With over 2,000 stores scattered across twenty-seven countries, Staples has become the world's largest office supply store. Thomas G. Stemberg came up with the idea for Staples in 1985, while working on a proposal for a different business. He needed a ribbon for his printer, but his local supplies store was closed. A frustrated Stemberg decided on a business idea for an office supply superstore that would prove to be more reliable than a small local dealer. With his man’s aggravation, Staples was born!
A couple of ads I’ve seen too many times are about a man’s amazement on Staple’s low prices. Now many of you are nodding your heads because you know exactly which commercials I am referring to. If not, check it out.
"> When I first watched this one back in January I thought it was entertaining. When the man first shouts, “WOW!” I was immediately looked up at the screen. His voice definitely grabs your attention. Similar to the Head On ad I loathed, he continues to scream the same thing throughout the entire thirty-second spot. My favorite line is when he says, “Hot Diggity Dog!” This guy is obviously insane along with the Staples employees. If I worked there and saw a man acting like this I not only would call security but also suggest they bring a straitjacket. Two months later and Staples aired another commercial with the same actor and premise. Enjoy!
"> This ad features another customer who is annoyed by this man’s crazy antics. He jumps each time the man yells. This character finally gives the viewer a chance to see how a normal person would react to the situation. (Not Mike The Situation- yes I too think of him every time I hear those words together) These ads just do not cut it for me. Yes they are memorable and the original one got enough publicity that Staples decided to build on that idea, but they are annoying. Annoying advertising can often be quite effective. Whether for good or bad reasons, if you remember, think about or even talk about the commercial ever again, the ad was a success.
I give credit where credit is due; one Staples commercial I absolutely love is their back to school ads.
"> This is a tremendous marketing concept that really appeals to parents. The ad begins with the Christmas song, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” as a grown man frolics down the aisle pushing a shopping cart. His two children slowly follow with their heads down. The father shows his son and daughter each item as he throws it into the cart. The camera then pans over to the children’s gloomy faces. Simply a classic commercial that I feel hasn’t gotten the amount of attention it deserves.
This commercial gave me chills. Lets just say I will never walk the hallway of a hotel again without picturing those two twin girls standing at the end of the corridor. I’m serious! I first watched The Shining with my family when I was nine and was terrified. Maybe the fact that my father resembles Jack Nicholson and would burst into my room screaming, “Here’s Johnny!” Yeah, that definitely had something to do with it.
For all you Google loyalists, Bing is a search engine similar to Google from Microsoft. Bing first broke out onto the internet scene on June 3, 2009. The company has already invested $80 to $100 million into their advertising campaign. The ads never mention their competitors by name but simply try and convince the viewer to switch over by claiming Bing does a better job of finding more relevant, higher quality results at a faster pace. I’ve come across many of their television ads before but their spoof on The Shining is hands down my favorite.
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film based on the book written by legendary author Stephen King. The film is about writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) accepting the caretaker job of an extremely isolated hotel during the winter months. His son Danny (Danny Lloyd) has psychic abilities and is able to see ghosts from the past. A combination of cabin fever and supernatural events inside the haunted hotel eventually get the best of Jack. In this state of complete madness he attempts to murder his wife and son. Here is the Bing parody on this classic film.
This ad only appeals to people who have either seen the film or know enough about it to distinguish it as a spoof. It begins with a distant shot of the entire hotel as creepy music plays in background. We are then taken inside to the hotel main lobby, which looks identical to the set from the movie. The little boy on the tricycle also bears a striking resemblance to the actor who played Danny. He does his best “Redrum” impression and suggests to his mother to, “use Bing.” The twin girls in matching dresses appear along with Lloyd the bartender. The highlight of the entire thirty-second spot is obviously the end when the husband smashes through the door and exclaims, “Hey Hun! They got a maze out back!” This is the most famous scene from the movie and was a perfect way to end the commercial. Here is that famous clip which has petrified me for the past decade!
So I was watching my daily sports talk show Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN, when he began to "burn" on mascots! I thought this was hilarious especially since I recently posted about the Mascot Olympics. Here is the clip of Jim Rome. Enjoy!
Eldrick “Tiger” Woods was once on top of the world. He had endless endorsements, adoring fans, and was possibly the most dominant athlete in a sport since Michael Jordan. So how did this highly acclaimed superstar and household name become the punch line for late night television hosts nation wide? How did one of the world’s most recognizable name and face become a nightly skit on SNL? My father used to tell me when I was younger, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Nothing could be truer than in Tiger Wood’s case.
Tiger Woods began his professional golf career in August 1996. He started off with a splash, signing endorsement deals worth $40 million from Nike and $20 million from Titleist. By April, Tiger won his first major, The Masters, setting an all time record of 18 strokes under par. He was also the youngest Masters winner ever and the first African American to do so. That year he set countless records and he skyrocketed to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.
We all know about Tiger’s phenomenal success not just on the golf course but also in the advertising world. In 2008 he was the highest paid professional athlete having earned about $110 million from winnings and endorsements. If you named a company, I’d feel pretty safe betting my life that Woods had a contract with them. Besides the afore mentioned Nike and Titleist, he has inked deals with General Motors, American Express, General Mills, Accenture, Buick, TAG, Electronic Arts, Gatorade, Gillette and AT&T. (I’m sure there are more I could have missed)
Unfortunately, Tiger Wood’s flawless public image was about to go up in flames. On November 25th 2009, tabloid magazine The National Enquirer published a story claiming Woods had an affair with a nightclub manager. A couple dozen mistresses later and Tiger has virtually no sponsors left. Nike is the only company that has stuck with him through the heavy fire he has had to endure. Maybe they see something we don’t but Nike has always been a company to give second chances. They believe in rebuilding a person’s image to the point where they can once again be an important asset to their marketing strategy and campaign. Look at Kobe Bryant for example.
In the summer of 2003, a 19-year-old hotel employee in Eagle, Colorado accused Kobe Bryant, NBA future Hall of Famer, of rape. He had just signed a five year, $40 million contract with Nike before the incident. Like Tiger, they remained loyal to Bryant understanding that eventually the allegations would go away and his performance would overshadow the bad times. Bryant has regained his elite status as will Tiger in his upcoming years. I truly believe once Woods passes Jack Nicklaus for the most Major Championships, he will be viewed as a “hero” and all will be forgotten.
Nike’s most recent commercial was released on April 8th 2010. The ad was created by Wieden + Kennedy ad agency and contains thirty seconds of a somber Tiger Woods. The entire ad is in black and white and in the background there is an actual soundtrack from Earl Woods, Tiger’s dead father. The audio was taken from a 2004 interview of Earl for a documentary about his son. This is the first commercial to feature Eldrick since the scandal first breached public scrutiny. Enjoy!
I’ve never been so torn on how I feel with a commercial! When I first watched it I thought it was the worst thing I had ever seen. But the more I watch it the more I understand and love the angle Nike is trying to play. The concept of Tiger’s dead father scolding him for his recent actions gives me the chills. Nike left just enough time for some of the smoke to clear before they began the extremely long process of rebuilding Tiger Woods as a brand. To put it in persepctive just how far Woods plummeted, on December 18, 2009 he appeared on the front cover of the New York Post for the 20th straight day. This passing the record previously held by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center. I'm glad this country has it's priorities in order. Anyway, the timing for the premiere was impeccable; being on the same day Tiger made his highly anticipated return to golf at the Masters Tournament.
Final Verdict: Risky play but I think they nailed it!
Here is an article from the Washington Post and their feelings about the ad.
Company: Old Spice
Aired: February 8, 2010
Channel: ESPN, TBS, TNT, Spike TV
Appeal: Humor, Exaggerated Statement
Old Spice is an American brand of male grooming products. The company has been well known for years for their catchy whistling jingle during their television ads. In February 2010 Old Spice released their new campaign and slogan, “The man your man could smell like.” The very first ad featuring actor Isaiah Mustafa has been incredibly well received by the media. The commercial was created by ad agency Wieden+Kennedy for Old Spice to market their brand of shower gel. Their marketing message is how “anything is possible” if a man uses the product. They should consider using Kevin Garnett in their next commercial.
Thirty seconds of perfection if you ask me. The ad is one continuous shot of a man as he stands in a bath towel and orders you to “look at your man, now back at me.” Then the backdrop of a shower is raised and you discover he is actually on a boat. After an oyster full of tickets turns into diamonds the camera zooms out again as the man explains, “I’m on a horse.” Simply hilarious.
Old Spice has recently released another series of commercials for their Odor Blocker Body Wash. I’m not as thrilled with these because they have a very “in your face” type of humor, while the other ad is subtle and witty.
Mascots. Who needs them? I mean, who wants some teenage guy full of acne working up a sweat inside a giant furry head? But mascots seem to be a permanent part of our society. From birth we grow up used to them. At our first few birthday parties Barney and Mickey Mouse always seem to show up. We hug them. We kiss them. We high-five them. But then something changes.
My favorite is that three to four year stretch when little boys think its fun to attack the mascot. Chuck E Cheese was the best punching bag. This oversized, mutated mouse practically knows its coming. After his first day he wises up and actually invests in shin guards and a cup (that is all these 7-10 year olds can reach anyway). He comes out of the backroom slowly looking to his left and right as if he were about to break out of mice prison. But then once one kid spots him it turns into scene from Braveheart. Chuck E Cheese traumatized me as a child. One second my tiny fists of fury were raining blows upon his upper thigh, the next I’m on my ass. All I could think was, “Is he allowed to do that?” And then ten minutes later all I could think was, “Why the hell are these slices of pizza so small?” But that’s for another day…
But mascots aren’t just for children apparently because it continues on the college and professional sports levels too! I feel bad for any priest who is a hockey fan and has the New Jersey Devil parading up and down the aisle next to him. Or how about the teams that completely force the mascot issue? The Phoenix Suns are a perfect example of this. What the hell does a gorilla have to do with the suns? Or the Phillie Phanatic? Come on, he’s just an obese Oscar the Grouch sporting Phillies memorabilia. Mascots have become a big part of advertising and a way to appeal better to a company’s target audience. Trix has the rabbit, Burger King has The King and Toys “R” Us has Geoffrey the Giraffe. Companies are always trying to figure out ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The easiest and most effective ways to do this is through easily recognizable logos or mascots. None could be more true than for GEICO.
If you have never heard of GEICO I strongly suggest you move into the 21st century and purchase a television. GEICO is an American auto insurance company and easily has the most identifiable commercials on TV. The most famous tagline used in all GEICO commercials is, “Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.” That phrase is permanently embroidered into my memory. GEICO does the best job at reminder advertising and "hitting” the viewer over and over with the same message. That is why GEICO is one of the few companies that continuously purchases two fifteen second commercial timeslots back-to-back rather than one thirty second spot. The viewer barely realizes it's only fifteen seconds and before they know it, the next ad starts; different ad with the exact same message. Because GEICO auto insurance appeals to anyone who owns a car and likes to save money, their commercials aren't restricted to which channels they could advertise on. I've noticed them on every main network channel (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC) and also many other popular stations such as ESPN, TBS, and TNT. GEICO’s commercials always star one of their several mascots they have introduced to us.
So the question is… which GEICO mascot is the best? This calls for an old fashioned “Mascot Olympics.” That’s right, the GEICO Gecko going toe to toe with the likes of the Caveman and stack of Money.
So these are the rules. First I will post a commercial starring each of the mascots and then write a little something about it. The next part is up to you. You all have the chance to vote on which GEICO mascot is your favorite! Your votes will decide which mascot goes home with the gold medal!
Gecko
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I love this little guy. He is actually named Martin the Gecko because he was created by The Martin Agency- an American advertising agency based in Richmond, Virginia. The gecko speaks with an English accent and the voice is that of Paul Morgan- a British actor and comedian. The gecko first appeared in GEICO commercials in 1999 during the Screen Actors Guild Strike, which prevented the use of live actors. In the original commercial, the gecko begs people to stop calling him, mistaking gecko for GEICO. I like Martin the Gecko the best not just for his witty lines and engaging accent… but his voice is so recognizable that it makes for great radio advertisements as well.
Cavemen
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The GEICO Cavemen commercials first started back in 2004 and have been well received by the public. The Cavemen campaign was created by Joe Lawson from The Martin Agency. The premise of these commercials is that GEICO’s website is, “So easy, a caveman could do it.” This slogan continues to insult cavemen who are not only still in existence but are intelligent and live in modern society. ABC even rolled the dice with an attempted spin off idea for a sitcom. It premiered on October 2, 2007 but shortly after was cancelled due to extremely low ratings. Don’t let the failed sitcom taint your opinion on these ads because the GEICO Cavemen are still some of the most popular commercials on television today.
Kash
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GEICO began airing this series of commercials in 2008 embroidering yet another catchy slogan into our minds. This time it was, “The money you could be saving with GEICO.” GEICO’s newest mascot is quite simply a stack of banded U.S. bills with a pair of Googly eyes on top named Kash. Clever wording, changing the “C” in cash to a “K.” I wonder what brain surgeon came up with that one? Never the less, the concept is funny with someone always noticing this character sitting and staring at them but his name is never revealed in the actual ads. Kash just sits there and then his theme song, which is a remix by Mysto & Pizzi of the 1980s hit “Somebody’s Watching Me,” begins to play in the background. Every commercial Kash has ever appeared in, this song follows which is a great marketing technique because not only is it free advertising when the song plays on the radio but the five second jingle to end each commercial is memorable. Also, unlike the Cavemen, it’s easier to advertise on the radio because even though Kash never speaks, people can identify the commercial as GEICO once his theme begins to play.
Animated Characters
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I have only seen one of these commercials on TV so far and it was the GEICO pothole. I have to say I was not all that impressed. These ads first began in 2009 and after doing some research I found these other two commercials. After ten solid years of strong advertising I hope the creative team at GEICO ditches the talking tree branch, car bumper and pothole and creates yet another classic mascot.
So now it’s up to you! Either vote on the poll to the right of the blog or just vote by commenting on this post. And the winner is….
Company: Nike
Aired: May 2000
Channel: ESPN, Spike TV
Appeal: Rational, Endorsement
I remember this commercial so vividly from the very beginning of this decade. Basketball continued to be one of the most popular sports thanks to Michael Jordan and rising stars like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett.
But aside from the pros in the NBA, streetball was growing ever more popular. The AND1 Mixtape Tour, (a traveling basketball competition and exhibition sponsored by the popular basketball clothing line AND1) revolutionized the way kids played the game. It began in 1998 and this group of street ballers drew many comparisons with the Harlem Globetrotters. The games tended to be dominated by extensive one-on-one ball handling moves and acrobatic dunks often from an exciting alley-oop pass. As a 10 year-old kid my friends and I would constantly study and mimic the moves we learned from these amateurs on the tour. One player named Rafer Alston AKA “Skip 2 My Lou” was so talented he tried out and made the Milwaukee Bucks for the 1999-2000 NBA season. Companies began to exploit this growing phenomenon and attraction to the streetball level.
Nike first aired this commercial in May of 2000. They were able to use several NBA players to star in the ad including: Rasheed Wallace, Jason Williams and Vince Carter. At the time, Jason Williams was considered to be the most talented and skilled point guard in the league when it came to dribbling the ball. He brought a streetball type game to the NBA level with his fancy passes and dribbling. If you ask any guy twenty or older, I bet they could recall this ad. If not, check it out!
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I still want to jump up and start dribbling right in my living room when I watch that! Nike is as everyone knows an established brand. They do not need to make really detailed commercials explaining their products because as far as they are concerned, they have their competition beat already based purely on reputation. Nike is THE company. That little swoosh has become a status symbol for men and women of all ages. Nike’s reputation carries it’s ads, which is proven because not a single word was needed in this TV spot. The noises one would hear on a basketball court were used to create a beat. The player’s sneakers squeaking on the hardwood, the sound of the ball dribbling, an occasional grunt and even a referee’s whistle were all included to create one of my favorite commercials of all time.
In 2001 Scary Movie 2 came out in theaters across America. The Scary Movie franchise is a group of films in the dark comedy genre and are spoofs of many of the popular horror and slasher movies from recent years. In this movie, a group of college kids are in a haunted house when a basketball bounces down the stairs.
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A funny parady on the famous Nike commercial which ended with actor Marlon Wayans dribbling the ball into his “man-area.”
Company: Avis Rent a Car
Aired: April, 2008
Channel: ESPN
Appeal: Humor
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox own what is without question the most intense and fiercest rivalry in professional American sports history. The only other that could even hold a candle to this rivalry is MAYBE the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers epic duels dating back to the 1950s and 60s, but really intensified in the eighties when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird went toe to toe. The Yankees and Red Sox first squared off April 26th, 1901. One century and 2,064 games later, the legendary battles of both franchises will forever be etched in baseball history.
Back in 1916, Harry Frazee purchased the Boston Red Sox on credit for $500,000. After the 1919 season, Frazee was pressed for some cash to pay back his loans, so he decided to sell some players to the Yankees… one of those players happened to be Babe Ruth. Despite the Red Sox recent success (they had just won the World Series in 1918) Frazee felt he had no other options. This trade ultimately altered the path both franchises were on, completely reversing their success and led to a Yankees dynasty. This quite abrupt shift in luck became known as the, “Curse of the Bambino.”
The legend grew because between the years of 1920 to 2003 the Yankees won 26 World Series championships and 39 pennants, while the Red Sox won 0 World Series championships and only 4 pennants. Also during that 83-year stretch, the Yankees finished with a better record than Boston 66 times. The curse was finally broken (much to my dissatisfaction) in 2004 when the Red Sox came back from a 3-0 game deficit against my Yankees and won four straight games, making history as the only team in baseball history to accomplish that feat.
Here is an ad I first saw back in April of 2008 while watching ESPN. Enjoy!
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I thought this was a hilarious concept and the execution was flawless. The advertisers make it clear to the viewer the office is located New York quite early in the commercial by showing a quick shot of the man’s Yankees mug as he stirs his coffee. Even if you didn’t catch the Yankees emblem, the thick New Yorker accents are hard to miss, especially with the lines, “How ya doin” and “Forget about it.” They also color-code the furniture and wardrobe to better illustrate their point. The chairs in the break room are navy blue and the new guy’s tie is red. To illustrate he is from Boston, he uses the term, “Wicked,” which is directly associated with Bostonians. They also stress his heavy accent on the word “Caars.”
Anyone who can distinguish these accents and knows the history of both ball clubs can truly appreciate this ad. As a die-hard Yankees fan I understand the level of tension there is between not just the players, but probably even more so, between fans. You just know there is no way that guy would survive in that office if it happened in real life. I laughed at this ad when it first aired and still do to this day. Great commercial idea because it stuck with me for the past two years.
A full time student by day, and self-appointed TV commercial critic by night, I run http://tivosworstenemy.blogspot.com/. While just a sophmore at The College of Staten Island, I am NOT an industry expert but merely a guy who loves advertising (especially TV commercials) and has a blog to talk about them. Currently a Business Marketing major with a minor in Journalism, this blog should bring out the best in me. The point of this blog is to show and discuss, commercials we love, commercials we hate and commercials no one should ever Tivo over.
