Showing posts with label ads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ads. Show all posts
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Friday, 23 March 2012
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
My favourite thing in the world, this week - "Pizza Boomerang"
I don't know quite what this is, but I do know that it may just be the best thing in the entire universe.
Suffice to say that I wasn't quite expecting what happens at the 1 minute 45 mark.
Internet, I want to hug you.
Suffice to say that I wasn't quite expecting what happens at the 1 minute 45 mark.
Internet, I want to hug you.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
My favourite thing in the world, this week
Seen this yet? If not, enjoy! It's one of the most brilliant ads I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Every scene in it is an absolute winner.
Unfortunately the butt of the joke here, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, apparently did not appreciate it to the same degree. Neither did Mugabe supporters, some of whom made threats to Nando's employees in Zimbabwe, which eventually resulted in the ad being canned. Shame. Still, Nando's, a South Africa-based chain responsible for a great many ads noteworthy for their humorous social commentary, refused to apologise, and good for them.
Unfortunately the butt of the joke here, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, apparently did not appreciate it to the same degree. Neither did Mugabe supporters, some of whom made threats to Nando's employees in Zimbabwe, which eventually resulted in the ad being canned. Shame. Still, Nando's, a South Africa-based chain responsible for a great many ads noteworthy for their humorous social commentary, refused to apologise, and good for them.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Malaysia’s behaviour lessons for non-Muslims during Ramadan
(Cross-posted at Brown Pundits)
A couple of race- and religion-related controversies in Malaysia this week.
8TV decided to axe a series of public service announcements after claims that they were racist against Chinese-Malaysians. The ad campaign was aimed at teaching non-Muslims how to behave respectfully during Ramadan, and portrays a young Chinese woman speaking in a loud and crass fashion at the market and eating in public. See for yourself:
(8TV is having a lot of these clips deleted from Youtube; try here if you can't see it.)
I wouldn't call this racist, but it is laughably pathetic nonetheless, particularly the bit when a shocked Malay man shields his daughter's eyes from seeing the woman's armpits (blurred for good measure). There are plenty of influential Malay voices in the media, government and religious spheres who love to play the victim card ad infinitum - cultivating the perception that the non-Malay, non-Muslim minorities are somehow trampling all over Malay rights and religious sensitivities.
Also this week on the topic of respectful behaviour:
The Football Association of Malaysia has apologised to Chelsea after the London club complained of anti-Semitic abuse in their tour match against a Malaysian XI recently, directed at Israeli winger Yossi Benayoun. Yet it is an apology that seems disingenuous in the face of the Malaysian State's attitudes towards Israel.
I've watched highlights of this game, and while I couldn't hear anything racial, Benayoun is audibly booed every time he touches the ball, something the other Chelsea players are not subjected to. Benayoun himself is a likeable footballer who is completely uncontroversial aside from being Israeli.)
“The FA of Malaysia would like to strongly register that we do not condone any form of racism in football,” the statement read. “If such an incident did happen we would like to apologise to the player concerned and also to Chelsea FC. From our initial observations, if such an incident took place, it would have involved a small section of spectators at the match. This surely does not reflect the feelings of the majority of fans in this football-loving country.”
Of course, Malaysians should probably reflect on a history of anti-Semitism in the country. Last time Chelsea toured Malaysia in 2008 there was talk that then coach Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben Haim would not be granted visas to enter the country. Former PM Mahathir Mohamad once claimed that the Jews ruled the world by proxy. And it was only a couple of weeks ago that government-backed newspaper Utusan Malaysia made the ludicrous claim that the recent rallies for democracy in KL may have been the work of Jews.
Since the two countries have very little to do with each other in practical terms, and most Malaysians will never actually meet a Jew, this feeling originates solely from the fact that Malays are Muslim and therefore lots of them just assume that disliking Jews is part of their religious duty.
A couple of race- and religion-related controversies in Malaysia this week.
8TV decided to axe a series of public service announcements after claims that they were racist against Chinese-Malaysians. The ad campaign was aimed at teaching non-Muslims how to behave respectfully during Ramadan, and portrays a young Chinese woman speaking in a loud and crass fashion at the market and eating in public. See for yourself:
(8TV is having a lot of these clips deleted from Youtube; try here if you can't see it.)
I wouldn't call this racist, but it is laughably pathetic nonetheless, particularly the bit when a shocked Malay man shields his daughter's eyes from seeing the woman's armpits (blurred for good measure). There are plenty of influential Malay voices in the media, government and religious spheres who love to play the victim card ad infinitum - cultivating the perception that the non-Malay, non-Muslim minorities are somehow trampling all over Malay rights and religious sensitivities.
Also this week on the topic of respectful behaviour:
The Football Association of Malaysia has apologised to Chelsea after the London club complained of anti-Semitic abuse in their tour match against a Malaysian XI recently, directed at Israeli winger Yossi Benayoun. Yet it is an apology that seems disingenuous in the face of the Malaysian State's attitudes towards Israel.
I've watched highlights of this game, and while I couldn't hear anything racial, Benayoun is audibly booed every time he touches the ball, something the other Chelsea players are not subjected to. Benayoun himself is a likeable footballer who is completely uncontroversial aside from being Israeli.)
“The FA of Malaysia would like to strongly register that we do not condone any form of racism in football,” the statement read. “If such an incident did happen we would like to apologise to the player concerned and also to Chelsea FC. From our initial observations, if such an incident took place, it would have involved a small section of spectators at the match. This surely does not reflect the feelings of the majority of fans in this football-loving country.”
Of course, Malaysians should probably reflect on a history of anti-Semitism in the country. Last time Chelsea toured Malaysia in 2008 there was talk that then coach Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben Haim would not be granted visas to enter the country. Former PM Mahathir Mohamad once claimed that the Jews ruled the world by proxy. And it was only a couple of weeks ago that government-backed newspaper Utusan Malaysia made the ludicrous claim that the recent rallies for democracy in KL may have been the work of Jews.
Since the two countries have very little to do with each other in practical terms, and most Malaysians will never actually meet a Jew, this feeling originates solely from the fact that Malays are Muslim and therefore lots of them just assume that disliking Jews is part of their religious duty.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Heineken's "The Date" ad
Ok, so check this new ad from Heineken. It's called "The Date" and it's pretty cool. But there was something in it that sorta piqued my interest.
Yes, it's the white guy/ Asian girl pairing.
Now, before some of you start to get your back up, let me say something first up. There are some Asian guys out there who have a degree of hostility to that kind of relationship, and who would dismiss the guy as a rice chaser and the girl as having some kind of self-loathing. I'm not really one of those people. I'm a product of such a relationship, for a start, and I'm in a inter-ethnic relationship of my own (she's Indian).
I like to see Asians get some representation on the screen. But the problem is that it's primarily Asian women, and when those Asian women get some lovin', it is almost always with a white guy. Of course, white guy/ Asian girl couples are commonplace in real life, so it's expected that you'd see them a bit on screen. Yet the clear majority of Asian women in Western countries choose to date or marry Asian guys, and portrayals of Asian-Asian couples are surprisingly rare. Perhaps there is a limited amount of Asian-ness producers think their audiences can handle, and two Asians in a relationship is one too many.
And a white woman with an Asian guy? According to TV and film, such a thing may as well not exist. (Note to pedants: there are exceptions to this, I know, but I'm talking overall.)
So while the frequent portrayal of white guy/ Asian girl couples does to some extent reflect reality, bear in mind that popular culture doesn't just reflect reality, it shapes it. And the portrayal of Asian men in popular culture tends to vary between poor and non-existent. When the highest profile Asian male actor in the West is Ken Jeong, best known for exposing his very underwhelming penis in The Hangover, you know that things aren't that healthy.
So as you watch the dashing white dude in the above video, sweeping the hot Asian girl off her feet in an Asian restaurant (aka "her natural environment"), ask yourself this. Why did it have to be that particular racial combination?
In isolation, it's just a couple, and their racial combination is no more significant than any other racial combination. If you look at it as part of an overall trend, then it might start to bother you a little.
Yes, it's the white guy/ Asian girl pairing.
Now, before some of you start to get your back up, let me say something first up. There are some Asian guys out there who have a degree of hostility to that kind of relationship, and who would dismiss the guy as a rice chaser and the girl as having some kind of self-loathing. I'm not really one of those people. I'm a product of such a relationship, for a start, and I'm in a inter-ethnic relationship of my own (she's Indian).
I like to see Asians get some representation on the screen. But the problem is that it's primarily Asian women, and when those Asian women get some lovin', it is almost always with a white guy. Of course, white guy/ Asian girl couples are commonplace in real life, so it's expected that you'd see them a bit on screen. Yet the clear majority of Asian women in Western countries choose to date or marry Asian guys, and portrayals of Asian-Asian couples are surprisingly rare. Perhaps there is a limited amount of Asian-ness producers think their audiences can handle, and two Asians in a relationship is one too many.
And a white woman with an Asian guy? According to TV and film, such a thing may as well not exist. (Note to pedants: there are exceptions to this, I know, but I'm talking overall.)
So while the frequent portrayal of white guy/ Asian girl couples does to some extent reflect reality, bear in mind that popular culture doesn't just reflect reality, it shapes it. And the portrayal of Asian men in popular culture tends to vary between poor and non-existent. When the highest profile Asian male actor in the West is Ken Jeong, best known for exposing his very underwhelming penis in The Hangover, you know that things aren't that healthy.
So as you watch the dashing white dude in the above video, sweeping the hot Asian girl off her feet in an Asian restaurant (aka "her natural environment"), ask yourself this. Why did it have to be that particular racial combination?
In isolation, it's just a couple, and their racial combination is no more significant than any other racial combination. If you look at it as part of an overall trend, then it might start to bother you a little.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
1960s Racist Jell-O commercial
Seen this on the tubes? I dunno whether to slap my forehead at the ridiculous racism of this 1960s ad, or just see it as a quaint reminder of how times have changed.
I can't choose between black lasbelly or glape, personally.
Oh, and Chinese have their own spoons, thankyou very much, Mr Great Western Inventor.
Thoughts, anyone?
I can't choose between black lasbelly or glape, personally.
Oh, and Chinese have their own spoons, thankyou very much, Mr Great Western Inventor.
Thoughts, anyone?
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Don't get a divorce, get a donut
This is another from the I Love Local Commercials series from comedians Rhett and Link. It's funny, adorable and brilliantly low-budget.
The story behind the scenes is also worth watching.
See also their ad for The Red House - it's where white people and black people buy furniture.
The story behind the scenes is also worth watching.
See also their ad for The Red House - it's where white people and black people buy furniture.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Burger King ads from the Gulf States
This trio of ads is actually quite cool. (As ads for fast-food mega-corporations go, anyway.) They are created by a Dubai-based ad agency and play on the misconceptions Americans have about Arabs. It's ironic that a commercial for such a quintessentially American product can be based around the theme of mocking American stupidity.
More funny Arabic ads here.
More funny Arabic ads here.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Friday, 12 November 2010
"The Red House" ad - furniture that both black and white people can enjoy
This is now officially my favourite thing ever.
It's a real commercial, for a real place and featuring the actual staff, but it is created by comedians Rhett and Link. They are the two guys standing outside singing.
More awesome furniture ads here.
It's a real commercial, for a real place and featuring the actual staff, but it is created by comedians Rhett and Link. They are the two guys standing outside singing.
More awesome furniture ads here.
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Fear-mongering, US-style
With the US congressional elections fast approaching, the campaign is heating up, and hence ads like these are popping up to stoke the fear of the foreigner.
One explores the theme of shifty Orientals taking over the world - made possible by Obama introducing universal healthcare, of course. The other is all about the marauding Mexicans, and prompted Joy Behar on The View to describe Senate candidate Sharron Angle as "a bitch" who "is going to hell."
Of course, no one should be surprised that the Repubs and their friends would resort to stirring up xenophobic sentiment in order to get elected; it's actually their stock-in-trade, as anyone who has followed the way they have been depicting Barack Obama for the last few years would be well aware.
Some interesting coverage of these ads around the net... Spin Season analyses Sharron Angle's ad and looks at what makes the Chinese professor ad so effective in playing on the audience's fears, and Angry Asian Man has a post describing how the Asian-American extras in the Chinese professor ad were not aware of the nature of the ad they were filming.
UPDATE: Also check out Jeff Yang's article at NPR entitled Politicians Play the China Card.
One explores the theme of shifty Orientals taking over the world - made possible by Obama introducing universal healthcare, of course. The other is all about the marauding Mexicans, and prompted Joy Behar on The View to describe Senate candidate Sharron Angle as "a bitch" who "is going to hell."
Of course, no one should be surprised that the Repubs and their friends would resort to stirring up xenophobic sentiment in order to get elected; it's actually their stock-in-trade, as anyone who has followed the way they have been depicting Barack Obama for the last few years would be well aware.
Some interesting coverage of these ads around the net... Spin Season analyses Sharron Angle's ad and looks at what makes the Chinese professor ad so effective in playing on the audience's fears, and Angry Asian Man has a post describing how the Asian-American extras in the Chinese professor ad were not aware of the nature of the ad they were filming.
UPDATE: Also check out Jeff Yang's article at NPR entitled Politicians Play the China Card.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Funny Ads from the Arab World
This ad campaign from Panda Cheese is pretty funny; there are a number of them, but these two are the best. I assume Panda Cheese refers only to the brand name and is nothing like goat cheese, because the panda milk industry is not really a booming one right now.
A brief explanation of this next one helps. The son says, "Dad, let's get some Panda cheese."
Dad says, "No son, we already took far too many things."
The ad campaign's slogan: You can't say NO to the Panda.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Bangs gets his own car ad
Some of you might have come across rapper Bangs due to his song Take U To Da Movies, which became a worldwide sensation on Youtube, where it has so far garnered more than 3 million hits. It's popularity was not due to the song's quality, however; Take U To Da Movies is one of the most woeful examples of hip-hop you'll ever come across, to the point where it becomes unintentionally hilarious. I have great trouble watching it - I feel embarassed for the guy - but if you haven't heard it, here it is:
Ugh. Bangs, or "ya boy Bangs" as he refers to himself, is in some ways the canary in the mine of what rap music has become. Too many artists thinks rap is all about the posture, the look and the bling, forgetting that skills on the mic are the foundation of rap; Bangs takes this to its most ridiculous conclusion. A Sudanese refugee who now lives in Melbourne, Bangs has acquired a bizarre level of fame, due largely to his attempts to rap in rudimentary and heavily-accented English.
Well now ya boy Bangs has turned up in the new series of ads for the Honda Jazz. To emphasise how roomy this small car is, Honda have launched a marketing campaign in which members of various subcultural
groups fit themselves inside. It's a clever concept - apart from the rap one featuring Bangs, there is also one asking "How much hipster can you pack into a Jazz?", plus another one featuring bodybuilders and one with ninjas. They are all quite funny - except it is worth noting that everybody seems in on the joke. Except for Bangs, that is, who busts out a verse in his ad that is worse than what a grade 1 kid could write. Check it:
Oh man.
This is the hipster one:
You can check out the others here.
I actually like the quirky humour to the ads. Except I feel bad for Bangs. He's famous around the world, yet he doesn't seem to know it's for the wrong reasons. And Honda are capitalising on that.
Does it matter? Maybe not. Maybe he's "living the dream" and getting paid.
Maybe what bothers me is the fact that so many people are laughing at an immigrant's poor English skills; it plays into some of the more unpleasant stereotypes some people have about migrants.
At least William Hung knew he was terrible. I think.
I'm really hoping Bangs will one day collaborate with Namata.
(Btw, while doing my background research for this post I discovered that googling "bangs movies" gets you a lot more than you bargained for)
Ugh. Bangs, or "ya boy Bangs" as he refers to himself, is in some ways the canary in the mine of what rap music has become. Too many artists thinks rap is all about the posture, the look and the bling, forgetting that skills on the mic are the foundation of rap; Bangs takes this to its most ridiculous conclusion. A Sudanese refugee who now lives in Melbourne, Bangs has acquired a bizarre level of fame, due largely to his attempts to rap in rudimentary and heavily-accented English.
Well now ya boy Bangs has turned up in the new series of ads for the Honda Jazz. To emphasise how roomy this small car is, Honda have launched a marketing campaign in which members of various subcultural
groups fit themselves inside. It's a clever concept - apart from the rap one featuring Bangs, there is also one asking "How much hipster can you pack into a Jazz?", plus another one featuring bodybuilders and one with ninjas. They are all quite funny - except it is worth noting that everybody seems in on the joke. Except for Bangs, that is, who busts out a verse in his ad that is worse than what a grade 1 kid could write. Check it:
Oh man.
This is the hipster one:
You can check out the others here.
I actually like the quirky humour to the ads. Except I feel bad for Bangs. He's famous around the world, yet he doesn't seem to know it's for the wrong reasons. And Honda are capitalising on that.
Does it matter? Maybe not. Maybe he's "living the dream" and getting paid.
Maybe what bothers me is the fact that so many people are laughing at an immigrant's poor English skills; it plays into some of the more unpleasant stereotypes some people have about migrants.
At least William Hung knew he was terrible. I think.
I'm really hoping Bangs will one day collaborate with Namata.
(Btw, while doing my background research for this post I discovered that googling "bangs movies" gets you a lot more than you bargained for)
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
James Brown just loves Nissin Ramen
If like me you love noodles, and love The Funk, and love weird Japaneseness, then these old commercials will surely make you happy. It's the Godfather of Soul declaring his love of Miso-flavoured noodles. Who knew? I always thought JB would have been a collard-greens and chitlins kinda guy myself.
I can't tell you how many times I have watched this one.
Jay Kay from Jamiroquai is obviously nowhere as cool as The Godfather (no one is), but this next one is nice nonetheless, even if only because you get to hear him sing "oh, cup noodle" in Japanese.
In case you want to sing along, here are the words:
Hara hetta x3 (I'm hungry)
Oh, Cup Noodle
Itsutsu taberareru kai? (Can you eat 5?)
Hoka no ja iya yo x2 (Won't take nothing else)
Cup Noodle da yo (It's Cup Noodle)
See also:
Japanese blinged-up detective ads
Hard Gay Ramen
I can't tell you how many times I have watched this one.
Jay Kay from Jamiroquai is obviously nowhere as cool as The Godfather (no one is), but this next one is nice nonetheless, even if only because you get to hear him sing "oh, cup noodle" in Japanese.
In case you want to sing along, here are the words:
Hara hetta x3 (I'm hungry)
Oh, Cup Noodle
Itsutsu taberareru kai? (Can you eat 5?)
Hoka no ja iya yo x2 (Won't take nothing else)
Cup Noodle da yo (It's Cup Noodle)
See also:
Japanese blinged-up detective ads
Hard Gay Ramen
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