Movatterモバイル変換

The Product:Cold Fire
The Price:$19.99 (for 2) plus $11.98 shipping and handling
The Claims:Stops fires: instantly cools hot surfaces
Buy-O-Meter Rating:3.5 out of 5 (4.5 if one can had not failed)

Mr. Peanut, the iconic mascot of Planters peanuts, is ending 94 years of silence ina new commercial. Given stop-action life (and the voice of Robert Downey Jr.), Mr. Peanut hosts a memorable Christmas party in one ad and playsThe Christmas Songon the rims of glasses in a companion follow up. And, in a nutshell, the new ad campaign is pretty funny.

The verbally-enhanced Mr. Peanut -- still a dandy with monocle, top hat and cane -- has apparently hit the gym in order to fill out his new jacket and pants (formal leggings maybe?). He's a fit Mr. Peanut for the post-recession rat race, ready to have a good time but keeping it simple (and more affordable) with the appetizers.

WalletPop takes a look at what happens when good brands make bad moves -- and consumer outcry follows.

Oops! We guess Gap learned the hard way that you don't mess with a good thing. Last month, it unveiled a new "more contemporary, modern expression" (pictured at right) of its much-loved classic logo and consumers everywhere balked big time. After just one week -- and a massive outpouring of critical comments --Gap announced it was reverting to the iconic blue box logo (pictured at left).

As a kung fu comedy master, Jackie Chan kicks box-office butt. As a pitchman, he's more likely to deliver a death blow to the products he advertises.

TheRush Hour andKarate Kid star has been skewered by the Chinese press for being the most dangerous celebrity spokesperson in the world, "a man who can destroy anything," theOriental Guardian was quoted saying in theLos Angeles Times.

Give the Chinese a black belt in observation for bringing to light what they call the "Jackie Chan Curse." Chan's list of endorsement flops is growing at an incredible pace. Ba Wang, an anti-baldness shampoo (see video) Chan hawked, was rumored to include cancer-causing ingredients, causing the company's stock to plummet. Sales of an air conditioner he promoted chilled when a report emerged that one of the units exploded.

What's that horrible sound? What are those horrifying images supposed to mean? Oh, right. It's thelatest creepy ad from Quiznos.

This one shows a trio of kittens ("Singamals") in a rhythm-challenged brass band, singing very badly about the joys of the fast-food franchise's Value Menu. The ad "is worse than one can possibly imagine," according toEater.com.

Talk about your World Cup. Soccer studCristiano Ronaldo is about to bend it likeBeckham as the face (and the abs and the butt) of a new fall and winterEmporio Armani campaign for underwear and jeans. The ads were set to splash around June 25 when the captain ofTeam Portugal plays Brazil, but the photos released beforehand were enough of a tease to establish soccer as the sexiest thing since ... well, sex.

Here at Ad Rant, we are so excited that Leo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton just took up some new causes. Leo'shelping to save the tigers of the world, and Paris is, uh,entertaining the troops in her own special way.



A celebrity's name brings much-needed attention to worthwhile causes. What happens, though, when the cause bringsunwanted attention boomeranging back on stars because the media start making fun of their commercials? For stars who are shopping for causes because it's so trendy to have one, here's our advice: Just rememberthe cautionary tale of Sally Struthers.

In the future, we'll all have video phones where you can see your loved ones in real time ... oh, wait. Itis the future.

Actually, the future has been with us for some time. You can already see callers on video chats, webinars and while Skype-ing. But there's nothing like ashiny new Apple gadget, backed by a savvy marketing campaign that plays heavily on the heartstrings, to make you feel as if you'recrossing the Rubicon into a future that isnow.

Thanks to the new"Face Time" ad by movie director Sam Mendes (American Beauty,Revolutionary Road), Apple effectively gets to "own" this seemingly new communications space the way Kodak, maker of cameras and film, once laid claim to photos-as-depository-of-memories with theirKodak Moment campaigns.

Smart move. Does it work?

Kraft Foods isn't holding back when it comes to its new line of mayonnaise. Thefood giant kicked off a multi-million dollar marketing campaign for its Sandwich Shop Mayo brand during one of the most expensive commercial spots on TV: last night's finale ofAmerican Idol.

While the new products, which include four flavors of mayonnaise ranging from reduced fat chipotle to garlic & herb, have been in some stores since April, Wednesday's finale ofAmerican Idol may have been the first time many consumers had heard of the new spreads. Kraft says the campaign will cost several million dollars and represents its biggest push for mayo products in several years.

If you want to meet your favorite rock stars, you'll find them in line at the hearing-aid clinic. Musicians are known to blow out their eardrums from performing in front of speakers set at crushing decibels, but you don't have to go through all that to have a legitimate reason for seeing a hearing doctor. All you have to do is listen a couple of times to that obnoxious Staples commercial about "LOW PRICES," and soon you'll be sitting in the waiting room between Dave Grohl and Jeff Beck.

In one of the Staples ads, a dorky guy in a deserted aisle of the office supply and electronics store leans toward an item to read its price sticker, and practically has an orgasm. "WOW," he screams, his body lurching every which way from the shock of his good fortune. "THAT'S A LOW PRICE!"

If you were McDonald's, would you tinker with a Big Mac? And if your sales justclimbed 10% in this stink-bag of an economy, would you dump the ad campaign that was partially responsible? We didn't think so. Neither did the Golden Arches.

McDonald's unveiled its "new" campaign this week -- and it's one that we're all quite familiar with. After seven years, the "I'm Lovin' It" campaign is the longest-running ditty in the fast food giant's portfolio, according toCrain'sChicago Business. Be ready to hear that "Da-da-da-da-dah" in your head for at least several more months. The inevitable axe that befell McDonald's previous Madison Avenue hits, "You Deserve a Break Today" and "Food, Folks and Fun," isn't going to come crashing down on "I'm Lovin' It" just yet.

In Part Four of Ad Rant's series on The Best and Worst Celebrity Ads, we name names -- boldface names, that is, such as Ringo Starr, Bruce Willis and Elle McPherson. It's weird to see rocker Alice Cooper in an ad for a British bank ... and weirder still to seeBrad Pitt offering a group of confused Japanese teen the ultimate proof that he's famous enough to wear Edwin jeans.

There are plenty of old geezers who wish they could rock out like Axl Rose just once in this lifetime, butWarren Buffett has made it a reality.

Sizzling up the Internet right now is a new ad for Geico that has the normally unassuming tycoon, champion stock-picker and philanthropist joining in an earnest power ballad about the pleasures of working in customer service.

"We're always true to youuuu," he croons, without irony. (That is, aside from the irony of dressing up like the lead singer of Guns 'N' Roses.)

Why Warren Buffett and not all the other 79-year-olds whose voices are better than his and who would also like the chance to sport tattoos and a purple bandana?

Because Buffett is the third-richest man in the world, for one thing. And because Geico is a subsidiary of his company, Berkshire-Hathaway, for another.

Welcome to the second in Ad Rant's 10-part series on The Best and Worst Celebrity Ads.

Last time, we looked at some of thefunniest celeb ads from Japan. InPart 2, we see what happens when stars play the role they were born to play: themselves.

We'll see George Clooney "act" sexy without saying a word. We'll watch Nicole Kidman fall in love with the one man on earth who has never heard of her. There's also Marvin Hagler giving a shout-out to his mom.

And then there's Tommy Lee Jones, who is recognized in Japan for what he truly is: an alien from outer space.

There's a reason Olympic athletes mouth the words, "Thanks, Mom" into the cameras as they hold their medals aloft. Mothers spend countless hours waiting, watching, driving and cheering them on and they spend a small fortune on tournament fees, coaching, travel and sports equipment. Being the mom of an Olympic athlete is truly an Olympic-worthy effort.

While U.S. Olympic sponsor,Procter & Gamble, may not be the first to recognize the unsung heroes behind the athletes, they are the first to award Team USA moms with their own Olympic sponsorships.