Southwest Airlines Gets The Boot

Same commercial stretch during the NCAA semis: 11 burly boy airline workers line up on the tarmac, hollerin'. Plane begins to taxi, guys lift up shirts to flash the plane as we watch their backs. Cut to interior of plane. Older woman looks out the window and we see the burly boys' bare bellies read B A G S  F L Y  F R E E!.

Well now. I'm sure Southwest Airlines didn't mean that the older woman looking out the window gets a free flight, but gee, guys. Honestly? You can't do better than this?

Who wants to look at bare-bellied hollerin' guys whether you're a bag or not?

Southwest Airlines gets the boot. Maybe two boots.

Miller Lite Gets The Boot

Watched 10 minutes of March Madness; enough time to see about 5 commercials.

Man/woman/dog at a sidewalk bar table. "So if Buster and I were both falling off a cliff, who would you save?" she asks. He chooses her. Then: "Me or your mom?" Same result. Then: "Me or your Miller Lite?"

He thinks. "How high's the cliff?" She stomps away. He snickers to Buster.

Miller Lite forgets women buy beer. Even silly women buy beer. Miller Lite gets the boot. And I will continue not to buy Miller Lite.

Evinrude is Rude

As I was being taught how to find the sports channels today, we landed on a fishing channel, at the beginning of a commercial for Evinrude E-Tec. Evinrude, an outboard motor manufacturer, doesn't bother to tell us - or show us - its new motor. We see a man and a woman standing fishing in a boat. This is good. Women and men fish. Women and men have boats. Women influence major purchase decisions in this category in big, big numbers. So far, so good.

The woman talks, the man shakes his head for 20 seconds. The tagline for the commercial is this:

"A woman will say 21 million words before an E-Tec needs maintenance. A man will say 7 million words."

Not good.

Rule One in advertising: show the product. Rule Two: Try not to tick off any potential buyer

Evinrude needs to do better. I give this commercial "The Boot."