Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Monday, October 14
The Elizabeth Hurley one was okay, but the one about Tibet was really insensitive. Bad move on groupon's part.
I only saw the Tibet one and thought it was a failure.
I am a subscriber to their emails, but I missed the joke, I guess.
Not one giggle or comment from the group I was with.
Any other commercials worth noting?
TF3 was cool! Seeing Chicago in flames and under attack by aliens was in some ways really scary and at the same time fascinating.
The Pepsi commercials! In one, a young blonde woman gets clocked in the head and knocked unconscious by a can of Pepsi -- you never see THAT in a commercial. In another, a nerd gets revenge on a preppy asshole by nailing him with two cans of Pepsi -- one in the crotch (can you say OUCH!?) and one upside the noggin. Pure irreverent, original comedy gold. My friends and I were laughing so hard we wet ourselves. Today, I definitely plan to stop by my local supermarket and purchase this exciting product!
I was also really impressed by the car commercial in which Poseidon steals the car from the guy in the helicopter (who stole it from the cop), only to have it taken by aliens who then lose the car to, apparently Mayans or Aztecs with the power to create a black hole of some sort. This very effectively highlighted the features of whatever car it was a commercial for.
My niece Kim, says she was inundated with "Dear Kim " texts after the Teleflora ad.
Mike- Hilarious.
the super bowl party I was at loved the "reply all" email (though I think the message that it was for Bridgestone tires was pretty lost), as well as the Eminem Chrysler ad - just beautiful and heartfelt.
and by email above, I mean ad... oops.
Urban Ethos [26]
What is Chicago's "urban ethos"?
Cool Glass of... [16]
What're you drinking?
Supreme Decision [22]
What's your reaction to the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act?
Taking it to the Streets [20]
Chicago Street Fairs: Revolting or Awesome?
I Can Be Cruel [9]
Be real: what is the meanest thing you've ever done?
Andrew Huff / February 7, 2011 10:11 AM
The ads in question.
I got the joke, but I think most people didn't. It's hard to communicate a sophisticated satire through comedy in just 30 seconds; I think I got it mostly because I'm familiar with Groupon's sense of humor.
The ads really should have included a link to the SaveTheMoney donation page. Without that, the philanthropic angle definitely got lost.