Great Geico campaign

I have yet to get bored with the new Geico commercials that have been airing recently. They are all hilarious. They feature a man asking the question "could switching to Geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance?" and then asking another question such as "can a woodchuck really chuck wood?" . The rest of the ad really has nothing to do with car insurance, but maybe that's why they are so entertaining.  

The whole point of the ads are obviously to prove that switching to Geico can save you money, and although the ads are funny they don't really say anything about the quality of their car insurance. 

Got milk?

A very funny ad for the got milk? campaign. The ad is talking about a recent study that revealed that calcium can reduce the symptoms of PMS, and this ad has a very funny way of telling the world. The ad features men buying gallons and gallons of milk and bringing it home to their wives.

It made my laugh, and it will probably make many other women laugh. It probably also appeals to men, for obvious reasons.

Beef Jerky and Sasquatch don't really make sense

This recent ad for Jack Links beef jerky confused me. The ad shows a group of people camping and eating the beef jerky until Sasquatch comes along and starts messing with them. It seems that this ad was aimed at a younger male crowd, judging by the maturity of the ad. However most younger boys don't really eat beef jerky, therefore the ad doesn't seem to make much sense.

Chevy Cruze is the new kid

I recently saw this ad for the new Chevy Cruze, and thought it was great... until I saw the ending. It stands out from the usual boring car ad. Instead of talking about how it's better than all of the other types of cars in its class, it talks about how this car shouldn't even be compared to other cars because it's so superior. It's a convincing arguement.  However at the end of the commercial the narrator says "so much for the new kid fitting in" as the car pulls into a driveway of a house that has been toilet-papered.


In terms of getting my attention, it worked. However the ad is most likely targeted towards an older, parent-like crowd who are in most cases very against their child getting picked on or in this case their house getting toilet-papered. Comparing your car to your kid getting picked on as the 'new kid' is probably not the best angle.

Subaru Commercial

Props to Subaru for making an adorable car commercial. This particular ad almost had me tearing up, as it shows a father talking to a young girl about how she should be a careful driver. It reminds me exactly of the talk my dad gave me before I set out on the road as a new driver.


This is a great ad for grabbing the customer's attention, and even though it is most likely aimed at parents it got my attention. Subaru is doing a great job of selling their brand as a safe, reliable, family friendly product. These are all qualities that parents look for when they are car shopping for their families, which in my opinion makes for a great commercial.

Elf Yourself for Office Max

In 2008, Office Max thought of a creative new way to get people to their website. On the site, customers could elf themselves, or create a cute dance video with pictures of whoever the customers choose.
This is a great way to create buzz about the brand and get people to the website in hopes they'll stick around to purchase some office supplies. However a scheme like this one markets to a younger crowd, and few young people purchase their own office supplies.

Whopper Freak Out

The whopper freak out is by far one of the best examples of viral marketing I've seen. Burger king had a genius idea in 2007 to see what people's reactions would be if there were no more whoppers. The customers reactions were hilarious and got lots of buzz going about Burger King. Looks like the campaign was a success.

Racy Philips Ad

A few years ago this ad for the Philips body grooming tool went viral and produced millions of dollars for Philips. It definitely gets the viewers attention and gets people laughing about an uncomfortable topic for men. However some might find the topic inappropriate for a commercial. 

Shards of Glass

You've probably seen the commercials for this made up product called "Shards of Glass" and their massive made up recall. At first I had no clue what this fake advertising campaign was for, but upon investigation I discovered it was sponsored by the Truth campaign which works to prevent smoking in teens. 


Though the campaign is humorous it was only effective once I knew what it was advertising for. The commercial gets people interested and will most likely cause them to go to the website to read more about this fictional recall. It's the right idea, and it will most likely get the attention of those who see it.

Dove Evolves Our Take of Beauty

It was a few years ago when Dove released this dove evolution campaign, but it still amazes me. The point of this ad is to show all of the artificial changes that are made to models that make them look more "beautiful". Seeing the entire process a model goes through shows that even the prettiest of women, are have unrealistic looks. 

Domino's: What You See Is What You Get

After years of blending in with all of the other pizza places out there, Domino's finally caught my attention with their new "what you see is what you get" campaign. In a recent commercial, they show all of the things some pizza places do to make their food look good. But they are doing something different by having their customers send in the pictures they display in the commercials.
In my opinion this is a very smart ad campaign. Whether it is true or not, I would rather buy pizza that is real in the commercials than pizza that isn't similar to the real product. If nothing else, Domino's is basically saying "Hey, we sucked before, but now we're making it up to you by being honest" and I can respect that. To test this new ad campaign I recently ordered a Domino's pizza and I was pretty impressed. From what I can tell, what I saw is what I got. Honesty makes for a pretty good ad campaign.

Bus Stop Ad Causes Me to Stop.

Their message is clear, and probably gets the attention of most people passing by. The Milwaukee Health Department has this ad on the side of several bus stops around Milwaukee in order to increase clean habits. I thought it was very effective because it made me think, what was the last thing I touched, and when did I last wash my hands? Seeing as this is the goal for the MHD, this advertisement is very effective.

Mayhem Makes for a Great Ad Campaign

Normally insurance ads do not catch my attention. As someone who doesn't pay for my own car insurance, they've always just been another commercial that stands between me and the TV show that I am watching. In the past, Allstate's commercials complete with their corny catch phrase "are you in good hands?", have been especially painful commercials to sit through.

However the new mayhem campaign that they have done has really caught my attention. The commercials feature a man  who calls himself "mayhem" and describes instances in which people get in various car accidents and need good car insurance.

Not only are the ads funny, they appeal to a very large audience. The pink SUV ad, which features a hit and run accident in a parking lot, is one that anyone can relate to. The one where mayhem plays a filthy rich executive  appeals especially to someone of a younger generation. Even the ad with the jogger made me laugh, and it is obviously aimed at male crowd.

Insurance commercials have never been interesting. They are usually just about companies promising the lowest prices and the best coverage. But Allstate has caught my attention. Catching the eye of college students who will soon be needing car insurance, is a very good thing for Allstate.

Mike's does Manly.

For years guys have had a hard time drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade. Due to its low alcohol content, it is generally viewed as a more "girly" beverage. With the new campaign Mike's has launched, it looks like they are trying to appeal to more men. The new ads feature a lemonade stand that is for adults. So far I've seen several ads in which two guys are selling Mike's at a house party, tailgate party, golf course, and a pool party. 

These two guys are using the fact that women enjoy Mike's to try to get men drink to Mike's. In one ad, the lemonade stand is at a pool party and the two guys are chatting in up with two women in bikinis. I'm not a guy but trying to imagine this ad through a man's eyes, I don't think that acting like a girl would necessarily attract them to me. 

I have to say though, Mike's has the right idea by advertising specifically to men. As the two lemonade sellers in the commercials admit, not many men have even ever tried Mike's Hard Lemonade. On the other hand some men are too macho to ever try a drink that is advertised as a "girly" drink.

Product Placement's Next Victim

As if we don't already see enough product placement within our favorite TV shows and movies, there is a new trend that exposes us to even more subtle advertisements. Music videos seem to be the latest victims to product placement. As someone who likes to keep up to date on all the latest music videos, I was disappointed to see that some of my favorite artists are giving in and adding products to their music videos. In Lady Gaga's video for her song "Telephone" I counted eight different products that made an appearance. 


3oh!3 is also one of the many artists that are catching on to this new trend. In their latest video for their song "Double Vision" the dating website "Plenty of Fish" was featured in the video. The popular dating website was also one of the many products featured in the Gaga video. Since most of these videos are targeted to a younger crowd, most likely between the ages of 15-25, I think it's unusual to be marketing online dating to this age group as most of us are not looking online for love.

Nonetheless, I feel that product placement is slowly taking over every aspect of our culture. When it comes to most things I am immune to it. But I do not appreciate that my favorite artists are selling out by putting sponsored products in their videos.