Apple’s iPhone X Ad From Australia Shows The First Dance Of Same-Sex Couples

Back in 2011, I wrote about an Australian marriage equality commercial. Three and a half years later, same-sex marriage became legal in the United States. In December, Australia voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Now, Apple has a touching new ad from Australia for the iPhone X, which shows different couples enjoying their first dances. The song is a cover of INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart”, performed by Courtney Barnett.

Dockers Shows You How To Get An Upgrade And How To Get To Work On Time

While some might consider wearing khakis to be schlubby, Dockers obviously disagrees. In a pair of new commercials from its “How To” campaign (which has apparently been running since last year, but I guess I missed it), Dockers presents two characters who improve their lot in life while wearing the brand’s khakis. In the first, a man gets an airline upgrade after saving an old lady’s Pomeranian from getting run over by a sleeping shuttle driver. In the second, a guy who’s running late for work hitches a ride from a donut delivery man, and gets a box for his office. Both of the ads feature very quick-paced shots, and the unconventional problem solving of the characters reminds me of those classic Mentos commercials from the ’90s.

 

The Women From Those Buick Commercials

A blog reader wrote to me wondering the identities of the women in a Buick commercial. They have numerous ads running, so I’ll cover a few of them. The first one isn’t even new…it came out at least a year ago, but has been getting aired again. Two friends are going to their friend’s baby shower. One picked up a cake that says “girl.” Only problem is that the baby, who’s going to be named Taylor, will be a boy. So they run back to the bakery for a “boy” cake. The brunette is Caitlin McHugh, and the blonde is Arielle Vandenberg, who also played the wife in State Farm’s popular “Never” ad.

In the second commercial, a woman parks her Buick Enclave and a bunch of kids pop out. Another woman passing by comments about how much room it has for “those little maniacs”, and suggests to her husband that they should have a ton more kids. Only they have three active ones already. Vanessa Rubio plays the Buick Enclave mom.. The husband of the stroller mom is Robert Belushi, who’s the son of Jim and the nephew of John. The song playing in both commercials is “It’s Alright” by Matt & Kim.

 

The Audi RS 5 Coupe Brings Back A Dying Man

In Audi’s new ad “Final Breath” for its RS 5 Coupe, we see an old man on his deathbed surrounded by family, and recounting his memorable life. It seems that he could have been buddies with Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World. “I’ve squeezed every drop of juice out of this life, and I’m ready for the next one,” he says. But then as he flatlines, an Audi RS 5 Coupe rolls up outside, and maybe he just needs a little more time. It’s a great spot from Venables Bell & Partners.

New York Lottery’s Small Town Fantasy

New York Lottery is quickly becoming one of my favorite advertisers. Their Christmas commercial with a friendly bodega cat was a big hit. Last month’s planetarium ad made me chuckle. Now they have a mysterious and whimsical spot, created by McCann New York. We see a deserted small town at night. A diner says “Open 24 Hours” and the lights are on, but nobody is inside. In fact, there are lights on all over town, but where are the people? A haunting musical score adds to the unsettling feeling. Finally, there’s a hand that sets down a train. It’s all a model. The New York Lottery asked what people would do if they won $1,000 a day for life, and Paul S. said “I’d spend more time being a kid again.” Aww.

Arby’s Has A Song About 2 For $5 Fish Sandwiches

It’s an Olympics-tinged, “We Are The World”-esque song, performed by someone who sounds like Justin Bieber. And as it turns out, the song is all about meat and closes by advertising Arby’s 2 for $5 fish sandwiches. Haha.

Tuesday Throwback: Jake From State Farm

I remember the “Jake from State Farm” commercial debuting in 2011, around the same time I started this blog. I wrote about it, but didn’t realize that it would become such a huge hit…an ad that would be aired for years. But looking back, it’s still hilarious. I’ve even seen people dress up for Halloween as Jake from State Farm. I guess that’s a convenient costume if you’re somewhat lazy and own a red polo and khakis. Jake Stone was a real-life State Farm agent, and according to this article, he quit shortly after the ad was released. I still wonder how many people call their State Farm agents at 3 AM. Justin Campbell plays the husband, and Melanie Paxson is the wife.

Duracell Shows Why You Need Reliable Batteries For Your Headphones On A Flight

If you’re looking for peace and quiet on a flight, headphones are imperative. Even better if they’re noise-cancelling headphones. Otherwise you’ll be trapped in the air in a contained space with such aural pleasures as an chatty flight attendant, an extroverted seatmate, a crying baby, and an annoying lady who sings off-key. Best have Duracell batteries for that 10-hour flight. Anna Garcia plays the woman with headphones.

This Commercial Sucks: Diet Coke’s “Because I Can”

Diet Coke’s “Because I Can” campaign smacks of marketers trying desperately to connect with those enigmatic millennials, and failing miserably. Just awful.

Milo Ventimiglia From This Is Us Urges Forgiveness For Crock-Pot

If you watch NBC’s tearjerking drama This Is Us, you already know that a faulty switch on a slow cooker started the fire that ultimately led to patriarch Jack Pearson’s death. It was an unbranded slow cooker, but since Crock-Pot is pretty much a generic trademark, the brand received a surprising amount of vitriol on social media. Now on the eve of the big Super Bowl episode where we’ll see the full story of Jack’s demise, Milo Ventimiglia stars in an amusing ad for Crock-Pot. In #CrockPotIsInnocent, Milo, appearing as Jack, urges forgiveness and spoons some Crock-Pot chili into a bowl. Some solid meta humor there. Here’s more from Adweek.