The other day I was watching a TV and I saw something I had never seen before. Typically, apple’s are the core of the message; an apple a day… Now, it is the apple that is giving the message, which is definitely new to me. This message: Eat At Applebee’s.

Fine.

My problem - besides the whole concept for the campaign - is that this message is being shrilly force fed into America by Wanda Sykes. If you do not know Wanda Sykes, here’s all you need to know, Wanda is an actress/comedian (and i use those words loosely) who is so tired of all the same crap and the same stupid people and the same silly circumstances day in and day out. Boy do those things just get her blood boiling. Back of hand to forehead, she cannot believe all that is going on around her and lets anybody around her know how she is really feeling in EVERY ROLE she has ever acted in! She does the same freaking thing every time. Why do people still hire her?

Seriously, this woman irritates me to the core of my soul. What Keanu Reeves is to restraint and unintentional poker faces, Wanda is to semi-endearing expressions of day-to-day frustration in a safe Jay Leno sort of way.

She is that “Oh she’s so crazy” comedian that stomps her feet and says the darnedest thing… I swear to God that Carlos Mencia has more charm than her. Well, okay, they both suck.

Now, the wry corporate thinkers at McCann have taken a blase idea and added the most unprovocative comedian to give voice to their campaign. I have worked hard to avoid her movies - somehow she found a way into Clerk’s 2, fuck you for that Kevin Smith - but she sneaks up on you in this commercial campaign like a wet-willy ninja, ever ready to irritate with all her ability.

Please Wanda, hurry up and make your millions and find God so you can quit this business and go on some evangelical broadcast channel so you can start telling us how to live instead of what we should eat… wait, what’s the difference?

And Applebee’s, GO AWAY!

Technorati Tags: wanda sykes, mcann, applebee’s, beyond madison avenue

I happen to really like Zune advertising. I also happen to really like the band Rogue Wave. When you put them together you get a Zune commercial of nothing but pure creativity. I want to say this is one of the first spots W + K did on their recently acquired Zune account, but not sure. 72andSunny had the account before, but Microsoft threw more money into their Zune ad budget and switched agencies. Not too bad. Oh, and the name of the song is, “Lake Michigan.”

Technorati Tags: Beyond Madison Avenue, Zune, W + K, 72 and Sunny, Rogue Wave, Commercial

You might remember the Cadbury Gorilla we posted a while back.  Well, it was bound to happen, and now it has. The spot has been spoofed…by none other than Wonderbra.

via 

Technorati Tags: beyond madison avenue, wonderbra, cadbury, gorilla, phil collins, poke new york

Or, I’d imagine, AMV BBDO does it again. I’m always impressed by their ability to make a Guinness ad that I actually enjoy watching.  This is what a commercial should be folks: enjoyable. Supposedly the most expensive Guinness ad ever made, this new "domino" story is part of their "Good things come to those who wait" campaign. This also clears up the mystery behind Sean’s post below.

Technorati Tags: guinness, amv bbdo, beyond madison avenue

In a continued battle for post-56k modem relevancy, AOL has reportedly purchased online advertising company Quigo for $350 million. Quigo, which has steadily grown in the past two years, will be AOL’s fourth advertising acquisition this year. The move signals a continued shift into the realm of web advertising for the company.

As the once great ISP struggles to find its place in the era of broadband and social media, AOL will fight an uphill battle for advertisers who have long trusted their web-based text content to Google and Yahoo. Quigo has found successes against the two behemoths, but there is certainly a long way to go before a lion’s share of the internet’s advertising revenue is handed over to AOL.

Still, Quigo offers advertisers another option. It remains to be seen, however, if that option will catapult AOL into a three-way race for our dollars or if Google and Yahoo are too far ahead to catch.

Technorati Tags: advertisers, web advertising, aol, social media, Quigo

So, I’m flipping through the channels the other night and stop on CBS to check out this year’s Survivor. What I didn’t expect to see was this PSA regarding AIDS in retirement communities during the commercial break. Apparently, Grandma and Grandpa need to understand the risks of unprotected sex just as much as a drunken frat-boy.

Watch it here.

I’m only slightly disturbed.

Technorati Tags: Survivor, PSA, commercial, CBS

A well-done short vid that surveys prices of ad space in NYC.  The prices actually seem on the low side…

Technorati Tags: Beyond Madison Avenue, ad prices in NYC, media buys, 5min Life Videopedia

New Guinness campaign.  Shrouded in mystery.  Not even sure what it is one can win.  Or why one should put the effort into figuring out the "mystery."  But it involves Guinness which means it’s good in my book.  If anyone reading this wins a lifetime supply of Guinness, you better be sending at least a couple my way.

Thanks to Ed at iClickNation for the lead.

I’ve never worked in a call center. I’ve never dealt directly with complaints for any company I have ever worked for nor have I been responsible for trying to rectify a complaint on behalf of my company. But, I have made many complaints to companies over the years from the consumer end. Comcast, AOL, Newegg, and a host of other businesses have been the target of my wrath over the years. Needless to say, one bad experience, like the one I had with Newegg, ruins a company’s reputation and forces me to look elsewhere for ever and always.

Some companies just have a bad reputation for customer service. Comcast, for example, was recently ranked third worst in an MSN poll for customer service. I take little comfort in knowing it’s not just me.

Dell didn’t fare much better. Only 15% of the population polled called their customer service ‘Excellent’. The one difference between Dell and Comcast, other than industry, is the quality of Dell’s advertising campaigns. You’ve seen the new Inspiron commercial highlighting the company’s new colorful notebooks, I’m sure. The catchy tune in the background, the coloring associations, and overall imagery all blend together to form a highly successful commercial.

For a brief moment, I forget that a majority of Dell’s customer service call volume goes to call centers based outside the US where you’re forced to wait what seem to be hours before a real person answers, only to direct you to someone else because their department doesn’t handle your particular question. I forget that an e-mail inquiry can take up to a week before you receive a response. I forget that every so often a Dell simply ceases to function and the company charges you to replace the system (including the cost to ship it back to them) or its parts when you forgo their expensive three-year warranty extension. I forget all of the negative experiences I’ve had and complaints I’ve heard from others.

All I think is, “Wow that was a cool commercial.” Maybe that’s the point. Commercials aren’t just designed to highlight new products or deals; they’re also designed to increase positive brand recognition. Still, saying one thing while watching a spot during the game and thinking that same thing when I am in Best Buy picking out my next toy rarely happen.