The advertising raspberry

[HisSelf]

I'm starting this thread so everybody can have a chance to give the raspberry to advertising campaigns.

My favourite cynicism in advertising candiate is the Joe Rant (oops Joe Canadian) advertising campaign run by Molsons a few years back. It was basically an anti-American rant. "We have a beaver and not and eagle.. we have a prime minister and not a president.... AND I AM CANADIAN!"

Molsons spent major bucks to send this guy and his flannel shirt all over the country delivering his rant at county fairs, jazz festivals, speedways....

At the same time, Molsons was selling the Montreal Canadiens to an American businessman from Washington DC.

Has to be a low point in Canadian advertising.

Really. What would hapen if Steinbrunner sold the Yankees to Japanese interests?

I challenge anybody to come up with anything lower than this.

Edited August 29, 2008 by HisSelf

[guyser]

I challenge anybody to come up with anything lower than this.

"Nooooooooooobody" for one.

Any Tim Hortons commercials for two.

Any in house produced commercial for three. (which includes T.H.)

Anti American? You thought so? I didnt.

[AngusThermopyle]

Anti American? You thought so? I didnt.

Gotta say I agree with HisSelf on this one. As soon as I heard it for the first time I found it to be very juvenile and anti American. Also extremely extremely annoying.

For me its the Apple commercials, they just lie through their teeth, pretty much the entire comercial is either an outright lie or a very liberal distortion of the truth.

[guyser]

Gotta say I agree with HisSelf on this one. As soon as I heard it for the first time I found it to be very juvenile and anti American. Also extremely extremely annoying.

Well...here it is. What part is anti American

"Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader....

I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled....

and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,

although I'm certain they're really really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a president.

I speak English and French, not American.

And I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'.

I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack.

I believe in peace keeping, not policing,

diversity, not assimilation,

and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.

A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch,

and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!!

Canada is the second largest landmass!

The first nation of hockey!

and the best part of North America

My name is Joe!!

And I am Canadian!!!

[HisSelf]

Well...here it is. What part is anti American

"Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader....

I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled....

and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,

although I'm certain they're really really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a president.

I speak English and French, not American.

And I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'.

I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack.

I believe in peace keeping, not policing,

diversity, not assimilation,

and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.

A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch,

and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!!

Canada is the second largest landmass!

The first nation of hockey!

and the best part of North America

My name is Joe!!

And I am Canadian!!!

Ha ha. So you're being ironic, right?

[cybercoma]

I don't find that rant to be anti-american at all.

"I have a Prime Minister, not a President"

Statements like that are pretty matter-of-fact.

[AngusThermopyle]

Statements like that are pretty matter-of-fact.

And in this particular case are only relevent because because they are in direct juxtaposition of our neighbours to the south. The whole rant is based upon the differences we have from our neighbours, this alone shows how it uses the US as a foil to its pointlessness.

[Drea]

For me its the Apple commercials, they just lie through their teeth, pretty much the entire comercial is either an outright lie or a very liberal distortion of the truth.

My son hate those commercials. I use a Mac at work sometimes and I do find it better for photo manipulation. But I still prefer the PC for games and everyday use.

[Guest American Woman]

I find it amusing that "Joe Canadian" moved to the United States. Beyond that, I don't know any Americans who were offended by the ads. Most Americans likely don't even know about them since the commercials didn't air down here; and of those who do know about it, being American, most probably think it's a sign of an inferiority complex that "Joe Canada" has to define himself only by saying how he's different from us.

As for myself, I got a kick out of the ads.

Edited September 1, 2008 by American Woman

[cybercoma]

And in this particular case are only relevent because because they are in direct juxtaposition of our neighbours to the south. The whole rant is based upon the differences we have from our neighbours, this alone shows how it uses the US as a foil to its pointlessness.

I still don't see how it's anti-American. The commercial illustrates some matter-of-fact differences, with the only exception being that Canada is the best part of North America. That's a matter of opinion and something the Americans have always said about themselves, but that doesn't make it anti-Canadian. Edited September 7, 2008 by cybercoma

[Wilber]

most probably think it's a sign of an inferiority complex that "Joe Canada" has to define himself only by saying how he's different from us.

I think more than a few Canadians would also see it that way, that is why they find those commercials so objectionable. I've solved the problem by sticking to Guinness.

[Guest American Woman]

I think more than a few Canadians would also see it that way, that is why they find those commercials so objectionable. I've solved the problem by sticking to Guinness.

Sounds like my kind of solution.