Tag Archives: Commercials

My favorite Super Bowl commercial

Super Bowl commercials tend to scream at you, both literally and metaphorically. So a quiet, subtle commercial like the one Google aired is easy to miss. (The Focus on the Family commercial, for all the fervor preceding it, was also easy to miss.)

Luckily I didn’t miss the Google commercial. It was simple, and simply brilliant. Maybe it’s because I have a life-changing event in my own past that is at least partially traceable to a Google search, but I think the message here is powerful and moving: in the Internet age, profound events in your life can stem from things you find online. And what better way to find things online than Google?

My favorite moments are “What are truffles?” followed by “Who is Truffaut?” and when the user changes “Long distance relationship advice” to “Jobs in Paris.” It’s silly, I know, but I start to tear up at that one.

The greatest danger of being at home on weekdays

Working from home definitely has its advantages. No commute, no oppressive cubicles, no annoying coworkers. But it does have its downsides, too. The worst, without a doubt, is the temptation to turn on the TV during the day. Not only is TV programming on weekdays unimaginably uninspired and uninteresting, but the commercials are truly painful. Most target the elderly (LifeAlert, Metamucil, etc.), but then you have the local commercials, which fall into two camps: law firms appealing to those who are at home due to injury or illness, and local businesses too cheap to spring for airtime at a decent hour. The latter category is without a doubt the worst of the bunch. And I just saw the single worst commercial ever in the history of this worst category. Luckily enough (for me, not for you, since now you’re going to have to see it too), I actually found it on YouTube. Enjoy…