crystal rhino

Pepsi was ahead of its time in 1991.

PS When will someone pay me to write this kind of copy? Each type change costs extra 100 bucks. That's included in my fee. Didn't read the fine print, did ya?

remember clear cola?

the best of everything

Go watch commercials you actually want to see again at the One Show TV. The most creative, entertaining, and strategic ads of the year. Good stuff.

finance it!

Today I would like to start my educational series that I will call "Successful Advertising."

This is about presenting your business, your product, and yourself with style and flair. This is all about making a good first impression. And this is about how a magical thing called advertising can turn even the snottiest, whiniest little ginger into a studly, cunning babe-magnet with a sweet cell phone.

Let's learn how to become successful not only in business but also in life.

Here we have an old favorite of mine. Massey Auto Wholesale. A man who is always pushing the envelope. Here's a typical spot.


Here we use an oldie but goodie technique that has stood the test of time and is sure to work for Massey too.


The ideas are endless with hilarious tomfoolery and clever stunts. And they've even had the insight to include clever puns featuring real or invented pop-culture figures from Larry the Cable Guy to the Credit Jedi, which resonate with all of us.

And catch up on the rest here while I leave you with this gem...

you paid how much?

Let me preface this post: I watched the Superbowl in Germany so there was no American advertising... but I can't say that I missed much.

Maybe this is a little dated but I just watched the Superbowl ads on MySpace, which I think was an innovative way to feature America's most costly advertising. I'm interested to know how this works. Does MySpace pay advertisers to feature these ads on their site or was this part of the contract signed when buying Superbowl airtime? Either way it favors everyone involved, especially advertisers because MySpace users can even post the ads to their profiles.

On to the ads. This FedEx spot was the only one I thought was worth a damn, and of course, the Tide Stain ad is an old favorite.


Several others from Gatorade, Bridgestone and T-Mobile were okay... but nothing new and boring upon repeat views. And the only one that made me laugh was the E*Trade baby and clown.



Now onto the bad ones... Anheuser-Bush whether trying to be funny with Bud Light or serious with the traditional Budweiser Clydesdale's. The Claritin Nascar spot in the 3rd quarter was just bad. Never start an ad with: "Even if you don't drive 180 m.p.h. like I do...."

And the absolutely terrible: SalesGenie.com. These ads are normally horrible but this time around they seemed borderline racist and offensive to me... the pandas (named Ching Ching and Ling Ling) with Chinese accents and the Indian immigrant (named Ramesh) who has seven children to feed.

But the one that takes the cake, and even managed to make its way into the international broadcast, is GoDaddy... what's even worse about these always awful ads is the stuff that doesn't air on TV but is hosted on their site. You've been warned. See if you can find Ocho Cinco's spot... do you really think Chad Johnson updates his own webpage? Use their handy rating feature to tell them how much you love their stuff (it's created in-house).

Last but not least on the note of bad ads, what was with commercials featuring popular dance moves from 10+ years ago?

Diet Pepsi Max thought that it was about time to dig up Haddaway's "What Is Love?" and ride on Will Ferrell's coattails but without actually paying him to appear in the spot... maybe because Bud Light already claimed him for one of their SIX spots. And really, who was the genius who thought CG lizards doing MJ's "Thriller" dance were gonna sell Sobe Life Water? I would of been more interested (much more interested) in a contest to win Neverland before it goes to the auction block.

Even after Coca-Cola's 10-year hiatus from advertising during the Superbowl, their ads left something more to be desired. Disappointing ads from the Superbowl again... it seems like this happens every year.

dutch advertising

This one takes me back... could this be what inspired me back in the 6th grade to be so interested in advertising?

When I discovered this ad, it didn't make me want to learn English, but rather it fueled my desire to learn more about The Outhere Brothers.

Now if only I can get clients to approve advertising using this kind of music...

this is advertising

Now here's a campaign with infinite possibilities. Imagine this OOH? Or maybe guerilla... with a guy live on the street? But that'd just kinda be like the Party Boy from Jackass. Anyways, I like this. His hair and outfit are way cooler and I'd wouldn't mind working with that production team.

Here we go again:


Thanks for reading. It was worth your time.