I RATE ADS

This was in the “draft” pile, and is obviously a little late now. Let’s consider it a celebration for an Obama victory, and a fond farewell to Mrs. Palin. We’ll miss how awful you are.

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jtherkal: I don’t want to ruin the surprise in this, so let’s just say an advertising All Time Favorite comes back in this to try and get you to get out and vote. I thought I was the only one who wanted to see more of this guy. I’m sure this’ll never run on TV, but it’s funny to me. The writing could have been a little better, but overall, A.

sjbooher: These are reminiscent of one my all-time favorite campaigns, the Johnson Automotive Badger — both involve local car dealerships, and both use animals in an attempt to be zany and funny. However, where the badger is completely original and awesome, these monkey ads are bit too easy, and not all that funny. A little bit of “joke in a can” syndrome. Teeanage boy making out with someone’s daughter? Been there, although the shotgun scene was a little funny. That being said, much of the masses love lazy comedy. I just feel like whoever wrote this campaign was given the leeway to do something great and original, and they did not kock the ball out of the park. C-.

jtherkal: The trunk monkey! This ad is a classic. If I’m not mistaken, the original trunk monkey ad came out about seven years ago, which makes it a pioneer in the monkey ad joke space. While I agree that the badger ads were funnier, they had years of monkey and puppet joke expertise to build on. You can’t deny the hilarity of a monkey leaping around with a defibrillator (a machine for which my brain could not remember the name–I had to Google “electric shock heart restart machine”). But you’re partially right. Even back then this could have been better. A-.

jtherkal: SMASH! Everyone dreams of watching people in their office get crushed by a linebacker. Bringing the wondrous violence of football from the field to the office makes for gooood watching. When Terry throws that guy into the cube, smash! What are they selling? Who cares. I remember it’s Reebok and I still, to this day, go back and watch these every once in awhile. Say what you like, but in my book that’s effective advertising. Except that as an adult, I’ve never bought a pair of Reeboks. Mostly because they make ugly shoes. Advertising can’t fix that. A.

sjbooher: Agreed. Highly entertaining. One of my favorite sounds in the world is that of a good, solid tackle. They did a great job with the sound effects and dialogue on this one, making it a classic. “That ain’t new, baby!”. A+.

sjbooher: I do not have the facts on this, but I am fairly certain these ads could not run while the awful Cavemen tv show was airing. Not only was that show’s cancellation a sign of Allah’s enduring love, but a nice little bonus is that we once again get to see the phenomenon that started it all. This was one of the later ads in the campaign, but it might be the best. I love it. The song is awesome, with a subtle comedic aspect to the lyrics, and it makes me want to see this one over-and-over again. The ad takes advantage of the viewer already being familiar with the “So Easy A Caveman Can Do It” tagline, as it gets creative, while still incorporating the big picture. Love it. In the ultimate advertising victory, I will be moving soon and in need of a new renter’s insurance policy. I’m checking with Geico first. All-time favorite, and that really goes for this entire campaign. I am glad they started making new ads. Ad guys 1, Sitcom writers nothing. A+.

jtherkal: I can’t argue here. They did a good job. Geiko is a good client to have. They buy smart, subtle work. And they don’t limit themselves to one campaign. They have 3-4 campaigns running at once, so they blanket the world with different Geico messaging. Have a campaign with a lizard? Good. And cavemen? Bring it on. If it’s good, they make it. I will say that because of the gecko lizard, which I spell “gekko” in my head, I can’t ever spell Geico properly. Geiko. A.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our newest category… All-Time Favorites. Enjoy.

jtherkal: This hasn’t run in awhile, but it’s one of my all-time favorite ads. Whenever I’m feeling uninspired or stumped, I take a minute to watch this. The grand scale of the water balloon fight and the feelings it invokes does a great job representing the online gaming capabilities of the XBOX. But the details make this one. Kids in masks, old men and dogs getting pelted, and the song–how on earth did they choose this song? It’s perfect. A+.

sjbooher: I tuned out 8 minutes ago. I’m sorry, is this an ad? Maybe if chaos is the product for sale. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy watching this, but if it’s presented to me when commercials usually run, I would have paused the DVR 5 minutes ago and taken a piss. Or I would have returned to the popcorn line. When does this air? Is there a 30-second version that the ADD generation this product appeals to might actually sit through? Do these actually work? Maybe this was the greatest viral internet campaign and I missed the boat, or maybe I’m just plain ignorant, but I don’t see the point of this, other than a bunch of ad makers getting their rocks off. F.

jtherkal: Hater in the hooouuuse! This is pure joy.