It’s rare that television ads that don’t focus on the product are deemed a success. But, when they do, they can resonate above the noise, cross into demographics you might not otherwise reach, and become water cooler talk for months. Remember, the 1984 Macintosh ad, which aired just once during the Super Bowl, and never showed a Mac, has been regarded as the greatest television ad in history.
And while we’d never say that the ad below is on the 1984 level, it is, none the less, getting incredible buzz.
In the second of series of ads by cap maker New Era (see the first one, here), John Krasinski (The Office), and Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) play themselves as diehard MLB fans, with Krasinski rooting for Red Sox and Baldwin for the Yankees, obsessively so. In this ad, Baldwin runs up the stairs to Krasinski’s apartment after he thinks the Yankees have lost to the Red Sox. When Krasinski opens the door, well… the “punch lines” begin to fly (my fav is “You drove all the way over here to punch me in the face?!” “No. I ran. I was too angry to drive.”).
There’s been some controversy around this ad in light of the beating of a Giants fan after a game at Dodger Stadium that left him in a medically induced coma. The line being, this ad will send the message that it’s acceptable to beat on opposing fans of your team. I get that only insofar that saying if you watch Bugs Bunny or the Three Stooges, you’re more likely to commit violent acts.
(LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS: IS THE AD IN POOR TASTE, OR IS IT COMEDY?)
What the ad is is pure comedy. Take a peak, and prepare to laugh.
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What is funny written by Scott Candage,
May 13, 2011
I think that this commercial is funny because rational human beings know that you're NOT supposed to treat other fans in this manner. (There was a discussion of this phenomenon in the HBO special "Talking Funny"). Granted, the events and aftermath of what happened at Dodger Stadium is not funny at all. But this commercial is. Why? Context.
+1
... written by Rob McMillin,
May 13, 2011
I was turned off by it. I can see some people thinking it's funny, but I didn't.
+0
... written by Jared68,
May 13, 2011
I don't see a lot wrong with this ad. I also know both of these guys are actors, but did I not know this I am rational enough to know this isn't condoning the beating of some guy who is fan of a team, that happens to be rivals with who you root for.
But what occurred at Dodger Stadium was reprehensible and a serious crime. They should face the penalty for this a*sault, as should anyone who attacks another person.
I don't think that the add is anything to be upset about. I think that it likely this ad was produces before or right after the attack, as part of a series featuring Baldwin and Krasinski.
+0
My take... written by Maury Brown,
May 13, 2011
I'm hoping we can get a solid conversation going on this ad. As noted in my article commentary, I found it to be hilarious. I am very much anti-violence (those that go to Business of Sports Network will notice that I have not reported on MMA due to its ultra-violent nature). I was appalled by the act of two individuals at Dodger Stadium that have no regard for human decency.
But this...
I saw this as comedy. I can't see how it could be construed as anything else. The punch is simply setting up the dialog afterwards, which as I note in the article, is fantastic.
It's fantasy. It's comedy. In the same way that I can watch Bugs Bunny or The Three Stooges, I can watch this as a rational fan of sports and say, "It's acting." Any idiot that would watch this and go, "You know what? I need to pull this on my best friend at work," had issues before seeing this.
+0
just a commercial written by Devon,
May 13, 2011
It's a commercial meant to take a sports rivalry and put a humorous twist on it. Its meant to make people laugh and is not real.
Its a atrocity what happened at Dodger Stadium, but this is just a commercial.
+0
pa*s written by natteringnabob,
May 13, 2011
I don't think it's funny in the first place. Jerky Red Sox and Yankee fans (disclosure: I lived in NY and rooted for the Yankees while there) are already omnipresent, in the mind of baseball fans if not mirrored in reality.
The Pepsi Max ads with current and past players in the Field of Dreams is, in my opinion, the kind of thing that presents baseball in the right way. Not two New York cretins arguing over nonsense.
The Stow incident is just another reason this campaign is lousy.
+1
... written by bombadil,
May 14, 2011
The ad is not a cartoon. It did not depict something that can't happen. It's a realistic portrayal of violence that appears to be approved of, accepted, and without consequences. The fact that so many find it "funny", or just fine because it's acting, is an indication of what we judge acceptable. Do you think anything is ok in the name of humor? If not, then there are lines and limits. For me this crossed that line. The depiction of realistic, excused violence due to insane team loyalty is not ok. How can you watch the news and not realize we have severe problems with violence? For the American institution of MLB to present this as funny is obscene.
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