Ad Showcase: Columbia Sportswear Pioneers

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I was first intrigued by the off-road unicyclist. Then I saw the oil tanker surfers, and I knew I'd have to do a showcase about these ads. Other "pioneers" include a group of guerrilla gardeners, a blind sled dog racer, and a pair of tundra golfers.

I thought these odd sports were cooked up by some ad agency, hoping to attract attention to Columbia Sportswear, but these athletes are real. Check out the website to see some in-depth interviews. Some of their stories are very interesting.

"Nobody had really done street unicycling before. Nobody had tried to grind a rail or jump down stairs or anything like that, so that became my goal. That's what I wanted to do. I had seen skateboards do it and I had seen bikes do it, and I said, ya know, maybe this is possible on a unicycle," Dan Heaton, street and mountain unicyclist.

The spots all have a slight theme of poking fun at these adventurers, but they still provide respect to the strange activities.

The song playing over all of the spots is called "Quest for Glory" by Q-Factory.

Barack Obama Elected 44th President of the United States of America

Congratulations!!! Good job voters!

http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom

New Ad Council Campaign is Really Gay

There's a new campaign trying to reduce bias against bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender students in America's school. Too bad it sucks.



The Ad Council thinks that saying "that's so gay" is harmful to homosexuals. Really? Sounds like a simple observation to me. They also say on their website that it is a homophobic remark.



I really hate these commercials for a few different reasons. First off, saying "that's gay" doesn't even mean "that's homosexual" anymore. The word has evolved and changed, just like it did from "happy and jovial". The Ad Council fails to realize the new use of the word. I've actually heard homosexuals use "gay" in this context. They don't care because they know it doesn't mean "homosexual." Words change.



Also, DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO. I will NOT "knock it off." What are these people thinking, throwing out demands through a one-way medium!? I'm not gonna listen to Wanda Sykes anymore than I'm gonna watch her bad acting.

If they want people to stop making fun of each other, they should probably start with their own ads, and stop making fun of ditsy teenage girls, people who make certain fashion choices, and guys who can't grow full mustaches. It's hypocrisy in the ugliest form.

Smokey the Bear: Get Your Smokey On

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Only you can prevent wildfires! I remember it as "Only you can prevent forest fires." That's because in 2001 they changed it to wild ones only. Another piece of Smokey the Bear trivia you might not know is that his name really isn't Smokey the Bear. It's Smokey Bear. A song by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins popularized the incorrect middle name, which seems to have stuck.

The Smokey Bear campaign celebrates its 64th anniversary this year, and Smokey is back and better than ever. His new CGI appearance has taken on a whole new look. The Smokeys of the past didn't look too frightful to me, but this one looks like a hairy linebacker. Stern and burly.

Anyway, the commercial in the link has two people in a diner spotting a could-be forest fire starter. The guy turns into Smokey when he confronts the smoker. I saw this while I was watching the Simpsons on Hulu. Sweet.

Starbucks: Free Coffee for Voters

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Once again posting up some reminders to vote. Starbucks, the wonderful company that they are, will provide FREE coffee to anyone who votes on November 4th.

I really like this commercial. It's a typography styled spot that looks like text on the side of a cup of Starbucks coffee. Typography is an emerging art form, and this is the first time I've seen it used effectively on a TV commercial. It caught my attention with the simple flow and catchy piano tune. The name of the song is "Ja" by Stefanie Klo.

So go vote, and if you want go to Starbucks and get yourself a free tall cup of fresh brewed coffee. Myself, I'll be chillin' in Dunkin' Donuts.