Gary Numan Shilled For Oldsmobile?!

Reilly Brennan December 29th, 2006 11:29 AM Link

This is awful.

Austin December 29th, 2006 1:39 PM Link

Uh, guys, I think you are missing the joke. I see it as poking fun at the GAP wearing, Civic driving, club scene loving GenXers.

Unfortunately, an Olds Alero still wasn’t an appealing way to stand you in the crowd.

Alas, last laugh was on Olds & GM.

This looks to be a conceptualization from the agency. Perhaps surfaced from a production house?

Andy Dayes December 29th, 2006 9:32 PM Link

To my knowledge, it ran once: During the 2000 Super Bowl, which had to have set some kind of record for television ads with the lowest ratio of airings to production cost. Or the highest cost-to-eyeball ratio, depending on how you look at it. The 2000 Superbowl was the one with the million and one forgettable dotcom ads.

Cheers,
Andy

Matt Connery December 30th, 2006 6:17 AM Link

I remember “Cars” being used for the Nissan Altima not too long ago. I thought it worked well!

Matt

Eric Biran December 30th, 2006 5:08 PM Link

This ad aired at least a few times. I know I did not see the Superbowl (not much of a football fan) and I saw the ad several times on regular TV.

You have to appreciate the context of the ad, as at the time there were several GAP, Calvin Klein, and other ads all with a collection of “hip” kids in front of a blank photostage looking ineffectual and pitching their brand of product-cool. The ads started to get formulaic after a while (in the same way that Robert Palmer videos all featured gorgeous models playing backup) and this ad was so unexpected the first time you saw it, you couldn’t help but laugh. I don’t know if it made me want to but an Olds, but it was damn funny.

Steve January 2nd, 2007 1:17 PM Link

I can confirm seeing this during the 2000 Superbowl.

…and, yes, we all thought it was a GAP commercial for the first 28 seconds, too. Nice spoof, decent car designs in those last years, but both were spent on the wrong brand.

As for Andy’s 2000 dot-com ads comment, eTrade’s 2001 Superbowl ad featuring their chimpanze walking through a deserted dot-com ghost town — complete with a derelict Porsche Boxter and discarded Pets.com sock puppet — pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Donna January 16th, 2008 1:24 PM Link

I have been trying to find video of that commercial since I first saw it - it’s my very favorite! Yes, Andy, it was a Superbowl commercial and that’s the only time I ever saw it. I was already so tired of all the vapid, dull-faced models in the GAP and Old Navy commercials that this spot so flawlessly mocked. I wanted to buy an Olds just for that!

cwick February 9th, 2008 7:12 PM Link

hey all…
i was in this commercial (guy right in front on the right) & a few of you are right. it was sposed’ to b making fun at the all the gap ads that were out at that time…

it ran for about 2 weeks only, & mostly during letterman…

newaz….thats it 4 now…& thanx
cwick