Monday, June 3, 2013

Smackdown: the Geico gecko versus the cavemen (aka ads you love to hate)


(From Summer at Mustang Ridge)

“Hello, ladies,” said a voice from behind them, making Shelby do a turn-and-tuck, so she was in front of her daughter.

The guy gained points by holding a soda rather than a beer, but lost them by having added another exclamation point to his name, so the tag on his purple rodeo shirt read: Howdy, my name is Brad!! Having gotten her attention, he leaned in too close to say, “I've got a confession to make—it's my first time. How about you?” An eyebrow wiggle lost him another point.

Not that Shelby was interested enough to add up the pluses and minuses, but keeping score was an occupational hazard, as was the propensity to turn everything into a slogan. Tired of being single? Try our new and improved Brad!! He comes complete with a one-bedroom condo, convertible and new caps. Ex wife sold separately.

She gave him a half-watt smile. “I've never been to a dude ranch before, if that's what you're asking… (more)


In my new book (in stores tomorrow, YAY!), Shelby takes a sabbatical from her high-pressure city advertising job to work at the kitchen at Mustang Ridge Dude Ranch for the summer, hoping the animals and change of scenery will work magic on her painfully shy daughter. I had a ton of fun with all the slogans that run through Shelby’s head as she’s doing the fish-out-of-water thing, and it made me more aware of the advertisements that surround us on a daily basis … especially the annoying ones.

Now, I’m a fan of the Allstate Thanksgiving ad (Thirteen thousand people will deep fry a turkey this Thanksgiving. Three hundred of them will set their garages on fire …) and the “We’re Only Human” ads from Liberty Mutual (The song plays in the background as hapless humans chainsaw branches onto their neighbors’ cars and drive into the garage with bikes on the roof rack.). And who doesn’t love the Budweiser Clydesdales? (The 9/11 tribute chokes me right up.)

On the flip side, though, I will lunge for the remote so I can mute the annoying Jimmy Fallon and the Baby Who Says “No” commercials from Capitol One, and when Arizona sees the AT&T “Bigger is Better” commercials with school kids babbling nonsensically about infinity, the conversation goes something like this:

Him: Arrrrgh! Those kids are idiots. (Thus speaks the ex math teacher.)

Me: I think it’s scripted.

Him: I don’t think so. I think our civilization is doomed.

(And, really, what can a girl say to that?)

Me: Cookie?

So tell me … what ads (TV, print, billboards, whatever) do you love? Which ones drive you batty? I mean, I can’t be the only one who doesn’t find Maxwell the Geico pig all that funny.

Or am I?

18 comments:

  1. I didn't know the pig had a name. The little guy loves him, makes him laugh (I think it's the "whee" part), while it drives Sailor Boy nuts. I tend to tune out most commercials (because they're awful) and read through them. I like the Allstate Chaos commercials, they're pretty funny. The "New Pepsi" one with the baby doing all the stunts and the parents missing it - flip the channel please. Last night I saw one for the "Newsroom" (new show on cable) that made no sense and was just plain stupid. How sad considering the cast. Makes you wonder what advertisers think of us consumers.

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    1. Hi Gail! I'm thinking I should be ashamed that I know the pig's name (snicker). I like the chaos guy (though was disconcerted to see him in an episode of ... CSI, was it, or Law and Order? Don't remember, but he can actually act). Ugh on the Pepsi baby. Totally agree.

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    2. It is weird to see an actor whom we associate strictly with commercials in a show or movie, isn't it. We all know Dennis Haysbert (Allstate...deep, sexy voice guy) can act, have seen him in a million things, so no big deal. But to see Chaos guy, or Flo or the Orbit lady (she's Giselle in Pirates of the Caribbean..Jack's jilted love...lucky lady)in something else is kind of like, "hey, isn't that ...?" Why it's mind boggling is a good question, after all, they are actors. Just shows humans are creatures of habit. It's kind of like when I was in the bookstore the other day and looking for Keri Arthur's book, I automatically went to the romance section, but she wasn't there. Alyssa Day was, but Keri was stuck over in fantasy. So why wasn't Jessica Andersen in fantasy? What made Keri's werewolves and vamps different than Alyssa's or your magical world? More mind-boggling questions for the rainy Monday. Just shows we need to learn to think outside the box and expand out minds.

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    3. LOL! I totally missed that the Orbit lady is on Pirates. On the shelving--good question! Was it because the publisher decided to change the labeling, because a bookseller made an executive decision, or ?? Inquiring minds ...

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  2. Love the Chaos/Mayhem guy, hate The Pig. (Really? The Pig has a name??) Adore the Clydesdales. Saw the Newsroom promo and thought they were too heavy-handed with the TV-as-vast-wasteland metaphor, plus the reference is too obscure these days. Talk about targeting an older audience! Anyway, love the glasses commercial in which the lady invites the raccoon inside her home: "Come! Snuggles with Momma!" Thanks for the story sample!

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    1. LOL, Rhonda. I actually did that once! It was when I had the farm, went out one night on the front steps and called 'kitty, kitty, kitty,' and saw something black-and-white coming towards me, and was all, 'Good, kitty, come on in. Want some squishy food?' Mrs. Skunk made it up to the second step before I girlie screamed and flailed my way back inside. Thanks for stopping by!


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    2. LOL! Mrs. Skunk can be SO pretty, especially when she has feathery long hair, except when she gets riled: "You wouldn't like me when I'm ANGRY!" :) Mother Nature's chemical warfare.

      Oh! Just want to say, so very sorry I missed your CORWA talk Saturday. I went to BEA. Bought the ticket months ago before I realized there'd be a schedule conflict. :(

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    3. Oh, she was lovely! More white than black, and so silky looking, with a pretty white pouf on her head. She also looked confused when I ran away. I was far enough from civilization that I don't think she was tame raised so much as looking for an adventure. ;)

      Hope you had a fun time at BEA! The talk went great and I would've loved to see you, but no apologies necessary. I'll see you soon (this weekend?)!

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    4. Yes! I'm coming to the CTRWA meeting! :) It was my first BEA, so I'm still coming out of the Overwhelm Fog. :)

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    5. Awesome! See you then and there :)

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  3. I hate the pig, love the kids (how that man keeps a straight face as he responds is beyond me), am totally over the cavemen...they were only funny once, and my guaranteed to send me lunging for the mute on the remote is the commercial with the cartoon character saying MAMA about forty times to his mother who is totally ignoring him. It's a Google commercial, makes no sense, and is completely obnoxious...but I remember that it's about Google so I guess it's effective. Slightly less annoying--only because of the cuteness factor of the duck--is the Afflac commercials. Although the new one where the duck is undergoing rehab made me grin:-)

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    1. LOL! Okay, so I guess the moral of the story is that one person's dreaded little kid commercial is another person's 'aww, cute'. Because the 'mama' commercial (from Family Guy, if it's the one I'm thinking of), while totally annoying, makes me laugh ;)

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  4. I love the mayhem guy. I'm tired of Shatner in anything. And I tear up (believe it or not) every time the ASPCA commercials come on.

    Kathye

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    1. OMG, I totally change the channel on the ASPCA ones. I know I can't save them all, but *those faces*. Sob. Can't handle it!

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  5. I love the music and unwinding yarn of the ad for the car "Infinity." Not sure why, me thinks it is the organization, the grids formed by the unwinding yarn, the colors and the beat of the music. Can't stand Maxwell. Love the Afflac duck ads, when geco appeared, Afflac duck disappeared, only to show up once in a blue moon. So sad. I want to know if anyone ever purchased anything from seeing or hearing these ads? I have not. Can't stand Jimmy Kimmel.

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    1. Good point, Gail! I can count on one hand the things I have bought because of an ad. (At least the ones I have consciously gone 'Ooh, I saw that on TV' ... no doubt there are subconscious factors at play.)

      Two that come to mind? Orgreenic nonstick cookware (which works really well) and Miller 64 (which tastes so blah I'd rather have the extra 41 calories and go for Corona Lite).

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  6. Chuckle . . . I'll have to check out the cookware. Thx.

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  7. I'm getting really turned off by all the kids talking with adult voices, Also, what about the kid who slaps the french fry from his mother''s hand (so disrespectful and embarassing for the mom)--and all the pr-school kids around the table discussing stuff. It was cute the first time, but ru ru ru ru ru gets old very fast.
    Great subject, Jesse. Only you would come up with something funky and fun.

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