Billboard dad.

I was obsessed with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen when I was a little girl.  My best friend and I would watch their movies and act out the parts afterward.  I was Ashley.  She was Mary-Kate.  

One of my favorite MK&A movies was Billboard Dad.  In the film, the girls put up a personal ad for their widowed father to get him a date.  They had no idea how much attention would come from it.

If you haven't seen this movie, you were a deprived child.  But I won't spoil it for you.  I still suggest you watch it.  If I still had a VHS player, I'd be watching my copy right now.

Here's the billboard the twins managed to decorate:

Top five billboards.

In the small town of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, I don't see many clever billboards.  I usually drive past a dozen McDonalds and Sheetz billboards every day.  They're effective.  Especially because there are about 10 Sheetz and McDonalds in a five-mile radius.  The other billboards I come across advertise local small businesses.  They're not usually very creative.  So I went on an online hunt for billboards and came up with my favorite five.

Five.  Because I've never seen a toothpaste billboard.

Four.  Because I love Law & Order.

Three.  Because it's cool.

Two.  Because profanity is funny.

One.  Because this lady's the shit.

Why you'll never forget Sarah Marshall.

Anyone remember the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall?  It premiered in 2008.  It's on cable all the time now.  The movie was okay--just another romantic comedy.

If you've seen the movie, you probably remember the cast better than the plot.  Jason Segel, who wrote the film starred alongside Mila Kunis, Russell Brand and Kristen Bell, who starred Sarah Marshall.

Anyways, I was probably a junior in high school when the movie came out, and for some reason I was really excited about seeing it.  I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies, and although I love Jason Segel now, I probably had no idea who he was in high school.

So why did I want to see this movie so bad?

Because the billboards advertising the movie were so great.

I was in Florida with my family when I first saw the billboard.  I thought some rich kid was being overdramatic about being dumped.

But when I got back to Pittsburgh, I saw another billboard.

I had to research this "Sarah Marshall" character who was being blasted across the country.

Long story short, I went home, went on the website and found out Sarah Marshall was a character in an upcoming movie.  I saw it in theaters.  I never go to the movie theater.

Anyone else remember these ads?

This is what a billboard should look like.  Whoever created this ad campaign really understood the medium.  People try their best to ignore billboards.  It's a lot easier than other ads because especially when driving, you pass them within seconds.

A good billboard is very concise while getting the attention of its audiences.

A better billboard does those things while also directing you somewhere else you can hold your attention for longer than seven seconds.  Like a website.  Or Facebook.

This is great.

Billboard week.

That's right.  The moment you've all been waiting for--when I bring some organization back to the blog.

I know I've been bombarding everybody with television commercials that don't really have much to do with each other.  Aside from the fact that they premiered during the Super Bowl.  But I couldn't help myself.  The Super Bowl started it by bombarding me with the ads first.

So from now on--or until i morph back into Amanda the ADD Adluster again--I'm going to keep a theme going.  Each week, I'll feature a specific style of advertisement and share the best and worst ads I've come across.

This week is billboard week.  I know billboards are super old news.  Actually, TV commercials are old news.  Billboards are ancient news.  But if successful businesses (Sheetz, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts) still advertise through commercials, they must work.

Here's one of the most memorable billboards I came across.

A 23-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota used a billboard in attempt to attract potential employers.  His billboard got so popular it was featured in Time newsfeed.

I guess a resume isn't enough anymore.

Check out Olson's website here.

Guest blogger Taylor Kohr.

AdLuster would like to welcome guest blogger Taylor Kohr to the blog today.  Here's her take on some recent advertisements.


I don't know much about commercials or advertising.  Just the commercials I like and dislike.

When it comes to the skittles commercials, I don't even know what to think.  One will come on Tv, and when it's over I feel sort of mind-blown.  Maybe it's because they're all so random and have the weirdest subjects.

This one is recent and just plain gross.  It reminds me of eating someone's chicken pox.  Ew.  To be honest whenever it comes on TV it makes me never want to eat skittles again, especially ones growing off someones face.

This one is newer also.  Abraham Lincoln sweating skittles?  What does that even mean?

I don't know if this is good advertising or not.  All I know is I feel funny after they come on, and they do not make me crave skittles.



Taylor Kohr is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.  She writes a blog about the stresses of being a working college student.  To learn more about Taylor or read her work, visit her blog My College Stress First Aid Kit

Volkswagen Freak.

I know I've already established myself as a Volkswagen advertisement freak.  But since I'm doing my senior project on VW ads, I look at them constantly.  I forgot to show you their newest ad.  I'm not 100% into it.  I like the concept of making Mondays cool again, but only Allstate can pull off a voiceover like this.  I do, however, really like the 'teaser' for the commercial.  I think it's better than the commercial itself.  Let me know what you guys think.

Teaser.

Actual ad.  Premiered during the Super Bowl.

Other top Super Bowl commercials.

You voted.  They won.  Here are the other top commercials from this year's Super Bowl according to Ad Week's Ad Blitz contest.


Number Five.

You already know I loved this one.  It was in my top favorites last week.  I'm glad everyone agreed that this commercial will make moms everywhere feel so awesome when they buy a Santa Fe.

Number Four.

This was one of my favorite Super Bowl ads I showed last week too.  I love it.  I should have warned you (again) that it will make you cry.  It does make me think of the military industrial complex though...not a good association.  But I guess the Jeep is already associated with the military.  Does that give it the right to make us cry though?  I don't think so.

Number Three.

A classic anti-advertisement: advertising that makes fun of advertising--in order to impress other advertisers.  It's funny.  It's cute.  But I hate it.  It follows a formula that's been done a million times before.  I think the celebrity endorsements are the only reasons for this commercial's placement in the top five.  And where is the phone in this ad?  The commercial focuses on it maybe twice.  In two minutes.  Not. Good.

Number Two.

This is definitely my least favorite Super Bowl commercial I've seen.  Maybe I'm not up-to-date on my Budweiser ads, but I don't understand this ongoing Clydesdale reference.  I'm sure it's perfect for Budweiser drinkers...I don't even like carrying bottles of Bud to my customers at work.  The commercial is cute nonetheless.  I get it.  The guy grows up.  His horse does too.  They have an unbreakable bond, just like a man has with his Bud.

However, I DO like the contest that shows up at the end of the commercial urging Budweiser customers to name the new baby Clydesdale.  The twitter hashtag (#) gets people talking online too.  Interesting concept.  Great execution.  I just hate it.  Budweiser drinkers are probably the same guys buying Dodge Rams.  Obviously, nothing like me.

And the winner is...

I'm sure you've been dying to find out what was voted the best commercial from Super Bowl 2013.  I know I have.  I checked out the website frequently after the game to find out the viewer's choice, but it didn't show up for awhile.  I started losing interest so my apologies if the update came a little later than you expected.  But here's the winner..

I think this ad is great, but it's definitely not targeted at me.  For a religious blue-collar white man, this sells the Dodge Ram perfectly.  The commercial personifies the target consumer in great detail.  The shot I remember most is the one of the farmer's hands.  They're dirty and covered in cuts.  You can tell they've been put to good use.  It's my favorite shot because although the ad directly targets farmers, the imagery (the man sitting at the dinner table with his family is another example) shows that any hardworking American man can appreciate the toughness of a Dodge Ram.

I also love the 8th day concept--I don't know if it's been done before (I doubt many companies use religion to sell their products)--but if not that makes it even better.  It further distinguishes the target market for the Dodge Ram.  This is definitely not a truck for the guy signing a petition to have "under god" eliminated from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Like most car ads, it's super Patriotic too.  But without all the unnecessary red white and blue sabotaging the entire screen.  Or the patriotic music you won't get out of your head for the next two days.

The storyline is good too.  Yes, most ads do have storylines.  Viewers are encouraged to remember the past while looking forward to their future in a new Ram Truck.

What do you think?

She'll do.

Now I know what to think when my boyfriend gives me flowers.



Come on ladies, you didn't really think flowers made you special...did you?
I know, I did too.  Until now. They say it's the thought that counts.  But I think it's the ad that counts.

Happy (early) Valentine's Day.

Is not something you're hoping to hear from McDonald's this year.

"Happy Valentine's Day" is not a good selling line for (most) products.  Unless you're Hallmark, Kay's, or Hershey's, you shouldn't be releasing vday-themed ads.  Half the population hates Valentine's Day (or refuses to admit it exists) and the other half is too busy being in love to pay attention to your less-than-creative sales attempts.

Here's some terrible Valentine's Day advertisements from Business Insider's list of the 25 worst Valentine's Day ads.

Natan Jewelry.  They didn't consider the ridiculous amount of men who would be forced to return the ring the day after Valentine's day.  If a woman sees this commercial, she's NOT saying yes.  Especially not on Valentine's Day.

Portugese Cardiology Foundation.  The thought of heart attacks will lift peoples' spirits on the annual lovefest.

Better yet, something that rhymes with heart attacks...

Tampax.  Seriously?  No comment.

Hopefully your man will feel bad about mentioning your period on the day he's suppose to love you most.  He'll want to make it up to you by splurging on the best gift ever.

You can't beat that one.  Go ahead and try.

Food that'll make you dance.

Meme time.

Sex: the anti-ad.

We've already established that sex sells.  But who would think that making fun of sex would sell?  These attractive women are made fun of in this ad to assure average consumers they won't be patronized at Planet Fitness gyms.  The commercials (and the gym's policies) have caused a lot of controversy.  But I think the ad is great--it's a modern-day anti-advertisement.  If i were to go to a gym--which I probably never will--Planet Fitness would be the one.  I think we all get an earful of egotistical women in public restrooms, dressing rooms, and...well, pretty much everywhere.  I don't want to hear it while I'm trying to improve my appearance.  But one thing...what's a lunk?  Either way, I'm sure I don't want to be around one of those either.

Dainty daddies.

Dads can be cool, too.  My favorite "cool dad" commercial this Super Bowl featured Doritos.  Does anyone else find it ironic that you're forced to dodge ads on YouTube while attempting to watch a commercial?  Talk about information overload...


P.S. I would have done a "top whatever" feature for the Super Bowl, but for some reason I can't figure out how to put more than one YouTube video on each post without it just showing the link.  To post YouTube videos, I have been using the "share" button on the YouTube site.  Anyone know of another way I can post more than one video so they actually show up on my page?

The rest of the week, I'll continue to feature the industry's favorite 2013 Super Bowl ads--with my own favorites as I see fit.  In the mean time, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/adblitz and vote for your favorite Super Bowl commercials.  I'll post the winner when the voting ends--in about five days.

While you're at it, check out Tim Nudd of Adweek's take on the five worst commercials from this year's Super Bowl. http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/advertising-branding/5-worst-ads-super-bowl-xlvii-147037#budweiser-black-crown-coronation-5

Cars for cool moms.

This commercial speaks for itself.  The Santa Fe is depicted as the perfect vehicle for "cool moms" across the states.  Kids couldn't possibly be embarrassed of their parents dropping them off in this hip SUV after seeing this ad.

If you like crying.

Not a Super Bowl commercial, but I couldn't help but think of it as I was drying my eyes from the Jeep tearjerker.  If you want to spend a few more minutes being emotional, play it.  It's good, too.  The emotional appeal is similar, but the approach is a little different.  Either way, this commercial was also designed to make us cry.  Thanks, mom.

Don't watch if you're in public.

...and you have a heart.  Or if you don't want the people around you seeing you tear up.  If you don't get a little emotional when you watch this Jeep commercial, you're an asshole.  If it actually makes you think of a Jeep, you're an asshole.  This Jeep ad shows how to make 99% of Americans cry within 30 seconds.  A little ethically questionable in my opinion..but business is business.  (Aristotle would disagree...but he would also disagree with advertising in general.)  A special thank you to the people who put their lives on the line every day for us.

Yo quiero Taco Bell.

Coca Cola: The optimist.

I'm sure you all were expecting an explosion of posts during the game yesterday.  Unfortunately, I spent my evening working, and still have not had the chance to watch my recording of the advertisements.  I did catch an ad or two in between my work, so here's my favorite two so far.  It's nice that Coke still has hope for humanity.