Newman’s Trump Takedown
Seinfeld fans have something to smile about. Wayne Knight has reprised his iconic role as Newman for this political ad, and he has a message for American voters- and for Donald Trump.
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Trump as Superman
According to a report in The New York Times:
In several phone calls last weekend from the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Mr. Trump shared an idea he was considering: When he left the hospital, he wanted to appear frail at first when people saw him, according to people with knowledge of the conversations. But underneath his button-down dress shirt, he would wear a Superman T-shirt, which he would reveal as a symbol of strength when he ripped open the top layer. He ultimately did not go ahead with the stunt.
Samsung- Freshly Laundered
Make of it what you will. This is a commercial for a washing machine that also promotes a perfume.
It seems that a Samsung survey of British adults concluded that their favourite aroma is that of fresh laundry (followed by clean bedsheets, cakes baking in the oven, the seaside air and freshly cut grass). Keeping that in mind, alongside the launch of its latest “ecobubble” washing machines, Samsung has also launched a fragrance. It’s a “crisp, fresh scent that captures the essence of freshly washed laundry” in a bottle that is an exact replica of the washing machine.
And if that was not odd enough, it roped in gymnast Max Whitlock to philosophize over life and laundry (apparently, a homage to the Brad Pitt ads for Chanel) and also demonstrate how the washing machine might serve as a pommel horse.
Eight Plus- Wonder of Water
From Thailand: drinking water brand Eight Plus has released a series of head-scratching yet hypnotic 15 second spots.
No Douche Bag
Swedish transport company Västtrafik has come up with a simple and polite way of implementing social distancing on its buses, trams, and ferries. It has distributed tote bags (“No Douche Bags”) to commuters that help keep fellow passengers at a safe distance.
Macs and Viruses
For Mac aficionados. A brilliant 35 second clip put out by an Australia-based osteopath and software developer.
Excel Bungles UK COVID Tracing
Those who work on databases will find a lot more to be amused by this report.
People may have caught Covid-19 because an Excel spreadsheet failure stopped nearly 16,000 cases being transferred swiftly to the test-and-trace system, a Cabinet minister admitted today.
The error is believed to have been caused by a spreadsheet containing lab results reaching its maximum size, and failing to update.
It is understood the Excel spreadsheet reached its maximum file size, which stopped new names being added in an automated process. The files have now been split into smaller multiple files to prevent the issue happening again.
Jack Irish (Movies, Seasons 1-2)
Jack Irish is the creation of Australian crime writer, Peter Temple, and the lead character of four of his novels. He is a lawyer turned debt collector who moonlights as a private investigator. I haven’t read the novels but I got around to watching the televisual rendering of his adventures. So far there have been 3 made-for-television movies and one six-parter, directly based on the novels, and another six-parter with original content around the character.
It is a distinctly Australian drama in its setting, characters and humour. Where it stands out is that despite brutal murders and a high body count, there is a lot to smile about, thanks to the colourful characters, running gags, and witty dialogue. The ace in the pack, though, is Guy Pearce as the title character, in a role that some say, he was born to play. In the words of one reviewer, he exhibits a “world-weary charm exemplifying the best of the Australian character –getting on with the job at hand with a minimum of fuss and bother, always with the aim of doing the right thing by the underdog.”
On the downside, the plotting, while engrossing, is twisted to the point of being convoluted, especially in Season 2. Or as one character puts it to Mr. Irish: “It's never just straightforward with you, is it, Jack? You know, never a meat and three veg murder.” Nevertheless, I enjoyed this a lot.
Here’s a link to a clip that captures some of the flavour of the movies and the series.
Here’s a link to the aired order of the movies and the series. On some streaming services, the season categorisation is as shown here.
Getting the Vote of Dog Lovers
This new endorsement ad offers an unusual reason to vote for Biden over Trump- the love of dogs. Will it work? This is what one reviewer had to say:
Dog ownership is obviously not a prerequisite for elected office, nor should it be. But when it comes to crafting an image, there is something deeply humanizing in seeing how public figures interact with their canine counterparts.
Political coverage and posturing is so manufactured, every moment seemingly scripted, every line meticulously planned. A dog doesn’t know any of this. So politicians are arguably at their most genuine when interacting with their dogs.
President Trump doesn’t have a dog, but as his refusal to condemn white supremacist groups suggests, he does seem at his most genuine when he’s blowing their whistle.
Hugh Jackman Bares His Love For RM Williams’ Boots
Actually, he bares a lot more in this cheeky new commercial for the Australian bootmaker.
Swearing Parrots Separated
Five foul-mouthed parrots have been separated after learning to swear at a Lincolnshire zoo.
The parrots – named Billy, Elsie, Eric, Jade and Tyson – joined Lincolnshire Wildlife Park’s colony of 200 grey parrots in August. But soon after, they started encouraging each other to swear.
“We saw it very quickly – we are quite used to parrots swearing but we’ve never had five at the same time,” Steve Nichols, CEO of the wildlife park, told PA. “Most parrots clam up outside, but for some reason these five relish it.”
The parrots have since been distributed to different areas of the park so they do not “set each other off”.
Protect Your Shins
From Brazil: the best thing that I can say about this print campaign for Marluvas Safety Boots is that it is attention-grabbing.
ROM Buzz- Event Sponsorship
For the launch of ROM Buzz- a chocolate wafer with rum filling- Romanian chocolate brand ROM has come up with a campaign that is, true to its tradition, smart, funny, and audacious. It is proposing a rather unusual event sponsorship offer. It is offering to sponsor- hold your breath- cancelled major events. Here’s a link to a video that presents the idea.
In addition, it has released a series of videos that feature direct pitches and reminders to the people behind very specific events such as “the tennis tournament where everybody dresses in white”. Each pitch is a delight to watch.
- Cancelled Football Tournament pitch
- Cancelled Tennis Tournament pitch
- Cancelled Superheroes Event pitch
- Cancelled Music Festival pitch
- Cancelled Football Tournament pitch reminder
- Cancelled Tennis Tournament pitch reminder
- Cancelled Music Festival pitch reminder
Last but not the least, the actual sponsorship packages make for interesting reading.
IKEA- Sleep Campaign
Looking to rejuvenate yourself? Rather than use pills, energy drinks, and anti-ageing creams, IKEA’s brilliantly designed posters make the case for having a good night’s sleep (with its range of bedding, of course).
Ads So Bad, Customers Want Refunds
According to this report:
In further evidence of the perils of bringing your creative in-house, a Brisbane car dealership has unveiled a series of ads so terrible customers are threatening to return their vehicles.
Zen (Season 1)
Right after I finished watching this crime drama, my first thought was: I’m gonna miss this.
It’s set in Italy and is loosely based on a series of novels by British crime writer, Michael Dibdin. The title character- Aurelio Zen is his full name- is a police detective of Venetian origin, working in Rome. As played by Rufus Sewell, he is dapper, charming, and with loads of self-deprecating humour. He also has “a reputation for scrupulous integrity” that, in the dark corridors where politics and policing mingle, isn’t necessarily considered an asset. Over the course of three feature-length episodes, we see him work on cases that include murders, suicide, and kidnapping.
While the cases are unexceptional, and their resolutions rather facile, it is the journey that they take Zen through that is interesting. Even more is watching Zen balance the constantly conflicting interests of the powers above him, while extracting his own little pound of flesh, so to speak. Most of all, it is the characters, the performances, and the atmosphere of the series that I found utterly fascinating and which linger on for me.
The series was originally aired in 2011 but despite a respectable viewership (and eight more source novels available), was never renewed.
Here is a link to the trailer.
Uber Eats- Mark Hamill vs. Patrick Stewart
Star Wars vs. Star Trek. Baseball vs. Cricket. To-may-toes vs. To-mah-toes. This new commercial for Uber Eats features a rib-tickling face-off.
US Senator Compares Herself to Attila the Hun
A U.S. senator has just released this ad, that touts her as being “more conservative than Attila the Hun”. It’s an ad that is bizarre on so many levels that it makes me question the intelligence and the sanity of those behind it. It also leads me to wonder about the thinking of those who found it worthy of serious comment and critical analysis.