Don’t ask me why, but this morning I was thinking about how the most interesting dog food brands from my youth are now defunct. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but I’m doing a pretty good job of it so far.)
My favorite commercial was for Chuck Wagon, with a pooch chasing a Ray Harryhausen-style Conestoga wagon through the house.
And I was always intrigued by Gaines*burgers dog food too, because of their hamburger shape. Love how the TV ad tout and the package both tout the fact that Gaines*burgers are “made with REAL MEAT”.
Notice they don’t say what type of animal the meat came from. Just sayin’.
As someone who worked in both radio (including a stint on the Gary BurbankShow, a “theater of the mind” comedy show featuring dozen of wacky characters) and advertising, I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to the late, great Stan Freberg, who passed away earlier this month. IMDb lists him as “Composer, singer, actor, author, comedian and advertising executive.” That doesn’t really do justice to his talents. He was a voice in Looney Tunes… he created great satirical sketch comedy for radio… he was Weird Al before there was a Weird Al… he was the godfather of the funny commercial for both radio and TV, including this radio ad that shows how powerful the medium can be:
Today’s Target ad touts a sale where shoes are “buy one, get one 50% off.” I didn’t realize Target sold shoes individually. Most stores sell them in pairs. I wonder which shoe is 50% off… is it the right shoe or the left shoe? Or does it vary by shoe style? Can I buy one sneaker and get 50% off a dress shoe?
Kevin Sullivan on Life advice from a man who lived it: “A good one Damian. Bring our lens into focus after the long weekend or our long life journey.” Jul 7, 09:38
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