly hilarious, by the way). I'd just like to say: that's what I'm TALKING about.

Can we all just decide on one thing first? Even if you enjoyed the Seinfeld spots, there was no way they were turning any kind of profit. They can tickle your nostalgia lobe and make you dust off those Seinfeld DVDs that have been collecting dust ever since you got them for Christmas last year, but if those commercials actually convinced you to buy a PC, then I am truly afraid for your mental well-being. With that said, I really enjoy these new ads from Microsoft.

Everybody knows the infamous PC vs. Mac ads from Apple. Microsoft looked at their options and decided "Hey, ya know what? Life as the PC guy really ain't that bad." After all, PC's are very widespread. All different kinds of people use them to accomplish important tasks and other things in life that are vital to them.

They've even recruited some well respected celebrities including basketball star Tony Parker, his wife Eva Longoria, N*E*R*D front man Pharrell, influencial medical doctor Deepak Chopra, Ultimate Fighting Champion Rashad Evans, and of course your boy Billy G -- but that one's a no brainer. He must have nothing better to do after stepping down from CEO. I heard that sometimes he gets so bored he tries to see which pile of cash will burn faster: fifties or c-notes.

The "Life Without Walls" campaign also features Microsoft employees, random civilians, children from third world counties, environmentalists, an astronaut, a blogger, a fisherman, some dude with a beard, a broadcaster, hot foreign chicks, and the hook: an almost spot-on look-alike of John Hodgman, the "real" PC from the Mac ads.

As I sit here typing away on my Toshiba laptop, running Windows Vista, I must say that I am kind of comforted by all of these other PC users. Damn. That's good advertising. And even better? Great brand reinforcement. When marketing expensive products such as computers, brand reinforcement is a must-have.

AIG to Pull Ads Due to Irony

As you've probably heard, AIG has been bailed out by the US government in an event that will cost us a hefty $85 billion. Ahh just put it on the tab, Uncle Sam. Heres an ad from AIG that they have cut from their advertising efforts for obvious reasons:



"The strength to be there." Yeah, right. Epic fail + facepalm.

Obama on the Economy

After the recent economic downfall (aka the beginning of the end) I thought I'd post a serious commercial concerning the ordeal. Barack voices his opinion and does so quite eloquently...

watch video | digg story

Microsoft and Seinfeld: A Comic of Truthiness

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'Nuff said.

Quantum of Solace Coke Zero Trailer

Click here to watch

The 22nd James Bond movie comes out on November 14 here in the states, and I'm super excited. I thought Daniel Craig did an excellent job in Casino Royale, this upcoming film's prequel.

This commercial displays all the great things about 007: cars, girls, excitement, and action. It looks like they took the footage and drowned it in Coke style. The smooth curves of reds and blacks exude Coca Cola. If you happen to notice anything around you, you might find that I am quite fond of these color combinations.

I guess Coke Zero is revitalizing their brand with this new campaign. I also saw them on my college campus just handing Coke Zero's out for free. Sounds good to me. I mean, who doesn't appreciate the simple joy that is a free bottle of Coke? It's a rare gift that transcends the boundaries of fiscal and monetary needs, and proceeds to fulfill the basic human emotions of compassion and happiness...

Double Stuf Racing League: Mannings vs. Williams

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Ah yes, the Oreo. Their Double Stuf variety, which promises twice the cream filling, has launched a new marketing strategy that pits individuals against each other in a battle of twists, licks, dunks, and gulps. Nabisco has recruited two pairs of well respected athletes: tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams and football fames Peyton and Eli Manning.

Anyone else notice the US Open and Nike logos? Interesting...

Anyway, the press conference mocking spots are centered around a curious self-made sport. They are hoping people will actually partake in the game, maybe even buy some of their official cups, jerseys, and headbands. Will this competition be successful? Well, plenty of stupider sports have been invented.

It's a Commercial About Nothing!

More disappointment. Back later with more criticism. In the mean time, feel free to comment.

UPDATE: Okay, I'm somewhat torn on how to feel about this one. On one hand, it's a decent spectacle with some laughable moments and situations. I love ping pong. On the other hand, it's a long and pointless episode that has nothing to do with Microsoft other than one of the characters is Bill Gates.

It seems as though Microsoft is going for the "cool" factor. They want that sexy appeal that other certain computer giants emanate, but it seems that no matter how hard they try, failure to gain access to the popular table at the global corporations lunchroom will follow.

The reason why Mac commercials are so successful is because they had a great creative idea (personifying the machines) AND they pointed out certain features that make Macs "better".

With this new set of ads from Microsoft, they avoid all of the issues with Vista and Microsoft as a whole. They have not stood up for themselves and said "Hey, this is our product and this is why you should buy it." Instead they take Apple's criticism and choose to turn the other cheek by making commercials that avoid all of the issues.

I'd really like to see how these ads pay off in the end.

iPod Nano and Touch Ads from Apple's Let's Rock!

This ad is a fun little commercial, displaying all of the colors of the new iPod. It is called nano-chromatic. The name of the song is "Bruises" by Chairlift.



This spot for the new iPod Touch looks like the iPhone commercials. The tag line is "The funnest iPod ever." The name of the song is "Around the Bend" by the Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

(Click on the videos to watch them in a higher quality definition at Youtube.)

I've been keeping up with a liveblog (the most fascinating nerd sport in the world) broadcasting straight from Apple's "Let's Rock" convention. They're announcing a whole new line of iPod Nanos, as well as a new iTunes (8.0), new iPod Shuffles, and also the new iPod Touch.

Super excited that Apple has finally abandoned the silhouette campaign! (I hope!) This company has the potential for some great spots, and it's a shame to waste every iPod commercial on snazzy editing of an unseen dancing ghost coupled with the next soon-to-be top 40 artist. Even though those are still awesome.

Microsoft and Seinfeld: Shoe Shopping

Well, that was disappointing. I felt like there was a laugh track missing... oh and funniness. Churros and showering with clothes on? Not doing it for me.

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry... Don't sell yourself to these numskulls. Yes, for a moment I thought these ads could be the revitalizing boost that Microsoft needed to get on the same cool level as Macs, but clearly that's not the case. How does this even relate to Microsoft!? Bah.

Maybe I'm just bitter because they never made a Seinfeld movie.

Where are the Seinfeld Microsoft Commercials?

Click here to ...read :(

The news a couple of weeks ago was that Jerry Seinfeld was being paid $10 million dollars to do a series of ads for Microsoft. The new campaign was supposed to pull Microsoft out of the gutters and back onto the street alongside those Apple folks. The first ad was supposed to air September 4, (today) but there's no sign of it so far. Perhaps they'll debut it around McCain's speech this evening? Or maybe Microsoft is caught in a tizzy over Google's new browser, Chrome, which is inevitably superior to IE8?

I'll be back when it surfaces...

Brylcreem: Effortless

It has been a pretty slow week, so I'm going to post something I've had lying around for awhile.



Cool tricks, huh? Any weary viewer would think that some kind of computer animation was involved in the production of the commercial, but believe it or not, it was all done in one flawless take. The skillful actor, Sam Veale, was chosen as the winner of a Myspace challenge issued by Brylcreem. And for anyone interested, the music was done by a Scottish indie group called B Raymond and the Voicettes.

Click here to watch behind the scenes of the ad

Spots like this one are the reason why I love advertising. When executed properly, commercials can be a truly beautiful art form. It takes a lot of imagination, time, and hard work but in the end something really cool is produced. The ad may not sell hair styling products, but it carries an immensely important aesthetic value that will be appreciated by many.