Archive for the ‘advertising’ category

Little Caesars Pretzel Crust Commercial…

April 14, 2025

Little Caesars has brought back it’s Pretzel Crust pizza touted in this commercial, and it’s all that office anthropomorphic sheep worker Brian can think about…so much so, in fact, that he keeps bleating that “It’s BAAAAACK,” at one point pounding his hooves on his computer keyboard to bring up the BAAAAACK legend on his computer screen…

While bosses would like to have sheepish, compliant workers, I doubt that those hooves of worker Brian would be capable of hitting individual keys on the keyboard. Brian does, however, sport good office attire, so we can perhaps forgive him if he acts a bit sheepish…

Flonase “Save Your Relationship With Nature” Commercial…

April 1, 2025

I’ve always found anthropomorphic plants a bit creepy, even if they are sunflowers…and this 2025 Flonase commercial is no exception! With a monstrous specimen of this size sitting on the couch right next to her, flowering vines and all, it’s no wonder that this lady has allergy problems…

Now anthropomorphic flowers are rare in both horror and commercials, and this one appears to have eyes, a nose, and most disturbingly, teeth! One is hard pressed to think of ambulatory and even sentient plants, although The Day of the Triffids movies (1962 and 2018) come to mind. Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors (1986) was also a classic that even generated a musical. Even more recently, we have the heroic and self-sacrificing Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, so perhaps plants are starting to come into their own…

In the 2025 Flonase commercial, the lady complains to her floral companion that “He makes her feel so miserable!” The sunflower appears to feel badly about this, extending some vines in her direction but only causing a sneeze…

Fortunately, Flonase is taken, and we last see the lady and flower in the great outdoors, both untroubled to enjoy the experience!- – I just love happy endings, don’t you?

NJM’s “Salon” Commercial…

January 22, 2025

People or furries who go to salons or beauticians seeking a “whole new look” are brave souls. I have worn the same hairstyle for decades, knowing what helps me blend in so I can almost pass for human…

Alpacas are adorable animals; who doesn’t like them? And so it’s easy to relate to this courageous little alpaca in the NJM Insurance commercial who goes to their salon seeking that total makeover. Her hairstylist is up for the challenge,and so demonstrates a variety of different styles on the client…

One hairstyle looks rather EMO; another is a Mohawk. Still a third may be a Mullet. But our customer Alpaca isn’t quite satisfied with any of these possibilities…

So the alpaca’s stylist summons the salon’s master stylist, Gloria. That woman appears in a portal, and in greeting says, “Come to Momma!” The alpaca makes a sound that may be a mixture of fear and excitement. Be careful what you wish for, I guess!

NJM “Target Audience” 2025 Commercial…

January 20, 2025

A bear is repeatedly ringing the doorbell…a rabbit is knocking on the window…the phone is ringing insistently…windows are popping up on the computer…and a pair of bird legs is struggling to emerge from the fireplace!

We should have known!,” despairs hubby as he grabs an umbrella to jab at the bird legs, and repel the invader!

Now I, for one, have always wanted to seek out the furry mascot army, and join their hellish crusade, so I would embrace the invaders, and go off with them! Just let me grab my fox fursuit. – -My time would have finally arrived, Ahahahaha! 🦊

(What?! – –You think I’d rather watch the Trump coronation?! Not in this life! 😼 )

The Real Cost of Vaping Promo; Formaldehyde

December 12, 2024

In a government public service promo, we are taken to a taxidermy shop where I suspect that the proprietor has not quite mastered his art, because the taxidermied animals there look creepy, more like road kill than a recreation of life…

These poor specimens present that vape smoke can contain formaldehyde, the same chemical used to preserve dead animals like themselves…badly! The talking animals banter among themselves, struggling to pronounce the word formaldehyde…

The promo is darkly comic and even disturbing, but conveys a serious message that vaping fumes are not simply harmless water vapor, but can contain toxic and damaging chemicals that will be conveyed to the lungs…and that’s a thought even more unnatural than these badly-preserved animals!

Now this is toxic taxidermy, and I feel sorry for my poor cousins for whom death was not the final insult!

“Overworked Elf” Dean Winters Allstate/Walmart Commercial…

December 2, 2024

Aww!–It’s Xmas season again! And what could be a better antidote for that than Dean Winters playing an overworked elf!? Doesn’t the above scene look Christmas-y? A coating of snow, seasonal yard decor, and…gasp!– –Santa and his sleigh on the rooftop!

But there’s a rub…the Mayhem dude is playing Santa’s overworked assistant, and he’s ready to call it a night! Mayhem is wearing his suit, but clearly the worse for the wear. There’s soot on his face, maybe some bruises,and his tie is askew…it’s been a long night! Clearly, the elves need to unionize..

But I’ve always disliked elves of the relentlessly-cheerful variety. I like my elves world-weary, and a bit sarcastic, and Winters fits that bill perfectly! He’s already had a hard night, and so when he hands Santa his pack (“here you go, Boss!”), he fumbles, and the gifts go tumbling down the chimney! It gets worse, too, ’cause there a fire burning in the hearth! An expensive Apple laptop impacts and is broken open, and other gifts ignite! If you have ever dropped electronic devices even a short distance much less ignited them, you’ll know that this does not bode well for their functionality. Yuppers, Allstate insurance sure is needed for protection of these electronics, or as as our elf tells us, you’ll be “Ho-ho-SO out of luck!

I also love the fact that Winters apparently has names for the reindeer other than what we are used to, referring to one of them as “Cliffton.” I’d be in favor of re-naming most of the reindeer, giving them relatable names such as Frank, Harry, and Clyde. This reindeer looks somewhat startled by the spectacle that he has just witnessed…

Dean Winters has given us Xmas elves before, memorably playing The Elf on the Shelf just a few years back. That elf was dressed in traditional elfish attire, and as human-sized, brought the shelf down that he was sitting on due to his weight. “Elf down!- -Elf down!,” he alerted from the floor…

So enjoy Dean Winters in this year’s holiday offering…he’s a national treasure, really!

NJM’s “Unicorn” commercial…

November 25, 2024

I’m not a rainbows and unicorns” kinda guy, but this brief NJM commercial features a well-rendered unicorn in a very Arthurian atmosphere…

When two guys go traipsing through a pristine and dense unspoiled forest talking about the one’s car, ethereal fantasy-type music plays, and a majestic white unicorn appears between some trees! He’s anthropomorphic and so can speak, of course, so he comments that the most magical things about NJM insurance is that they put their customers first. When asked by one of the two guys if he’s a mascot, the unicorn adamantly denies it, and proclaims that he’s just a fan of the insurance. Unicorns, if memory serves, could best be tamed by a virgin…

I guess that we could all use an occasional unicorn in our lives, which beats a pesky insurance salesman any day…

https://youtube.com/shorts/OnNVjAAD-fI?si=ZYptwHGkMigM81vP

Buffalo Wild Wings “Box Out” Commercial…

September 11, 2024

The buffalo, whose name is Hank, is voiced by Beck Bennett. Crafted for the March Madness event, the commercial is certainly mad and wild. Hank, who thinks that he knows a bit about playing defense, goes into a demonstration by unintentionally knocking people about, even breaking out the window, complete with a bodily ejection and flying glass. One would certainly want to be on this bison’s team, as his opponents might not survive him!

I’ve never posted about a buffalo before, but Hank does cut an impressive and imposing furry figure in this ad; you’d just want to think twice about inviting him to your apartment, however! Unanswered are the questions of whether Hank will be held liable for damages…

And BTW, this fox was born in Buffalo, New York!

NJM’s “Secret” Commercial…

September 2, 2024

For a company that disavows mascots, NJM insurance presents a lot of mascots of the fictitious competition, and they frequently are pretty good! These dastardly mascots also try their best to cover up advertising copy for NJM. As this commercial begins, we are shown a peacock who spreads his tail feathers at a bus stop to cover a posted ad for NJM. Then at an office, the purple arm of some thing appears to close the lid of a laptop that might be preparing to display NJM copy. A large green” Kraken” hangs from the roof of a bus to spread its tentacles over an NJM ad. Lastly, a bear using a riding mower runs over and thoroughly shreds a delivered newspaper bearing NJM ad copy, pieces of which then float in the air like confetti around a bewildered homeowner…

It’s no “secret,” you see, that NJM insurance is so good that it stands on its own merits, and doesn’t need mascots…

“Earl” from Smalls Food For Cats Commercial…

July 13, 2024