The TV Ad Guru

Nike's bold Tiger Woods Ad

2010-04-07T22:29:00.005-04:00

Hmmm...

I'll be interested to see how people react to this one. Honestly, I'm sick of all the attention he is getting. Publicizing everything is just making him more of a figure to be followed. His advertisers were right to drop him. However, Nike held on. I'm amazed that they have released an ad so quickly. Sure, keeping the check mark on his hat was assumed, but a TV ad? Already?

The short clip shows a solemn Tiger as his father's voice (the late Earl Woods) asks him questions about himself. About golf? About life?

Nike is pure genius. Always have been, always will be. They have handled this in the best way possible and I think it would be hard to discredit them for this one.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Google Super Bowl Ad

2010-02-08T14:35:00.003-05:00

"Parisian Love"

Game. Set. Match. Google has started advertising. World domination is imminent.

This spot shows the gradual steps an individual takes in their life as they fall in love in Paris. It's perfectly executed, right down to the subtle mistype of the Louvre and the backspace to get rid of the extra 'o'. (Reinforcing Google's double 'o'?)

The commercial ran just like their website does. It was clean, simple, and logical. Beautiful.

Guru Grade: 9.5 / 10

Nicorette - Quitting Sucks

2009-12-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Michael Bay directs Victoria's Secret Commercial

2009-12-05T11:36:00.002-05:00

Hmm Michael Bay, director of the Transformers movies, has now made this ad for Victoria's Secret. It has half naked girls, fire, helicopters, danger, hardcore rock music... pretty much everything Transformers has!

Are they trying to appeal to men with this?

Guru Grade: 5 / 10

Plane Stupid: Polar Bear

2009-12-03T14:09:00.001-05:00

Wow. This is very graphic.

But I guess that's what it takes to give the green movement some street credit.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Reebok Easy Tone - Talking Boobs

2009-11-24T22:45:00.002-05:00

Reebok's new shoes are designed to make you work out while you walk. They promise a rounder, more sexy looking butt that will make other parts of your body jealous...

Can they say "boobs"?

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

New Zealand Book Council - Going West

2009-11-24T22:16:00.001-05:00

A bit long, but cool.

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

The Weezer Snuggie

2009-11-20T21:56:00.001-05:00

Um.

Orbit - Clean It Up

2009-11-18T14:43:00.001-05:00

Advertising = Art.

Art by: Goons, a street artist out of Chicago
Directed by: Ace Norton
Music: Keep It Clean by Camera Obscura
Sponsored by: Orbit
Agency: Evolution Bureau - http://www.evb.com

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Toshiba Regza SV Television - Space Chair

2009-11-16T20:17:00.004-05:00

I always liked Toshiba's stuff. For this commercial they strapped a chair to a balloon and sent the thing up to space... or pretty close. "Armchair viewing, redefined." Sure, it's a stretch, but I like it.

Oh and Toshiba: expect to hear from my lawyers. My windshield needs to be replaced from being struck by falling chair legs.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Throwback - Tootsie Pops

2009-11-12T15:05:00.002-05:00

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center? The world may never know.

It's funny to see how different old commercials can be. The production values seem to increase exponentially every five years or so. Find an old VHS and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Trident Layers - Pay in Gum

2009-11-09T00:28:00.002-05:00

This plays off of the idea that Trident Layers gum is worth as much or more than cash, and the babysitter, mail man, chimney sweeper, and electrician would love to be paid in gum! Lame.

I hope they don't make more of these. I just don't find them entertaining. Sorry, Trident.

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

AT&T Sues Verizon over Ad

2009-11-05T18:24:00.002-05:00

This is the last cellphone related advertising news for a while, promise!

A lot of people know about the recent battle between AT&T (who have the iPhone as their main mobile device) and Verizon, but if you're unfamiliar, here's how it goes down:

AT&T is all like:

They have a few spots with similar "There's an app for that" content. It becomes ubiquitous.

Sooo Verizon attacks with:

Hilarious, yes? Well AT&T is not laughing, and now they've launched a lawsuit claiming that the spot has caused them to lose "incalculable market share" and "invaluable goodwill."Oh really? Who would have imagined that advertising could do something like that!?

AT&T is claiming that people are misinterpreting the "maps" and are seeing them as displaying all ranges of coverage, when in fact the maps only show 3G coverage. It looks to me like they're just sore losers.

Hang in there AT&T. It could be worse. You could be a 3G customer in Alaska! Check out that shoddy coverage.

Via

Verizon Droid - Stealth

2009-11-05T13:39:00.004-05:00

!!! I'm not sure whether my excitement is for the commercial or for the free phone upgrade I'll be eligible for in two weeks.

The Motorola Droid is Verizon's Google-based phone (runs the Android mobile system) and it's "dropping" November 6.

The spot was pretty cool. It looked more like a trailer for a doomsday flick, but hey -- it captured my attention.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Halloween Spottings

2009-11-01T15:08:00.003-05:00

I saw a Geico caveman and Flo from the Progressive ads! I just had to get this pic.

Tiger Beer - Zip

2009-11-01T12:53:00.001-05:00

Soooo the dude was a chick the whole time? Confused.

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

HTC - You

2009-10-29T22:55:00.004-04:00

More and more cell phone commercials these days... this one doesn't even claim a service provider. This spot is mostly boring until the end: "You don't need to get a phone, you need a phone that gets you." I think this line has so many possibilities, but the ad failed to bring out its true potential.

The song is Sinnerman by Nina Simone (Felix da Housecat Remix).

Guru Grade: 5.5 / 10

Porsche - Family Tree

2009-10-26T18:05:00.005-04:00

Porsche has a new automobile on the market: the Panamera (panamera.com) and this is the spot to kick it off. The family tree idea is nice, and I like how it's consistent with the website. It's hard to differentiate the value of cars, but Porsche has a pretty good place in the mind of consumers already anyway. Will this ad sway people to buy a sports car in these bad economic times? Time will tell.

Agency: Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago, USA

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Reese's - Perfect Halloween

2009-10-25T18:00:00.002-04:00

While a one word slogan is usually a bad idea, it works great for Reese's. Chocolate peanut butter cups are perfect.

Happy Halloween!

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Orange: Words

2009-10-23T16:15:00.001-04:00

This was a powerful video. I think the music really did it... however, the pauses were awkward and they failed to deliver the final "umph". Still not bad.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Jameson - Lost Barrel

2009-10-22T14:06:00.002-04:00

Last night I was watching a new episode of Mythbusters (golf ball-like dimples on your car WILL give you better gas mileage, BTW) and this commercial fell right into my lap. It's a whimsical tale of how a dedicated Irishman battled the sea and its creatures to save a barrel of his whiskey.

A common theme in marketing spirits is highlighting their tradition, and this spot does a great job of instilling that feeling. It also has a giant octopus. What's not to love?

Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day New York

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Droid Does - Verizon's iDon't iPhone Mockery

2009-10-21T22:13:00.005-04:00

Ohhhh snap. Apple has gotta be wincing at this one. An obvious attack at the iPhone, excellently executed and very exciting for Verizon.

It starts out just like your normal Apple commercial would: white background, a yet-to-be-found indie band singing happily (the song is "Magic (Oh Oh Oh)" by MoZella), and little i's all over the place. It's amazing how many things they picked out that the iPhone can't do. I was a little bit surprised.

The website they direct you to (droiddoes.com) is a teaser and email collector referencing the kind of features that Verizon users have been waiting for. Hooray! Can't wait till November.

Guru Grade: 9 / 10

Fanta - Mime

2009-10-21T20:03:00.002-04:00

My friends at Psyop sent me Fanta's new all-animated spot. The story behind it is kind of corny... a virtual girl walks into a window (the graphic designers should have put more gloss on it or something) and gets laughed at by her peers. But don't worry! She does the mime and soon everyone is chanting "Go mime girl, go mime girl". Yay. Oh and drink Fanta.

Didn't like this one. The visual effects were nice, but they could have thought of something relevant. Are the bobble head people supposed to resemble their new goofy shaped bottle?

Guru Grade: 5.5 / 10

The UPS Store - Storm

2009-09-27T16:15:00.006-04:00

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Credits:
Agency: Doner
EVP/Chief Creative Officer: Rob Strasberg
VP, Creative Director: Jimmy Kollin
Creative Director: Karen Cathel
Executive VP, Director of Integrated Production: Sheldon Cohn
EVP Account Management Director: Greg Gerfen
VP Account Director: Julie MacDonald
Producer: Laurie Irwin
Director: Psyop
Production Company: Psyop
Psyop Creative Director: Eben Mears
Executive Producer: Lucia Grillo
Producer: Lydia Holness
Associate Producer: Kay Chen
Designers: Ben Chan, Arisu Kashiwagi, Jungeun Jaye Kim, Kitty Lin, Helen Choi
Lead Technical Director: Tony Barbieri
Lead CG Animator: Jordan Blit
Lead CG Animator: Pat Porter
CG Animator: Gooshun Wang, Russ Wootton
CG Modelers: Lee Wolland, Soo Hee Han, Tom Cushwa
CG Lighters: Anthony Patti,Helen Choi
Flash Animator: Jared Deal
Technical Consultant: Thomas Goddard
FX: Miguel A. Salek
Lead Compositor: Molly Schwartz
Compositor: Manu Gaulot
Flame Conform: Jeen Lee, Dan Boujoulian
Live Action Company: Tool of North America
Live Action Director: Tom Routson
Executive Producers: Jennifer Siegel, Brian Latt
Line Producer: Jeff Tanner
Production Designer: Peter Benson
Director of Photography: John Schwartzman
Editorial: The Underground
Editor: Cass Vanini, Psyop
Color Correct: Postique
Producer: Mike Digel
Colorist: John Cathel
Music Company: Elias Arts
Executive Producer: Dave Gold
Producer: Kala Sherman
Composer: Nate Morgan
Sound Design Company: Elias Arts
Producer: Kala Sherman
Sound Designer: Dean Hovey
Sound Mix Company: Sound Lounge
Mixer: Peter Buccellato

HP Invent

2009-07-09T01:00:00.001-04:00

HP - invent from Tom and Matt on Vimeo.

Universal Everything / MTV International Rebrand

2009-07-07T18:12:00.003-04:00

I truly believe this campaign has started a new era of design. Before it, we were smothered with simplistic, smooth, minimalist ads. That was the coolest hippest thing around. This rebrand pushes the limits of what is possible in the digital age. It’s still smooth, but it has a new way about it. I really like it.

"We are asked directly to devise the on-air, web and print rebrand of MTV
for an international audience of 524 million viewers. Its purpose to cement
the channel's reputation as a powerhouse of youth-oriented programming
and creative output.

The aim is to continue and enhance the innovative spirit of MTV's 27 year
legacy, and to establish a coherent brand language across 160 different
countries spanning 31 languages including Japanese, Russian and Chinese.

This resulted in the reinvention of the onscreen information graphics
with a timeline based system to establish 'Where you are in MTV time'.

An ongoing series of unique 'Pop-Art' idents have risen from the new manifesto - POP X 1000% - celebrating and amplifying pop culture in all its glory - Love x 1000%, Desire x 1000%........and more"

Click the link to watch the spots. Brilliant.

http://www.universaleverything.com/289

AXE Instinct: The Power of Leather

2009-07-07T16:07:00.000-04:00

Philips Carousel Feature

2009-04-19T19:21:00.003-04:00

I'm feeling really lazy so I'm just going to snag this and post it up:

Philips Carousel - a short film from Adam Berg and Stink Digital

Red carpet roll-out for Cinema 21:9 interactive website

Amsterdam, April 16, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Philips announces the launch of the exclusive 'Carousel' movie to promote the eagerly anticipated Cinema 21:9 LCD TV.

To celebrate the imminent arrival of the groundbreaking Cinema 21:9 LCD TV, Philips has launched a new website which will act as the dedicated online home of the world's first cinema proportioned television screen.

Found on-line at www.philips.co.uk/cinema, the site is host to an exclusive fully interactive movie, entitled Carousel, directed by Adam Berg with music provided from Michael Fakesch. The 2 minute 19 second cinematic feature is filmed in one continuous tracking shot and offers an exploration into the world of movies being made for the cinema screen through the eyes of the director and the special effects and lighting experts. During playback of the movie, users have interactive touch points in which they can access additional content and feature demonstrations.

John Olsen, VP Marketing Television, Philips Consumer Lifestyle: 'Cinema 21:9 is a world first which we are extremely excited about. It gives viewers for the first time the opportunity to enjoy the immersive experience they get when watching movies at the cinema in the comfort of their own home. And this unique TV now has an amazing on-line showcase, which is packed with interactive content that users will find captivating and educational.'

Until now this Cinematic Viewing Experience has been extremely difficult to replicate at home. With its unique 21:9 aspect ratio, the Cinema 21:9 completely fills our peripheral vision, enveloping us so completely in the action that we actively 'feel' along with the characters in front of us. Cinema 21:9 boasts a 56" screen that is shaped in the 21:9 aspect ratio, so movies in the 2.39:1 format completely fill the screen exactly as you experience at the cinema. The TV delivers impeccable high definition picture quality in a native 2560x1080p resolution.

Cinema 21:9 builds on this heritage and uses all of Philips expertise in picture quality, incorporating the most advanced processing technologies available, including:

Perfect Pixel HD Engine for unrivalled picture detail
200Hz Clear LCD for smear-free pictures, a super-fast 1ms response rate and deep black levels delivering a contrast ratio of 80,000:1
Perfect Natural Motion for judder free moving images
Three-sided Ambilight Surround that combines with class-leading picture performance to deliver the ultimate immersive viewing experience. Ambilight projects ambient LED lighting from the top and sides of the TV that absorbs the viewer into the picture and expands the content beyond the confines of the screen. The color and intensity accurately change to match the on-screen action and lock your vision on the screen to immerse you further in the movie.
Cinema 21:9 launches in April in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Russia. Availability in other European countries will follow during Spring 2009.

Guru Grade: 8.5 / 10

Sprint 4G Now Network

2009-04-08T23:15:00.003-04:00

I love statistics. Graphs, pie charts. I wish I had numbers on every aspect of my life. I think Sprint realizes this.

Twitter is becoming more ubiquitous. I remember when it was just a baby. Now it's being mentioned on national television. I wonder if they had to pay for that...

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Women's Aid with Keira Knightley

2009-04-02T20:07:00.003-04:00

Woah. This is going to get a lot of attention, because of the violent brutality AND Keira Knightley. Movie stars in commercials.... finally!

I'm a bit confused about the content... Her home is the movie set? I mean I understand calling "cut" on abuse, but it doesn't really follow through in the story line. I guess that nervous uncertainty just adds to the messages' effect though. Very powerful commercial.

Guru Grade: 8.5 / 10

Credits:
Agency: Grey, London
Creatives: Grey, London
Production Company: D.A.B. Hand Media, London
Director: Joe Wright
Producer: Dominic Delaney
DP: Tony Briggs
Editor: Paul Tothill
Sound: Skywalker Sound, Lip Sync, Scramble
Post-production: Big Buoy, Prime Focus
Music: “Vengeance Drools” by Clark

The Magical Ray-Ban Chameleon

2009-03-24T20:28:00.003-04:00

All you hipsters out there... this one's for you!

So what do you think? Real? Fake? I'm going with fake. Very fake. Nice display though. The rough cut Youtube-styled production is what really catches the attention of the younger generation these days. Ray-Ban effectively shows us their variety of shades while entertaining at the same time. I'm off to shop for some striped glasses.

The name of the song is "Eat My Bear" by Yuksek.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Full credits:
Client: Ray-Ban
Agency: Cutwater
Executive Creative Director: Chuck McBride
Creative Director: Travis Britton
Art Director: Kele Dobrinski
Copywriter: Noah Phillips
Agency Producer: Mai Huynh
Production Company: Method Labs
Director: Seb Caudron
Director of Photography: Jim Matlosz
FX Producer: Justin Harder,
Seb Caudron
VFX Company: Method
Executive Producer: Lisa Houck
Graphics: Mix House
Musical Artist: Yuksek
Song: Eat My Bear

Puma L.I.F.T.

2009-03-20T00:38:00.004-04:00

Puma puts on a great performance touting their "Light injected footwear" tagline in this bright spot. Ah yes, I can still drop lame puns like it's my job.

The literal translation advertises the new 173 gram running shoe. I didn't even realize until the end that they weren't even wearing actual clothes.

The name of the song is "Underwear" by The Magnetic Fields.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Credits:
Creative Chairman: David Droga
Executive Creative Director: Duncan Marshall
Art Director: January Vernon
Copywriter: Scott Ginsberg
Head of Integrated Production: Sally-Ann Dale
Agency Producer: Dana May
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Rupert Sanders
Director of Photography: Chris Soos
Executive Producer: David Zander
Executive Producer: Eric Stern
Line Producer: Laurie Boccacio
Editorial Company: SpotWelders
Editor: Neil Smith
Editor: Michael Heldman
VFX Company: Mass Market
Creative Director (VFX): Cedric Nicolas Troyan
Flame Artist: Alex Kolasinski
Flame Artist: Sarah Eim
Flame Artist: Chris Staves
Sound: Sound Lounge
Sound Design: Trinitite Studios
Sound Designer: Brian Emrich
Music: Search Party Music

Kotex from Australia

2009-03-04T00:29:00.000-05:00

Wendy's Croquet

2009-03-01T22:35:00.002-05:00

I had some spare time so I figured I'd post for the first time in forever. Behold: civilized construction workers. Wendy's goes for a soft sell here as they flaunt the high society lavishness of their new Gourmet Mushroom Swissburger.

I do say, fair lad, give croquet a go as it is a most delicate sport.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Jaded by Advertising

2009-02-13T00:58:00.001-05:00

After the Super Bowl madness, I havn't been inspired to post at all. It's like the best has been done already.

Feel free to request ads to be reviewed, but otherwise I'll be taking it slow until I get some initiative to post again...

Super Bowl 43 Is Over At Last

2009-02-01T23:41:00.003-05:00

Super Bowl 43 Commercials

After 23 blog posts today, I can thankfully say that Super Bowl 43 and all of its commercials has ended. It was a crazy day for me. I dreaded the jingle before breaks, because I knew it preceded several commercials that would require excessive blogging. Timeouts are the worst.

But in the end, it was a good experience and I learned how difficult it can be to keep up a "live" blog.

I'm glad Hulu is hosting all of the commercials on their site this year. It gives me, and you, easy access to the spots. I apologize for having to sit through the ad before the actual ad, but that's how the world works sometimes. I'll try to get reliable Youtube videos posted by the end of this week.

I'm in the process of providing more insight and reason for Guru Grades for all of the Super Bowl ads. Also, stay tuned for the Super Bowl 43 Commercials Round Up, where I will give a general summary of my favorite ads, list your favorites from national polls such as USA Today, and go over anything that I missed in this post.

Hope you enjoyed the game and my coverage! Please subscribe if you liked what you saw.

Super Bowl 43: Bud Light Lime

2009-02-01T22:01:00.003-05:00

Remember when Coke and Pepsi battled against each other with their vanilla and lime flavored drinks? Well now beer giants Miller (Miller Chill) and Budweiser (Bud Light Lime) are doing the same thing. Let's just hope they don't come out with vanilla flavored beer.

Previous efforts have been made in beer commercials to portray the temperature of their products, but it usually involved freezing the environment or making things cold. In this spot for Bud Light Lime, a young gentleman has an orb of warmth around him that seems to melt down and beautify everything in range.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Pepsi MacGruber

2009-02-01T21:45:00.004-05:00

I don't watch Saturday Night Live, the show that has created the MacGruber character. It's a spoof of the 1980/90s TV series "MacGyver," a show about a resourceful secret agent who could use everyday objects in unbelievable ways.

The video posted above was not the ad that aired during the Super Bowl, although I think it should have been. It's much better than this one:

Maybe somebody can educate me on the ways of MacGruber aka PepSuber? Is the real MacGyver always in the skits? Does it always end in a deadly explosion?

Pepsi's self mockery of their new "Refresh everything" slogan is a poor attempt at satire. It seems to me like Pepsi is trying too much to capture the hope and excitement of Obama. Their new logo looks just like the Obama logo, their first ad of 2009 preached ideas parallel to the Obama campaign, and one of their newest commercials features Will.I.Am, a celebrity who is tighter with the Barack Obama movement than Oprah Winfrey. Now, Pepsi is reaching out to SNL with hopes to generate the kind of laughs Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impressions did during last year's presidential election campaign.

I love Obama just as much as the next guy, but this is getting ridiculous. I guarantee that the creatives responsible for the rebranding and marketing of Pepsi are democratic Obamaniacs.

Guru Grade: 3 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Hulu

2009-02-01T21:34:00.004-05:00

Making a surprise appearance, Hulu delivers their evil plans, claiming to be "An evil plot to destroy the world." Playing off of the notion of world domination by huge internet moguls like Google, Hulu explains how TV programming softens up the brain, so the content on their site can further melt it down to a consumable pulp. Conspiracy theorists everywhere are going crazy now that Hulu has exposed themselves as aliens planning to decimate the human race through television programming.

Alec Baldwin delivers the 30 Rock-styled humor.

Also, I don't know what I would do without Hulu for showing you guys all of these Super Bowl ads! They've been a great asset, and I really do love the content they provide. I, for one, welcome our video hosting overlords.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Coke Zero

2009-02-01T21:21:00.004-05:00

Troy Polamalu stars in this ad, mocking the orignal 1979 football spot with Mean Joe Green.

A few days ago we were treated to a preview of this spot, which made it look like Coke would stick to its traditional roots and redesign the ad in a similar fashion. Instead, the "Hey Coke Zero is infringing upon Coke because it's exactly the same" campaign makes a lame reappearance. They should have just remade it properly instead of turning a classic into a shoddy parody.

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Frosted Flakes

2009-02-01T21:08:00.004-05:00

This stop motion spectacle initially caught me off guard. With the opening dialogue concerning "growing" while simultaneously showing images of seeds maturing, I thought we were going to get a shpeel about going green. Instead, Kellogg's tells us how vital life skills, such as self confidence, friendship, and values, can "grow" on the field. Interesting.

I'm getting flashbacks of Planet Earth as I rewatch this ad. Kelloggs' community building efforts are displayed by symbolic frame-by-frame imagery that represents the important ideals that active athletic fields can teach our children.

To find more information about where you can build, the ad directs you to FrostedFlakes.com.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Monster.com

2009-02-01T20:42:00.001-05:00

Monster.com encourages you to search their site for a new job if your boss puts his moose's ass in your face at the office.

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Universal

2009-02-01T20:32:00.001-05:00

Universal encourages you to unleash your inner super hero.

Guru Grade: 5.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Overstock.com

2009-02-01T20:28:00.001-05:00

NBA star Carlos Boozer shares some insights with some curious kids.

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Hyundai

2009-02-01T20:11:00.003-05:00

Hyundai has multiple spots in this year's Super Bowl, mostly for their new Genesis.

Favorite line: "Hyundai. Like Sunday."

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Guru Grade: 5.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Teleflora

2009-02-01T20:01:00.003-05:00

Teleflora gives you a reason why you shouldn't send flowers in a box. They tend to get cranky, apparently. Valentine's Day is fast approaching and the Super Bowl was the perfect time for advertising a flower company.

Something that the average viewer may not have picked up on: The colors in the office scene are dulled down to a tainted greyscale and then the hue and saturation are really pumped up when we see the Teleflora man delivering the vase of flowers. This is a common tactic used to subconsciously influence your emotions at different points during the commercial. Also notice that the box's text was very similar to a leading flower selling competitor...

Agency: The Fire Station

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Cheetos

2009-02-01T19:58:00.004-05:00

Chester the Cheetah inspires a young lady to do the right thing: send some birds to attack a chatty dumb Paris Hilton type.

Chester appears as a moving stuffed animal instead of the usual cartoon type. With this rendition of the snack icon, I get the feeling that his beard is an outgrowth of wisdom and knowledge. This version of the cheesy mammal exudes a sage predisposition... I hope there are more ads to come in this campaign.

Cheetos does a great job of transforming themselves from the paper bag lunchtime commodity to the sophisticated snacking solution.

For a total mind numbing experience, check out Cheetos.com.

Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Super Bowl 43: H&R Block

2009-02-01T19:53:00.001-05:00

There are only two things in life that are certain. Death and taxes.

Guru Grade: 5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Cash4Gold

2009-02-01T19:37:00.005-05:00

Yes, it's true. Somehow these scammers managed to get a commercial in the biggest venue of the year. People must be in dire straits if so many are selling their valuables to this sketchy company.

Think about it: You put your gold in a bag and mail it to this factory, where they determine how much money to pay out. As far as I understand, there is no guarantee that you are getting the right value for your possessions.

Props on getting two relatively famous stars to endorse this glorified infomercial.

Ed McMahon and MC Hammer show you just how stupid Cash4Gold really is.

Agency: Euro RSCG Edge

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Toyota Venza

2009-02-01T19:29:00.002-05:00

Toyota's lame (but shiny!) ad for their new vehicle, the Venza.

"You've been influenced by many, but defined by none. The masterful fusion of functionality and design. Presenting the new Toyota Venza. It exemplifies all of you. So ask yourself, are you Venza?"

No, no I'm not. It exemplifies all of me? Then why is the grill of the car just like that guy's mask? Just because you have the movie-man voice, doesn't mean you can say whatever you want and make it seem logical. Another boring car commercial.

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Budweiser

2009-02-01T19:21:00.005-05:00

Here are a few ads with the beloved Clydesdales:

The great American Lager, or the great American Logger? HA. The Budweiser dalmatian gets shown up by the brute Clydesdale, who looks to be getting jealous of the dog's fetching skills. Who's laughing now, pup?

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

In this commercial, we see a foreign horse owner take away his white-haired "Daisy" from a mutual love affair with a Budweiser Clydesdale. A music montage featuring Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" captures images of the horse running through fields, a river, a golf course, a busy city, and canyons in order to find Daisy the Dancing Circus Horse at the carnival where she is being displayed as a centerpiece. In the end, they make a romantic escape together. Clowns rejoice!

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Budweiser's last spot in the big game showed a fictitious history of how one horse came to do what it does (pull carriages of beer?) Via Jake, we get a narrative of his heritage, which begins in Scotland in 1933 and continues through time, past the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island during the early 20th century, through failed professions such as heavy lifting, horse racing, and towing buggies until finally settling on the Bud trade.

There are a number of gorgeous visuals in this ad.

Getting a little repetitive, aren't they? Budweiser used to claim the top honors for Super Bowl ad greatness, but this year they have been dethroned by the Doritos make-your-own ad contest. Shameful.

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Castrol Oil

2009-02-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

Monkeys. Gay Monkeys.

Buy a case of Castrol and monkeys in baby blue jump suits will show up and work on your car? Sounds like a deal to me. These grease monkeys are cute, but their relevance to the brand didn't extend beyond the mechanic slang joke.

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather

Guru Grade: 5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Bridgestone

2009-02-01T19:17:00.002-05:00

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head get animated in this spot for the tire giant.

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

In this ad, a couple of moon rakers get their Bridgestone tires stolen from them as they cruise around in space to House of Pain's "Jump Around."

Guru Grade: 5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Bud Light

2009-02-01T18:50:00.004-05:00

We all need to cut back during these rough financial times. What does this office member recommend? Ditching the beer. He gets thrown out of a window, appropriately.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

My favorite late night host stars in a spot for Bud Light, which he thinks will only air in Sweden. Vroom vroom party starter!

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Slapstick humor, chilled. Skiers discuss "drinkability" at the lodge as Bud Light continues their virtual white board campaign.

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Audi

2009-02-01T18:46:00.002-05:00

Jason Statham, (star of the Transporter series and other high octane action films) tries out a Mercedes and a BMW (and takes a hopeless look at a bystanding Lexus) before deciding that the new Audi Supercharged A6 is the perfect getaway car.

This commercial was an attempt to recreate famous Hollywood chase scenes, and the production style effectively mimicked that feel.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Audi
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco
Co-Creative Director: Paul Venables,
Greg Bell
Associate Creative Director: Erich Pfeifer,
Tom Scharpf
Copywriter: Crockett Jeffers
Broadcast Production Director: Craig Allen
Producer: Emily Moore
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Ivan Zacharias

Super Bowl 43: E*Trade

2009-02-01T18:10:00.005-05:00

This pre-game spot features the return of the E*Trade baby! I found the mature blabbing infant to be pretty funny, but his blatantly obvious endorsement of TaylorMade golf supplies made the baby come off as a cheap gimmick. I'm hoping the golf company paid a good chunk of that $3 million, because it's more of a commercial for the new R9 than for E*Trade. Ya shankapotamus...

Guru Grade: 5.5 / 10

Premiering in the second quarter, these talkative tykes discuss how E*Trade can help out during the recession. The song that is being sung is Mr. Mister's "Take These Broken Wings."

E*Trades sticks with the same campaign as last year, but it seems funnier now since the economy is tanking. Financial topics are "hot" whether they're positive or negative, and these little E*Trade babies are the perfect mascots to help us laugh and cry through our poor times.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

To view "outtakes" of these spots that didn't make it to the big game, click here. I think most cuts were better than the two that aired.

Super Bowl 43: Gatorade

2009-02-01T17:26:00.006-05:00

Gatorade, not to be outdone by all the other major advertisers, has released another black and white ad from their "What's G" campaign. This one leaves Lil Wayne to rest his raspy vocal chords, as we see influential athletes voice their stance on what really is "G." This commercial is Gatorade's official claim to the What's G ads, as they display their new packaging as well as a new website, MissionG.com.

If you're an athlete, you know the true feeling that Gatorade is trying to capture. It's a hidden emotion that drives you to play. A reason for the pain of defeat and the ecstasy of victory... Dang, they should hire me for these lines!

Featured athletes include Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods, Jabbawokeez, and Peyton Manning.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Gatorade
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
Global Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
Group Creative Director: Jimmy Smith
Associate Creative Director: Jayanta Jenkins
Management Supervisor: Jiah Choi
Agency Executive Producer: Sarah Patterson
Agency Producer: Lisa Effress
Production Company: Pony Show Enterainment
Director: Spike Lee
Executive Producer: Jeffrey Frankel,
Susan Kirson
Line Producer: Fern Martin
Editorial Company: Venice Beach Editorial
Senior Editor: Dan Bootzin,
Rick Shambaugh
Producer (Editorial): Hunter Conner
Post Production: The Mill
Post Executive Producer: Ben Hampshire
Post Producer: Ari Davis
Lead Flame Artist: Chris Knight
Flame Artist: Ross Goldstein
CG Lead: John Leonti
CG Artist: Steve Beck,
Jaime Fernandez
Mix: Eleven
Executive Producer (Eleven): DJ Fox-Engstrom
Mixer: Jeff Payne
Composer: Mark Batson

The Super Bowl 43 Commercials

2009-02-01T16:18:00.046-05:00

Follow the links to watch the ads!!

Pre-Game Ads:

-Pepsi Max Ingredients (bottom of page)
-Doritos: New Flavor Pitch
-E*Trade Baby Golfer
-Samsung/NFL Super Ad Contest winner, Reginald Castilla's "That's How I See It"
-Hyundai Contract
-State Farm: Lebron James Plays Football
-Universal Inner Super Hero
-Hyundai Genesis Coupe

1st Half Ads:

-Bud Light Meeting
-Audi Jason Statham Chase Scenes
-Pepsi Forever Young Refresh Anthem
-Doritos: Free Doritos
-Bud Light Conan O'Brien only in Sweden
-Toyota Venza
-Bridgestone Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head
-Castrol Grease Monkies
-Doritos Power of the Crunch
-Go Daddy Shower Scene
-Pepsi Max I'm Good
-Pedigree Strange Pets
-Budweiser Clydesdale Jealousy
-Budweiser Horse Lovers
-Gatorade Talking Heads
-Cars.com David Abernathy's Life
-Hyundai, Like Sunday, Outrage
-E*Trade Singing Baby
-Bud Light Skiing
-H&R Block Death and Taxes
-Teleflora No More Mean Flowers in Boxes
-Cheetos

Halftime Ads:

-Sobe Lizard Lake
-Sprint/Nextel Roadies
-NFL Network
-Overstock.com Deals with Carlos Boozer
-Universal Inner Super Hero

2nd Half Ads:

-Coca-Cola Avatar
-Bridgestone Moon Riders
-Denny's Gangsters
-Monster.com Moose End
-Budweiser Jake the Clydesdale
-Career Builder Tips
-Coca-Cola Heist
-Frosted Flakes
-Miller High Life 1-second ad
-Hyundai Contract
-Coke Zero with Troy Palamalo
-Cash4Gold with MC Hammer and Ed McMahon
-General Electric Scarecrow, If I Only Had a Brain
-Hulu
-Pepsi and SNL's Macgruber
-Bud Light Lime
-Go Daddy Enhancements

Postgame Ads:

-E*Trade Baby Golfer
-Denny's Nannerpus

Today is Game Day

2009-02-01T11:26:00.005-05:00

Super Bowl 43. The commercials are just hours away now, and I wanted to post in order to lay out my game plan for the day.

-If you havn't yet, check out my Super Bowl Commercials Preview. Many of todays ads have already surfaced and been graded by yours truly.

-Pre-game coverage starts at 4 p.m. Eastern, and the game will begin at 6 p.m. (approximately)

-I will start watching at 4, and my commercials coverage will begin as soon as I see something noteworthy.

-$206,000,000 of ads to cover. That's a lot of business.

Enjoy the game and come on over here to see the stuff you may have missed during your bathroom break or beer run.

Super Bowl 43: Pepsi Refresh Anthem

2009-01-31T15:42:00.004-05:00

Bob Dylan and Will.I.Am, both innovative political activists as well as music artists, conjoin in this ad to show you how times have changed, while remaining basically the same. Ray-Bans are back in style, people are still coming home from wars to hug their children, skateboarding is still gravity-defying, the martial arts culture continues to attract attention, people put their lights up at concerts, surfing is still hip, kids still cram into cars, walls are still scrawled upon, green animated characters continue to entertain us, chubby movie stars get laughs, strange dancing still attracts a crowd, and revolutions rage throughout the country.

Pop culture icons I have identified include Bruce Lee, Gina Carano, Gumbi, Shrek, Jake Blues (The Blues Brothers), and Jack Black.

I'm beginning to see Pepsi's logic with the new logo. They don't want Pepsi to appear as the old 90s and 00s Pepsi. They want a totally reinvented message, while still sticking to their roots. Their revolution. With this method they can stay "forever young" and continue to prosper.

Guru Grade: 8.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Pepsi
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
Global Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
CD/Copywriter: Brett Craig
Creative Director: Joe Shands
Art Director: Bill Hornstein
Copywriter: Anthony DeCarolis,
Eric Fahrenkopf
Director of Broadcast: Richard O?Neill
Agency Executive Producer: Anh-Thu Le
Agency Senior Producer: Mila Davis
Agency Producer: Rob Saxon
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Dante Ariola
Executive Producer: Jeff Scruton
Producer: Natalie Hill
Director of Photography: Chris Soos
Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Kirk Baxter
Producer (Editorial): Mike Goble
Executive Producer (Editorial): CL Weaver
Online/VFX: Method Studios
VFX Executive Producer: Helen Hughes
VFX Producer: Scott Boyajan
VFX Creative Director: Alex Frisch
VFX Supervisor: Gil Baron
CG Supervisor: Andy Boyd
Lead Compositor: Jake Montgomery
Mix: Play Studios
Executive Producer (Play): Sara Hartman
Mixer: John Bolen

Super Bowl 43: Doritos Ad Contest

2009-01-29T19:13:00.008-05:00

Doritos hosted an ad contest. After narrowing the submissions down to five, the winner has been voted on and will appear during the game. Click here to see the top five submissions.

Here's how I rank them:

1. Power of the Crunch
2. The Chase
3. Free Doritos
4. Too Delicious
5. New Flavor Pitch

EDIT- I guess they couldn't decide on just one?

During/before the game I saw "New Flavor Pitch" (Beer flavored Doritos ad which appeared to be designed for a local college TV station, not funny at all), "Power of the Crunch" (which was pretty well done, probably didn't have to end like it did), and "Free Doritos" (shown below.)

Also known as "Doritos Crystal Ball," this ad is currently at the top of the prestigious USA Today 2009 Ad Meter, earning the makers of the spot $1 million from Frito Lay for making the most-liked ad of this year's Super Bowl. Two unemployed brothers from Batesville, Indiana created the ad for Doritos' Crash the Super Bowl contest.

The first joke, with the crystal ball being chucked through the vending machine, was admittedly funny. But I think the second throw to the nuts was trite and overdone.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Denny's

2009-01-29T18:31:00.006-05:00

It's Nanner Puss! Er Nannerpus? I was blown away by the silliness of this ad. It's a wonderful little ad. I like when his flailing banana tentacles knock off one of his googly eyes.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Here we see some thugs and gangsters trying to talk over breakfast, but keep getting interrupted by the whipped-cream-squirting waitress. Denny's proves that they want to "get serious" about breakfast by revealing to America that it will offer a free Grand Slam meal to everybody who comes in on Tuesday, February 3 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. I'll be there!

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

This ad mocks other breakfast establishments' attempts to sweeten up the first meal of the day with commodities such as whipped cream and funnel cake. You're sad. Your wallet is sad. Your food should be sad too.

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Cars.com

2009-01-29T17:52:00.004-05:00

David Abernathy is the man. By the way, an anagram of David Abernathy is "vibrant heady ad." Coincidence?!

I like the story-telling concept, something that is only possible with longer (60 second) ads and a little bit of elbow grease. The plot seems like the perfect movie script. This one should go over extremely well with the masses.

Guru Grade: 8.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: General Electric Scarecrow

2009-01-29T17:39:00.004-05:00

GE takes a modern spin on the Wizard of Oz's "If I Only Had a Brain" to demonstrate how they're using energy in an intelligent way with their smart grid technology. Instead of straw, the Scarecrow is made up of circuits and wires. An illuminated city in the distance takes the place of Oz.

This is one of the many Super Bowl commercials heavily laden with computer animation. GE does a good job of "keeping it real," if you will... by displaying images that somewhat pertain to the product or service they provide.

Random factoid: the original book "The Wizard of Oz" figuratively represented US politics in the late 19th century.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: GE
Agency: BBDO, New York
Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars,
Bill Bruce
Executive Creative Director: Don Schneider
Senior Creative Director/Art Director: Ted Shaine
Senior Creative Director/Copywriter: Tom Darbyshire
Director of TV Production: Regina Ebel
Assistant Producer: Regina Iannuzzi
Director of Music: Rani Vaz
Production Company: Traktor
Director: Traktor
Editorial Company: Crew Cuts
Editor: Sherri Margulies
Animation Company: Framestore
Music Company: DHMA
VFX: Framestore, New York
VFX Head of Production: Laney Gradus

Super Bowl 43: Sobe Lizard Lake

2009-01-29T12:35:00.006-05:00

This is the two dimensional version of the soon-to-be first ever 3D TV commercial! (Click here to find out where you can get a pair of glasses to view it properly.)

Football stars Ray Lewis, Matt Light, and Justin Tuck put on a dainty ballet-- until it is crashed by the SoBe lizards and characters from Monsters vs. Aliens. If you liked the commercial, you might want to watch the making-of video.

The song sounds like T-Pain, but anyone can achieve that sound now-a-days so who knows.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Coca-Cola Heist

2009-01-29T12:16:00.007-05:00

This is the second ad that will air on Super Bowl Sunday. (Click here for the other.) I'm once again impressed with the animation. A slew of bugs and insects raid a picnic to plunder a Coke. Reminiscent of the happiness factory spots. It's just awesomely done... how can you knock it?

The name of the song is the composition "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev, done by sound production company Stimmung.

Also, watch out for a remake of the 1979 football spot, where the kid gives Mean Joe Green a Coke and gets his jersey in return. Only the new one will be for Coke Zero and will star Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. (Here it is.)

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Coca-Cola
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Creative Director: Hal Curtis,
Sheena Brady
Art Director: James Moslander,
Lee Jennings
Copywriter: Marc D'Avignon
Senior Agency Producer: Matt Hunnicutt
Production Company: Psyop
Director: Psyop
Creative Director (Psyop): Todd Mueller,
Kylie Matulick
Director of Photography: Stephen Blackman
Executive Producer (Psyop): Neysa Horsburgh
Live Action Producer: Michael Schlenker
VFX Supervisor/CG Lead Artist: Andrew Romatz
VFX Supervisor/Lead Flame Artist: Thibault Debaveye
2D Supervisor: Lane Jolly
Animation Lead: John Velazquez
Editor: Brett Nicoletti
VFX Producer: Tina Chiang
Fluid Simulation: Scanline VFX
Music/Sound Design: Stimmung
Mix: Lime Studios

Super Bowl 43: Go Daddy Enhanced/Shower

2009-01-29T11:40:00.007-05:00

Go Daddy has produced two spots for the Super Bowl, and they let you vote on which one they would air during the Super Bowl. The votes have been calculated, but the winner won't be announced until game day. Which one would you have chosen?

Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick reveals "enhancements" vs. Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick in the shower

Check out GoDaddy.com to see the ads, both TV and Internet-only versions.

Last year (or two years ago?) we were presented with similar directions. I believe it was one of the most massive cock teases in the history of this earth, with millions logging on to see some skin, only to be tortuously let down.

A proper Guru Grade will be granted once I see what happens...

Super Bowl 43: Heineken Warrior

2009-01-29T11:25:00.004-05:00

John Turturro returns in another spot for Heineken's Give Yourself a Good Name campaign. The Super Bowl commercials are really starting to pile up now...

The diction in this ad is much more enjoyable than the other one. My favorite line:

"This is not a beer. This is a sword. Wield it with honor... *huttuh!* Or cut yourself off."

That's one of the most clever ways I've ever seen the message "Drink responsibly" conveyed so discretely and in an entertaining way. Well done.

The name of the song is "Higher Than the End" by Twi the Humble Feather. The music brings it all together and gives the commercial a nice warm feeling.

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Heineken
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Executive Creative Director: Mark Fitzloff,
Susan Hoffman
Creative Director: Joe Staples
Copywriter: Jennie Hayes
Art Director: Jimm Lasser,
Max Erdenberger,
Matt Murphy
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Agency Producer: Hayley Goggin
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Stacy Wall
Executive Producer: Mindy Goldberg,
Doug Halbert,
Charlie Cocuzza
Producer: Jeff McDougal
Editor: Tommy Harden
Post Production/Editorial Company: Whitehouse,
Joint Editorial
Post Producer: Justin Kumpata,
Patty Brebner
Audio Post Production: POP Sound
Audio Post Producer: Tim West
VFX: Ring of Fire,
Casey Conroy
VFX Executive Producer: John Myers
Online Editor/Flame Artist: Shelly Dutcher
Flame Artist: Trent Shumway,
Tony Graf
Music Artist: Twi the Humble Feather
Song: Higher Than The End
Album: Music for Spaceships and Forests

Super Bowl 43: Pepsi Max

2009-01-29T11:12:00.007-05:00

When I first saw this, I thought all of these tough guys were saying "I'm good" because they drank a Pepsi Max and were energized beyond belief, causing them to feel no pain. Instead, the tendency to avoid injury is simply a manly generalization in this new spot for Pepsi Max. They've dropped the "diet" out of the name along with the introduction of their new logo. This one should go over well with the football crowd.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Pepsi Max
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
Global Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
Creative Director: Brett Craig,
Joe Shands
Art Director: Susan Alinsangan
Copywriter: Ron Schlessinger
Director of Broadcast: Richard O?Neill
Agency Executive Producer: Anh-thu Le
Agency Senior Producer: David Hoogenakker
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Charlie Cocuzza
Producer: Marc Marrie
Director of Photography: Tami Reiker
Editorial Company: Venice Beach Editorial
Editor: Dan Bootzin
EP/Producer (Editorial): Hunter Conner
Online/VFX: The Mill
VFX Executive Producer: Ben Hampshire
VFX Producer: Asher Edwards
VFX Supervisor/Lead Flame Artist: Giles Cheetham
Flame Artist: Ross Goldstein
Lead CG Artist: John Leonti
Mix: Play Studios
Executive Producer (Play): Sara Hartman
Mixer: John Bolen

Next up: a monkey.

What is this, a reject from the first spot?

Guru Grade: 3.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Pepsi Max
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
Global Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
Creative Director: Brett Craig,
Joe Shands
Art Director: Susan Alinsangan
Director of Braodcast: Richard O?Neill
Agency Executive Producer: Anh-thu Le
Agency Senior Producer: David Hoogenakker
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Charlie Cocuzza
Producer: Marc Marrie
Director of Photography: Tami Reiker
Editorial Company: Venice Beach Editorial
Editor: Dan Bootzin
EP/Producer (Editorial): Hunter Conner
Online/VFX: The Mill
VFX Executive Producer: Ben Hampshire
VFX Producer: Asher Edwards
VFX Supervisor/Lead Flame Artist: Giles Cheetham
Flame Artist: Ross Goldstein
Lead CG Artist: John Leonti
Mix: Play Studios
Executive Producer (Play): Sara Hartman
Mixer: John Bolen

And one more. These people act like the new Pepsi Max is the blood of God. Is it really that good?

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Pepsi Max
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
Global Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
Creative Director: Brett Craig,
Joe Shands
Art Director: Susan Alinsangan
Copywriter: Ron Schlessinger
Director of Broadcast: Richard O?Neill
Agency Executive Producer: Anh-thu Le
Agency Senior Producer: David Hoogenakker
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Charlie Cocuzza
Producer: Marc Marrie
Director of Photography: Tami Reiker
Editorial Company: Venice Beach Editorial
Editor: Dan Bootzin
EP/Producer (Editorial): Hunter Conner
Online/VFX: The Mill
VFX Executive Producer: Ben Hampshire
VFX Producer: Asher Edwards
VFX Supervisor/Lead Flame Artist: Giles Cheetham
Flame Artist: Ross Goldstein
Lead CG Artist: John Leonti
Mix: Play Studios
Executive Producer (Play): Sara Hartman
Mixer: John Bolen

Protest to Get There

2009-01-28T22:27:00.004-05:00

I've never heard of Protest. They're a snow boarding brand "boardwear" company... I think. Not a bad spot. I can appreciate the idea. It's definitely something I would want to watch again. Click here for a link to their website.

The name of the song is "To the Dogs or Whoever" by Josh Ritter.

Credits:
Director: Daniel Eskils
Agent: Adamsky, www.adamsky.se
Producer: Johan Junker, www.eskils.com
Agency: KesselsKramer, Amsterdam
Art Director: Ewoudt Boonstra
Copywriter: Zack McDonald
Production Company: Partizan, London
DP: Erik Sohlström

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Super Bowl 43: Pedigree Strange Pets

2009-01-28T14:49:00.004-05:00

Meh. I didn't really enjoy this one. It might have been fine for another time, but this is the Super Bowl. Step it up!

"Ever think about getting an unusual pet like a bison, a boar, an ostrich or a rhino? See what happens to the pet owners in our Super Bowl ad, and then you'll know why you should get a dog."

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Pedigree
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
Creative Director: Chris Adams,
Margaret Keene
Copywriter: Eric Terchila,
Marcin Markiewicz,
Ted Kapusta
Art Director: Paulo Cruz,
Denise Zurilgen,
Jera Mehrdad
Executive Agency Producer: Guia Iacomin
Assistant Agency Producer: Christopher Spencer
Production Company: Partizan
Director: Traktor
Head Of Production: Rani Melendez
Executive Producer: Sheila Stepanek,
Richard Ulfvengren
Editorial Company: Whitehouse
Editor: Dan Oberle
Music: New Math
Sound: Lime Studios
Sound Design: Rohan Young
VFX Company: MPC

Coca-Cola: Avatar Super Bowl Ad

2009-01-28T14:26:00.011-05:00

This one will air during Super Bowl 43. It shows people's virtual characters as a young man walks through the city and sees people on their laptops, PDAs, handheld video game devices, and cell phones. Beautifully animated gremlins, zombies, space people, animals, robots, mythical creatures, super heroes, fairies, spies, and what appears to be an orc from World of Warcraft graze the screen in flawless color. Can somebody tell me where this fantasty land exists -- where one can walk into a shop, sit down, and order a glass bottle of Coke? Seems like a utopia...

This commercial further integrates Coke into our growing digital world. A couple years ago we saw a Grand Theft Auto styled ad from Coca-Cola, and this year they have stepped it up to include a numerous variety of possible avatars people use in their daily lives.

The name of the song is "Stranger in the Crowd" by Cee-Lo Green (of the group Gnarls Barkley.) It's a cover of an Elvis Presley song (1970).

I like this commercial. I think it will cheer people up! "Open happiness" is a double sided slogan, either meaning opening up a can/bottle of Coke, or just the feeling of joy flowing freely throughout the world. I also appreciated the "open" sign on the shop window. It's all planned to enforce their message... amazing!

Also, watch out for a remake of the 1979 football spot, where the kid gives Mean Joe Green a Coke and gets his jersey in return. Only the new one will be for Coke Zero and will star Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. (Here it is.)

Click here to watch Coke's other Super Bowl commercial.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Coca-Cola
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Executive Creative Director: Mark Fitzloff,
Susan Hoffman
Creative Director: Hal Curtis,
Sheena Brady
Copywriter: Eric Samsel
Art Director: Ken Meyer
Agency Producer: Lindsay Reed
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Production Company: Nexus Productions
Director: Smith & Foulkes
Director of Photography: Mattias Montero
Executive Producer: Chris O'Reilly,
Charlotte Bavasso
Head Of Production: Juila Parfitt
Producer: Melody Sylvester
Animation: Nexus Productions
Head of 3D Animation: Ben Cowell
Character Design: Mustashrik Mahbub
Storyboard: Adam Beer
Editorial Company: Speade
Editor: Art Jones
Post Production: Framestore
Managing Director: Helen Stanley
Online Producer: Kristy Cleminson
Creative Director (Framestore): Mike McGee
Senior Flame Artist: Will Barlett
Audio Post Production: 750MPH
Engineer: Gary Walker
Audio Post Producer: Syleste Molyneaux
Music: Solitaire Studios
Executive Producer (Music): Monica Tannian
Music Producer: Graham Marsh
Composer: Cee-Lo Green
Sound Design: Stimmung
Sound Designer: Gus Koven
Producer (Stimmung): Jack Catlin,
Kelly Fuller
Animatics: Joint Editorial
Animatics Editor: David Jahns
Executive Producer (Joint): Patty Brebner

Mountain Dew Voltage: Bug Zapper

2009-01-27T22:36:00.002-05:00

Gross. Good thing they put that disclaimer in, or I would have sued them after finding my stomach completely and positively normally charged after downing a Mountain Dew Voltage (raspberry citrus flavored, with ginseng.)

This flavor was voted the winner from last year's DEWmocracy. The losing flavors were Supernova (strawberry melon flavored, with ginseng) and Revolution (wild berry fruit flavored, with ginseng.)

The ad directs you to www.dewmocracyvoltage.com, where you can get points and win prizes.

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Banned: PETA Super Bowl Ad

2009-01-27T22:26:00.003-05:00

NBC deemed this spot too racy for the family audiences expected to watch the big game. Their complaints include:

:12- :13- licking pumpkin

:13- :14- touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli

:19- pumpkin from behind between legs

:21- rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin

:22- screwing herself with broccoli (fuzzy)

:23- asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into vagina

:26- licking eggplant

:26- rubbing asparagus on breast

Seems to me like they knew this would get the stamp of disapproval. They probably just did it for the web attention. Either way, I didn't mind the voyeur vegetablism.

Guru Grade: 5 / 10

CareerBuilder Official Super Bowl 2009 Spot

2009-01-26T14:58:00.008-05:00

Oh joyous plenty! Brilliance! I hope this is a sign of great things to come.

Career Builder has encapsulated all of these horrid feelings we experience concerning the office and jobs in general. I thought the commercial flowed beautifully and the repetition was a very good way to enhance all those nasty feelings. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when the koala bear got socked and his coffee went all over the place. (Animal rights activists: please don't complain about this. It's a stuffed bear. Don't ruin a good thing.) The production was flawless, and it yielded one of the funniest ads I've seen in a while.

So if you hate going to work every day, your coworkers don't respect you, you always wish you were somewhere else, you cry constantly, you daydream of punching small animals, and you sit next to that guy, enjoy this wonderful ad. It's for you.

Guru Grade: 8.5 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: CareerBuilder.com
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Executive Creative Director: Mark Fitzloff,
Susan Hoffman
Creative Director: Jason Bagley,
Danielle Flagg
Copywriter: Eric Kallman
Art Director: Craig Allen
Agency Producer: Sarah Shapiro
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
Executive Producer: David Zander,
Jeff Scruton
Post Production: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Gavin Cutler
Director of Photography: Bryan Newman
Audio Post: POP Sound
VFX Company: Method Studios
Animatronics: Stan Winston Studios
Sound Design: Stimmung
Sound Designer: Gus Koven

Beer Barrage

2009-01-26T14:37:00.006-05:00

What good does it do for beer companies to advertise during the big game? Not too much. Most people will have already purchased their crunk juice by then. That's why these advertisers are getting a jump start and have released early ads that are designed to get you into the liquor store and stocked up on their product.

First up is an ad from Heineken starring John Turturro, entitled "Expedition Leader." Give yourself a good name.

Not bad. The philosophical circular logic is humorous and viewers will identify with the actor.
Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Next is a spot from Bud Light. It's about a dude who picks up a 6 pack and then encounters some interesting situations involving porn and high school acquantainces.

I wasn't feeling this one. Insert any brand at all and get the same result (but I guess that's true with most any beer commercials.) Frankly, it wasn't funny.
Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Last but not least is a little preview of Miller High Life's "1 Second ads" which are set to debut on Super Bowl Sunday. Click the link to watch 'em all.

I'm intrigued to see how these ultra-short ads will do. The general consensus is that they will be up and gone before anyone realizes what's going on, but we shall see...
Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Cadbury Eyebrows Dance

2009-01-25T22:52:00.004-05:00

The Rock is so jealous of these kids. Glass and a Half Full presents this hair-raising face dance. The agency responsible is Fallon London.

The name of the song is "Don't Stop the Rock" by Freestyle.

While enjoyably fun to watch, the involvement of Cadbury is nonexistent in this ad. They just found/thought of the idea and slapped their name at the end of it. Even though it will attract the attention of the Youtube generation, I don't think there will be enough brand awareness to generate any results.

Remember that commercial with the Gorilla playing the drums for that Phil Collins song? I could have sworn it was advertising insurance or some bank, but it was for Cadbury. They need to make me remember.

Guru Grade: 5 / 10
Great for an online video, not quite so much for a TV ad.

2009 NHL All-Star Game

2009-01-22T23:23:00.003-05:00

Red, white, black, and shades of gray.
Watch them skate, watch them play.
My longing for piano, it doth quench.
As well as brushing up, on my French.
It's an ad for the game, which is on Versus.
I hope you enjoyed this, my short verses.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Drumstick: Summer Parade

2009-01-22T17:34:00.002-05:00

This Australian ad makes me extremely jealous (their Summertime is roughly December through February.)

Some of the content in this commercial, such as the thongs and underwear, probably wouldn't fly in the US. Great spot for down under though. The sun, grills, fly swatters, flip flops, "budgies", sand castles, sprinklers, water balloons, and the famous Drumstick ice cream cone show up in the parade.

Credits:
Client: Nestle
Agency: Publicis Mojo, Melbourne
Creative Director: Darren Spiller
Art Director: Christy Peacock
Copywriter: Leon Wilson,
Sean Larkin
Agency Producer: Corey Esse,
Tuesday Picken
Production Company: Iloura/The Directors Group
Director: Josh Simmonds/Nice Trees
Producer: Sigi Eimutis,
Magdalena Bisogni,
Craig Griffin
Director of Photography: Germain McMicking
Editor: Chris Betteridge

That's Not Fake

2009-01-19T21:49:00.003-05:00

www.thatsnotfake.com

Think of it as a crappy Mythbusters for Youtube videos. 'That's Not Fake' debunks online images and video footage and determines whether it is or isn't real. From what I can see on their Wall of Shame, investigations don't seem to get too intense and the facts and explanations are few and unsubstanciated.

Host Martin Mull, a comedian whom I think I recognize from Hollywood Squares, stands in as a knockoff Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. The show is sponsored by Cadbury. There's no word yet on which station the program will be on, if any.

Guru Grade: 4 / 10

Flash Mob T-Mobile Dance in Liverpool Street Station

2009-01-19T19:37:00.002-05:00

Awesomely epic. Flash mobs rank up there as one of the coolest and most unique performance arts in the world.

Over 350 dancers assembled to perform the spontaneous show.

"Life's for sharing."

Guru Grade: 8.5 / 10

Honda Civic Musical Road

2009-01-18T21:53:00.003-05:00

I heard about this back in September when it made news for being the only musical road in the United States, but I thought it was getting paved over. Apparently all that music was too much for the locals in Lancaster, California. However, there are reports of the musical road being reestablished.

For more information, be sure to check out their website.

I love quirky art projects like these, but I think the song choice could have been better. The William Tell Overture (theme song of the Lone Ranger) isn't exactly the catchiest tune.

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10
(Great marketing scheme, but mediocre execution with the TV advert.)

Lebron James Signs with Cleveland Browns

2009-01-18T19:37:00.004-05:00

I've always wanted to see what would happen if sports players switched the game they play. Soccer players would be able to make field goals from 100 yards, golfers would hit low balls out of the park, and hockey players would probably all get ejected from the b-ball court. It could be a one day promotional thing between all of the professional sports leagues.

Anyway, Lebron daydreams his way onto the Browns, and at 6'8" weighing in at 250 pounds, his musings are frighteningly possible. Remember when Jordan played baseball?

It doesn't have much to do with State Farm, but who cares? It was entertaining.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Nike Ad? Featuring Taylor Momsen

2009-01-15T15:47:00.004-05:00

I've never heard of her before this, but she's one of the stars of Gossip Girl. I'm just about the last blog in the world to post this, but whatever.

Pretty sure it's a viral video released by Nike. I doubt that little blondie is an actual free runner, a sport which requires extremely demanding physical skills. The parkour is probably performed by a stunt woman, or just digitally enhanced.

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Scion: United By Individuality

2009-01-14T23:19:00.006-05:00

I happen to be a moderately big fan of glitch-type music like the audio in these ads. They show samples of the car models, while sampling various music clips. The end product is a beautiful visual sound mixer. Google "Girl Talk" and check out some of his earlier stuff if you're interested in this genre of music.

The songs used in these spots are original, created by Tom Burbank of Face the Music.

The agency responsible for the ads is Attik. They selected some actual customer's cars featured in the commercials, preserving Scion's "United by individuality" tag line. For more information as well as high quality pictures and videos click here.

Once again, our friends at Imaginary Forces pop up! They were responsible for the production.

There should be one more spot featuring xD samples. I'll post a link when it surfaces.

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Full Credits:
Agency: Attik, San Francisco
Creative Director/Director: Simon Needham
Associate Creative Directors: Ron Lim, Stan Zienka
Head of Production: Michele Morris
Production Company/Post Company: Imaginary Forces, Bicoastal
Director: Simon Needham @ Attik
Head of Production: Ben Apley
Art Director: Charles Khoury
Producer: Ila Talubn
Designers/Animators: Tom Allain, Clint Chang, Ko Maruyama
Editor: Justine Gerenstein
Inferno Artist: Nancy Hyland
Colorist: New Hat, Santa Monica
Colorist: Clark Muller
Executive Producer: Darby Walker
Music/Sound Design/Mix Company: Face The Music, Bicoastal
Executive Producer: Adam Joseph
Composer/Sound Designer - xB: Tom Burbank
Mixer: Tom Burbank

Carnival Cruise Lines: Beach Ball World Record

2009-01-14T16:36:00.004-05:00

Looks like a blast! They must have had a ball! (Pause for bad-pun-induced groan.) This took place in Dallas, Texas, and it broke the record for the world's largest beach balls. I'm not too sure I would want to be one of those people on the street when it comes bouncing down, but it looks like it was an entertaining thing to be a part of.

Carnival really endorses their "Fun for all. All for fun." mindset with this innovative display.

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Skittles: Reflect the Rainbow

2009-01-14T16:24:00.006-05:00

They keep getting stranger and stranger... but they must work.

Click here for some other weird Skittles ads.

This one is called The Tailor. Anyone have a translation? I think the man was eating the last of the Skittles and his friend was a bit peeved.

UPDATE
Translation:

Customer: Wait. I'm not eating Skittles.

Thai Tailor: Hey! You're not allowed to eat while you're working.

Filipino Mirror: Well, I'm hungry.

Thai Tailor: Ay! I have to tell you again, dummy.

Filipino Mirror: Well, I'm hungry, so of course I'm going to eat.

Thai Tailor: You're so lazy, long back! (Thai slang for lazy)

Filipino Mirror: Son of a bitch, I'm hungry!

Guru Grade: 5 / 10

Super Bowl 43 Commercials Preview

2009-01-13T16:49:00.029-05:00

UPDATE: Click here for live Super Bowl 43 commercials coverage!

The Super Bowl is an extremely momentous occasion. It's the ultimate finale for the National Football League championship. Every year, a record amount of viewers tune in to see the two teams face off. Super Bowl Sunday has become a ritual for many Americans, providing a chance to show off new big screen TV's, take a gamble with the office pool, pig out (Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day), and watch outrageous things happen during the halftime show. But there's one more aspect of the Super Bowl that attracts a great deal of attention-- the commercials, of course! It's the most important advertising day of the year. So to prepare you for the upcoming onslaught of high-profile ads, I have made a list of some things you should know and other stuff that you can expect.

Date: February 1, 2009
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida
Who's Playing: Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals
Network: NBC
Halftime Performance: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Cost of a 30-second ad: $3 million

That's right, $3,000,000. Nothing compared to the bailout but c'mon... that's $100,000 a second! The links below lead to pre-released Super Bowl commercials. Be sure to check them out.

There will be an ad competition between Monster Worldwide (who have not aired a Super Bowl commercial for four years) and careerbuilder.com
Five minutes of Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser, Bud Light, maybe even Bud Light Lime.
Coke... (Coke 2) although Pepsi paid a premium to keep them out of the first half.
Pedigree dog food will air their first ad ever in the Super Bowl.
Bridgestone will sponsor the halftime show and will run two 30-second ads.
Cash4Gold, unfortunately, bought a last second slot from NBC
Cars.com has a 60-second ad in the second quarter.
Doritos will have at least one 30-second ad.
The E*Trade baby makes a comeback!
Denny's has two spots
GE, owner of NBC, will run a spot.
GoDaddy: at least one 30-second ad.
Hyundai will present two commercials for their Genesis Coupe.
Castrol Motor oil
Teleflora flower delivery
The NFL will air one 60-second spot during halftime.
PepsiCo Beverages are sure to make an appearance with their new branding.
Audi has a 60-second ad inspired by classic Hollywood chase scenes
Movie trailers: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, Monsters vs. Aliens, and 2012
Heineken
SoBe
PETA (not)

Last year's slew of ads were quite disappointing. Let's hope Super Bowl XLIII has some better prospects.

For a minute-by-minute update of the Super Bowl commercials, be sure to stop by here. I'll be updating live for the first time. So be sure to visit the TV Ad Guru and voice your opinion on the biggest ads of the year!

Heineken Walk-In Fridge

2009-01-12T17:49:00.003-05:00

A funny look at the amusement of both sexes. This spot is by TBWA, Neboko. As foreign as it is, the content transcends language barriers and delivers a messege anyone can enjoy.

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

KGB: Knowledge Generation Bureau Commercial

2009-01-12T13:39:00.007-05:00

When I first saw this commercial, I thought the Russians were looking for some new secret agents. If you visit the website advertised, you will see that KGB is "a privately held, New York-based company, the world's largest provider of directory assistance and enhanced information services."

www.kgb.com

They have people standing by, ready to answer your questions via the Internet, text messages, and phone calls. Right now they appear to be in Alpha testing. It's probably just a few hundred people who sit on the computer all day typing stuff into Google, Wikipedia, and Yahoo Answers. Looks like a novice search engine at best.

The commercial, while not being too clear on its message yet evoking interest, featured some interesting questions:

Q: What's the capital of New Zealand?
A: Wellington.

Q: What is the 17th Fibonacci (wow, I spelled that right) number?
A: 1597.

Q: Who was Queen Elizabeth's husband? (The first)
A: She never married.

Q: Define bootylicous.
A: Having a round, firm booty.

Q: Who sang "Sugar, Sugar?"
A: The Archies.

Q: Best cheese steak in Philly...
A: Geno's

Q: How many hamsters, standing on each other's shoulders, would it take to reach the moon? (Syrian hamsters)
A: 2,282, 764,988.5

Wowzers.

This one shows the specialization of each KGB member, including a imponderable, who works on questions like "What does a woman want?" At the end it tells you to text questions to 542542. I tried it, and they want 50 cents for each answer. No thanks.

Click here for Episode 3

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Burger King: The Angry Whopper

2009-01-12T12:32:00.002-05:00

BK has started this year off with a bang. I'm truly impressed with the marketing and advertising ploys from the fast food giant.

This commercial shows the brutal upbringing of an abused onion... who one day gets its revenge from mankind by making those who eat Burger King's "Angry Whopper" cry like babies from the sheer spiciness of the dish. I havn't tried one yet, but I'd like to see if they really are that hot.

Another thing I would like to mention about Burger King is their Whopper Sacrifice campaign. They will actually mail you a coupon for a free Whopper if you install their Facebook application and delete 10 of your friends. No, it's not a joke -- I tried it and got the confirmation that my free burger coupon was in the mail. I think this is a hilarious move that will make people reevaluate their virtual social network. Bravo.

Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Microsoft's People Ready Campaign

2009-01-12T00:59:00.007-05:00

With the tagline "Because it's everybody's business," Microsoft aims to share their business solutions and insights with the world. The video above appears to be a phone interview with Quiksilver's President and CEO Bob McKnight. He's a slang-talkin' surfer dude who benefits from Microsoft's business options. I like the style of these ads because they're very random and stylish. The paper cutout appearance is a fresh vision from Microsoft, whose less-than-spectacular ads from last year failed to impress.

This one features Katie Bayne, Chief Marketing Officer of Coca-Cola (North America.) Another commercial has surfaced, documenting a phone call between the unknown speaker and Bayne, watch it here.

Here we have the co-founder and chief brand architect of Method, Eric Ryan.

The people responsible for the ads are a graphics company called Imaginary Forces. They have offices in Hollywood and New York, and they also had a hand in the 2009 Pepsi Wordplay commercial. Click here to see some of their featured work.

For more information you might want to check out microsoft.com/peopleready

Guru Grade: 7.5 / 10

Ford F-150 Manly Typography

2009-01-11T23:50:00.003-05:00

Typography, the art and technique of arranging type and type design, is starting to become popular in commercial advertising. Here we see a dirty, gritty, and rugged display of the English language laid out in a dramatic fashion to advertise the 2009 Ford F-150.

There are at least four other spots from this campaign. They include:

21 MPG. Most Payload
Super Crew: More Interior Room
Trailer Sway Control
Box Side Steps

The beauty typography possesses is hard to describe. It can redefine the way you read and interpret words. As can be seen in these commercials, a manly voice coupled with the words you read (painted and splattered on in all their rough-faced glory) can dictate the vibe received from the scene presented. The way some words enter or leave the frame, the size, color, font, or orientation of the text, and correlating background images all combine to deliver a wonderfully executed piece. Something I hadn't seen since the Starbucks Voting Ad.

Now for the criticism, because I am a pessimistic world-hating individual. Did you really think I was going to let these ads off the hook so easily?

Referring to the first ad (video shown above) - Congratulations, Ford. You just lost the sale of thousands of pencil pushers and hand models across the nation. Sure you may have gotten a righteous "Hell yeah," outta Pete the iron worker, but this line excludes many potential buyers. Maybe not so much the hand models, but "pencil pushers" are a dime a dozen! By the way... gas more expensive than Bourbon? Not any more.

Referring to the ad touting superior fuel economy and horsepower - They make fun of nerds and assume that you, the viewer, are a stereotypical meat head who made C's in school and wondered how those geeky students got straight A's. Well, were they right?

Referring to the Super Crew spot - TAH. You don't need no stinkin' shotgun. Great quote.

Finally, let's talk about the one with the side steps that pop out to help reach the cargo. To try and convince you that this is a must-have feature for your new truck and not just a worthless option, they "do the math" and show you how many times you will really use the extension. Okay, so to "do the math" I expect to see their estimation of how many times a day I'll be in and out of the tailgate, multiplied by 365 days in a year, times however many years they think the truck will last... but that's not what we get. Nothing but a rough end figure of 50 or 60 thousand times. I know this is a picky criticism, but without solid facts and figures presented to me how am I supposed to remain unskeptical?

Overall, these are a great set of commercials for the target market they aim for.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

H&R Block

2009-01-08T15:36:00.002-05:00

I liked the addition of the Tooth Fairy.

Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Audi Q5: Unbox the Box

2009-01-07T15:54:00.003-05:00

Here's a spot fresh outta London. So for all you Americans, this is the only place you're gonna see it. What would you do without me, huh?

The new Audi Q5 pokes fun at its "boxy" predecessors with this representation of a figurative redesign.

Audi. Why are you so good? I really enjoyed this commercial. It was a clever idea and simple execution. And the hook: the song that I'm going to be humming for the rest of the day. By the way, it's called "The Car Song" by Woody Guthrie.

Guru Grade: 8 / 10

The Snuggie Infomercial

2009-01-05T19:35:00.014-05:00

I love TV. I really do. It's always there for me... even at 4 a.m. when I can't fall asleep or find anything else to do. But I don't watch late (or late late) night television in hopes of finding great new ads to blog about, no sir. Sadly, the early morning ad slots are dominated by the most despicable breed of commercial there is: the infomercial. You can't escape the tube after midnight without being pummeled by Extenz, emersed in Billy Mays, or bothered with moronic inventions like HD vision, electric Amish products, personal noise enhancers, or the next new miracle doodad that will get you into shape with no effort exerted whatsoever. It's the ads like these that generate hate and give TV ads in general a bad name. One reason why I have yet to criticize these types of commercials is because it's too damn easy. Like this one for the Snuggie, a blanket with sleeves.

Wow! Now I can stay warm while talking on the phone and look like an asshat- all at the same time!

Who buys this crap? To answer that question, I have drawn up a logical and honest flow chart.

I really can't see why a simple sweatshirt wouldn't suffice. Also, that Snuggie has to generate enough static electricity to send you into a coma. A well-deserved coma.

If you bought a Snuggie or have ever purchased something from an infomercial like this one, I truly and genuinely hate you.

Guru Grade: 1 / 10
(The only thing keeping it from zero was the slight humor it emanated by assuming anyone on the planet would actually buy their mindless product.)

Pepsi's New Logo Emerges for 2009

2009-01-04T00:26:00.005-05:00

Alas, the updated Pepsi logo has made an appearance on national television. The spot reminds me of an iPod commercial, what with the vibrant colors and unknown (yet catchy) song.

By the way, the name of the song is Energy by The Apples in Stereo.

Personally, I think the style of this commercial is soooo 2008. Yo, howdy, aloha, konnichiwa, buon giorno, good morning/evening/day! It's time for optimism and blank blank blank blank? Come on already...

The people responsible for the ads are a graphics company called Imaginary Forces.

At the end of the commercial it directs you to RefreshEverything.com, the platform for their brand relaunch. The majority of people I've talked to don't like the new logo. What do you think?

Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Lil Wayne and Gatorade: What's G

2009-01-03T14:35:00.006-05:00

With one of the most recognizable voices in modern day music, Lil Wayne has topped the charts and become something of a superstar. His newest venture involves a voice over for Gatorade. They're redesigning their brand and with this campaign, they seem to be making the transformation much smoother than Pepsi.

Celebrity appearances include Dwayne Wade, Serena Williams, Bill Russell, Derek Jeter, Muhammad Ali, the Jabbawokeez, Chaz Ortiz, Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, Candace Parker, and others.

I was surprised at the end of the commercial, because I was thinking they would show Weezy's face after paying so much to sign him on. I guess his unique voice was enough for them.

Some whiners out there are ragging on the spot because it comes off as rascist. There are an abundance of African Americans in the video, but that claim is a bit outrageous.

Update: Hey, just saw a predominantly white G commercial. Too lazy to list all the people though, sorry!

And as for the appeal of soccer moms, it looks like Gatorade is totally redesigning how they present themselves. They seem to be moving in the direction of the Vitamin Water demographic and out of the little league minivan age bracket.

Click here to watch some more "G" related videos, and check out Gatorade.com

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah

2008-12-21T17:15:00.001-05:00

Take that, political correctness!

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

I'll be taking off until the new year. See you in '09!

A Sweet Gift from Sony Style

2008-12-16T00:46:00.005-05:00

This commercial is for general Sony products (a camera, PSP, Vaio laptop, Handycam camcorder.) Maybe they'll do an outdoor campaign with real jumbo candy statues. Animation by Tronic.

The name of the group responsible for the music is Nylon. Let me know if you have the song name.

I like the idea of linking delicious sweets such as chocolate and peppermint to holiday gifts and electronics, but the comparison isn't very logical. Nevertheless, some good animation. Made my mouth water!

Guru Grade: 5 / 10