Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Where's LT when you need him?


(for my non-sports fan readers, 'LT' stands for Lawrence Taylor, and the headline references this particular play he made on then quarterback Joe Theismann. not for the squeamish.)
Above is an example, scanned from the most recent ESPN magazine, of forcibly wedging an already weak advertising campaign idea into a Big Event opportunity (Super Bowl). The Johnnie Walker people are understandably seeking to establish their hooch as the go-to hard liquor for the ex-frat boy sports fan with disposable income demo. But their lame "play" makes absolutely no sense. What kind of backfield setup is that? the power triangle?
(campaign via Bartle Bogle Hegarty, NYC)
previously in Johnnie Walker sports ads:
1. JW tells NFLers to forgo anesthesia, drive drunk.
2. Is IT In YOU?

15 Comments:

Blogger eric said...

...scattershooting. I do wonder how hard it would be to go find an actual coach with an actual play to spare. There are some simple ones that could work. These are the subtleties that I always wonder about in advertisements. And, no, this can't be explained away as a topological execution resulting in an offense/defense setup smoothed out for the general audience. Geek footbal fan move, there, 'scuse me.

10:14 AM  
Blogger Matt Brand said...

obviously done by a GURL art director

10:35 AM  
Blogger Central Content Publisher said...

Advertisers need to think more like this woman.

11:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Kaka, I just realized you have changed your photo and now showing a glimpse of your kaka fucking face... What? feeling a little famous already or you finally got laid... Fuck you're ugly mother fucker, and a bad copywriter too, as we hear. Give it up boy!

11:24 AM  
Blogger copyranter said...

not bad anon. we both know you can do better, though.

11:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This play ain't goin' nowhere. I count 3! linebackers who aren't blocked out by the offense. Back to the drawing board.

11:49 AM  
Blogger Jim Hendry said...

I'm just thankful they managed to put 11 players on either side of the ball. that's an improvement, right?

1:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This play would work perfectly. Because there are not enough men on the line of scrimmage, the official would have blown the play dead at the snap, thus alerting the linebackers not to pursue the runner. Mr. Walker would then have an open field to the end zone. Brilliant.

1:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fake punt from the Shield protection?

1:34 PM  
Blogger HighJive said...

>>I do wonder how hard it would be to go find an actual coach with an actual play to spare.

actually, eric mangini designed the play.

2:31 PM  
Blogger New York Punk said...

Well...compared to so many of the crappy super bowl ads setting a record for bad advertising at the start of the year...I have to say, this ad ain't half bad.

2:39 PM  
Blogger Velvet VaVoom said...

I was watching that game when it happened and even though it was a brazillion years ago, I can STILL feel it in my thigh.

Yeeouch.

The only ad I liked was where the men went around slapping each other because I enjoy watching men get bitch-slapped.

3:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

it looks like the notre dame box against the notre dame box... which would be like some sort of black hole of evil from which knute rockne (all american) would rise from the dead.

4:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this ad has been around long before this year's superbowl.

but, that play looks something out of the shit movie little giants.

4:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is with Johnnie Walker? They've got an idea with an already tenuous link to the product and they just keep pushing it further -like with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7YiC6IpUDU

OK, the execution is kick-ass, but scotch as a pathway to immortality?

(sorry if this has posted twice -the last one disappeared weirdly...)

10:03 AM  

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