Thursday, May 28, 2009

Gestalt Magic

Disclaimer: This entry will not include a political message...


This pop up ad came up on my screen the other day, and there are several things I find funny about it.

1) BO's mugshot. It really looks like he just got taken in for DWI after throwing a few back at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. That's our first subtle clue as to what the people who designed the ad thought about the answer to the question.

2) The word "No" is highlighted in black, while "Yes" is greyed out. The options on the ad didn't flash back and forth, this was the solid image. Obviously the eye is guided towards "No," another clever hint about the conservative "correct" answer.

3) At the bottom, the word "Free" is ironically also greyed out. Could this possibly be because just like the designers of the ad don't think BO will fix the economy, they also know the prize is not actually free? I wonder if maybe answering the question will actually just open your computer up to more adware and you'll never actually get a t-shirt or a generic $50 gift card. Just maybe...

Best ad on TV 5/28



Responsible message, blah blah blah.

I just love the chubby (Italian?) cab driver singing.

Unfortunately, I've never been in or heard of a cab like this. Every cab story involves a creepy driver who is at least 3 of the following 4 things:

a) Middle Eastern
b) A Bills fan (regardless of city)
c) An ex-con
d) Recently released from the Loony Bin

Then again, the driver pictures could be options b, c, and d, so the commercial could be more realistic than I first thought...