That Advil Commercial With A “Praise You” Cover

I’ve been seeing this Advil ad a lot lately. It features images of parents with their young children and concludes with the simple message “we praise your strength.” The song is a cover of Fatboy Slim’s bizarre 1999 hit “Praise You”, performed by Hannah Grace.

Fanapt Asks “How Are You?”

Here’s some trivia. What are the only two countries in the world that allow consumer advertising of prescription drugs? One is obviously the United States, and the other is New Zealand. I don’t write about too many pharma ads on here, but like anything, if I see something interesting I’ll post about it. And this Fanapt commercial caught my eye. Two women share a car ride and one asks the other “how are you?” They pass an ad for Fanapt and the one woman comments that it’s what they’re both taking right now. I’m sure that really happens in real life. Anyway. It’s then revealed that Fanapt is a prescription treatment for schizophrenia (Fanapt sounds like a fantasy sports app, doesn’t it?) And then we see some dramatizations of what their schizophrenia was like. Fortunately, they’re doing much better now. YouTube being what it is, many of the comments are about the attractive women. Anyone know who they are? I’ll try to get a better version up when I find one…but for now, turn your sound up.

Halo Top Says “Stop Shoulding Yourself”

Halo Top has garnered a lot of notoriety in recent years for its unconventional advertising. It’s been dystopian and bleak…but it’s also been critically acclaimed. Their “Ice Cream For Adults” campaign was one of my favorites from 2019. Now Halo Top is back with a new agency (Heat) and a new view on life. It’s a body-positive ad featuring the music of Mama Haze. And judging from the input it’s gotten on YouTube, it’s proving to be wildly unpopular. Eesh.

Will Your Smart Car Stop At Burger King?

Smart cars are smart, but they aren’t geniuses quite yet. A Burger King sign isn’t a stop sign, but this Tesla seems to think it is one. Which makes for a perfect BK ad. Now if your smart car stops at Burger King, you can share a pic or video with the hashtags #AutopilotWhopper and #FreeWhopper. And then a free Whopper will be all yours. Nice, although the offer is apparently only valid today, June 23rd. Here’s a bit more from Ad Age about this unique spot.

HP’s Magic Carpet Ride Of Learning Commercial

I’m writing this post on an HP laptop. It’s a good computer, but I haven’t particularly had any magical experiences with it. Perhaps for that, I need to turn to an HP printer (which I also have here). In this dazzling animated spot, a girl complains about her weather homework to her dad. He then prints off her homework, and the printed sheet becomes a magic carpet ride for them. They have firsthand experiences with clouds, rain, sunny deserts, and a snowy polar scene. It’s a wonderfully whimsical ad, created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Ja Rule Is In This Ridiculous Local Commercial For Papa Cristo’s

Earlier today, I saw Ja Rule was trending on Twitter. I thought to myself, are we still talking about Fyre Festival? Nope, but it’s something even more ridiculous. It’s a low-budget local commercial for Papa Cristo’s in Los Angeles. If you ever wanted to hear Ja Rule struggle to pronounce Greek dishes while wearing an “I Love Greece” t-shirt, today is your lucky day. Hilarious. And here’s some info about why Ja Rule did the commercial (there’s a bigger story).

Liberty Mutual: LiMu Emu & Doug Lament The One That Got Away

Liberty Mutual’s LiMu Emu & Doug are still going strong with their wacky ’70s-inspired hijinks. Here Doug (David Hoffman) chats with LiMu Emu while they’re at a scenic overlook. He says the ones that got away haunt him the most. Then we flashback to an elevator pitch. He tells a shaggy-haired person “you’re not like everybody else” and then talks up Liberty Mutual. Unfortunately, the shaggy-haired guy had headphones in, wasn’t listening, and gets off at his floor. Nooooooo! Poor Doug!

Subway Is Bringing Back The $5 Footlong (When You Buy Two)

Remember $5 Footlongs? Of course you do. It was Subway’s most famous promotion and since it coincided with the Great Recession, it caused their marketing to pivot towards value versus health. Times change though. It’s 12 years later, and we now find ourselves in an even worse economic situation. The $5 footlong has become something of a flashpoint for Subway franchisees because well, inflation happens over 12 years. But now Subway is bringing it back. Sort of. For a limited time, you can get any Footlong for $5 when you buy two. One thing that is back is that catchy jingle. And more songs, courtesy of Charlie Puth.

Geico Has DJ Khaled As A Motivational Coach

Devin is brushing his teeth and doesn’t seem that interested when the Geico voice tells him that Geico is now offering a 15 percent credit on car and motorcycle policies. That’s on top of the money Geico could already save him, so what’s he waiting for…DJ Khaled to be his motivational coach? Enter DJ Khaled for some Morning Motivation. He tells Devin to remember to brush in a circle motion. Tiny circles…another one, another one. Put in that work Devin! Don’t give up! I think I’d be more alarmed than motivated, but to each his own. Also, put down that phone Devin!

Behr Paint: A Scuffed-Up Wall Is This Man’s Everest

He has a look of horror when he sees it. It consumes him during a dinner party and causes his friends to join in on staring at it. It embarrasses him in front of his in-laws. It even spreads rumors about him at work. It’s a scuffed-up wall, and it’s his Everest. But fortunately, the man takes some Behr and says “Let’s paint!” And it paints it an attractive blue-green shade. Well done, sir! By the way, if you want Behr Paint, it’s sold exclusively at The Home Depot.