"Ain't no vitamins in that..."

Ahh, my last one for the semester.

Dave Chappelle is a genius. He picks up on those little details in life people often overlook, then makes them into hilarious jokes. First, watch this Sunny D commercial that is so eighties.



Pretty standard. Kids want to quench their thirst with some juice... Now watch Chappelle's stand up act. *caution, language*



I think he's right. The boy's eyes do look like they're attracted to the purple stuff. It's amazing how Chappelle picked up on that.

I bought grape drink the other day. It was really cheap incidentally. Like a dollar for half a gallon or something. By comparison, the superhealthy Naked juice I'm drinking at the moment is only 15.2 ounces yet totals $3.65. I haven't tried the grape drink yet. It sounds terrible. Sugar, water, purple.

Does Chappelle make fun of stereotypes? Yes. That's part of the reason he disappeared to Africa instead of making a third season of his show. But I don't think he should be ashamed. He doesn't further stereotypes, people do. When he talked about studying white people he made fun of both sides. "Get away from my cart, these are vegetables," he said. He mocked black people for not eating enough vegetables, but then he said it in an exaggerated annunciated tone that made fun of white people. So lose/lose? No. Latinos win that one.

Anyway, we don't see many commercials like this anymore. Advertising vitamins is not a priority. Now we want funny, shocking, out-there ads that make the product stick out. What will happen when nothing shocks us anymore? Psychology calls it desensitization. It's up to the ad gurus to stop it.

Supermarket Shocker

I described the following ad to someone last week and she responded, "That's awful!" I thought it was pretty clever, but hey, art (of TV commercials) is subjective.



Children. If I every have any, I hope they're not the loud, obnoxious type. I want my kids to be quiet, private and grow up to be creative geniuses who think up the new Google or YouTube and make a bajillion dollars at age 20 and buy my nice things.

Yeahhhhhhh. So, uhm condoms?

I thought this spot was smart. You go, "What are they advertising?" or "This is awkward." Then you get it. It's the consequence of not using a rubber! Of course!

I can see how this can be offensive though. Especially to those parents who have children like that. I mean, if you want to have kids, but then they turn out like that, it doesn't mean that you should have used contraceptives. No wonder it was a banned commercial.

Oh Camera Phones

Remember the world before camera phones? It was a much more private place then. Nowadays picture texts cause drama in high schools throughout the world. I guess without camera phones, we wouldn't have the show "Gossip Girl." Hmm dilemma.



The concept was good, but this one took a little long. A minute thirty for that? The set-up could have been shorter. If this were a news story, the lead would be way too long. Get to what people want to know, a teacher once told me...

I think it's odd that the girl gets ashamed and not outraged. If you woke up to a complete stranger about to kiss you, wouldn't you get mad? It was smooth how he turned the situation on her, but really is that realistic? I don't think so.

In conclusion, Vodafone had a good idea. It was amusing, it told a story (though not quick enough) and it incorporated their new technology (the commercial was in 2005) - the camera phone, setting up the start of a new generation of creepers everywhere.

Indeed!

Is this funny or not? I can't tell.



During my Spanish studying, I had this weird urge to watch a funny Indian commercial. Of course, YouTube comes to the rescue.

For some odd reason, the "She's hot!", "Indeed!" part is making me smile uncontrollably here in the library. I have to cover my mouth so people don't think I'm crazy. Just the thought of it makes me smile. Maybe I am going crazy.

I think it's my stereotype of the Indian accent being so proper and formal. When I hear that voice saying something so unprofessional and in a very loud voice, I think it's funny.

I mostly posted the ad for that one exchange. The other parts were OK and couldn't even understand some of it. Apparently the part with the families is before an arranged marriage, and the groom is saying, "I like the younger one better."

The next time I'm in an elevator, I will probably think of this commercial and laugh.

Another Nike Spot

Okay, regarding my last post - my intro was supposed to be sarcastic, which was a bad idea because sarcasm is hard to detect over the Internet. Elizabeth is seriously pretty cool. Her family has a county in Ireland named after them. She bakes good cookies. She gave me a spot to study for finals in the library. I'm actually sitting across from her right now. She's focused studying Animal Phys while I just gave up on Gen Bio to write another blog.

This one is also from the Swoosh company. It puts you in the point of view as if you're rising up in the European football (soccer) ranks. Guy Ritchie, Madonna's ex, directed.



Nike creates an adrenaline rush with this one. The camera work is amazing; it feels as if you're really playing soccer. It's like you get the experience without doing all the training.

There are some really high profile cameos in this commercial too. You get called up by Wegner, Arsenal's coach and then you're scored on by Christiano Ronaldo, the 'World's Best Footballer. My favorite cameo is from Zlatan Ibrahimović, star striker for Inter Milan - my favorite soccer team. He's in the blue and black striped uniform around 1:03. He scores.

I love the attention to detail Ritchie paid. You start at a division two soccer club, where you make the penalty kick to win the game. You're team is overjoyed, but there are only people standing on the sidelines to witness the shot. After being promoted to a better club, running up stairs and getting the girl, you're in the European championships. You throw up because you're so nervous. Confetti greets your entrance to the ginormous stadium. You're presented with another free kick to win the game. Do you make it? Only Nike knows.

Animated Water Boy

My non-blogger friend Elizabeth describes herself as a "commercial junkie." She diligently checks the Epica Awards' (the best of commercials in Europe) website to see which ads received the latest prestige. I personally think that's a little too much, and sort of lame, but whatever. That's Elizabeth for you.

Anyway, she gave me my latest tip on a commercial. So if you think this one is kind of dull, remember - I didn't choose it. It was Elizabeth.



Yeah. Apparently that won an award. An 'Epica' as they call it. I guess it was cute. They let a kid or some guy with a high voice sing over "We Will Rock You." They made an animation of this water "boy" who walks around and stomps out fires.

I'm pretty apathetic towards this one. There was nothing too groundbreaking about this commercial. The water boy finds a water girl and they have water babies. What's the point Evian? That's why more people drink Dasani and Aquafina. That's also why Fiji water is cooler than you.

The ad was pretty long too. 2:39 of him walking around and eradicating fires? We get it. That's what water does.

The animation was cute. But it wasn't near as good as the Thai lizard animation. Aquafina needs to take a lesson from Shera Flexiboard if they want to step their game up.

Nike's Lifelong Journey

I like commercials that tell stories. This next fantastic one by Nike tells the story of how two NFL players, LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu, got to where they're at today.



This is really a brilliant spot. The vision had a really good concept. It showed their lives from conception to the game where they ultimately collide. This was definitely one of the year's best.

I especially like one scene. The one where young Polamalu jumps on the coffee table and it breaks is one that sticks out to me. I remember being that age, jumping around the living room. I would try to make it across the whole room without touching the carpet. I never broke a coffee table with my weight, but then again, I'm no NFL defensive safety.

The music is appropriate. Most athletic commercials have some sort of inspiring, dramatic music making the game more important than it really is. This song is a sample of The Ecstacy of Gold from the soundtrack of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"

The commercial has a good feeling of suspense and culmination. We are shown these toddlers not knowing exactly what to think, but it all comes to fruition when we see the hit.

Christmas wishes

Remember when you were young and there was something you really wanted for Christmas? You would daydream during class about it. You would pray that you would unwrap it come Christmas morning?

Well for this kid, it's the Nintendo 64. BMW used some funny (and sort of scary) Christmas Day home footage for their holiday commercial.



Just look at the expression on his face. The screaming, the hands in the air, the elation of finally getting what you wanted I wish I was half as excited as he is about anything. Oh that childish innocence.

BMW cleverly tries to bring back those wishes with its 'Holiday Wish Event'. Adults too can have their wishes fulfilled if they buy the new 328i sedan.

It's a nice comparison. Who doesn't want those childhood presents back? Presents meant so much back then. Maybe a new BMW will fill that void.

But of course, it's just not the same as the eye-bulging kid opening his new N64.

"This is really a commercial"

My good friend Laura suggested this commercial to me so if you think it's too inappropriate, blame her.

You know those jars where you have to put a quarter in every time you swear? Well for my first beer commercial review, Bud Light takes this concept to the office.



My first reaction was, "Is that for real?" Laura responded, "Yes! This is really a commercial!"

I'll admit. I laughed. Does that make me a bad person? I hope not.

I think beer commercials can be cutting-edge. They always have clever ideas for their spots during the Super Bowl. This one is definitely on the more liberal side with 16 bleeped out words in a one minute ad.

Bud Light approved this spot because it brings the laughs. I don't think they thought their reputation would be tarnished. In the end, this commercial entertained and showed the lengths people would go to get a case of Bud Light.

Wait, what?

So a couple minutes ago I was watching TV. Well I wasn't actually watching, I was on my laptop and the TV was on in the background. Anyway, a commercial came on that made me go, "Wait, what?"

I just saw the end of it where 'Hotels.com' is displayed, but my roommate was laughing so I looked it up online. Fortunately, I found it to share with you all.



"It's workin. It's working! Ah they got me! Ahh it's workin!"

I love commercials like this. Why make sense when you can be hilarious? I applaud you Hotels.com for this short and sweet spot.

It has a focus - user reviews on the Web site. It has an odd couple (one straight character, one out there character), which is a classic formula for comedy. And it has branding - Hotels.com at the end.

I'm glad commercials like this are approved by the companies being advertised. Sometimes short and sweet is the most effective way to people remembering your product.

Haunting Shoe Dreams

The best dreams are ones that don't make sense. I don't really remember my dreams, but I think the more fantasical they are, the more fun they would be. The same is true for commercials.

This next commercial is from a while ago but it's one I remembered because of the direction of Spike Jonze and a sweet soundtrack from Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Squeak E. Clean.



This guy wakes up and his shoes come put themselves on. A spotlight reveals a door. What does the guy do? He runs with his new Adidas.

He runs down the street. He runs past trees. He runs away from bears and jumps at 45 degree angles.

There's probably some symbolism here, but to me the commercial's visuals are enough. The black area is saying, "What will you reveal? Anything is possible (with these Adidas)." Or should I say "Impossible is nothing."

It was very Ann Ryndish with the guy being illuminated in a sea of black and running in a tunnel. At first he is afraid when he wakes up, but after running he finds courage.

The music fit perfectly with the concept also. Right as Karen O sings "Whenever I wake up..." guess what happens. The mood also seemed to speed up with the tempo of the song. Overall this commercial was executed brilliantly.

It's fine, go 'aww'

I love reading. I do most of my reading in the summer because school gets in the way of my reading time. Weird huh?

This next commercial is a play on the 'student caught passing a note during class' situation, but takes an undeniably adorable turn.



Some may think it was corny, but I thought it was cute. The teacher is overwhelmed with emotion as she read the note. Look past the remote chance that a second-grader could use the word 'abyss' correctly and let the spot take you back to your note-passing days.

I wish I was as smooth as that kid during elementary. I wasn't much of a note writer. I think my move was kicking mud off my shoes under the desk of the girl next to me. Yeah, that didn't get me far.

This commercial was well shot too. Note the use of a dolly when the student walks up to give up the note. Also when reading the note out loud, the teacher has this expression that longs for a note like that to be written for her. This commercial definitely promotes the Indigo Love of Reading Fund. Whatever that is.

Guitar Hero Reels in Celebs

My roommate got the new Guitar Hero last week. He was actually shopping for Halloween costumes, but came home with the hard to find Guitar Hero World Tour band kit. As his roommate, I am reaping the benefits by being delegated to be the drummer in his "band". It's pretty sweet.

After buying the new GH, we saw these two ads.





Now these commercials didn't convince my roommate to buy the game. (The game pretty much sells itself.) But I am impressed with all the high profile celebrities Guitar Hero was able to get in this Risky Business spoof.

You have Tony Hawk (legend in his own video game right) on drums, Alex Rodriguez (highest paid baseball player ever) on bass, Michael Phelps (you know, that guy who dominated NBC this summer) on guitar and Kobe Bryant (remember him being swarmed by Chinese fans?) as the lead singer. That is star packed. Then there is the second commercial with the famed supermodel Heidi Klum. She doesn't need a band.

It's always fun to see celebs like this being a little silly and this commercial got it right. Just look at Phelps strum that "guitar". He can't keep from grinning. Kobe gets really into the lipsyncing. The picture looks just like the 80's movie.

I wonder how much they got paid...

Why Brooke Shields?

Let's pretend it was my plan to have a one month gap between blogs and continue...

During fall break, I was able to catch up on television watching. I'm still not at the point I want to be, but I'm getting there.

These new ads by Volkswagen are more miss than hit.



VW is attempting to bolster their reputation for German engineering by claiming women are having children just so they can experience their new minivan. They mimic a PSA with Brooke Shields warning, "Have a baby for love, not for German engineering."

Obviously these spots are sarcastic, but unfortunately the joke doesn't work.

I don't find the ads clever or funny at all. It's actually sort of offensive to pregnant women; demeaning their childbirth for the hope of riding in a Volkswagen.

Even the beginning, with the old-fashion VW "talking" to Shields in a German accent, can be misinterpreted as degradation.

These fake PSAs shouldn't do the warning. They should be warned themselves.

Primate Car Security

Sometimes commercials don't have to make sense.

This ad was brought to my attention by the girl who sits next to me in Feature Writing, Laura. Be sure to check out her movie blog so she gets views from someone other than her boyfriend.



When I watched the commercial at first, I thought, 'What the...' but then I was like, "Ohh."

This was a humorous attempt at drawing the viewer in using a monkey as some Impala's security system. You have to admit, the premise is pretty funny.

This is also an example of commercials becoming more violent nowadays. The ad gurus want to shock us into remembering the product. I think this worked in Laura's case because she even remembered the name of the commercial: Trunk Monkey.

One problem I have with this ad is, does it work? I don't know if anyone is convinced into buying Ford for their next car because of a funny, hypothetically pending security system.

But then again, not all commercial have to make sense.

If Commercials Could Win Oscars...

College is seriously getting in the way of me watching TV. Thus, I am not able to watch new commercials. Still, I need to write a blog. Therefore, I will use an old commercial for this post.

Volkswagen had this movie-like cliffhanger commercial several years ago. Whenever it came on, I would watch it all the way through for the ride. (haha pun?) I think I will narrate this commercial instead of rating it because it already is one of my favorites.



On an overcast, damp day, a silver Volkswagen Jetta speeds down a windy, country road. A melancholic theme plays in the background. The driver, who looks a little like Brad Pitt, is tense. We can tell he is tense because we see him brush the sweat from his forehead. He is dressed in cuff links. What could the occasion be?

In another location, a bride is being tended to. Four bridesmaids surround the pretty brunette in her white lacy gown and pearls. She puts on a smile, but she also looks down. Is she really happy on this special day?

Back to the driver. He races through a wooded area, making the scene even gloomier. He clenches the wheel and focuses on the road. He can't be late for his wedding can he?

In the bride's room, we are introduced to the bride's father. He looks calm, in control. He certainly has dealt with more stressful things than this. He's probably a CEO of some big company. Or maybe a partner in a powerful law firm. He sits with his leg folded on his knee to show his ease.

But the bride is anything but at ease. She feels her engagement ring and looks longingly out the window. This is a woman with doubts.

The instrumental in the background adds bells to its track. Two things are accomplished: the wedding is highlighted and the intensity kicks up another notch.

The driver checks his watch. He probably could have looked at the digital clock in the Jetta, but that wouldn't reveal his urgency.

The father checks his watch too. There seems to be an underlying race here...

The Brad Pitt lookalike slows down. He is stuck behind a trailer. "Time to put this in top gear," he thinks to himself. Our protagonist passes the obstruction smoothly like a true hero.

Meanwhile, the father has stood up and is looking around. The stress is even getting to Mr. CEO...

The music now has soprano opera voices come on. Intensity increases tenfold.

Brad Pitt is doing his best - racing across bridges and navigating that annoyingly curvy road. But then he gets stuck at a railroad crossing. His eyes widen. He puts his head on the wheel. He screams obscenities.

The father shuts the door. Literally and perhaps figuratively. Is the wedding canceled?

Finally, Jetta driver/Brad Pitt lookalike makes it to the WASPy looking church. He doesn't have time to park the car; he leaves it in the front driveway.

Now here comes the twist:

It wasn't his wedding at all! He has driven to this church in hopes of stopping the pretty brunette from marrying Keanu Reeves.

He gets there just as soon as the minister (who is obviously not Catholic) says, "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Brad climbs up the stairs and stops. Keanu turns his head. Pretty Brunette raises her eyebrows ever so slightly. Brad takes a deep breath...

And that's it. That's where the commercial ends. The tagline, "Fasten your seatbelts." is displayed. Perfection.


The music is called "One Million Miles Away" by J Ralph. I may or may not have downloaded it when I was in 7th grade and listened to it before I fell asleep at night...

That's Enough, Google Ads

So, I know this is a blog about television commercials, but I saw something today that I needed to blog about...and it's kind of advertising related. (and I haven't posted in a week eek!)

Let me start off with a soul-baring confession:


blink-182 is my favorite band ever.


Okay, I know they're not the most musical of bands and their lyrics aren't the most meaningful, but they will always have a special place in my heart. They were the band that got me into music. I can recite the lyrics to every blink song ever written. I had this friend in middle school that shared my obsession with them and we would download live bootlegs of their shows and stuff like that.

This morning, I woke up and saw a text message from that friend. It read, "Did you hear travis barker died in a plane crash???" (ignore the miscapitalization)

I read that and my heart stopped.

Travis was the drummer for blink-182. He is a fantastic drummer. He is probably one of my music heroes.

I used the past tense for the first sentence because blink broke up three years ago. I used the present tense for the last two because he didn't actually die.

He was badly burned from the waist down. His assistant, bodyguard, pilot and co-pilot did die though. RIP.

I tell you this because after I received the text, I checked online to see if my friend was right. Thankfully, he wasn't. I saw an article on CNN disproving him.

But I also saw an ad on the right side of the article that was grossly inappropriate.


(click for bigger)

Seriously Google Ads? Come on now. I know it's a story about a plane. But really, do you need to advertise freaking United Airlines on a jet crash story? That is so wrong.

That is like showing an ad for plastic surgery after Kanye West's mother died from her operation. Or showing a Nissan ad next to an article reporting when Morgan Freeman (my narration hero) flipped his Maxima into a ditch...

So Google, you need a little disgression with your clicking empire. Please change your advertising algorithm so this doesn't happen again.

The Romeo and Juliet of Lizard Thai Ceiling Commercials

I have an hour before Editing class starts. Let's see if I can get this one done.

I like things that are sad, yet funny.

Like this icon someone had on LiveJournal:



















Doesn't it break your heart, yet make you smile?

I like things like that. Naturally, a commercial with that formula will certainly catch my eye.

This next ad is from Thailand. It combines a tragic love story, conflict and great product placement.



There are so many things that make this such a brilliant ad.

First off, there are cute animated lizards. The Geico gecko has nothing on these two. From the start, you're pulling for these cold-blooded lovers.

Next, comes our escalation - the ceiling tile they were on is cracking! The cute lizards' jaws drop. (Making them even more adorable.) What will they do?

Our climax. One lizard falls through the crack, but the other grabs her hand. (or foot?) Their grip loosens; their eyes begin to water. They know she's not going to make it, so they say something in lizard speak, which is probably -

"I love you."
"I love you too. If only they had better ceiling tile!"

but of course I'm no translator...

Anyway, the lizard falls slowly to her demise on a Thai man's chessboard. That shot reminded me of the most emotional movie of my childhood - The Lion King. I would watch that once a week, but I would turn away from the TV when Mufasa fell off the cliff.

After watching his OTP (One True Partner in uber geeky internet talk) fall to her death, the surviving lizard can't bear to live. So in true Romeo fashion, he flings himself down to join her fate.

My favorite part of this commercial is the men's acting. When they see the lizard about to commit suicide, they start freaking out. I especially like the man in the blue shirt's reaction. Then after the fall, they get so emotional that they start hitting the the guy in the beater for not having a better ceiling.

This ad was wonderfully done. The marketing genius who came up with the concept should get a raise. I wish we had comedic spots that are intelligent like that over here.


If this commercial doesn't sell ceiling tile, it certainly will make 8-year-old girls cry, or senile old men smile.

(Oh and I have 20 min left to walk over to Editing. Score!)

Lexuses Give You Inner Peace

Wait. What's the plural of Lexus? Lexuses/Lexura/Lexi? Whatever.

Last year, Lexus released one of those commercials that doesn't reveal its product until the end of the ad.



At the start, there was an equestrian and I thought, "Okay, that was artsy." Next they had a speedboat in slow motion and a woman taking pictures of the lights caused by the wind and I'm like, "Maybe the next shot will have the product." Then they show a cliffdiver and a kayaker and I lose it. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SELL ME!?!?!!"

They close with 'The Pursuit of Perfection' and a shot of an angel-like Lexus smoothly gliding alond the road.

Ohhhhhhh. I get it. The theme of movement. Everyone is in pursuing something. Very clever, Lexus.

The music in this ad was spot on. Composed by Mark Joggerst, it was so hauntingly good that people scurried to cover it on their pianos/keyboards/violins.

The cinematography in this commercial evoked such a calmness. It appealed to a sense of hope that is mostly overlooked in TV ads. It made me feel that if I bought a Lexus, I would have the courage to dive off that mountain or row a canoe to the most peaceful, scenic river.

After watching this commercial, I could see 'driving a Lexus' as a new form of meditation.

I Want Morgan Freeman to Narrate My Life

So in my last post I mentioned that I watched the Olympics. That may be an understatement. For two weeks, my life sort of revolved around the Olympics.

I would wake up, turn on the television to find a soccer match between Nigeria and the Netherlands. Later, I would eat lunch with the 'Redeem Team' playing in the background. In the afternoons I would suffer through the tragedy that is Olympic boxing. During prime-time I had even memorized the order of events NBC went by: beach volleyball, then something at the ~Water Cube~ (swimming during the first week, then diving during the second), then perhaps some cycling or rowing, and lastly they would finish up with gymnastics or track.

Some nights I would even stay up late at night to watch fencing, badminton, or my new favorite Olympic sport - racewalking.

I was so into the Olympics that I would rather stay in than go out with friends. I would be hesitant to go online so as not to be spoiled of the results before I saw them on TV. The day Shawn Johnson won her gold medal, my father had already told me the outcome and I resented him that whole day.

There is something about the Olympics that makes you need to watch. Skipping the coverage is like being unpatriotic. On the other hand, seeing your country win an event is oddly fulfilling. When I saw Jason Lezak chase down the French team during that 400 Freestyle relay, I swear I felt like I had just won too.

Anyway, enough about me and my Olympics experience. This blog is about commercials remember?

Visa's series of 'Go World' ads were on almost every commercial break during the Olympics. There were many variations of this ad, but I will focus on my two favorites.



Let me begin by saying Nastia Liukin was my favorite gymnast during the Olympics. I don't know if that makes me a bad Iowan (ShawnJohn is from West Des Moines and on every Hy-Vee commercial in the state), but something about Nastia made me root for her. Maybe it was because I cheer for the overlooked (SJ got all the NBC love) or if I just wanted Nastia to live up to her parents' gold medal legacy.

This commercial pairs ballerina/baby music box music with stills of Nastia in perfect gymnast poses. The combination of the slow camera movement, golden color scheme, and the little rays of light make Nastia seem like a statue you would win for making a really good movie or TV show.

Now practically, I can't really relate to this ad. I don't have gold medal winning parents. I would probably break something if I tried to pose like that. I didn't actually go to Beijing, so I don't care if Visa is the only credit card accepted there. But if I ever have a daughter, it did inspire me to enroll her in gymnastics class the day she turns four.



Now isn't that commercial the most heartbreaking/inspiring thing you've ever seen? Okay, probably not. But still.

The thing that makes this commercial so heartfelt and touching is Morgan Freeman. When I hear his voice, I imagine that he's my grandfather telling me stories of his life experiences so that I may become as wise as him. You cannot feel sad when Batman's business partner is narrating your life.

If I had just played the worst game of golf of my life and Morgan Freeman went, "Nathan did not shoot five over par. He didn't shoot 10 over par. Nathan shot 30 over par today. But at least...Nathan finished." Freeman's commentary probably would soothe the pain my of failure.

Verdict: If you want dramatic and touching commercials, you can't go wrong if you have the voice of God (in Bruce Almighty) narrate your commercials...

Catchy Move In Music

Every fall, college freshmen have the dreadful task of moving into their dorms. I remember my freshman move-in last year. It was one of the most distressing moments of my life. Boxing up my life possessions, moving to a foreign city, meeting a total stranger that is your roommate, and saying goodbye to parentals - all nervewracking episodes.

But apparently, meeting a complete stranger and trying to figure out how to decorate your room isn't so hard if you have catchy music playing and you shop at Target.




I saw this commercial at least once every night while watching the Olympics. I wish this one came out last year so I could have blasted Enur ft. Natasja - Calabria and waited for my roommate to show up to have a dance off/decorating session. Things would have been so much easier.

This commercial makes moving in look so fun and easy. At the beginning, the room is a typical mess of boxes and blank walls. But by the end, after some contemporary dance moves and close-ups of hands hanging picture frames, you can't tell whether you're in a dorm or a hip, downtown loft. All thanks to Target!

I do have a couple problems with this spot though. First of all, that room is about four times as big as my room last year. I definitely could not do that last dance move (where they look like they're doing the funky chicken but they spin around and it's so much cooler) without hitting my head on my lofted bed or running into a dresser. And secondly, why does one girl get a comfy swivel, rolly desk chair, and then slides a pink ottoman across the room to her roommate's side (the slide takes two whole seconds, thereby confirming the enormity of the room.) Is Target trying to say that the girl in the green will not study as much as the other girl? I hope not Target.

But overall, this commercial is one of my favorites because it executes that classic Apple iPod formula. Dancing, bright color palate, white background, and simple branding at the end. It is clean and uncomplicated.

Verdict: Whenever a TV ad makes you want to get up and dance, I'd say it's pretty good commercial.

Intro Post

I can't give you the inside scoop on celebrity gossip. Nor do I have thousands of people mailing me their innermost secrets in postcard form. But I do watch television commercials. As a lowly college sophomore with no declared major, that will be my expertise for now.