The Sprite Christmas Commercial – Confusing!

It feels a little random for a soda not named Coke to have a Christmas commercial but Sprite (owned by Coca-Cola, so I guess it makes sense?) tries to harmonize its way to the holidays with their latest ad. Take a look…

The biggest fail. I’m not sure where to start with what I don’t like about this commercial. How about from a business angle? The ad has aired multiple times on TV and it took 4 or 5 times for me to figure out who it’s fore. Branding! There’s another ad from Yeti earlier this year that had this same problem. If viewers don’t know what’s being advertised, that’s a fail in the most critical way. The Sprite logo needs to be a lot more prominent in the commercial.

The Fast-Talker. I don’t necessarily blame the actor playing host in this ad. The writing is just too much. I’ve watched the commercial multiple times now and still can’t figure out half the things the host is saying. Even fast rapper Busta Rhymes has lyrics easier to decipher than this commercial!

Confusion. Overall, I’d sum up this commercial with one word… confusing. It’s all over the place. Why is there a trio singing in the first place? Who’s the band? What’s the point of any of this?

It’s as if there’s a talent show going on in the style of Showtime at the Apollo, except none of that is explained. And what does any of that have to do with Sprite? Clearly the more I think about this and try to break it down, the more annoyed I’m getting. In grand fashion, this ad falls to the very bottom of the holiday commercials this season.

Am I missing something with the ad? After watching it, what questions do you have and how do you feel about the commercial?

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

What I DON’T like about the Samsung Flip4

Usually my philosophy when it’s time to upgrade my cell phone is to get one that serves 3 purposes, besides the obvious stuff like call, text, data, etc.

  1. It’s not an iPhone
  2. Not expensive
  3. Get a phone that won’t get stolen

So basically, if I fulfill that first one by not getting an iPhone, the other two generally happen naturally. My last phone was a Motorola, before that was a HTC One, you get the idea. No one was going to be stealing those phones.

When it was time to upgrade the Motorola I waited until there was a good deal from Verizon. I had a cracked screen so I knew it was time for a new phone. Also, I should get a case for my phones, sheesh! I had my list narrowed down to the Flip 4, Pixel 7 Pro, and possibly the Motorola Edge. But a deal popped up for the Flip 4 that I couldn’t resist so here I am with a phone that’s not an iPhone (check!), but it’s mildly expensive (half check!), and I’m not sure but I think it could get stolen (no check!). Yep, I joined the flip side.

Because it’s new and shiny, I barely let it out of my sight and the other day I realized what I don’t like about it. It’s that I treat it like the ring and I’m Gollum! I was hanging out with my brother and a few of his kids and while that sounds like a ton of fun, which is true, I was on edge because the phone was in my pocket. We were doing something where it could’ve been damaged if I wasn’t careful. This “danger” actually affected my adventurous spirit. How lame is that?

I know that probably happens with any new toy (phones, computers, cars, etc) but I just don’t like that just in the first few days of having the phone it affected my mood, even if it was subtle. Actually, maybe it’s more annoying that it was subtle. But overly protective mood shift aside, the phone is pretty fantastic!

Do you have moments like I had, where you realize some external thing gave you anxiety where you usually don’t have anxiety? If you want to share, comment below!

Thanks for dropping (actually, the word “dropping” while talking about a new phone gives me anxiety again) stopping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

The country singer we’re supposed to like

It kind of annoys me that a certain country singer is being forced down our throats. It reminds me a lot of this take on Olivia Rodrigo. But in Olivia’s case, at least she had a hit song first. This country singer is being presented as if she’s popular but the problem is, she doesn’t have any popular songs! Last time I checked her highest charting song was somewhere in the 40s. But yet we’re constantly seeing her perform on, and even host, TV shows and specials. So who is trying to convince us that she’s popular, and why?

I suspect the answer to that question almost always comes back to “the industry” and “the money.” Someone in an executive position needs this woman to catch on so money can be made. If you’re into country music, have you come up with an idea about who I’m describing? I’ll give you a few seconds to make your guess…

It’s Mickey Guyton.

She’s been around for a few years and I’m not discounting her talent. In fact, she’s probably a great person and a great singer. It’s not Mickey that annoys me, it’s how she’s being forced into our lives whether we want her or not. From where I’m at, it appears as if fans aren’t asking for her, yet at every turn there she is.

I don’t want to believe, but I suspect, she’s being put on a country music pedestal because she’s black. The first black woman in country music to do this or that. The industry trying to make itself relevant and cover it’s own a$$. And using dollar signs to skirt around that curse word is so fitting, isn’t it? Her race as a selling point reminds me of President Biden committing to appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court. Pandering at it’s finest.

I have no doubt Mickey is talented. She’s certainly attractive. But why not let fans decide who the fans like? We aren’t even being asked to like her, we’re being told that we like her. I can’t think of anything in the music industry that ticks me off more than that.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Eagle sightings and a territory battle

There’s a dead tree close by that bald eagles have been perching on the past couple of days. Well, maybe it’s one bald eagle (not multiple eagles) but today there was another eagle that showed up and this clearly gets the attention of the bald eagle. Take a look at the video below and let me know if you think the big, darker eagle is a golden eagle or a juvenile bald eagle. I’m going with a juvenile because of it was brown and white and has a big beak. I wish it was a golden eagle, though! It might have been bigger than the bald eagle in the tree, too. It would also make sense that the full-grown bald eagle in the tree was letting the other know who the boss is.

I also got some photos while I was wandering around, so those are below. I LOVE seeing eagles in the wild. I also love feeding the seagulls, which my parents joined in on! I saw an osprey, too, along with lots of herons, egrets, seagulls, and pelicans. Plus, I’ve never seen white pelicans in this area (Panacea, FL), so that was pretty neat.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

This Red Cross Christmas Commercial is Flaming Hot

Talk about a unique take on holiday commercials! This new ad from the American Red Cross starts by giving you all the warm, fuzzy feelings as a young girl hopes for snow over the holidays. She gets her wish, walking out into a real-life snow globe (kind of like this Amazon Christmas commercial) but soon finds out not everything is as merry as it seems.

This is one of the most memorable, effective, and scary Christmas commercials I’ve ever seen. It plays on all of our fears (or is it just me!?) of accidentally burning something down. Visually, everything changes as the daughter realizes the snowflake in her hand is not a snowflake at all. At the same time, the cheery music (which, according to this site, is a song called “I Will” composed by Ari Hest and Sloan Anderson) slowly blends into a sinister, dark sound as we see the neighbor’s house in flames. Consequently, Ari Hest is the artist behind the music in a fantastic Publix commercial from a few holidays back. It’s a must-listen, check it out here.

The Location. The location of this ad is Arizona. The license plate on the car is from Arizona and you can see the dry, desert landscape when the mom and daughter are outside.

What are your thoughts of the commercial? Chime in below and be safe this holiday season!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness