The Burger May Be Spicy, but the Commercial?
For as long as Paris Hilton has been a name, I've failed to find anything appealing about her. A few weeks ago, the Parents Television Council made a bit of a stink about a commercial in which Paris eats a burger. Leave it to the PTC to drive more viewers to the commercial's web site to see the even "hotter" version.
So I'm watching the uncut version of the ad. I'm puzzled. First I want to know why they chose such an awful suit. There isn't a body type in the world that would be flattered by that design. She's washing a car. Well, maybe "washing" isn't really the right word. Whatever she's doing, it looks silly and contrived. The car is a Bentley. Whatever. She's wearing high heels. Hmm . . . did the producers promise to fix the scratches in the paint job, or was that factored into their rental cost? She takes a bite out of the burger while crawling in front of the car. What the hell is that? Where's the story? Where's the dramatic tension? Nothing about this commercial makes me want a burger or Paris Hilton.
So in sixty seconds of commercial, I think the burger is on screen for about five. The commercial explains nothing about the burger. Call me a pessimist, but I don't think the burger is served by Paris, and I'm pretty sure she won't be washing my Subaru. Has the commercial sold me a burger yet? Nope. Has the web site sold me a burger yet? Nope. The web site doesn't explain what the ingredients of the damn thing are! I think maybe they mention "fried jalapeño" in one of the making-of videos, but that's it. Even more ludicrous, the only mention of the Spicy BBQ at the Carl Jr.'s/Hardee's web site pimps the commercial, not the burger! Morons!
Back in my high school days, I had brass band rehearsals Saturday mornings at Carnegie Mellon University. Pitt is in the same neighborhood, and The O was a frequent lunch stop. They had something like fifty burgers on their menu. I think my favorite was the "Mexican" burger, which featured spicy cheese and jalapeño. It was spicy and it was good. Sadly, the O decided to get into cheap, low-quality pizza, and the burger grill was hogging the necessary space. I'm sad to see that the O no longer even has burgers on the menu, but I'm sure the fries are still outstanding.
So I'm watching the uncut version of the ad. I'm puzzled. First I want to know why they chose such an awful suit. There isn't a body type in the world that would be flattered by that design. She's washing a car. Well, maybe "washing" isn't really the right word. Whatever she's doing, it looks silly and contrived. The car is a Bentley. Whatever. She's wearing high heels. Hmm . . . did the producers promise to fix the scratches in the paint job, or was that factored into their rental cost? She takes a bite out of the burger while crawling in front of the car. What the hell is that? Where's the story? Where's the dramatic tension? Nothing about this commercial makes me want a burger or Paris Hilton.
So in sixty seconds of commercial, I think the burger is on screen for about five. The commercial explains nothing about the burger. Call me a pessimist, but I don't think the burger is served by Paris, and I'm pretty sure she won't be washing my Subaru. Has the commercial sold me a burger yet? Nope. Has the web site sold me a burger yet? Nope. The web site doesn't explain what the ingredients of the damn thing are! I think maybe they mention "fried jalapeño" in one of the making-of videos, but that's it. Even more ludicrous, the only mention of the Spicy BBQ at the Carl Jr.'s/Hardee's web site pimps the commercial, not the burger! Morons!
Back in my high school days, I had brass band rehearsals Saturday mornings at Carnegie Mellon University. Pitt is in the same neighborhood, and The O was a frequent lunch stop. They had something like fifty burgers on their menu. I think my favorite was the "Mexican" burger, which featured spicy cheese and jalapeño. It was spicy and it was good. Sadly, the O decided to get into cheap, low-quality pizza, and the burger grill was hogging the necessary space. I'm sad to see that the O no longer even has burgers on the menu, but I'm sure the fries are still outstanding.