I’ve never watched The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Or Beverly Hills. Or Atlanta or Dallas or Miami
Thank you, no.
But I’m pretty sure we have that reality show franchise to thank for the ‘Everyday Collection’ TV ad from Target.
Gotta love that ‘tude.
Thank you, Housewives.
Posted in Advertising, Business, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Shopping, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, Atlanta, attitude, Beverly Hills, Business, commercials, Dallas, Humor, life, Miami, reality show, shopping, Target, Television, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, TV
I arrived in Boston today — which has snow — and was immediately bombarded by television commercials for the local ski resorts, which also have snow.
My favorite?
Crotched Mountain
It looks lovely enough in the ads, and in the promotional photos on the website.
But Crotched Mountain?
I can’t be the first person to experience a bit of mental whiplash at that name.
Apparently the mountain, located in western Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, was named by early settlers who thought its V-shaped peaks resembled the fork or “crotch” of a tree.
Huh.
My dirty mind has never heard “crotch” used in quite that context before. But I’ll sure think of it now…
Every time it snows.
Posted in Advertising, Humor, Life, Television, Weather
Tagged advertising, Boston, commercials, crotch, Crotched Mountain, dirty mind, early settlers, fork, Humor, life, mental whiplash, New Hampshire, pure as the driven snow, ski resort, snow, Television, tree, weather
While I was watching my zillionth hour of Olympic coverage this weekend — hey, don’t judge — one commercial in particular caught my eye.
It was shot from the athletes’ point of view as they trained in their different disciplines. The voices changed, but they each spoke about what they had to give up to excel at their sport.
Dessert. Sleep. Extracurricular activities. TV.
(TV? Yet another reason I would never make it…)
That’s when it hit me. These aren’t athletes — they’re a cult! Am I reacting too hastily? Let’s take another look, just to be sure.
Uh oh.
Guys…guys, can you hear me?
I’m over here! What are you looking at?!
Man…I think they’re too far gone.
Posted in Advertising, Commentary, Design, Entertainment, Fashion, Humor, Life, Olympics, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, athletes, commercials, cult, design, dessert, entertainment, Fashion, Humor, intervention, life, London 2012, Olympics, opening ceremony outfits, sacrifies, Sports, Television, TV
Celebrities — they’re just like us.
Not. Even. Close.
While watching reruns on television last night — yes, it’s that very sad time of year — I was treated to not one but two commercials that referenced Alec Baldwin’s infamous inflight meltdown.
You remember — he was playing Words with Friends after the plane door had closed and had a very heated exchange with the American flight attendants. Then a very heated Twitter tirade about same.
Then he closed his Twitter account.
Months later, his Twitter is open. He even made fun of the account on a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live. And now not only Capitol One has referenced the incident in their latest ad — starring Baldwin, of course — but also a commercial highlighting the inventors of…
Words with Friends.
Yep, stuff like that happens to me all the time when I have travel mishaps.
Not. Even. Close.
Posted in Advertising, Airplanes, Celebrities, Comedy, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Television, transportation, Travel, TV
Tagged airplanes, Alec Baldwin, American Airlines, Capitol One, celebrities, celebrities are just like us, comedy, commentary, commercials, entertainment, flight attendants, Humor, inflight meltdown, Internet, life, reruns, Saturday Night Live, Television, transportation, Travel, TV, Twitter, Words with Friends
I was catching up on my DVR backlog the other night and caught the end of a commercial for term life insurance targeted at seniors.
As an incentive, the company is offering all applicants — get ready — a deck of large print playing cards absolutely FREE!
Really?
At retail, a deck of cards costs between $2-3, and the insurance company is no doubt getting a volume discount.
What happened to the good old days when customers were plied with, at the very least, home appliances? Heck, a cheap toaster is only $12. Isn’t an long-term insurance contract worth that much?
And cost aside, are playing cards even — excuse the pun — a draw? They caught my eye because they were so cheap…but will folks in the target market pick up the phone just to play solitaire?
But then again, it was enough to inspire me to go on and on for this long. So maybe Granny has already gone ‘all in.’
Posted in Business, Family, Games, Humor, Relationships
Tagged Business, commentary, commercials, customers, DVR, DVR backlog, family, free gifts, games, Humor, incentives, insurance, large print playing cards, life, playing cards, pun, Relationships, senior citizens, solitaire, target market, term life insurance, toasters
Today I’m doing background work on an American Express commercial.
We’re shooting a faux concert at a theatre in New Jersey, so there are a lot of us. After the numbers reach a certain level, it’s more about crowd control than acting.
So, to entertain myself, I decided to adopt a different personality for the day. None of these folks know me, so no one will realize the difference, right?
I decided to be shy and introverted…quiet even. Keep to myself. Not be the loud one for a change.
I’m not that good of an actor.
Posted in Advertising, Business, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Music, Shopping, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, American Express, AMEX, background actor, Business, commercial shoot, commercials, concert, entertainment, extra actor, Humor, life, Music, New Jersey, rock band, shopping, television commercials, tv commercials
When I moved to Manhattan, my first celebrity encounter was with Michael McGlone, who co-starred in “The Brothers McMullen” with director Ed Burns.
I was riding the up escalator at the AMC theater in Lincoln Square — and he was riding the down — and I’m pretty sure he heard me report the sighting in my cellphone because he was smiling to himself as we ‘passed in the night.’
A few months later, the doorman at the building next door to mine — a very good friend of Rory’s — introduced me to Michael as he was walking through the lobby because he lived there. Michael was extremely polite, kind of like a politician in his manner. And from that day forward, if I saw him on the street, he always smiled and said hello. He even invited me to a local club to see his band play.
Look at me — I’m a friend of Michael McGlone.
So as his friend, I have to brag and tell everyone to watch his new commercials for GEICO.
No, he’s not wearing a gecko outfit. He’s in a brand new campaign playing a serious, suited announcer-type. He appears on-camera posing questions about some very familiar faces — questions like:
“Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?”
“Is Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones too tall?”
“Does Elmer Fudd have problems with the letter ‘R’?”
He’s still sporting the same Wall Street, slicked-back ‘do from his McMullen days, but it works with the suit. And his voice is filled with the appropriate sense of import.
Beats a gecko any day.
Go get ‘em, Michael!
Be free, live, run
I have spent a lot of time this past week watching — and writing about — the Olympics.
And while I knew I would be glued to the TV watching Olympic tennis and gymnastics and swimming and diving and basketball, I have been pleasantly surprised to find how much I am also enjoying….
The commercials.
Advertisers get all kinds of props for the spots they put together for the Super Bowl each year, but I don’t think enough has been said — if anything — about the commercials in the London Olympics.
My personal fav?
The ad ‘The Beach,’ featuring the Chappo song “Come Home.” I’ve seen it several times, and it makes me laugh every time.
Give those guys a medal.
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Olympics, Sports, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, basketball, Business, Chappo, Come Home song, commentary, commercials, diving, gymnastics, Humor, London 2012, Olympic medal, Olympics, Sears, Sears Appliances, Sports, Super Bowl, swimming, Television, The Beach ad, TV