Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
Why am I turning movies on at 5pm? It’s dark out, what else am I supposed to do!? I wouldn’t call “darkness” my friend. Maybe more like a necessary acquaintance. I get that there’s a cycle nature has and winter is an important part of it. But this whole getting dark at 4pm is for the birds. Not to mention… it’s cold out there. And I’m in Florida!
Just the other day I had to prove my manhood so I went swimming in a cold pool. That’s part of winter, too. Water = cold! The point isn’t that no one was even there and I was only trying to impress myself like an idiot ❄️💦🏊🏻♀️ but I had to also show that you don’t need to shave your chest for a polar plunge. That goes for you too, women. 🤔
When it’s dark so early in the evening and all I hear is the sound of silence, my body thinks it’s 9pm and what do I do at 9pm? I spend 30 minutes looking for a movie and then go to sleep because I’m too tired to start a movie at 930. Even if it’s only actually 630. I recently watched Leo on Netflix. It’s really funny. Are Adam Sandler movies getting better and better lately, or is that just my opinion? I also loved You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah with Adam Sandler and his family in that one, too.
What do you do in winter when it’s dark in the afternoon? Any other suggestions besides movies and swimming to prove my tender-sided manliness?
Every once in a while a commercial comes along that makes you want to stuff cotton in your ears, tape your eyelids closed, and curl up in fetal position. In Burger King terms (because they also have terrible ads now, too), seeing Instacart’s “football game grocery store” commercial makes me wish I had never been broiled. That’s a callback to one of my favorite BK commercials. If you know, you know. I was hoping Burger King’s BKKKKK have it your way ads would be the worst I’d see (or hear) this year, but then Instacart said, “Wait, hold my carrots…” and gave us this gem. Also, what’s up with the puffy coats?
Love Is A Long Road. So is hate, and if I never see this ad again, it will be too soon. No offense DJ Scrilla. As pointed out in the comments of the TikTok video, this is a remix of another song I also wish I’d never heard.
And The Award Goes To. Congratulations Instacart… You now have a top 5 commercial! As in, one of the top 5 most annoying commercials in the last decade. It’s right up there with 1-800-KARS-FOR-KIDS, Burger King, the Peloton platitudes, and the Sprite Christmas commercial from 2022.
The final holiday before the year ends is only weeks away and it happens to be the biggest! it’s every child’s favorite season (because of all the presents) and maybe it’s every parent’s least favorite (because of all the presents). Dollar bills flying out of wallets, credit cards wearing out from all the swiping, online stores on backorder from all the late night and last minute purchases. But what about Santa? For 364 days he sits on his rump waiting for December 25th, we can call Christmas his Super Bowl. All the cookies and milk left out for him are his mid-game snack. But I guess too much of a good thing is a bad thing? How about some variety courtesy of Frito Lay! Check out their commercial offering Santa something a little less traditional this season…
The Music. The commercial uses two familiar songs as the backbone of the story. The first is called “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg in the late 1800s.
The next song is very familiar to anyone who has ears. It’s Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
For holiday ads, this one is right up there with the more enjoyable ones! My top favorite is the Chevrolet “A Holiday To Remember” commercial. A real tear-jerker! The ad on Santa’s naughty list is the Bud Light Peyton Manning ad. Is it a Christmas ad? Maybe, maybe not. But some don’t think Die Hard is a Christmas movie and Bud Light is dying real hard… with a vengeance.
Amazon has an upbeat commercial airing this holiday season. And no, I’m not talking about the dancing llamas. I love a good song remix and this one somehow reminds me of the graduation ad from Walgreens a few years ago. Maybe it’s the modern twist on an old melody? Either way, check out the catchy Amazon commercial then scroll down for more info…
The Music. The song is “A Good Time Coming (March of the Nutcracker)” by Yez Yez & Black Prez, released a little over a year ago. Here’s the full track…
If you’re feeling super festive, you can save the song on your Spotify Christmas playlist, too. If you’re feeling super, super festive, check out my list of new additions for your holiday playlist here.
“Oh man, I can’t f#%$ng believe this…How can the same sh*t happen to the same guy twice?” If there was ever a company to die hard, it would be Bud Light. They’re still in the middle of the biggest death of a company but instead of the same sh*t happening twice, they’re making it happen over and over and over. There’s a word for that. Insanity. Yep, they keep airing new ad after new ad as if nothing ever happened with a certain (gay? bi? questioning?) trans social media star and the most successful boycott of all time. I guess each new day is a good day to die hard. for Bud Light. Here’s their latest ad with Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith. Not a totally random pairing of former NFL stars at all.
The Drum writes up a piece about the commercial here, which in part reads: Set to It’s So Easy by Margo & Mac, the ad aims to convey the “Super Bowl-level excitement” of throwing and receiving a game-winning pass, according to a release.
Right. Nothing says Super Bowl winning touchdown like catching a can of Bud Light in a dirty sports bar. Mmmmmk. I doubt it conjures up the same elation but we’ll go with it. More from The Drum: Todd Allen, senior vice-president at Anheuser-Busch, commented: “The run-up to the Super Bowl only means one thing for Bud Light – it’s go time. Our strategy has always been to place the brand at the center of NFL fandom.
Well, it clearly wasn’t placed at the center of basketball fandom. Plus, I’d say most, if not all, NFL fans (and anyone over the age of 4) know what March Madness is so making a can with a trans person’s face on it who said March Madness “has something to do with sports and I’m not sure exactly which sport” seems to be a huge swing and a miss. Or an air ball? Or a failed Hail Mary? I don’t know… something to do with sports. Dylan wasn’t cute, funny, endearing, or anything you’d expect from a real woman saying the exact same things. This epic fail is why Bud Light continues to die hard… with a vengeance. Except their retaliation is to just throw more commercials in our face. Oh, they also fired the marketing director. Wouldn’t it be easier to just say ‘hey, we messed up’? Do a search for Bud Light sales and you’ll see something like this in the top 3 results: “Bud Light Sales Keep Sinking,” “Anheuser-Busch Exec Steps Down,” and “Bud Light CMO steps down as sales tumble.”
Everyone: Just make an apology. A public confession. Bud Light: Here’s another celebrity!
That’s right. Bud Light refuses to acknowledge their serious blunder by making any sort of apology. I guess they think it will blow over? Well, this storm is what old people would call a set-in. I guess Taylor Swift’s boyfriend didn’t swoop in to save the brand so here’s another way Bud Light is trying to salvage the brand. They’re having a Super Bowl ticket giveaway. All you have to do is scan certain QR codes or show your love for Bud Light on social media. Ummm, isn’t social media how this tornado of failure all started?
Out of the Wilderness 