2/16/06

Jenny Craig Commercial: Stuff Your Pie Hole


For all our sakes, Kirstie, close your mouth when you chew.

Ms. Jenny Craig has taken an interesting approach to Pushing methods for weight loss. Apparently it's possible to lounge around on a sofa enjoying
..."lounge on the sofa enjoying orgasmic fettuccini alfredo"...
orgasmic fettuccini alfredo, then stuff cake in your mouth and still lose weight. If a Barry White type of seductive song plays in the background, moaning is recommended. The scenario's tempting, I'll admit.

Rather than jump on a treadmill or trudge off to the gym, chances are I'm already lounging in front of the tv, complete with dinner or snack in hand. The ad suggests that if I just substitute my Ben and Jerry's for fettuccini "a la jenny", at least 60 pounds will melt right off, no sweating required.

The commercial leaves me wondering why the advertisers would think that the site of a former model stuffing her mouth full of dessert would entice me.

2/8/06

30 Seconds... $2.4 Million, Bandwidth... Priceless

It seems that advertisers have finally figured out that if they provide their ads on the internet, free of charge, they may just get circulated. Blogs like this one help spread the memes and that's definitely to their advantage.

What the proliferation of blogs also does is to put pressure on the creators to provide more entertaining content because though a 30 second spot can be purchased, a good commercial's subsequent free Push through bandwidth is priceless.

My next post will return us to our regularly scheduled programming...

2/6/06

Superbowl XL Commercials, Served Here

Google's compiled all of the Superbowl X(tra) L(arge) commercials for your viewing pleasure. Watch them all, or choose your favorite by clicking on this link.

Enjoy.

2/5/06

Superbowl Ads: Ten Rules


It seems that the hype leading up to SuperBowl XL ads is as fabricated as the commercials
themselves. In examining the declared winners of Sunday's Superbowl of advertising, how many will follow USA Today's 10 rules.
..."Make us laugh or we'll kill you.-Jerry Della Femina...
If we see any wardrobe malfunctions, it'll be because advertisers are blaming us for their over the top Push.

"Make us laugh, or we'll kill you," is the [Superbowl] viewer sentiment, says adman Jerry Della Femina, quoted in the article. Really, Jerry? Aren't you being a little melodramatic? Let's take a look at USA Today's "rules to make ads magical".

1. Make 'em laugh out loud.
Alright, I'll buy this. Everyone loves a laugh raucous enough to spray a mouthful of beer.

2. Shock 'em and surprise em.
Most viewers want shock and surprise while watching the game, but not the bathroom breaks in between.

3. Let em see the point.
Can I get a "Duh" on this one? The article continues...
"Complex dialogue is your enemy," warns Jeff Goodby, co-chairman at Goodby Silverstein & Partners. "If your commercial works without sound, all the better."
Goodby, see my post about Nextel's Push It.

4. Let animals be people, too.
This bullet point can also be written as, "When viewers are drunk, resort to slapstick to get some laughs". Bring on the chimps as office workers.

5. Let celebrities be people, too.
Huh?

6. Coin a catchphrase with legs.
In other words, cook up a virulent meme. Remember "I'm going to Disney World."? You get the picture.

7. Make it bigger than TV.
It seems that advertisers are taking this one very seriously and are now attacking our cell phones.

8. Pluck the heartstrings.
All that partying's got to be interrupted by some great emo. Next, men will turn to their buddies crying "I love you, man!".

9. Reflect diversity... smartly.
Uh, yeah. Considering how many football players belong to minority groups this seems like a no brainer, no?

10. Be topical... carefully.
Don't attack social issues, just find the overwhelming sentiment of your audience and gently point to it.

Great insight, Pushers.

Just in case you missed the link to the real article, you can click it again right here.