The Bad Ad

Olive Garden – “Parents Visit” Commercial

thebadad — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:18:48 +0000

Maybe it’s because I’m bewildered by the fact that anyone could ever actually crave the Olive Garden… but this commercial, like every other Olive Garden commercial, is über lame.

The actress portraying the “college daughter” really needs to find another line of work. I get it; it’s a commercial. Emmy Award winners don’t do cheesy commercials. But what irks me is that a “professional” director actually liked this scene, and Olive Garden execs agreed!

I’m not trying to make this personal, but the truth is, there’s a hierarchy among Italian restaurant chains. Olive Garden is at the bottom, second only to Pasta House or perhaps Pizza Hut. Choosing this restaurant over Maggiano’s, Brio, Bravo, or even Macaroni Grill is like picking a Chevy Cobalt instead of a Corvette.

There are much better alternatives… but even if the food wasn’t terrible, I’d refuse to visit Olive Garden simply because their commercials are this bad.

Pizza Hut – “WingStreet Wings” Commercial

thebadad — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:42:32 +0000

Pizza Hut is using a new marketing approach to show people they’re more than just pizza.

I would say “just stick to pizza,” but considering I haven’t ordered from them in over 5 years, it’s probably not a bad idea. I’m guessing they’re trying to stay afloat by adapting.

They enlisted the “Wing King” Will Cerza to star in this commercial, and quoted him in their national press release as saying, “I know a great wing the second I taste one, and the taste of WingStreet hits the mark.”

Real convincing, Mr. Cerza…

What makes this commercial so bad is that they’re trying to portray an “unstaged” event, rife with sincere amazement and complete surprise. The worst part is the girl’s “What?!” response at 0:19. She acts like an infertility doctor just told her she’s pregnant.

Their closing slogan reaffirms my reasoning for never going to Pizza Hut: “America’s Favorite for Pizza, Pasta, and Wings!”

Really, Pizza Hut? Do you genuinely believe that when I’m craving pizza, pasta, OR wings that you’re my favorite? Disingenuous commercials and exaggerated slogans are no way to win customers.

Geico – “3 Doors Down” Caveman Commercial

thebadad — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:40:23 +0000

Geico has a unique marketing approach in that they have 3 unrelated types of TV ads airing at any given time. It appears that each is designed to have a different effect on people. They’ve got the gecko-with-an-accent series, the money-you-could-be-saving series, and of course the caveman series.

The foreign gecko makes us pay attention… The “Somebody’s Watching Me” tune reminds us we could be saving money.

But I can’t determine the real purpose for the Caveman series. It actually makes me change the channel. I suppose the marketing wizards are using reverse-psychology in order to burn the Geico name into our minds… Perhaps by showing us something that’s painfully annoying, we’ll talk about how much we dislike it, thereby propagating their agenda.

If that’s the case, I suppose it’s working. Nevertheless, I have to wonder how many thousands of people now hate Geico because of this tactic?