AdMissions Review: Burger King Whopper "Ring Master" Spot Visits Old School Gag

Interesting challenge put to the National Post AdMissions team this past week. We reviewed a spot for the renamed Burger King Whopper Ring Master (formerly known as the Bourbon Whopper). The spot called upon an old school gag of "hide the engagement ring in the food" trick. SO do are two young lovers seal the deal or do we see the girl as a gold-digger"? Overall the spot is simple and sweet. In fact it works but only for the required final shot.

I think Henry Wong of Tanzig Toronto (bonus if you know where the agency name came from without Google) added a great note in his review, "... there are two versions: A 30-second and a 15-second. Thirty-second ads are a good length to tell such a story. Fifteen-second ads – no. The shortened version lacks the time needed for the action and reaction of two funny actors. As well as to show the requisite mouth-watering product shot". Take a look at the :15sec version and you see it exactly how this spot fails and the :30sec wins.

Here's my AdMissions Review:

You know you might have a great spot when it can make you laugh, cry and then turn to prayer. Well after seeing the Burger King Ring Master Whopper spot I did laugh at how Taxi 2 managed to pull out the old school gag of “hide the ring” in the food. Sheesh, 1974 called and wants its gag back.

But after seeing the spot a couple more times that laughter turned to tears of disappointment when I thought about the audience that was likely hoping (if not encouraging) for the perky blonde gold-digger to not check the burger, eat the ring, choke and be forever silenced. All that was left was a few prayers for the poor chump left thinking he was a little more original.

Yup, I laughed, I cried and now a couple of Bloody Marys er … Hail Marys … will ensure that I will never forget the BK Ring Master Whopper. Success, I guess, since I never remembered this Whopper was originally known as the Bourbon Whopper. Bartender..

The Burger King Whopper Ring Master :30sec

The Burger King Whopper Ring Master :15sec

Read the full AdMission Teams reviews: National Post AdMissions

AdMissions Review: WTF! That’s all very well, but what’s the message?

This ad created by Rain43 for Ontario Power Generation and the Ontario Provincial Police aims to remind people about water safety and the importance of staying away from dams and hydro stations.
This television spot has me still scratching my head.

Here are my thoughts from National Post AdMissions. All summer I will be lending my opinions and POV on ads.

Peaceful waters. Grumpy old man. Man's best friend alongside. Ominous music. Ghostly message. What's the point?

Things I learned from this are that cucumbers can be "tranquilized" and "there is no fury like that of second ex-wife." What I did not learn was the point of this ad.

Public-awareness ads have to deliver a clear message. Preaching your message or being too subtle will have the same effect on the audience -it will be ignored.

Knowing the "headponds" above and below dams and hydro-stations are particularly dangerous, the setting here is your basic tranquil Muskoka waterway. These calm waters could change quickly, and become rapidly moving and dangerous. This point is not clear in the ad.

I can't help but put this up against the clarity of the WSIB "Prevent-it.ca" campaign, but here the message is lost.

I am unapologetic that it took me a few too many viewings to figure out or even get the basic message.

See the complete AdMissions Team reviews Click Here

AdMissions Review: Fear Not Martini You're Safe.

It’s summer and that makes it beer season in Canada, and the ads are out to prove it.

This week the "Ad Missions" Team reviewed (and I actually sampled the beer) a TV ad created by CP+B Toronto for Molson Canadian 67 Sublime which pits the low-calorie beer against a martini.  Somehow the comparison has fallen short.

I really want to love this cute little 15-second spot.

It has key elements for communicating a strong message for Molson Canadian 67 Sublime. It has a breezy summer patio setting, perfect for a hint of lime beer. It has a woman reaching in with her pink sleeve and well-manicured hand, which is the targeted audience. It states the 67-calorie message, which hits the audience during bikini season. For entertainment, it even has a cuteness factor of a pair of “googly” eyes with a sense of fear in them. What this spot doesn’t offer is a fair comparison, appeal or message. You gotta dig deep to find all this.

Those cute, fear-filled eyes are in fact a pair of olives in a couple of martini glasses that see competition in not being the favoured summer drink of choice. Comparing martinis to beer, even a calorie-conscious lime beer, is like comparing apples to avocados.

Like martinis, beer is all about taste. In this case it’s lime. It’s summer. It’s refreshing. It’s 67 tiny calories. Will women actually favour a beer over a martini? Fear not, my little martini friend, you’re safe for now.

View the spot:



To view the other National Post AdMission Team reviews click here.

Ad Missions: Oreo "Moving Day" - It Dunks at Heartstrings

I will be spending part of this summer as an “Ad Critic” for the National Post advertising feature titled “Ad Missions”.

Humbled and Honored.

The Ad Missions panel generally consists of academic, marketing and advertising agency executives. We will offer our views and opinions on advertising trends, commercials and all things in between.
This past Friday I made my debut along side advertising industry executives Henry Wong, creative director of Toronto-based Tenzing Communications, and Chris Hall, president of Toronto ad agency Huxley Quayle von Bismark.

Together, we offered up our thoughts on the new Oreo cookies “Moving Day” television ad.
Follow Anthony’s ad reviews as they appear every other week in the Financial Times section of the National Post.

LINK: National Post Ad Missions