Dogs Trained To Practice Safe Sex

How dd the dog get the money for condoms anyway?
Will fetch for money?
TCC

Crazy Dairy Ad! Battle for Milkquarious! A Rock-opera!

The Battle for Milkquarious

http://www.milkquarious.com/#/rock-opera

A new old time rock opera about milk!
The movie is hilarious!
Check it out!

http://www.milkquarious.com/#/rock-opera

TCC

Orbitz Comes Out Of The Closet To Solicit LGBT

Orbitz.com has broken new ground by soliciting LGBT in their commercial.

The man on the far right is wearing a shirt with the Human Rights Campaign, HRC, logo. HRC is a leading civil rights activist group for LGBT.

After reading some of the comments left on Orbitz youtube channel, TCC was not surprized that Orbitz was getting praised for the small act of displaying a logo in their commercial and actually might be gaining market share of the LGBT demographic. Orbitz is certainly trying to gain buzz with the commercial.

TCC

TCC's Tribute to Micheal Jackson

We at The Commercial Critic would like to extend our condolenses to Micheal Jackson's family as we offer these two commercials featuring Micheal at his best.





Thank you,

TCC

Qwest Has Wishful Thinking About Births

"Is your Wife here?"

A question was posed by one of our main contributors after viewing this commercial: Is Qwest trying to set a moral standard by the use of the word "wife?"

I mulled the question over for several hours before I could come up with a good answer. My thoughts are that Qwest communications used the word wife out of necessity for smooth dialogue and not to satisfy a moral objective regarding unwed mothers.

While researching the topic I stumbled across an interesting statistic regarding births and unwed mothers. The percentage of babies born to an unwed mother have risen to 39.7% in 2007 (as reported by National Center for Health Statistics). I was surprised to find that there were that many babies born out of wedlock. I digress from my research and return to the commercial at hand.

Regarding Qwest's commercial using the word wife it seems it was the only word appropriate to use to maintain the flow of the script. I could see using a broader term like "baby's mama" but it most likely throw off the flow. A term they could have used was maybe "expecting mother" but again it still messes with the flow. Qwest is more concerned with the flow of the commercial than stepping on a few unwed mothers' toes.

Let us know what you think!

TCC

McDonalds Trying To Ride The Harry Potter Bandwagon!

McDonald's is trying to ride on the Harry Potter bandwagon with this commercial coming from DDB.

I may be a self proclaimed expert on the subject of commercials. It is a little hard for me to believe that McDonald's and DDB were not trying to tie a rope to a rising star. But when pictures are moving (and talking), and the music is almost an exact copy of the movies prior... The only thing missing from the little witch and warlock are wands, that would be edging to close to the copyright infringement.

Anyway, beyond the squabble about the Harry Potter undertones; We found the commercial very well done and fun to watch.

Enjoy.

TCC

Google Maps Helps Strippers

Here is a funny one from back in 2005.

Enjoy.

TCC

Billy Mays, The Famous Pitchman is Dead at 50

"Hi, Billy Mays Here!" It saddens me to say that we will never hear that phrase uttered again from such an influential man. It seemed like only yesterday that Billy Mays had started selling Oxiclean. Mays had a lot going for him beyond the infomercials as he had just signed a deal with Taco Bell to pitch for them.

From Oxiclean and Orange Glo to even making jest while pitching espn360.com, Billy Mays was the ultimate pitchman but he was much more to many people.

Our condolences go out to Billy's wife and family; we are very sorry for your loss. We know that he is in a better place doing what he loves to do.

Laurie Colman Endorses The Blo and Go! In case you missed it.

Before allegedly receiving things from her husband's top supporters under the table, Laurie Coleman was peddling the Blo and Go.

The Blo and Go is a product the allows the user to dry their hair while leaving two hands free to style. While the product is most likely helpful to the user; the name may need tweeking from the Pitchmen (Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan).

The name sounds more like a booty call or what presidents do in the oval office. I mean seriously how did she pitch the name to her husband Senator Norm Coleman...
LC "I want to sell my idea, the Blo and Go."
NC "Sound like a great idea but hasn't it been done before? I think they call it a 'booty call.'"
LC "No my hands free hair dryer invention!"
NC "Ohhh..."

If I had the money I would so buy one, not only for the name but for the actual function.

TCC

Reveal Secret Sybolism! Speak Your Mind! Critics Unite!

The Commercial Critics, TCC, need you!

Have you ever noticed secret sybolism in a television commercial? Or, spectulate what message the advertiser was trying to convey? For example: In the Rozerem commercial below: What do the figures and scene symbolize?


The figures in the commercial all symbolize a different aspect of the guys life that keeps him awake.
The beaver represents work, "busy as a beaver."
President Lincoln represents money.
The old time diver represents the unknown and the fear of change.

Did you catch that when you watched?

Send your articles and links to acommercialcritic@gmail.com

TCC

Even Breasts Need a Pillow While You Sleep

I found this odd infomercial on another site.

I guess sleeping on your side is not a good way to sleep because of the lack of support. The creator of the commercial did their best not to make the commercial sexually charged but the ample amount of cleavage did need to be there to demo the product.

TCC

Steamy Danica Patrick in the Shower

Here is a commercial from godaddy.com featuring Danica Patrick in the shower. The hot and steamy commercial, from 2008's Super Bowl, is ended by slap stick comedy.

TCC

Spread the word- The Commercial Critics are looking for writers.

"Dr. Love" loves Dr. Pepper with Cherry

Gene Simmons never has a bad day. "Dr. Love" is now promoting Dr. Pepper with cherry or "a KISS of cherry" flavor. Adding to the great commercial was a cameo by The Demon's son, Nicholas Simmons.

TCC

Coke's "Happiness Factory Trailer" commercial

Coke's "Happiness Factory" trailer commercial, gives a odd look at the insides of a vending machine and the struggles within. The commercial is appealing. I found it odd that the ruler of the land, inside the machine, was wearing a pink bear outfit... weird.

Take a look and support us by passing the word.

TCC

New Analysis Articles Coming Soon

New Post Scheduled to Arrive Soon!

TCC

Go Daddy makes Danica Patrick uncomfortable!

Since today is wednesday aka "hump day" here is one from godaddy.com that will certainly perk some viewers up.

Godaddy.com has certainly taken selling with sex to a new level. Enjoy.

TCC

MC Hammer's new show to air soon. Here is the commercial!

This quickly is becoming a new viral video.

The commercial was created for MC Hammer's new show to appear on A&E. We will see if the show holds up with audiences.

Make a Million Dollars With 1 Click!

It must be magic or some kind of voodoo that slips into people when they think they can make money without doing anything. Beyond relatives dying or finding a treasure chest this will never happen but why do people still try to find easy money?

There are several ways to make money without too much effort and here are a few of them:

• Sell your used stuff on Ebay or Craigslist
• Start a blog about anything and place ads on it.
• Sell your plasma (it helps burn victims!)
• Become a freelance writer
• Sell your soul to the devil (just kidding!)

This topic does not truely fit within the constructs of the blog foundation but I thought many people might want to read about it or are looking for easy cash. My only thought regarding how this fits into the blog is to bring more thoughts on advertising to the table.

TCC

P.S. > The Commercial Critics is looking for a contributors. If you would like to join The Commercial Critics please drop us a line @ acommercialcritic(at)gmail.com

Wal-Mart Bombs Target

Wal-Mart blasts competitor with new commercial. The jab at Target is apparent.

Is Wal-mart going for blood now? Target, Wal-mart's main competitor, has had a few unlucky quarters lately and Wal-mart seems to have positioned themselves to kill. It looks that way to me.

My thoughts on the symbolism in the commercial could represent several things. The changing of the colors reminds me of a political ad; red to blue. Could the red and blue mean more than just Target and Walmart?

Rolling back the hands of time to 1950... Is Walmart propositioning Target is Communist?

I don't have enough evidence of it, but it is still speculation.

TCC

The Commercial Critic watches PBS?

PBS... The guy who critiques commercials watches PBS? Yes, it is true, I watch PBS. it gives me a needed break from all the advertising that fills the void between my ears. Moving on, I was on hulu and found a great show that airs on PBS that I would like you to watch.

The show is Scientific American Frontiers and is hosted by Alan Alda. In the posted episode is all about how our mind makes decisions. This reseach will soon infuse to all marketing and even product design.
Please enjoy.

TCC

Recycling Commercials? Tastes Bitter to Me...

A personal note from TCC:
"Trying;" This word best describes the recent weeks of my life. Not unlike many others I am unemployed. This situation while only slightly annoying at first is growing more painful each day. The clock ticks and my heart beats with each passing minute, hour and day waiting for a call for an interview. The situational agony has only been compounded by lies of my past employer negating my ability to collect money that is rightfully mine. However tragic and common my story, I must thank you for reading past my personal rant and on to the article you most likely were here to read.
Thank you, TCC

Recycling Commercials? Tastes Bitter to Me...

Cadbury is guilty, as well as Folgers. The charge against the two companies: recycling.
Advertising recycling represents gross neglect for creativity within a corporation. Several reasons explain the practice of recycling: Budgetary constraints; corporate neglect of creativity; pure laziness.

Shooting yourself in the foot encompasses the severity of companies actions when they cut the budget of their marketing/advertising department. I have always wondered why companies practice such behavior as an advertisement reminds people of the product and increases sales; but when sales slump the marketing budget immediately dries up. Studies show the contrary to the practice but actions are always louder than words. There are several reasons for the practice and one maybe jealousy.

People are afraid of things they don't understand; and one thing many business people do not understand is their consumers. The thought of another person in their company with more knowledge about their customers than they posses leads to cuts and lay offs. Marketing and sales but mainly marketing get the axe. Further more, the practice of cutting the funds to grow a company further could be tied to pure laziness.

Recycling advertisements is a practice that should be avoided. Recycling may be good for the earth but nothing turns green in the business world without innovation and forward momentum.

TCC

The "American Dream" grows with fertilizer?

The smell of freshly cut grass and leaves fluttering on the trees outside my window reminds me summer is upon us and with that comes summer commercials. Alavert, Nasonex, and Benadryl are a few on the line up of this summer but the commercial I am analyzing today is from Scott's Turf Builder.

Because I do not have a video of the commercial, I will give you a quick run down of what it is about. The commercial features a couple speaking about how when they first moved in the yard was filled with dandelions and with the help of Scott's Turf Builder they changed it from this:



To this:




I have seem the commercial several times now and I am ready to provide my analysis. The commercial seems to have differing messages between the dialogue and the scene. The dialogue pushes the listener to feel guilty about having a "weed infested" lawn. The scene of the commercial builds the idea of the "American dream" with a beautiful yard and nice house. The commercial for myself is quite forgettable because the messages is not unified. Needless to say the ad was produced and distributed. If the ad had a unified message of the building the "American dream;" I think Scott's could have made a very memorable commercial.

The idea of the "American dream" from my understanding is a combination of emotional happiness and materialistic possessions. To be happy one must posses a nice house with a white picket fence, great lawn and several other things. The commercial sells the "American dream" visually very well and even makes me want a better lawn (however, that will take awhile). The dialogue of the ad brings back reality and memories of being scolded. The dialogue pushes guilt like Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond. It is the dialogue that ruined this commercial.

My original question is the title of the article: The "American Dream" grows with fertilizer? I would have to say yes the "American dream" does grow with fertilizer. The dream grows with every granule of Scott's and every step we take to improve our lives. What we fertilize our lives with is unique to all of us and everyone can use some help to grow the dream.

TCC

Does God endorse Coke?

The commercial from 1980 featuring Mean Joe Green has a storyline that pulls at your heart strings and positions Coke as a wholesome and mood lifting drink. The commercial is filled with symbolism that propositions the mind to view Coke in a certain way. Individual interpretations of the symbolism vary but can range from religious and historical to even everyday life. I will explore one of the many interpretations of the symbolism from the commercial: the religious interpretation.

While analyzing the commercial I started to see different forms symbolism some with religious connotations. I would not call myself a religious or even spiritual man but I do have an understanding of the bible. Maybe it was my recent trip to see Angels and Demons that has triggered something in the back of my mind. Several things jumped out at me when I analyzed the commercial. These symbols include: the scene, Mean Joe Green, the kid, the coke and the jersey.

The scene or set of the commercial is the main factor in the moulding of the religious symbolism. The hallway Mr. Green is walking down is dimly lit except for the light from outside and the light at the end of the hall (or tunnel?). The hallway seems to be symbolizing the path a person takes when they die. The entrance to the hallway symbolizes the real world and is packed with people and action. Mean Joe is walking or drifting away from our world that is filled with life and light. The path is lit dimly and ends with a lighted doorway. The lighted doorway is the path to the other side or spirit world. The walls of the hallway are concrete material that is hard and cold. The path that Mean Joe is walking is the path we all take when we die.

The path is the path of death and Mean Joe represents all of human kind in the commercial. The battered and weary soul traveling toward the light and afterlife. What expands the religious symbolism further is the use of Mean in the name Mean Joe Green. The use of "mean" is used to show that even the tainted take the same path. While on his path to the afterlife, Mean Joe encounters a child. This child is shown as innocent, non-judgemental and confident. The child asks Mr. Green if he needs any help only to be turned down. The child offers a Coke and Mean Joe refuses and then hesitantly takes it. The child represents an angel or similar figure. The child gives Mean Joe a gift from heaven. The heavenly gift or Coke absolves Mean Joe of his sins and gives him strength and everlasting life. The Coke is the gift of everlasting life and love.

Just when the child is to leave; the revitalised Joe Green gives the child the only thing he has left, his jersey. Mr. Green's jersey is his soul and he has given it to the heavenly figure. The commercial ends with the Coke slogan, "Coke adds life." If that Coke slogan is not religiously connotative then I am at a loss for words.

Was Coke in 1979/1980 using religious symbolism to sell Coke? Let me know how you feel.
acommercialcritic(at)gmail.com

TCC

Minnesota: Heat wave!

As I am sitting here at my computer the digital thermometer is reading 81 degrees.
81 degrees in my house and the worst part it is 93 degrees outside.

My wife and I are trying to save energy so the air conditioner was left off today and I hate it.
There is no reason for Minnesota to be warmer than LA or even Texas.

Finishing my quick post the thermometer just jumped to 81.9 degrees... I will leave you with a movie from my local energy company.

TCC

A Follow-up to Tom's Shoes Commercial

I found this mini documentary on youtube about the Tom's Shoes commercial with AT&T. It explains the concept and goes over some of the process.

I found it interesting that AT&T approached Tom's Shoes to do the commercial; however, I think I understand why. Here is my theory: many, if not all, cell phone carriers are seen as jerks in the eyes of consumers for various reasons. AT&T, through several advertising campaigns, is trying to associate the company's image with kindness, trust and stability. If my theory is correct there are several things both companies have to keep an eye on as it is Tom's Shoes that will be hurt significantly more than AT&T.

The commercial was huge step for Tom's Shoes to get the word out about their company; the step has a huge risk. The risk for Tom's Shoes is hoping AT&T's image stays clean for a few months until the buzz about the commercial has died down. I am not saying AT&T is going to be facing legal, financial and PR problems anytime soon but the possibility is real. I'm quite sure that there is no problems on the horizon for AT&T.

I truly enjoyed the behind the scenes and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Thanks,
TCC

New Taco Bell Rap Commercial

The newest commercial in Taco Bell's drive thru rap is hilarious.


The series is based on several youtube videos. The youtube videos feature people rapping their order. It was only a matter of time until an advertising firm caught on to the growing trend.

I wonder how long advertising firms spend watching youtube videos trying to spot a new trend. I would certainly sign up for that job. This could be a sample job description:

• Watch viral videos on the world wide web
• Analyze video traffic
• Leverage traffic statistics to create innovative advertising ideas
• Stay fit mentally and physically enough to drive your rascal scooter to work as you will slowly become brain dead
• No life insurance will be provided

Hulu commercials claim that TV rots your brain... if that is true than youtube must turn it into a slurry at light speed.

It would have been quite easy for Taco Bell to mess up on a commercial like this but in my opinion they nailed it.

"The Taco Bell Girl just owned you!"

TCC

AT&T Helps Tom's Shoes

Tom's Shoes
I just checked out www.tomsshoes.com to see what they are all about. They seem like they have a great plan to help the world.
While I was on the site I checked out the shoes that they had to offer. They seem like good knock-around shoes but they are not my style. If I had the cash maybe... but do I get to write off the purchase as a donation?

All I know is I'm glad to see companies that do good are able to spread their message with help from AT&T.
Thank you AT&T.

TCC

Commercials: Start to Finish 2

Good afternoon,
Here is a quick update on the research for the Capital One Commercial. We have found the Advertising Company for Capital One: DDB Chicago.

That is one step closer to finding the of how commercials are made!
So right now these are the facts...

• Company that is advertising (Capital One)
• Advertising Firm (DDB Chicago)
• Production Company (Unknown)
• Director (Unknown)
• Locations (Unknown)
• Actors (1 known, Patricia Belcher)

An update to the update is: I just got a reply back from DDB Chicago for more information.

This article is moving faster than I expected. I would like to thank DDB Chicago for replying so quickly.

TCC

Commercials: Start to Finish 1

I was sitting on the couch watching the newest batch of commercials and I pondered... How do commercials get from being an idea to my TV?

In this series, titled Commercials: Start to Finish, I will pull back the curtain on commercial creation, production and placement.

My first challenge is to pick a commercial that is good enough to research.
I settled on this commercial:


Why this commercial? I think this and the whole series is hilarious.

Step one: contact Capital One to find advertising firm responsible.

Some ingredients that are in a commercial:

• Company that is advertising (Capital One)
• Advertising Firm (Unknown)
• Production Company (Unknown)
• Director (Unknown)
• Locations (Unknown)
• Actors (1 known, Patricia Belcher)

My goal is to be as informative as possible so if you find an error or have a question please let me know.

TCC

Why does beer make a better commercial?

I have a theory on beer commercials and why they are so much fun to watch...

It's because the product is fun or at least part of times which are fun.

Beer is one of the great products that fall into the television commercial trifecta known as "Drugs, Sex and Rock n' Roll". Products that fall into the trifecta can, will and have done some of the most known commercials. A great example of this would be the Budweiser frogs. The commercial reached a huge audience (if not directly then in-directly) from the small children in school chanting the croaks to office chatter about those catchy croaks.

Some companies with products not in the category try to make their products fun with very mixed results. These companies walk a fine line when it comes to going overboard and quite often cross that line. One industry in particular has made my stomach turn more often than I'd like from bad commercials and I have written a short request to them below.

A request to feminine hygiene product makers...

STOP! JUST STOP! Your products however useful are and never will be fun! Please stop trying to make them fun.

That's it for now,

TCC

If you have a commercial you would like me to see send me the link at acommercialcritic@gmail.com or leave me a comment.

Subway: She thinks my sandwich's sexy...

Welcome to the first edition of The Commercial Critic.

Subway's newest batch of commercials are out and promoting the "Five dollar footlong"; But is that all they are promoting? It looks like Subway is using sex to sell it's footlong...

Here's the commercial:

There are things in this commercial that are odd to me (beyond the fact there is a roving dance troupe in a Subway).
But my main issue with this commercial is can a sandwich be sexy? Look at this picture below.

"Wow" are the only words I had when I saw this. Subway may be desperate for customers and has resorted to selling subs with sex

I'll end the first post with a picture of a creepy looking guy from the same ad... (the guy on the right)

Thanks,

TCC