"We do whatever we want to whomever we want, at all times."

Posted on February 5th, 2007

Forget the Super Bowl: the best ad of the night has been around since last summer. And forget Sunsilk's clearly fake yet hugely popular Bridezilla viral. For us, the only ad worth talking about is the one that shut down a global city:

Are you fucking kidding me? Is this what we've come to? Can you imagine the fucking battles creatives everywhere will have to fight with legal over "THIS AD IS NOT A BOMB" disclaimers? The Governor's reference to "hoax devices" pisses me off too, as if anyone intended this:

to be mistaken for a bomb. These idiots wouldn't know a bomb if I sent them a Rob Schneider box set.

I'm also not wild that the two guys who installed the ads (and who's involvement probably began with an all-staff reading "The TBS account team needs volunteers for a new campaign, so if you know anybody looking to make $100 for two hour's work...") were arrested and will almost certainly never ride in a plane again.* Meanwhile, police decided not to charge a guy caught planting fake pipe bombs in a hospital on the same day.

On the upside, and despite swift apologies from Interference Inc. and the Turner Broadcasting System, I think you'd have to agree that the campaign is a huge success. It's achieved buzz on a global level with every news item referencing Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the Mooninites, two proper nouns designed to intrigue. Sure, some people might be outraged, but they're not in the 18-34 target demographic. If anything, the absurdity of the fiasco serves as a litmus test: if you found that funny, you'll love this...

Can I say one last thing about the media? While researching this post, I saw a heading reading "Phone in throat, boyfriend in cell" that linked to, yes, a domestic abuse incident where a man was jailed after forcing a mobile phone down a woman's throat. Now, I know the pun is a headline writer's bread and butter, but maybe you want to save that playful shit for the entertainment section. You know, "Bridge to Terabithia not worth crossing" or "Feb sweeps a Lost cause". I'm just saying.

Rejected ideas for this week's comic:

  • Paul Revere riding through Boston, screaming "The Mooninites are coming! The Mooninites are coming!"
  • A bomb squad robot approaching a box of Lite Brite (this one didn't die so much as evolve)
  • A recap of events climaxing with the two suspects stripping naked and singing the themeto the musical Hair!
  • Agency guys discussing how to salvage a guerilla campaign that's generated zero buzz after two weeks in 10 major cities.

- Graham

*CIA planes to Syria notwithstanding.

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Meow. 02-05-07 – Aqua Teen Hunger Force Is The Bomb!

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