Great and terrible concepts in advertising.

Maytag marking.

One of the stupidest ads I have seen recently is for Coors. They are calling it "The coldest tasting beer"
Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?

Apparently some beers taste warm.

Coors is just stupid anyway. There ads are almost always annoying.

Remember the old lady in the Wendy's commercials?
"Where is the beef" became the most popular slogan and
this concept worked as it made fun of the competition
in a charming way.

Looking back, the most memorable advertisements were
those where identity became an issue. Maytag always
had the same repairman, Isabella Rosellini was for years
and years associated with Lancome. The day they switched
models, the company lost revenues. Wendy's lost
revenues after the "beef lady" left.

Remember the Folgers Coffee commerical? This guy
run out of coffee and rang the doorbell of his neighbor and
this gorgeous blonde opened the door. This commercial
was done in sequence.

I also like the new commercial about a certain brand of
ice cream (I forgot the name). A couple (absolute nerds)
sit in the car and talk about how good the ice cream is.
THey look very average, he's this black thick glasses and
she's plain Jane. I think they're a riot.

Coors has one of the most consistently bad advertismenting I can think of. Truly terrible stuff.

Is a campaign really great though if you can't remember who it's for?

I agree that having a "face" represent the brand can be very effective.

Like the Maytag repairman.

How long have they been using that same guy?

I think the reason that campaign has been so enduring and effective is because it is so subtle --

This is a brand that doesn't need to scream "we service what we sell" because it so rarely needs servicing.

Even more subtle are the messages like:

This is a brand you can grow old with.
We treat our employees well - look how long they work for us.
This is a guy you've grown up with - someone you can trust.

As branding goes, I can't think of any company that has done this half as well as Maytag.

I can't stand Michelob Ultra ads. They portray their BEER like it fits into a healthy lifestyle...showing people on treadmills, running, working out, then showing a bottle of beer and how low in carbs it is.

However, the marketing campaign worked. It's a big seller(especially for women), even though it's really not a "low carb" pioneer. Couple of examples, Miller Lite has about the same carb content, and Amstel Light is pretty damn low in calories and carbs too.

I've always liked the Southwest ads. Stupid humor just sticks in your head.

Terrible Advertising = 1 word

Quizno's


I will never forget that rat...it made me shiver....

Boomer and all. First, it is important to remember this. If an ad is terrible and one remembers the product, Madison Ave. has accomplished what it intended. If the product is marketed with a clever commercial, and viewers do NOT remember the product, then it is not effective.

Gordon Jump of WKRP fame, is the Maytag man, incidentally and his face combined with the product sells a lot of Maytags.

In politics, remember the name is very, very important. One candidate simply had an ad that said his name over and over again, and the office for which he was running.

Jingles and music are great at selling a product as well. Think of the Sea World commercial. The music behind that advert is charming, and cements the product with the song.

But they pulled the ad pretty quickly. It obviously wasn't pulling in the revenue. And someone with the company admitted that it was a bad idea.

Gotta love Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin.

Gotta hate the "Do Bears Sh!t in the woods" toilet paper commercial with the cartoon bear mom and cub. The above quote is exactly what I thought when I first saw it, and I think some would be offended by that inference.

Geico has some of the best, especially when I am watching and thinking it is a real commercial and then, OOOPS! they got me!

As far as pharmaceuticals...

Daughter and I laugh our hineys off when they go into the long list of side effects that are often much more horrendous than the original problem. Gee, Id rather pee my pants on occasion than put up with all THAT!!!

Also, enjoy adding creatively to the list of side effects.

Yes. The old "irritate, inform, or amuse" formula.

I've seen some very clever commercials that I can't remember what they were selling so it had to be a waste of money for the company - despite their cleverness.

Like the one of the two guys driving around who pick up the old chair at the side of the curb and it stinks and they toss it out -- I remember the ad but not the product it was trying to sell.

Or the one where the girl farts in the car - what is that one for?

They seem like great concepts but they're really terrible.

Other concepts that seem irritating or dull sell the product time after time after time.

Imagine a liquor ad where they showed someone vomiting or hung over or doing something stupid that drunks do.

You would probably remember the brand. Even with it's negative message.

Would that be a good ad or a bad ad?

Yeah, like the meds for depression.....


"Zoloft...#1 doctor-prescribed brand of its kind.

Side effects may include: Abdominal pain, agitation, anxiety, constipation, decreased sex drive, diarrhea or loose stools, difficulty with ejaculation, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, gas, headache, decreased appetite, increased sweating, indigestion, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, pain, rash, sleepiness, sore throat, tingling or pins and needles, tremor, vision problems, vomiting"

Talk about being depressed.....no sex drive and loose stools....

Uh, please do not show me any body fluids in ads!

Oh, yeah, Mountain Dew has had some clever ones. It was Mt. Dew that did the one of the guy picking up the girl for a date, going around to his side to get into the car and "farting" only to show it was a childs toy he sat on, right? Was that Mt. Dew?

I guess in a mild humor way, bodily functions can be good. But, gotta be careful, IMO.

LOL, Bella! I understand why they have to include all of that in the ads, but it really makes me wonder why they bother having smiling couples, sunny days and butterflies fluttering by. One could make a case for false advertising if one is deaf.

Think about it....you gotta be really depressed to take meds when the side effects include things like that....

I wasn't at all impressed by this sign in a restaurant: "Be patient. Good food takes time to prepare. Yours will be ready in a minute.)

I laugh at pretty much every McDonald's commercial. It's pretty obvious which demographic they're targeting. Or actually, playing along to the stereotype of the demographic.

"Calvin got him a job at McDonald's. Sum-day, he gonna be a managa'. I so proud of me Calvin." (ok, that's an old commercial, but they still do the same thing).

Well, I declare. Here's the rat in Bella's commercial.