Stuart Elliott: Time to Ask Another "20 Questions"

Has there ever been a more mealymouthed euphemism for layoffs at an advertising agency than quottalent calibrationsquot used by the Starcom MediaVest Group to explain recent pink slipsDid the executives at Volkswagen who greenlit ads for its Driver Assistance features that use the phrase quotJust because you don39t see it doesn39t mean it isn39t therequot realize that those words can also apply to the defeat devices on VW diesel cars which helped the company cheat on emissions testsNow that the Pepsi Porch at Citi Field has become the CocaCola Corner can the sponsorship be expanded by asking the TV and radio announcers to celebrate each home run hit by the Mets as a quotCoke cloutquotGiven that vowelchallenged names are all the rage Brgr Buzzr Dataminr Grindr Hoppr Krispr Sprinklr Uncovr should the folks at LiquidPlumr sue for royaltiesWas Jennifer Garner sending a signal to her estranged husband Ben Affleck by describing to a Vanity Fairamp160writer the end of their marriage with a phrase quotI always say 39When his sun shines on you you feel it39 But when the sun is shining elsewhere it39s coldquot that sounds so much like dialogue quotIt39s like the sun shines on you and it39s glorious And then he forgets you and it39s very very coldquot from the movie quotThe Talented Mr Ripleyquot in which Affleck39s longtime friend Matt Damon plays a pathological narcissistWhen the chief executive officer of a company that provides special treatment to former National Football League players with dementia was interviewed recently by The New York Timesamp160couldn39t he have thought of a better way to explain to the reporter the high caliber of the benefits his firm provides than to say quotIt39s a nobrainer to offer them this qualityquotDoes Sysomos Expion the name of a social media relationships management platform sound more like a James Bond villain a thriller that Robert Ludlum never got around to writing or a Greek tanker that spilled a million gallons of oil in the Aegean SeaWhat was the point of the quotgetaway caperquot Toyota Prius Super Bowl commercial in which an actor playing a news anchor says quotFolks you can39t make this stuff upquot when on screen the word quotFictionalizationquot was superimposedSpeaking of Super Bowl commercials did the 4As throw a party after seeing the New York Timesamp160crossword for Feb 24 because the answer to 36 across quotSuper Bowl highlights to manyquot was quotADSquotSpeaking of crosswords did the Interactive Advertising Bureau throw a fit after seeing the Universal Uclick puzzle for May 21 which appeared in newspapers such as the New York Daily Newsamp160because the answer to 57 across quotWebsite clutterquot was quotADSquotAre buyers of the 2016 Keep Calm and Quote Movies Daily Desktop Calendar who noticed that the March 23 entry mangled the famous Bette Davis line from quotNow Voyagerquot it39s published as quotLet39s ask for the moon We already have the starsquot instead of quotDon39t let39s ask for the moon We have the starsquot entitled to a refund equal to 1366th of the purchase priceNow that the Johnny Rockets restaurant chain has introduced a prototype that replaces its signature 1950s diner look with a contemporary design will the entrance to the new eatery be decorated with a sign declaring quotNostalgia isn39t what it used to bequotHow long will it be before Procter ampamp Gamble takes advantage of the decision by the National Basketball Association to experiment with ads on team jerseys by making sponsorship deals for BounceHave advocates who work to prevent drinking and driving considered inventing a device that would prevent car audio systems from playing country songs such as quotDrunk on Your Lovequot quotCame Here to Forgetquot and quotYou Look Like I Need a DrinkquotWhen John Miller who leads the New York Police Department39s counterterrorism efforts recently described the Islamic State39s propaganda as of quotalmost Madison Avenue qualityquot did he inspire agency executives to revive quotWhere39s the beefquot for a campaign questioning the promises ISIS makes to recruitsDoes The Sharper Image regret running newspaper ads for a hover board that carried the headline quotThis year39s hottest giftquotWill voters angry at Susan Sarandon labeled by Mediate as quotcompeting for the title of Bernie Sanders39 most deranged Hillary Clinton attack dogquot take it out on a brand she endorses by complaining that every time they use L39Oramp233al their skin feels the burnFor a radio station with a quotgreatest hitsquot or quotoldiesquot format isn39t a ThrowBackThursday feature redundantDid the copywriter who came up with an ad for Ricola throat drops with this line quotThe secret is chramp252terchraft Swiss for Ricola39s magical herb blendquot have fond memories of the 1990s Volkswagen ads about quotFahrvergnamp252genquot a coined German word for driving enjoymentamp160amp160Did the TV executives at the Upfronts who outlined plans to revive or reboot just about every vintage series except quotMy Mother the Carquot tell a skeptical columnist quotYou ask a lot of questions for someone from BrooklynquotThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers amp160amp160

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

Stuart Elliott: Time to Ask Another "20 Questions"

Author

Publish date

Channel

Stuart Elliott

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

Stuart Elliott: Time to Ask Another "20 Questions"

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Stuart Elliott

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

The payment was successful

Cookies