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Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

It’s the beginning of another delightful week; gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Read that many of the “Big Game” ads were sort of depressing; saw the one for Nationwide and found it kind o’ creepy. I suspect there will be some unpleasant meetings in the upper echelons of the advertising industry today.

[grumpycat]

Good!

[/grumpycat]

X_LA_Native
Admin
9 years ago

I suspect there will be some unpleasant meetings in the upper echelons of the advertising industry today.

Don’t forget, someone in those upper echelons thought the Geico Salt N’ Pepa ad was a good one.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
9 years ago

Happy Monday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Fatwa and TeX!

I wasn’t impressed with this year’s crop of Super Bowl ® ads -- nothing particularly creative. We all commented on the lack of Bud Light commercials and thought the Budweiser anti-craft brew commercial missed the mark so badly that it gave us even more reasons not to drink Bud and search out craft beers.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
9 years ago

TeX -- glad you made it back from Detroit in one piece. I hope you didn’t have any more TSA unpleasantness. I hope your boss-boss learned a lesson about doubting you, but I think that’s more wishful thinking than reality.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Hai, Paddy!

While I’m not a big beer consumer, I certainly didn’t need any additional reasons to avoid purchasing -- or even just drinking Bud. Riffing off Miller Brewing, Bud doesn’t even qualify as the Mad Dog 20-20 of beer.

Missed TeX’s comment last night prior to my first comment; ergo hai, TeX!!

I share Paddy’s thoughts re your boss-boss. That’s just teh suck.

And I think there’s something more than a little “off” with folks who don’t want alone-time…especially when attending trade shows. Having worked more than a couple of NAMM shows both in Anaheim and other cities, after the corporate breakfasts, manning the booth, doing competitor “reconnaissance”, dealer / rep dinners and then plying them with booze into the wee hours, I cannot comprehend not needing some quiet down-time at every (rare) opportunity.

Sheesh.

Just Sven
Editor
9 years ago

Good morning,

I thought the Super Bowl commercials were universally bleh. And in general, I’m really really really tired of car commercials. Advertisement creativity has hit a brick wall.

As far as the game went, a disappointing finish and the beginning of the greatest football dynasty ever blather from ESPN.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Hai, TeX and Sven!

TeX --

Dagnabbit; I also neglected to notice your comment earlier today.

*Hangs head*

Since I don’t watch teevee, I had to YouTube the Salt and Pepa Geico ad; I wonder whose gibbering, mouth-breathing nephew or niece came up what that winner.

Sven --

Given that my advertising experience was largely limited to radio promos for films and television programs, I know very little about TV ads. But I suspect that part of what’s going on re lack of “creativity” has to do with political correctness and social media…not to mention what it costs to produce and air them damned things. As a result, nobody wants to take anything which could be construed as a risk. (Save for mocking straight white males, because we’re the scum of the earth these days.)

Just Sven
Editor
9 years ago

I havent done a scientific study, nor have I bothered to look it up even though I’m sure there’s tons of analytics out there, but the only commercials out there seem to be for:
a) cars
b) trucks
c) beer
d) drugs
e) phone plans
f) insurance
And they are all depressingly similar.

X_LA_Native
Admin
9 years ago

I wonder whose gibbering, mouth-breathing nephew or niece came up what that winner.

As you don’t watch teh teevee, you can’t believe the frequency with which that particular PoS runs. I wanna string up whomever bought up all the ad time.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist
Reply to  X_LA_Native

*Rolls eyes*

Even if that were a good commercial (and it ain’t), saturation airing of it would still become annoying quite quickly.

I wanna string up whomever bought up all the ad time.

That would ultimately be some tool at teh Government Employee Insurance Company. 😉

X_LA_Native
Admin
9 years ago

That would ultimately be some tool at teh Government Employee Insurance Company. 😉

::headsmack::
Oh, FFS.
I totes forgot that part.

Just Sven
Editor
9 years ago

What did you think of Detroit, X? Has it been saved? On its way back up?

X_LA_Native
Admin
9 years ago

And in general, I’m really really really tired of car commercials.

Y’all are going to find this funny.
We were loading up a new air compressor in front of Harbor Freight. My phone automatically connects to my car via Bluetooth -- I don’t even think about it anymore.

Boss-boss calls (we were picking up his wife at the airport later), and his voice is booming out the door speakers, I can’t respond to him, AND I can’t figure out how to steal him back from my car.
It was weird. And made me think for a split second that my car had become self-aware (which isn’t out of the question these days).
o_0

First day at the auto show, we get the coats checked, we pick up our tickets from Will Call and we’re ready -- but it’s been about as long as boss-boss can go without a cigarette.
Key thing to remember: “Back in Black” is the ringtone I’ve assigned to my husband’s cellphone.
We step outside, light our smokes, and “Back in Black” comes screaming out the speakers above us. After looking up, my next move was to look down and grab my phone. (Oh sh¡t, Oh sh¡t, Oh sh¡t, Oh sh¡t!)
I had to cede boss-boss’ point: the NAIAS should be a leetle better than that.

But on car commercials (‘cuz I’m such a fvcking authori-tay after two years in the biz):
I think “Back in Black” for the Colorado sucks. And it got annoying.
Cadillac did nicely with Bowie’s “Fame” -- but the stripper shoes at the end kilt it.

Thinking over the years, I think Nissan has really dropped the ball. They’ve had some really good ideas, but the ads get pulled after a first run.

They had a 240Z commercial done to “Me and My Shadow” with three cars essentially doing synchronized skidding on a track. It was fun -- and pulled after one airing.

Kinda like the infamous Nike Air ad, but without the notoriety.

I think what scares me the most though, is almost ALL the music is from my formative years, from ~18 to 25. I haz a demographic.

Sven,
I don’t actually get to see much of it, it’s mainly Cobo Hall where the show is, the MGM where you can still smoke inside, and a couple of places outside of the main city.

When we had dinner with the VP (he’s lived in Detroit and is still plugged in), he explained that downtown will get better if the people get out of their own way.

When neighborhoods improve, rents go up. It’s basic economics, not racism.

One guy who had been losing money for ten years was grateful for the rent increase because it finally gave him a leg to stand on and shut his restaurant down. He’d been keeping it afloat out of misplaced loyalty to his employees. But they’re busy calling him a racist.
::sigh::

Well, time to get to the monthly VFD meeting.
Later, all y’all!
*Mwah!*