Worst Ads of the Year. So Far.
Days ago I promised a quick analysis of what sucks in TV commercials. I finally put something together yesterday whilst replying to a question posed over at the new AdRants messageboard. So I'm cheating by publishing it twice in two different places. Deal.
Anyway, back to bad TV spots. This topic begins and ends with two campaigns running in Southern California right now. The first is for Six Flags Magic Mountain. There's a few different spots running, but they all go like this: some young people are engaged in a stereotypically boring summer activity such as sitting around in their front yard listening to music or caddying at their local whites-only country club. All of a sudden a sort of magical mystery tour school bus pulls up and out pops a freakish looking tuxedoed old man who breaks into a bizarre spastic dance routine set to a wildly outdated techno club anthem. The old guy is creepy looking, plain and simple. He looks like a turtle. See for yourself at sixflags.com. Nevertheless, the kids can't believe their good fortune and hop onto the bus with him no questions asked. Minutes later we see them having the time of their lives as they ride the rollercoaster with the turtleman. It's one of the very, very few TV spots that actually makes me change the channel when it comes on. It's literally a red-alert, find the remote at all costs situation when I hear that music on the television. Just awful.
The second offender is El Pollo Loco. This summer they've decided to introduce us to a gentleman known simply as "El Caliente: Master of the El Pollo Loco Flame." He sounds like some sort of Zorro superhero, but in the spot all he does is wear a puffy shirt and grill pieces of chicken to mouth-watering perfection. He also wields a barbecue utensil as if it's a foil and swishes his hair. The punchline is several shots of apparently average, un-Caliente men trying to emulate their idol but failing miserably, one guy even catching fire during the process. Speaking of fire: the spots end with this tagline: "Taste the Fire!" Taste fire? No thanks, I'll just meet you at Jack in the Box.
5 Comments:
You must be a breeder. I find El Caliente spicy. Under that puffy shirt is the fine sculptured muscle of a latino hunk. Check out mattcedeno.com. Mmmm, now that's some fire. El Caliente says "women want to dine with me and men want to grill like me." But he is wrong. Girlie men like me want to dine on El Caliente.
You must be a breeder. I find El Caliente spicy. Under that puffy shirt is the fine sculptured muscle of a latino hunk. Check out mattcedeno.com. Mmmm, now that's some fire. El Caliente says "women want to dine with me and men want to grill like me." But he is wrong. Girlie men like me want to dine on El Caliente.
Dude, the Magic Mountains Ads are the most annoying crap on TV - period. Whoever thought them up ought to be shot for creating that creepy old dance act. I say we tar and feather the bastard.
El Caliente is the greatest thing on Earth except for the actual pollo at El Pollo Loco... which he invented. Hating on Pollo is like hating on Jesus; you don't do it unless you expect to go to hell.
Personally, I love El Caliente and would love to taste his fire. I agreee with the "you must be a breeder" comment. I see nothing wrong with this muy caliente hombre. Yum!
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