Radio Shack’s Very Suggestive Ad For The Beats Pill

It’s phallic and it knows it! The song is “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke f/ T.I. and Pharrell, and the commercial seems to be a parody version of the video.

This Sweet Commercial For Robinsons Drinks

They’re best pals. They play together, roughhouse, and help each other out. And they’re…well, that’s where the twist ending comes in. Very nice work from Robinsons Drinks, created by BBH London.

Coca-Cola Shows Really Cute Young Love At A Six Flags

First off, I’d like to mention that Commercial Society is 2 years old today. So there’s that. I might not post as much as I used to, but I’m definitely still keeping the blog running. It’s a joy to write!

Now, Coca-Cola has a great new commercial created by Fitzgerald + Co., which I discovered through AdFreak. It’s a simple, sweet, and very cute story of a young couple with blossoming feelings for each other. Or at least, the potential for those feelings. This is the kind of ad that would play well at any time, but fares especially well as the weather warms up. I’m sure Six Flags was quite eager to be prominently featured in this spot. So here’s to falling!

Hyundai’s Bleak, Awful, (And Now Pulled) Suicide Commercial

I am not an easily offended person. I tend to crack jokes that make politically correct types uncomfortable, and I think society is overall too sensitive. So it’s not often that I see ads that not only offend me, but make me angry. I can’t believe Hyundai’s European “Pipe Job” commercial for the iX35 (created by Innocean) even got approved. Almost immediately, we see a an exhaust pipe flowing into a car with sealed windows and know exactly what’s going on (shades of Lane Pryce from Mad Men). The tension builds and builds as a man is waiting for the inevitable…and then we see why nothing is happening. The man’s suicide attempt is foiled. It’s a really dark and disturbing way to show that the car has 100% water emissions. While the ad does have some visceral appeal, it made me upset and pissed off. Suicide is not something to joke about. But the best response has come from copywriter Holly Brockwell, who lost her father to suicide in the same manner presented in the commercial. Common sense prevailed as the ad has been pulled, and Hyundai has apologized. But still, it’s crazy that this ad was ever made.

Update: Looks like Hyundai shut it down on YouTube. I can’t embed it on here, but if you really want to see it, try Adweek.

LG Does A Men’s Room Stage Fright Experiment

Stage fright. It can happen on stage and it can happen in the bathroom. I think it’s especially common in old-style men’s rooms that don’t have barriers between each urinal. Sometimes if it feels like you’re being looked at, going becomes a challenge. So LG decided to do an experiment for its “So Real It’s Scary” video campaign. Very attractive women appear on lifelike LG IPS screens to see if men have delayed pissing reactions. It’s a similar idea to LG’s popular elevator prank that debuted in October. This was filmed in Amsterdam, by the way. Quite entertaining.

New Era’s Quiet And Classy Tribute To Jackie Robinson

This New Era ad debuted on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball. Robinson’s legacy became even more pronounced this year with the release of biopic 42, which debuted at #1 at the box office. New Era’s spot is a great piece of work. Over a calm narration, it features different people in black-and-white tipping their caps. And it’s revealed that these people are tipping their hats at a cute young boy, wearing a Jackie Robinson shirt and bright blue Brooklyn Dodgers cap (the only color in the commercial.) The boy then tips his cap when he arrives at Jackie Robinson Park (less than a mile from where I’m living in New York), and we see an impact of Robinson’s legacy. Simple, quiet, and classy.

Kmart Will Ship Your Pants

It’s kind of crazy that I hadn’t seen Kmart’s “Ship My Pants” (created by Draftfcb) until today. It’s gone wicked contagious (I’m so sick of the term “viral”) since being uploaded to YouTube on April 10. More than 10 million views…wow. According to AdFreak, “Ship My Pants” has an astonishing one share for every nine views. Anyway, the commercial itself follows the Booking.com method of copy that only sounds vulgar. But I think it does a better job. And we learn that Kmart can ship your pants, ship your drawers, ship your nighty, and ship your bed! For free! Useful, funny, and punny. A winning combination. For now it’s only online, but a TV run should be coming soon. If you haven’t already seen it, here it is. You’ll probably react like a tittering twelve year old.

Vodafone’s “The Kiss” Is A Beautiful Piece Of Film

Sometimes the best commercials don’t feel like commercials at all. I know I’ve said that on here many times, but it really is true. That’s definitely the case with this beautiful new ad for British telecommunications company Vodafone, created by Grey London. As the title indicates, Vodafone’s spot shows a couple’s passionate kiss that extends from adolescence throughout life and into old age. We’re only aware that it’s an advert in the last 10 seconds when the words “good things should last forever” introduce Vodafone Red. Exquisite cinematography, an original-ish idea (the -ish is only there because it’s somewhat reminiscent of this also great KFC ad from South Africa), and haunting music (“Walk” by Ludovico Einaudi) combine for something that definitely feels like an award winner.

That Stupid Facebook Home Commercial

I’m busy watching basketball, so I’ll keep it short. This is random, boring, and ultimately quite lame. Here’s what AdFreak has to say about it.

Gatorade: Kevin Durant And Dwyane Wade Have A Nightmare Scenario

I’m realizing that I could start a blog simply featuring sports commercials. Anyway, it’s been said that dreams are a window into our unconscious mind. Some scientists believe that dreams, particularly nightmares, exist as a place to rehearse fight-or-flight situations. That certainly seems to be in Gatorade’s excellent new commercial. Kevin Durant drives to the hoop in a critical situation…and is blocked by Dwyane Wade. Luckily, it was just a nightmare. So Durant goes hard into his training (the intense training music is great.) And in the next meeting, Kevin Durant’s dream becomes Dwyane Wade’s nightmare. A twist! Adweek calls it “the Inception of salty-fruit-punch commercials.” I wonder where LeBron was in all this action.