Progressive’s Flo Is “Maid For Us”

Poor Flo…she’s no maid, but everyone thinks she is in Progressive’s new ad, which features sitcom parody “Maid For Us.” Comments have stated it uses the set from “Everybody Loves Raymond”, which is possible, though I must admit that I’ve never seen that show. It’s all rather dumb and clearly has nothing to do with Progressive Insurance, but that theme song is a pretty spot-on sitcom parody.

Apple: This Teenager Has Questions About Shaving His Burgeoning Mustache

Apple has been really been emphasizing the iPhone’s privacy features in its newest ads. Here, we meet a 15 year old boy with a growing mustache (and a unibrow too). He searches on his iPhone and finds websites that say its normal to start shaving at his age. So he puts down his phone and gets to shaving. The message about privacy is that Safari limits sites from tracking you, because “what you browse should be your business.” That’s cool. The song playing throughout is Bo Diddley’s “I’m A Man.”

The Song From That Citi Concert Commercial

It’s a perfectly pleasant Citi commercial, complete with confetti and some impressive urban scenery. But if you’re on this page, you’re probably here to find out about the song. That song is “Wow” from Zara Larsson and Marshmello. So damn catchy. The blonde woman is played by Lauren Hastings, and her friend is Bora Jasa.

Marriott’s “Bonvoy!” Commercial

I’ll admit that the first few times I saw this one, it didn’t occur to me that everyone was saying “Bonvoy!” as in “Bon voyage!” Regardless, “Bonvoy!” is a dumb saying, and it won’t catch on. Pretty hotels though.

AT&T Says “Just OK” March Madness Announcers Are Not OK

AT&T continues with their “Just OK Is Not OK” campaign, and since they’re a major sponsor of the NCAA Tournament, these spots are March Madness-themed. The campaign presents scenarios where it would be wrong for things to be “just OK”, though examples they show are much, much worse than OK.  These have an announcing duo, with play-by-play guy Ken, and clueless color commentator Phil. AT&T has a huge number of these on their YouTube page, so I’ll just post some highlights. There’s one where Phil misunderstands when he’s asked to give some insight about his time as a player. Phil also thinks a guy who got a rebound is actually on the rebound, and shouts out “Freebird!” to the band. And goofy Phil thinks his job as the color commentator is to actually comment on colors…which he does quite well in describing Purdue’s hues. Haha. Mark Neely plays Ken, and Phil is played by Tim Baltz.

 

The Buick Envision Helps This Mom Come Grocery Time

Buick is one of the major sponsors of the NCAA Tournament, so I’m thinking we’ll be seeing a lot of this one in the next few weeks. Anyway, a mom is showing off her new Buick Envision to her son. She points out the Wi-Fi features and wireless charging for phones. Then she shows him the back…and it’s full of groceries. He asks if he can help after he walks the dog, but they don’t have a dog. Mom comments that her son is a “strong man”, and he tells her not to patronize him. Anyone know who plays mom and son?

Capital One: Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson, And Spike Lee Return For More Hilarious March Madness Commercials

And now comes the return of a beloved yearly ad campaign: Capital One’s March Madness. For those not familiar, these ads center on Charles Barkley’s clownish personality, with Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee either laughing at him, or playing straight men roles to a certain extent. Jim Nantz also appears in some of the spots. We see Charles wear a ridiculous “Chuxedo”, and hold up giant “Chuckmojis” at the game. Elsewhere, Chuck shows up with a parrot his shoulder named “Larry Bird”, when he runs into the real Larry Bird who has a dog named “Charles Barkley.” The gang gets punny with a “Mini Soda” and a “Mini Apple” when they’re in Minnesota for the Final Four. More puns come with Chuck’s Final Fourgasbord, which features “Charles Broccoli”, “Jim Nantz on a log”, “Ham Jackson”, and “Spike Brie.” Chuck also loves alerts with airhorns. Ahaha. I love these!

That Boost Mobile Commercial With “Resting Glitch Face”

I’m not going to say that this Boost Mobile ad is a great one. But the first time I saw it, I really did think my stream was freezing. And I also got a bit of a chuckle from “resting glitch face.” Jennifer Shelton plays the mom, Paul Mabon is the dad, and Lance Alexander is the son. Anyone know who play the Boost Mobile reps?

Buffalo Wild Wings Says That Buffalo Wild Wings Is The Best Place To Watch March Madness

Buffalo Wild Wings is struggling these days. So it makes sense that the chain, which has run March Madness ad campaigns for years, would be going at it from a different angle this year. Previous campaigns just focused on the experience of watching at B-Dub’s, while these contrast with the experience of watching elsewhere. It can be sad and soulless watching on your phone, in the office, or in a man cave. If buffering ever happens, you know it will be during a pivotal part of the game. Buffalo Wild Wings also makes a funny reference to the well-known increase in vasectomies during March Madness. So “do as your fancestors did”, and head to Buffalo Wild Wings. Or, you know, a better sports bar if there’s one around.

Tuesday Throwback: Jim Beam’s “The Girlfriend”

Jim Beam’s “The Girlfriend” ad is one that I kind of wish had been released when I was writing this blog, because I know it would get a ton of pageviews. It’s also sexist as hell, and a commercial that would never be made today. The “he can do whatever he wants” line is particularly cringeworthy. Despite the weirdly muddled accent of the girlfriend (Is she Latina? Eastern European?), she’s actually Australian. That makes sense though, since this was a commercial originally broadcast in Australia.