planetdan

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 :::

How to win over dan thru advertising.

I never thought I'd say this about a wireless commercial, but my favorite advertisement right now is Sprint's "It was all Wendy's fault..." commercial. It's not really all that cleverly written or conceived, but the execution is flawless. (Right click here to download it if you don't know what I'm talking about).

Poor Wendy. Always taking the blame. I don't know what it is about her, but she's got my support. B* agrees with me. We all need to stand up for poor defenseless Wendy.

I also have to admit I like the Old Navy "Bust a Tunic" campaign, just because it's so absurd.

On the flip side, I think the commercial where the girl plugs the hole in the sinking rowboat with her tampon is really grody and disturbingly visualized. I also think the Kotex commercials with the bouncing red dot are inappropriate and shocking. It's fascinating that a company would want its official mascot to be a dancing drop of menstrual blood, but not so fascinating that I don't have to blind my eyes every time it's on TV.

::: posted by dan at 10:47 PM :: [ link ] :: (23) comments

Comments are Closed On this Post

23 previous comments:

Dan, the bouncing red dot in the Kotex commercials is supposed to be a *period*. Get it? It's a visual pun.

Although I agree that plugging a leak in a boat with one's tampon is gross.

--Ali, a loyal reader

By

Anonymous, at 11:00 PM

I understand that it's supposed to be a visual pun, like it's a punctuation period in a commercial about feminine periods, but by making it blood red, they are implying that it is a drop of blood. And then they make it dance around all happy like.

By

dan, at 11:04 PM

and why shouldn't it dance around all happy like???

By

tcarole, at 11:48 PM

Having 8 sisters, I know that during their monthlies, none of THEM are dancing around, all happy like---so why should their menstrual blood be happy, huh? LOL

I LOVE Wendy! I want to send her fan mail!

By

Christian, at 7:32 AM

You've really hit home for me on this one. I hate almost all tampon/pad commercials. They're either absurd like the dancing period (which grosses me out too by the way) or they make it seem like getting your period is like breaking a limb. "Sick of not being able to do the things you love because you've got your period?? Try xxx." As if it's debilitatitng. What happens to people when they write these commercials? It's like they lose their minds!

I like Wendy. I also like the Coke with Lime commercials.

By

Biglug, at 8:22 AM

I'm glad someone else likes Wendy! I adore the juxtaposition of her "Thank you!" to the Verizon guy and the nasty look she gives her family immediately after.

She's also one of the few teenage girls on television who actually looks and acts like a teenage girl, so she gets props for that, too.

By

Candice, at 8:53 AM

Dan, you are brilliant. I figured I was the only one who thought the Wendy commercial was hilarious. When I'm in my apartment and I hear that commercial come on, I drop whatever I'm doing and run to the TV just to catch that face she makes at the end. I love it! That girl is hysterical!

By

Anonymous, at 8:55 AM

Brent, I bet you can identify with Wendy.

By

Kristina, at 9:47 AM

I really hate the commercial where there is a very specific reference to "odor and leakage". Then our heroine chooses the right tampon and is suddenly high kicking in her aerobics class. Nasty.

By

Will, at 9:57 AM

I'ts so simple, yet they don't get it. Tampon commercials should be shots of very good-looking men fixing lawn mowers, shirtless, with a voiceover talking about the damn tampons. Then I'd pay attention.

By

abby, at 10:12 AM

It's so simple, yet they don't get it. Tampon commericials should just show a very good-looking man fixing a lawnmover on a hot day, shirtless, with a voiceover talking about the damn tampons. Then I'd pay attention.

By

abby, at 10:16 AM

It's not just Wendy's facial expression...it's the sound of teenage disgust she makes in the back of her throat that sends me over the edge into hysterics....listen carefully next time, it's perfect. Every woman here knows that sound because we spent about 7 years perfecting it ourselves.

By

annie, at 10:45 AM

Yes, I can relate to Wendy. And I love her more than words can express... it is my favorite commercial. Ironically, I feel a little like Wendy right now, since the only nod I get to brining this up, proclaiming to Dan how brilliant it is and making Dan turn the channel to see Wendy is just "B* agrees with me." Whatever. Ugh! (imagine disgusted Wendy face now) Not poor Wendy! Poor Brenty!

PS I totally saw Gilmore Girls first.

By

brent, at 3:31 PM

I have a teenage daughter and I can tell you that every parent LOVES that commercial - it is exactly what a teenage girl would do.

By

Anonymous, at 7:59 PM

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

By

Craig, at 10:00 AM

While Wendy is precious, I have another favorite commercial that deserves mention. It's the VW commercial where the young business guy is trying to impress his older co-workers and boss. His boss turns on the car stereo and the guy's speed metal is turned up top volume. Could be me, could be you...

By

Craig, at 10:01 AM

I don't understand why they even have to advertise tampons, etc. A girl just uses what her mom uses/buys and then might switch to what a friend uses. It's not like we'll go back to corncobs & old rags if they don't advertise.

By

Michelle, at 4:24 PM

Craig - that commercial is really lame. Do you also like to wstch reruns of Full House?

By

Anonymous, at 10:42 AM

I just happened to be googling the Old Navy "Bust A Tunic" song lyrics because I couldn't figure out the second line and hate not being able to understand something after hearing it that many times, so consequently, I stumbled onto this site. Whole-hearted concurrence on everything I've read thusfar. Though I watch about 5 shows, (Gilmore Girls and The Cosby Show being my favorites), I am quite the fan of commercials. Loved the ones mentioned here. Also, I like the jetta commercial with the young couple dancing/jumping in their apartment to the song "Molly's Chambers," and then they are seen getting yelled at by a landlord followed by them buying a subwoofer and then jumping around in their own apartment. And the commercial for photographs where a frame is held over the persons face and the image appears, to the song "Picture Book" is amazing, too. My all-time favorite, sadly no longer aired, is a car commercial with everyone waving at a car and it seems like everyone is waving because of the nice car, but a little boy is waving in the backseat and "Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?" was sung in the background. Beautiful advertising. --A silly little girl called Jackie

By

Anonymous, at 7:10 PM

I also think its funny that with the exception of the red dot in the Kotex ads, the media likes to assume that we leak BLUE FLUID - honestly, if thats the case, you've got more to worry about than leakage and odor.

By

Anonymous, at 1:55 AM

Michelle, you and I are totally on the same page here. I hate tampon, pad, vagasil, or any other feminine product advertisements! Why do they do this? I don't know about the other women out there, but my older sister told me what to do and I adjusted to my needs over the years. I don't want to be on the couch with a friend/date/grandma, and have that pop up! Just blech! Anyone ever notice that if you're in a group of people when one of those commercials comes on, the room gets silent and uncomfortable, or conversation instantly pops up (about ANYTHING, as long as it covers the horrid commercial)? And the boat hole plugging commercial? Please. I'd rather sink. Yes, the Wendy commercial is awesome. Any Bill Engvall fans will find it extra friggin hilarious!

By

Amanda Frazier, at 3:46 PM

Dan,

I enjoy the "It's Wendy's fault" commercial, too.

I've asked myself what makes it so "funny" for me, and (for me, anyway) I think it may have to do with the apparently unaware parents (family at large) "scapegoating" the teenage daughter,... after all, it's got to be someone's fault,... hmmm,... who's least able/likely to actively/successfully defend themself/themselves? "OK, let's pick Wendy."

The fact that a teenage girl may be the most "cell-happy" is probably attractive to the $-conscious parents watching the commercial. But the body language and look on the girl's face proclaim absolute innocence to any viewer who might identify with the daughter.

In case you're interested/curious, I went to google and found your blog entry when I entered [sprint commercial fault] - I didn't remember that "her" name was Wendy.

The commercial came to mind while reading "HOW TO SCAPEGOAT THE LEADER"
here.

Regards, and thanks for the link to the commercial,
Gerry

By

Gerry, at 3:02 PM

Me, I just LOVE tampon, maxi pad & douche commercials! Everytime one comes on, I get a RAGING BONER, & I got to jack off immediately! I especially like the ones with the blue liquid used to represent you-know-what. Man, just the thought of all that nice, ripe, messy blood- Hang on- gotta grab something, here....

By

Anonymous, at 2:49 PM

< Back to Blog