ANIMAL ADVERTISEMENTS & A FEW OTHERS

I have written previously on embarrassing advertisements that I wish I have never seen (http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2013/03/wish-i-hadnt-seen-that.html), but I should add that there are nice advertisements also, particularly those featuring animals.

Animals

We need to remember, however, that an advertisement that catches the public attention but where they don't remember the brand being advertised is a failure.  This happened long ago when in 1948 there were advertisements of dancing and marching cigarettes.  The public was entranced by them, but many people couldn't tell what the brand of cigarettes being advertised was, even though Lucky Strike was prominently mentioned and a package was pictured. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4d4m47krRg).

Perhaps the first cute animal advertisement is the Aflac duck that started in 1999 and has gone though 59 iterations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aflac).  AFLAC stands for American Family Life Assurance Company that sells supplemental insurance.  The man who provided the original voice for the duck was fired (see reference) so the duck hurt his wing and beak.  The beak is wrapped in a bandage so the duck cannot talk.  But a nurse mentions lunch which brightens the ducks eyes.  Then he is served lunch though he cannot open his beak (http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/spot-lame-duck-147210).  This led to the duck recovering from his injuries and taking physical therapy, which I think is the funniest advertisement ever.  I cringe seeing the duck do wing strengthening exercises and love it when it jumps rope (see http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/04/01/2446674/hes-a-survivor-aflac-duck-tackles.html, scroll to bottom to get the advertisement).  One site says the duck has received 35,000 get well cards.  His Facebook page has 368,740 followers (https://www.facebook.com/aflacduck) .

The insurance company Geico started using THE cute gecko during the 2000 TV season.  He has gone though many iterations over the 13 years he has been used.  Of course the gecko has one Facebook page with 300,000 followers (https://www.facebook.com/thegeicogecko) and another with 306,000 followers (https://www.facebook.com/geico).  GEICO, however, seems to have felt the need for something new, so they have started a new series using a pig.  For unknown reasons, the advertisements using the pig don't appeal to me like those with the gecko do.  But some people are really offended (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/one-million-moms-geico-pig-commercial-bestiality_n_2765040.html).

Recently, Residence Inn has gotten into the animal advertisements also.  I believe all were released in March of 2012.    The best one is of the cute little penguin family (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0vItCgIjGg).  One brief scene shows one of the penguins in front of the open freezer door with the background voice saying "Room to chill."  The first one I saw was Stanley the giraffe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEhLVwK5uCQ) to demonstrate the spaciousness of their rooms.  All the animal advertisements have the animals doing impossible things for them.  Stanley apparently ties a tie and puts a notebook computer into a case and carries it. Last is the elephant, again showing the spaciousness of the rooms (But the best one is of the cute little penguins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0vItCgIjGg)).

Others

Probably my favorite advertisement was of "Jack" making an Alka-Seltzer advertisement:
In an Alka-Seltzer commercial from 1969, an actor (played by Jack Somack^[7]) in a commercial for the fictional product "Magdalini's Meatballs" has to eat a meatball and then say "Mamma mia, that's-a spicy meat ball-a!" in an ersatz Italian accent. Take after take is ruined by some comedic trial or another. By the commercial's end, "Jack" has eaten so many meatballs that it's "Alka Seltzer to the rescue". With his stomach settled, Jack does a perfect take, except that the oven door falls off. The director (off-camera) sighs and says, "OK, let's break for lunch."  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alka-Seltzer)  Unfortunately, Frank Sinata felt this advertisement made fun of Italian Americans and the advertisements were withdrawn.

The Target Falling for Fall advertisement of falling people (http://www.stylebistro.com/Fashion+News/articles/GLXS9WB9-gt/Watch+Behind+Scenes+Target+Falling+Fall+Commercial)

What probably isn't a good commercial, because I don't remember the product being advertised (actually Time Warner Cable), is the woman cleaning a house with zombie's apparently all over the place.  At the end, the woman peers into the living room where her husband is reading a book and there are all sorts of body parts laying about (http://www.eurweb.com/2013/02/the-walking-dead-commercial-likened-to-congress-watch/).  She says to the husband, "Clean this up." as she makes a circular motion with her finger  The final scene really grabs me.  I always un-mute the TV to see her do this.  For completeness, another poor commercial (since I couldn't tell you what it is selling) that is not cute (or so I think) is the baby dragon commercial introduced in April of 2013 by Time-Warner Cable (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv6EjhZ5bd4).