Incidentally, while we are on the topic of Russian TV, it was also nice to see evidence that the Cola Wars are still alive and fighting tooth and nail.
British viewers will doubtless be familiar with the ads that accompanied the launch of Coke Zero recently. The ones with a personable young man striding through a cityscape and mulling over how it’s a shame you can’t get rid of everything annoying and unnecessary. There are examples: mobile phones without annoying ringtones is the one that sticks in your mind. Can’t think why. Although you must confess to being a little puzzled by the one which goes ‘bras without the fumbling’. Surely that should simply be ‘bras’? You’d vote for bras.
Anyway, there’s a similar ad on Russian TV, but this time it’s a hip young girl doing the business. She wants a world free from men.
With girlfriends. Saw that one coming, right?
It took you a while to realise that this doesn’t herald the arrival of a new Coke product in the Motherland, though. In fact, there’s not a Coke Zero to be seen in Moscow. This ad’s for Diet Pepsi.
Superb. But you’d like to know who ripped off who. Any Americans in the building?
I’m an American but I remain blissfully ignorant of soda ads. For some reason, I haven’t seen any lately. Probably because I haven’t been watching much tv and what I do watch was recorded previoulsy so I can zip through ALL commercials at warp speed. Very convenient. Don’t drink any soda of any sort so I don’t care. As far as I am concerned, it is all bad. Bad for your health, bad for the environment, waste of money. Etc ad nauseum.
No. This is not helpful. I _demand_ you watch the adverts until you see which version they are playing over there.
Assuming it’s not all so long ago that the campaign has sunk into the depths of obscurity that is.
I have assiduously been researching the question, since I am sick I have been watching TV. Unfortunately, I have not seen a single ad for any soda. We are being exhorted to buy cars, beer, ask our doctors about certain drugs, eat Taco Bell. Silent on soda. Sorry I can’t be more use.
We were, however, treated to a very funny ad for Stanley tools that involved construction workers jousing with tape measures. One is loaded on a wheel barrow, the other on a delivery dolly, their compadres act as the “horses”, they are propelled towards each other and the one with the stronger, thicker tape measure wins. Very silly. Quite amusing.
Well, obviously I’m pleased you were sick (*grins disarmingly*) but how disappointing that there seems to be a cola truce over there. Ah well.
I’ve taken to adwatching in a new way ever since Alan Sugar (business chappie who is the big boss on our version of the Apprentice – gods I really should’t watch so much TV) had a major rant about obscure ads. The ones which win prizes for being clever but you can’t remember what they are advertising. My front runner in what I think of as the Alan Sugar awards was this great car ad where they had a choir singing car noises to accompany a car charging through the countryside and such. Which I’m assuming was for real, given that they went to lengths to do this Heath Robinson type stunt for a previous ad for real. Anyway, still have difficulty remembering the names of the car or the manufacturer – although the fact that now I’m paying attention means I have a feeling it might be Honda. I think AS’s example was their previous ad actually, so their ad company are definitely on a roll there.
I must not be watching TV at the right time. I have only seen one soda ad, and it was a sickening disgusting push for Dr. Pepper which depicted people walking around with their Dr. Pepper bottle or can held to their mouths like some sort of obscene bottle while they fall down stairs, ride the bus, etc. The Dr. Pepper never leaves their mouths through it all.
Sounds obscene.