I RATE ADS

jtherkal: After those sleek, fashionable black and white ads (which I didn’t love) this is an absolute disconnect and disgrace. They seemed to be building a mystique, making Gatorade seem top shelf, even classy. And to follow it up with a poorly done Monty Python ripoff–shameful. One of the keys of using athletes in commercials is understanding that most of them CAN NOT act (Lebron & Peyton being the exception). And if you’re going to do something like this, it has to be well written and amazingly funny. This is neither. Rarely, if ever, have I invoked sjb’s Ad Exec Masturbation classification, but this is worthy. It’s awful in every sense of the word. To think, your client is Gatorade. You can use some of the biggest stars in the world, and this is the trash you put out? It made me sick to my stomach to watch all nine minutes of this. Should have been aborted in the concept phase. Double F.

sjbooher: Wow. Ouch. I like it, but I’m completely biased. Usain Bolt’s head running around and Kareem’s cameo make me laugh every time. I definitely thought the same thing though, as far as being disconnected from the “What’s G?” part of the campaign. B.

sjbooher: I will say this… I didn’t know this 9 minute piece of crap existed. The edited quick hitters shown on TV are a big improvement.

jtherkal: They finally show the product at the end. I’m not really a fan of this whole campaign, and this hasn’t really done anything to change my mind. If anything, I like it less than the other ad. D.

sjbooher: I love this campaign, and this ad only strengthens the case. The music, look and feel of this campaign conveys superiority and dignity, much to the contrast of the buffoonery that is the trademark of quasi-competitor Sobe Lifewater. A.

sjbooher: Brilliant. Epic. Awesome. Some of the greatest athletes of all-time, a stirring background track, and the most on fire dude (Lil Wayne) on the planet to do the voice over? I’m sold. Now… what am I supposed to buy? That’s the problem here, as I don’t know what the hell is being advertised. Maybe it’s only the start and it will soon all make sense, but for now, I cannot give the Grade A approval. I also found it interesting that they chose an MC that the ignorant masses might label a “Gangsta rapper”… now that is G. G+ C+

jtherkal: Wait, Gatorade starts with G, and all these words start with G? Unless they’re introducing some new product that’s simply called “G,” this is sort of worthless to me. Gatorade already has a great image. It’s cool. People like it. You just need to remind me that it’s there and that it’s refreshing. So unless they reveal some new product at some point, D.

sjbooher: Hmm… your follow-up doesn’t scream “God awful” to me.

sjbooher: We recently reviewed the new Tiger Woods Gatorade ad. Oh the times, the are a changin’. I’ve definitely come full circle on this one. When I hear the opening space radio talk, I come running to any room with a TV. Then the music comes in… it’s monumental… it’s epic! The music is climaxing… the backswing… BOOOOM — knock that sucker to Mars! He really smashed that ball. Show ‘em those pearly whites, Tiger! Awesome. I love it and I can’t get enough. I’m officially a convert. A.

jtherkal: Dumb. F.

jtherkal: When you’re the greatest golfer on Earth, what’s next? Another bad ad. Why is it so hard for people to do good advertising with Tiger Woods? Accenture absolutely blows it. Buick never got it (and I worked on that shit). Nike usually does pretty well. But Gatorade misses the mark here. Tiger golfing on the moon? What a stupid-ass concept. You have perhaps the world’s most recognizable athlete and you cover his face the whole time. Plus, you put him on the f’ing moon, where the lack of gravity makes it sooooo easy to hit the ball a mile. That’s just basic science. The only way this would be a good ad is if it were for Tiger Woods Moon Juice, a brand of Gatorade actually produced on the moon. TIGER WOODS MOON JUICE! F.

sjbooher: Tiger Woods Moon Juice gets an A+! This gets something else. Is it really a good idea to roll out a Tiger Woods ad campaign for his new Gatorade drink when Gatorade has a simultaneous campaign for their new G2 drink, featuring athletes from several different sports? Maybe they do not care which one you buy, but if they were hoping for any sort of product distinction, they might be in trouble. This ad is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. D.

jtherkal: I’m not even going to pretend to understand what this means. Man likes Gatorade like dogs like water? Man drinks dogs? Dogs love Gatorade? Gatorade would drink Gatorade? The setup got my attention, and did make me feel kind of thirsty, but the payoff was terrible. Didn’t fit the Gatorade brand at all. Was this a consumer created ad? Or did some ad-man trick Gatorade into buying a video he made of his dog? D-.

sjbooher: I agree. No idea what they are trying here, unless it’s: “Our drink tastes like nasty dog slobber. Yum.” Also, I don’t know what the joke is, but the punchline is: Michael Vick!!! OHHHHH!!!! F.

jtherkal:
Blah blah blah. There’s no part of me that wants to listen to Derek Jeter talk, and he yaps a bunch in this ad without really saying anything. G2 is Gatorade’s answer to Vitamin Water, though I’m not sure you’d know it. They do state it’s a low calorie off-field hydrator, but what that has to do with the lame baseball field appearing around him or why you’d want to drink it is a mystery. Remember, America is stupid. The only redeeming quality this spot has is Peyton Manning! Peyton! C.

sjbooher:
I on the other hand love Derek Jeter. He is the Tom Brady of baseball: Men (other than The Mouth) want to be him, and women want to be with them. The special effect baseball field is attempting to say that Gatorade is not just for on-the-field activities, it, especially it’s new product, can be used in all aspects of life. I like it. It gets your attention, shows the new product, and then maybe you’ll try it. B.