Taste the Manhood

Say what you will about the idea of a “diet soda targeted at men,” but at least Dr. Pepper 10 got one thing right: hilarious man-tastic commercials.

These spots of a burly mountain dude harken back to the good golden days of beer commercials, when a man could still pull a frothy brew out of a flowing stream. I’d still take the Busch Light over a 10-calorie soda, but at least the nostalgia is delicious. And hilarious.

My only regret is that the casting director couldn’t nail down the obvious talent for this spot: Mr. Will Ferrell.

Tasteful Spots, Tasty Shots

Maybe it’s due to the week I spent drinking my way through Ireland, but it seems like Jameson is one of the few liquor brands successfully finding a way to reinforce a stale brand image.

It’s par for the course for more established brands to lean on their ‘history’ when battling new competitive upstarts, but only Jameson does it with such a high level of wit, humor and blockbuster-caliber cinematography.

Plus, every schoolboy needs an idol. Go get ‘em John Jameson.

The One That Got Away

Like a game of “duck-duck-goose”, Axe takes a left out of Usualville with this haunting, clever — and in a way, sweet — spot. Instead of scantily clad babes clawing at dorky, unwashed dweebs, this ad actually takes a bit more human approach (Okee, superheroes and fireworks notwithstanding) to address the USP of their product.

Actual showering not required.

More Positively Awesome PSAs

I’ll go on record: I love PSAs.

Especially the clever, the outstanding, the shocking, the unique. Because if there’s one example of how even the most boring messages (and public service announcements are most certainly that) can be turned into something special, than this is it.

Perhaps the best I’ve found yet is the catchy jingle, dark humor and adorable animations that are used to convince dumb Aussies not to die on Metro trains. Sounds like a real winner, right? Just press play.

Bad Buzz — Lean Pocket, Heavy on the Ham

I wonder how my Bavarian brothers will feel about their rich history as told by… um… Lean Pockets. “Filled with meaty goodness, just like me?” Oh, Bruder.

Photoshop Panacea

The billion-dollar beauty industry is about to bite the dust. And it looks like the wunderdrug that will put it out of its glossy, glitzy misery has been under the nose of every graphic designer for years.

This great mock ad from Jesse Rosten gives beauty advertising — and the unrealistic, unrelenting image of the “ideal woman” that it promotes — a taste of its own medicine.

This Is Your Brain on Drawing

The only thing I love more than a great ad is a great ad that makes fun of a bad ad.

I’ve been over this before: there are lame ways to do PSAs and unique ways to do PSAs. So, I say kudos to the proud Mo-Town crew at Team Detroit for making fun of the lame ass PSAs that everyone — everyone — roll their eyes at. The great part is that the ads they did for the Detroit College of Creative Studies are probably not far from the truth: most parents equate art school with drug use. Right, well law school leads to more lawyers, so get over it.

So to my arty/druggy/clever artists out there… just say ‘yo’ to funny ads.

Mo’ Staches Mo’ Funny

Like a lot of advertising — or 80′s hairband music — you either get it or you don’t. These guys obviously get it.

Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Movember in style.

Zombies a Good Candy Commercial Make

Well, Starburst has done it again. I’m not sure that a Korean-Scottish… um… bagpiper is officially a contradiction in terms, but this spot sure keeps with the brands’ funny-weird-wtf-ish style. Zombies… does anything say juicy, sugary, Yellow Number Fivey deliciousness better? I’ll take that as a ‘guten tag, mate!’

 

Life’s a Beach Cleanup

We all have those days when we ask ourselves, “Is this really want I’m meant to do with my life?” In your case, yes, cleaning bathrooms at Lothar’s Sausage Emporium is hitting the big time, but for the rest of us, maybe our real value lies somewhere else.

At least that’s what this Six-Feet-Under-Episode-cum-PSA for the Surfrider Foundation from Young & Rubicam in Paris is putting forth. I’ll never look at clowns the same way.