by Jonathan Marshall

I will carry your lip balm. I will listen to your opinion of my friends. I will listen to your friends’ opinions of my friends. I will watch your vampire TV shows with you. And because I do this, I will drive the car I want to drive.

Women don’t buy Dodge Chargers, and whether you knew that or not, after watching this commercial, you quickly realize that international advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy had that in mind when they were deciding who to target in this ad.

The spot opens with the narrator listing things that men all over the world are “putting-up with” in relationships, while simultaneously showing images of annoyed and even angered men. Most of the things they list are both comical and currently relevant – watching “Vampire TV shows.”

By listing several things that countless frustrated men are “putting-up with,” the creative agency attempts to point out a situation that the Dodge brand has in common with the viewer- like they understand what they are going through… and they wanna help them stand up for themselves… “As a man, you’ve sacrificed a lot, but surely there is a limit to your chivalry.”

Judging from the 1,000,000+ views on YouTube, and the 1000s of comments that go with those views, not surprisingly most men love the commercial, and most women HATE IT. So, after all of that- does this ad work? It was targeted to men, and as a viral video, it got great feedback from that targeted audience… But will it SELL CHARGERS? What do you think?

by Jonathan Marshall

This video came out a year ago, but we missed it, so we’re bringing it back. It’s a fake TV spot done by British animatronics master John Nolan (the man who worked on Where the Wild Things Are, among other films).

It shows a mouse having a predictably nasty run-in with a trap – but that’s just the beginning of the story. It’s worth pushing through to the end, even for the squeamish. Nolan used a live mouse for the opening shots and animatronics for the rest.

Even though this commercial never made it to production, it turned into an extremely popular viral video. With almost 1,000,000 views, the creative agency that re-purposed the Nolan’s Cheese video into their social media strategy would consider this a viral success. The YouTube sensation spread quickly through 1000s of social media outlets, and most Social Media professionals would say this fake spot just goes to show – sometimes a questionable/risky TV spot can become a successful viral video…

by Jonathan Marshall

Depending on where you live, yesterday’s Superbowl was more about watching an exciting football game and some great commercials than it was about the Colts vs. the Saints. Nobody in San Diego has really cared for a couple of weeks, although I must say – happy to see ex-Charger Drew Breeze get his first Superbowl.

While there were many memorable, funny and entertaining commercials from yesterday, my favorite was the one with the Green Police, and the Audi A3 TDI clean diesel. Audi recently received Green Car Journals 2010 Green Car of the Year, which provided the creative foundation for their million-dollar-plus Superbowl commercial.

The Audi commercial was clever and sharp on many different levels, and ultimately it probably provoked more than laughs because it dared to satirize what is typically a taboo subject: the environmental movement.

Most would say that is sensitive and unfamiliar ground for an automaker to tread, but Audi – and its advertising agency, Venables Bell & Partners – pulled it off in a skillful and light-hearted manner. Their creative agency convinced them to spend all or most of their Super Bowl budget on an ad campaign that would spoof the same environmental ideas that many Americans are beginning to deal with today: the paper-or-plastic grocery-store guilt and even whether we should be allowed to choose the temperature of our own hot tubs. I would definitely get in trouble for that last one…

Anyway, what was your favorite commercial? And why? Let us know…

by Jonathan Marshall

Maybe it’s because Gordon just got a little french bulldog puppy, or maybe it’s because I think this commercial is pretty funny… maybe it’s both. This TV spot is the first of several spots that advertising agency TBWA/Chiat Day has released for Pedigree’s 2010 advertising campaign. TBWA/Chiat Day is one of the largest, and most internationally-recognized creative agencies in the world.

I had no idea that 4/5 dogs over the age of 3 have gum-disease. I did know that tartar build-up can be a contributing factor, but if your dog uses Dentistix from Pedigree, apparently it won’t be a problem.

Also, props toTBWA for really pulling out the big guns with the David Duchovny voice-over…