Apple’s iPhone 7 Commercial With Balloons

You’ve probably seen this one, since it’s an Apple ad and all over TV. It’s done well online too, garnering 4.5 million views in a month. The bright balloons and lush landscapes add lovely visuals to the spot. And the first few times I saw it, I totally thought MY phone was going off when the text comes in. A nice song too…“I Will Follow You” by Toulouse.

Geico: Raccoons Raid The Garbage, But Aren’t Impressed With The Taste

Honestly, I could probably write a blog just about funny Geico ads. In the latest of the “It’s What You Do” campaign, we see raccoons being raccoons and scavenging through garbage. The one raccoon eats something really awful, and wants his friends and/or family to try it. Because when you taste something bad, you want someone else to try it…it’s what you do. But as AdFreak notes, the companion videos might be even better. “Raccookin'” shows one of the raccoons whipping together a recipe. Except that they’re fake recipes with names like “pepperoni garbage bread” made with stuff out of the trash. His narration is low-key great.

This Genius Man Finds A Way To Hold A Baby AND Eat Taco Bell’s Rolled Chicken Tacos

Rolled Chicken Tacos are back at Taco Bell. The guy in this ad is so passionate about them that he hesitates to hold his friends’ baby. But goaded on by his new girlfriend (perhaps an audition of sorts…) and the baby’s dad, he finds a novel solution to his problem. Who said American innovation is dead? The boyfriend is played by Josh Duvendeck, his girlfriend is Alexandra Siegel, and Camille Collard is the mom. Also, the “hold my baby, man” dad is played by Tanner Rittenhouse.

Wendy’s Brings Back The ’90s With Its Taco Salad

If you came of age in the ’90s like I did, it’s easy to get nostalgic about that time, especially when comparing it with the festering craphole decade of the 2000s that followed. But while we might look back at the music, TV, and pop culture of the ’90s with rose-colored glasses, a closer look reveals that not all was good. For example, “Macarena”, a terrible song which had an even more hideous dance, was a #1 hit for fourteen weeks back in 1996. Eww.

Wendy’s apparently had a Taco Salad on its menu in the ’90s (I don’t remember this), and now it’s bringing it back. But in these amusing spots from VML, Wendy’s brings up aspects of ’90s life that are best left in the past. They show teenagers embarrassed by their ’90s loving parents. There’s the Cosby sweater wearing dad (played by Robert Maschio AKA “The Todd” from Scrubs) who’s enthralled by dial-up Internet and its accompanying cacophony. We’ve got the mom in a hilarious “talk to the hand” sweatshirt whose still using the cheesy ’90s slang. Like “don’t go there” and “bomb diggity…dot com.” So cool, Mom…NOT! And then the father who covers up his unfortunate frosted hair with an unequally unfortunate hat. It’s a chuckler.

Toronto’s The Hospital for Sick Children Has A Fantastic Ad

Big hat tip to AdFreak for this one. It’s a spectacular commercial, created by Cossette, for Toronto’s very literally named The Hospital for Sick Children (AKA SickKids). We see sick kids dramatically fighting back against their maladies. The battle imagery is striking and visually compelling. And the pounding song (“Undeniable” by Donnie Daydream featuring Richie Sosa) is a great fit. Incredible work.

Tuesday Throwback: Donald Trump Loves Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust

I remember when Pizza Hut came out with Stuffed Crust. Everyone was eating it, and everyone was eating it backwards, like the commercials suggested. Did anyone in 1995 thought Donald Trump would be the Republican presidential candidate 21 years later?

 

That Bounce Commercial With A “Your Love” Parody

This ad is pretty amusing. It’s unfortunate that Harry’s shirt comes out so wrinkled. And no Harry, trying to smooth it out with your hands doesn’t work…it just makes it look like you’re rubbing yourself. But any commercial that has a parody of The Outfield’s wildly catchy song “Your Love” is going to be one that gets my attention. By the way, Gavin Williams plays Harry.

Geico: Sleeping Beauty Wasn’t Sleeping After All

Turns out that she’s just pretending to be asleep so she can be left alone and watch trashy TV. Poor Prince Charming. I’m a big fan of Geico’s “It’s What You Do” campaign, but I find this one to just be meh. (Not so) Sleeping Beauty is played by Annika Noelle, and Prince Charming is James Trevena-Brown.

This Toyota Corolla Commercial Has Young People Singing “You Don’t Own Me”

It shows millennials being independent, tracing their own path, and doing their own thing. WITH ATTITUDE. It sounds like I’m being snarky, but this spot is surprisingly watchable. The song is “You Don’t Own Me”, originally recorded by Lesley Gore. It sounds like the version in the ad is a cover by Grace.