There are more than enough threads about commercials that suck–but what about those that are just damn funny? Every now and then there’s one (or two…or three…) that makes me laugh out loud. Usually, I don’t remember what the commercial’s for, but I do remember the hilarity.
Currently, the commercial that cracks me up most is for an internet company. It starts like your typical GI Joe-like action figure commercial–little boys playing war, serious battle sounds in the background–except all of the figures are in dresses. Wedding dress, party dress, purses in hand, high heels, etc. It’s absolutely hilarious watching them be manly and macho in stilettos.
Cut back from “commercial” to three (two very nervous looking) men standing in an office, watching. One, the boss apparently, says, “Tell me again why they’re wearing dresses?” Nervous worker: “Because the uniforms weren’t ready yet…” or something to that effect. Oh, man, that’s a funny commerical.
My favorite of recent years remains the one for Outpost.com, where gerbils were shot out of a cannon to a concrete wall in attempts to shoot them through a bullseye. Funniest damn thing ever!
No, not the original wazzup … but all the parodies thereof. I haven’t actually seen these on TV, but they can be found at http://www.adcritic.com.
There is one with the Superfriends (superman, wonderwoman, batman, etc) with the same audio track from the real ad and the animators have just spliced together the footage of the cartoons … freakin hilarious!
As for “real” ads, I happen to think Jack-In-The-Box and Kia ads are the cleverest ones out there. The Kia disclaimers are the best. There’s an ad where “Uncle Carl” (deceased) left in his will that he wanted to hike up Such-And-Such Mountain one more time. His Gen-X nephew and buddy, daunted by actually hiking up the mountain, decide to take their rugged Kia up instead. Bump bump bump … meanwhile small disclaimer at bottom of screen says “Don’t drive like this or you’ll end up like Uncle Carl.” Haha… you’ve got to appreciate a company that takes the “legally necessary” elements of their advertising and makes it funny…
I love that commercial for half.com where the debutante’s grandmother buys her the Slayer CD, and she sells it online to that creepy Eurotrash German couple. “Slayer is Best!” I love that.
I love the FedEx GI Joe commercial, too.
You have to wonder if these commercials, hilarious as they may be, are effective in what they are truly designed to do: sell a product. I thought the GI Joe goes tranvestite commercial was for an Internet company–whoops.
The best ever, bar none. It was done back in the 60s by Stan Freeberg (a genius) and was totally brilliant.
Essential background: This was when cigarette commercials were still on TV. One particular one was for Lark Cigarettes, in which they sent a truck around with a sign saying “Show us your Lark pack.” People would reach into their pockets and (with the William Tell Overture in the background), show their cigarettes.
Synopsis: Someone goes through the city with a sign saying “Show us your Pizza Spins pack.” (There were small bite-sized frozen pizzas.) All along the street, with the William Tell Overture in the background, people pull cardboard boxes of Pizza Spins out of their pockets. The commercial then moves to a party. People are eating the Pizza Spins. People with other party snacks are dumping them in the potted plants. The announcer does his wrap-up when suddenly he’s tapped on the shoulder. It’s the announcer from the Lark commercial. “I want to talk to you about something.” Then he’s tapped on the shoulder.
It’s the Lone Ranger and Tonto.
(Yes, Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels). “I want to talk about something, too.” Tonto bites into a Pizza Spin as the commercial fades.
I love that commercial where the geekish, freaky looking guy is making a copy of his face when his boss says he wants to see him in his office. They go into his office and his boss says he just opened his online stock trading account and the geek helps him get started. The commercial ends with the geek handing his boss a flyer for a party that weekend and his boss looks at it and says he’ll try to make it.
The commercial with the baby as director for Shaquille O’Neal is a corker! Shaq goes through the scripted message thoroughly; then the Bob baby, in the director’s chair, says, “Ho boy!” totally chagrined. That’s a gem.
Well, I always get a little chuckle from the rental car ads - the ones where the group is brainstorming ideas for their companies, and come up with things like “rocket powered jetpack to get you to your car faster” and “aromatherapy candles in all the cars”.
Christ! You and I must be about the same age. That Stan Freeberg commercial was truly one of the all-time greatest. My only nit which I wish to pick is that it was for Jeno’s Pizza rolls.
And in searching for proof that my memory was right, I came across this
I have to reprint it here for everyone, as it has much to say about modern times, not just the old days.
I agree with sanclem and RealityChuck – the Jeno’s Pzza Rolls ad was one of the all-time greats, and probably the best.
On ad I loved was the very first of the “Joe Isuzu” ads. As the series went on they got very lame, but the first one was hilarious. In case you don’t recall, never saw them, "Joe Isuzu was a pathological liar who hawked Isuzu cars and trucks. After he said anything, a disclaimer ran across the bottom of the screen.
In the first commercial, Joe says things like “…and you can buy it with your pocket change…” The disclaimer reads “Provided you have $9500 in nickels and quarters.”
Joe continues," …It will run forever on a single tank of gas…", to which the disclaimer reads “Your mileage may vary.”
I do not remember the product exactly, but I love this ad.
It starts out with the mailman saying how Laurel Lane used to be such a nice street until they all got computers and tried to access the internet through a shared cable.
The commercial shows arguments, vandalism, and Guerilla warfare with all the residents calling each other ‘webhog’.
The end shows a mailtruck driving away with ‘Log Off’ spray-painted across the side.
Ilike that Milk commericial with that canine who eats peanut butter & makes that sound of spitting something out, which is close to the sound a woman makes when spitting out…well, never mind.
I like the commercial for some online bank (etrade?) where a bunch of bank executives are sitting around, discussing what kind of pen on a chain to use. Where are your bank fees going?
One commercial made me laugh out loud. It was for a toilet bowl cleaner and it showed a toilet seat singing, “I"ve got you under my rim.” Cracked me up.
I think the “Got Milk?” add with the 3 old men head-butting the 3 bullies in the diner is the greatest. “Wanna dance old man?” asks one of the bullies. The old men head-butt the 3 bullies then run outside to the car. It cracks me up every time I see one of the old men jumping across the hood of the car. The car looks like its 100 years old. The add ends with the car burning rubber and speeding away. Their is alot more to the add but I’m sure you get the idea.
Another great one was for an insurance company. Mom and the kids are picking up Dad at the airport:
Dad: So what happened when I was away?
Daughter: The flowers died.
Dad: Oh! When did that happen?
Wife: When the garage caught fire.
Dad (a bit upset): Caught fire? How did that happen?
Wife (nonchalantly): Sparks from the house, I guess.
I still think that last line is one of the funniest in any commercial.
