The 80's Will Never Die #6 (Hellman's Mayonaisse/When Harry Met Sally)

Super Bowl commercials always lean heavily into pop culture and this year's crop was no exception. Check out this parody of the iconic deli scene from 1989's When Harry Met Sally featuring the reuniting of Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

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Super Bowl Ads Lean Heavily into Pop Culture... Here's the Reason Why.

The 80's Will Never Die #5 (Roxette/Repatha)

 

The music in this commercial for Repatha, a drug used to treat high cholestrol, is a cover of the 1988 power ballad "Listen to Your Heart" by the Swedish rock duo Roxette. The song reached #1 on the U.S. pop chart in 1989.

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Board Games of the 1970's Highlighted Americans' Angst

*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Board games are commonly defined as "any game of strategy in which pieces are moved on a board." For the purposes of this article, I'm using the slightly broader definition of "any competitive or strategic game played with pieces or paraphernalia on a tabletop."

To be sure things were tense in the 1970's both domestically and abroad. In the previous decade, high profile assassinations, race riots from coast to coast, the Manson murders, chaos at the 1968 Democratic Convention, and southern backlash against the Civil Rights Movement highlighted a decade in which social unrest was more overt than any other time in our nation's history. But as the 70s rolled in, upheaval, threats and alarmism abounded in a much more subversive way — one that created a palpable tension among the American populace. While we distracted ourselves with innocuous AM radio hits like Me and You and a Dog Named Boo, One Bad Apple and Kung Fu Fighting, in our gut we were terrified by the stress-inducing events that were happening all around us. We lamented the Kent State shootings, fretted about gas shortages, shook our head in disbelief at the corruption of Love Canal, worried that Three Mile Island or some other nuclear disaster would cause our doom, and secretly feared murderous wackos like Ted Bundy, Son of Sam and Jim Jones.

So could it be that all of the fear, pressure and angst built up during the 1970's manifested itself in, of all things, the decade’s most popular board games? Consider some of the ones that were best selling and most played at the time and the gameplay each involved:

Operation put our nerves to the test as we tried to steel ourselves and "take out his spare rib for $100." Touch the sides with those tweezers and you’d trigger a loud buzzer indicating you’d botched the surgery and killed the patient. (Talk about stress!) Meanwhile Perfection, which debuted in 1973, had us racing against time to place cut out shapes in their corresponding holes before the timer ran out and the whole thing went kaplooey in our faces. This unforgiving game demanded just what its name specified -- perfection. Getting some or most of the shapes in place meant bupkis so the game's all or nothing, tension-building premise had us all sweating from start to finish.

Perhaps the most ominous-sounding popular games of the 70s — Headache, Trouble, and Sorry — all had us maneuvering our pieces across the board in an effort to either outrace or sabotage our opponents. In its way, it was the perfect metaphor for the rampant consumerism and "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality that drove the US economy in the 70's before inflation took hold during the Ford administration. 

Think this is all a bit of a stretch?...  Well clearly something was going on in the 70's as we Americans, for whatever reason, played out the abundance of stress the decade had to offer with our dice, game tokens and pop-o-matics. An assortment of other forebodingly named games gained popularity during the time:  Kerplunk, Down the Drain, Don’t Tip the Waiter, Ants in the Pants, and of course, Don’t Break the Ice, which can be considered a not so subtle metaphor for the spectre of the US-Soviet Cold War. Similarly, Risk provided a much more literal representation of what might occur if the USSR (or some other communist regime) conquered the globe.

Stay Alive, introduced in 1971 and advertised as being "quite deadly", had the stated objective of simply surviving. The game was wildly popular throughout the decade, possibly because it embodied our fears for our soldiers fighting in Vietnam, as well as for Patti Hearst during her kidnapping and the hostages held in Iran.

Finally, the defining political event of the 1970's was most certainly Watergate and its surrounding mysteries of who committed the actual break in, “what did the president know and when”, as well as who Deep Throat could be. Parker Brothers seized upon these same mystery and crime solving themes with its detective game Clue, released in the U.S. in 1972 within weeks of the actual Watergate break in. And just like Watergate, Clue featured investigation, cover ups, accusations, and efforts to either guess or prove which of several characters committed the crime. 

Whatever you choose to believe about our choice of board games during 1970's, thankfully, the 80's were a lot more relaxed and carefree. (Fyi, that's the decade when less emotionally taxing fare like Trivial Pursuit and Scattergories were best sellers, and just before the popularity of board games in general began to slump, thanks to the rise of home video consoles like Nintendo and Sega Genesis.)

Super Bowl Ads Lean Heavily into Pop Culture... Here's the Reason Why.

If there is any skepticism regarding either the importance or financial impact of leveraging prevailing pop culture to influence consumerism then look no further than this year's Super Bowl commercials which incorporated a parade of pop culture nods, references, and recollections. These included:

• Parodies of Clueless and Caddyshack promoting Rakuten and Michelob respectively

• Comedian Wil Ferrell, in a co-branded spot for GM and Netflix, cruising in one of the automaker's EVs through the worlds of Stranger Things, Squid Game and other Netflix hits

• Another co-branded spot featuring Marvel's Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) enjoying a Heineken.

• Mega producer Diddy bringing one-hit wonders like Haddaway (“What is Love”) and Kelis (“Milkshake”) into a recording studio to shil for Uber Eats

• Ben Affleck (as himself) working the drive-thru at Dunkin'

 

So why did these and so many other advertisers (some of the biggest brands in the world) continue the trend of leaning so heavily into pop culture, both past and present, and use it as the foundation of TV ads that cost an average of $7 million to produce and air?... The answer can be found at the intersection of psychology and one of the fundamental tenets of sales and marketing.

Salespeople in any industry will tell you that the following axiom is true:

“A customer may not remember everything you said during your pitch but they will definitely remember the way you made them feel.”

As a result, good salespeople go to great lengths in their interactions to make customers feel “heard”… “respected”… “satisfied”… and “understood.” Positive feelings like this lead to positive results, e.g. orders, referrals, recommendations and glowing Yelp reviews. And equally important, positive feelings create and perpetuate a positive brand identity.

That, in essence, is how and why pop-culture was leveraged on Super Bowl Sunday. Michelob's Caddyshack spot tapped into our shared experience of laughing at Bill Murray and company and enjoying one of the funniest comedies ever made. The makers of that commercial recognized that Caddyshack brings back fond memories, makes viewers look up from checking their phone, and pauses their planned trip to the bathroom during the commercial break. But more than that, it makes them feel something – amused, nostalgic, giggly. Psychologically, those individual sentiments coalesce into a general overall positive feeling that is then tied to the brand being advertised. It’s something that's working on both a conscious and subconscious level. 

Referencing pop culture (a popular movie, song, TV show, celebrity, etc.) offers one of the most effective ways to tap into something (a shared experience) that has (or had) mass appeal in order to generate recognition and stir up those positive feelings. In this way, pop culture is the gateway into the hearts and minds of, in this instance, 113 million Super Bowl viewers/consumers. You see and hear Travolta doing the number from Grease; you recall and feel something positive, and that positivity is now associated with the brand. And no, most people are not going to see the spot and run right out and switch from their current carrier to T-Mobile. But it is a way to boost the company's Q rating, which serves as a measurement of the familiarity and appeal of a brand, company, movie, etc. Studies show a clear parallel between high Q ratings and bigger market shares, so the formula is simple:

A pleasing pop culture reference in the commercial creates positive feelings. Positive feelings lead to a higher Q rating, which translates into increased consumer demand.

With regard to this year’s Super Bowl ads, the formula proved quite valid. Behavioral research company Veylinx analyzed the behavior of U.S. consumers pre- and post-Super Bowl LVII and measured the change in demand for the products of several large Super Bowl advertisers. The data revealed that the aforementioned Michelob Caddyshack spot helped the brand realize the single highest in demand increase post-Super Bowl at 19%. Frito-Lay also scored high with a commercial that included Breaking Bad's Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) cooking up PopCorners. That spot saw a 12% demand growth, while Heineken realized 11% growth after its Ant-Man ad.

In terms of strongly influencing purchasing decisions, “online buzz” – measured by statistics like impressions, likes, comments and shares – is also a good indicator. According to social listening and data analytics expert Engagement Labs, brands that were highly successful at driving online buzz through their Super Bowl ads included the aforementioned T-Mobile, Rakuten and Dunkin', as well as Crown Royal with its commercial featuring Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. Engagement Labs also posits that greater online buzz about a brand can result in more offline conversations which (though they are far trickier to measure) also greatly impact purchasing.

To be sure, pop culture was not the one and only path to creating a great Super Bowl ad, creating buzz, or spurring customer engagement. E-Trade, as well as pet food company The Farmer's Dog, delivered memorable spots that created conversation and raised brand awareness. But the overall winner in the latter department had to be Tubi. The AVOD streaming service debuted in 2014 but has since gotten lost in the wash of both premier streamers like HBO Max, Hulu and Netflix, as well as other AVODs like Crackle and Pluto TV. What Tubi needed first and foremost was to make people aware of its existence. Once again the strategy for the ad leaned into pop culture, in this case not so much a specific property, but a shared experience growing out of current pop culture. Don't we all from time to time, in the middle of enjoying a show, accidentally hit the wrong button on the remote and bring up the streaming service's homescreen? Tubi cleverly gave us their own take on this common mishap by producing a commercial that looked like the Fox broadcast, complete with commentators Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen welcoming viewers back to the game. Suddenly, the screen changed to the Tubi menu with someone apparently browsing programming selections. The gag fooled practically everyone and had viewers screaming and accusing each other of sitting on the remote. But more than that, it brought Tubi into the consciousness of millions of Americans who previously had no idea what Tubi even is. The ad gained the streamer tons of “earned media” and fresh downloads of the Tubi app. Those downloads translate into new viewers for the streamer to report, which ultimately allows Tubi to charge more for advertising on its platform.

In the end, the Super Bowl advertising reaffirms that popular culture has moved beyond trendiness and beyond the realm of the short-lived, and is something far more than just simply entertaining. It provides cohesion for us as Americans as we’re able to find common ground in our shared appreciation of a popular TV show, song, movie scene, celebrity, etc. Indeed, popular culture has ingrained itself in our society and now influences the way we communicate, how we act, and with regard to advertising specifically, what we value and choose to purchase.

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Commercial We Loved: Carl's Jr. Flat Buns

Carl's Jr. was once known for its provocative TV ads featuring scantily clad Paris Hilton, Nina Agdal, Kate Upton and other female models and celebs. It's hard to imagine in today's "Me Too" culture that commercials like these were ever even approved to produce -- much less air and become the identity of the brand. But in bygone days we were treated to not only those aforementioned spots but also the 2007 entry below -- an homage to this sequence from Van Halen's 1984 "Hot for Teacher" music video. In contrast to big butt loving Sir Mix-a-Lot, two high schoolers deliver a clever "whiteboy rap" about their affinity for smaller, "flat buns" -- offered by both the restaurant and their teacher. 

The titillating teacher in this commercial is purported to be actress Natassia Malthe, famous for her lead role in the BloodRayne sequels but the resemblance is questionable and there doesn't seem to be any definitive proof of this online. Whatever your opinion about this commercial, with lines like, "Got no heinie, I call you 'your highness', in anatomy class, you got a butt minus", you can't help but laugh.

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What's the Deal with the Serena-Wonder Woman Commercial?

Not sure what the recent fascination with Serena Williams is all about. She's 40, well past her prime athletically, is constantly injured these days, and hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open (which began in January of that year -- when Barack Obama was still in the White House!) 

There wasn't this much coverage or interest in Serena fifteen or so years ago when she was at the top of her game, dominating women's tennis and winning tournaments on a regular basis. So why do we now seemingly see her everywhere, including this commercial for Direct TV? Click here to see see what I mean.

If you're like me, you probably noticed that somehow, the Amazonian powers that Serena gains not only transform her into Wonder Woman, they also enable the moles on her face to travel back and forth indiscriminately from the right side (0:14) to the left side (0:18). This phenomenon is evident no matter which cut of the commercial you're watching (albeit with different timestamps.)

So did someone somehow inadvertently flip the image and no one noticed until it was too late?... Was the image flipped purposely in order to solve some larger production dilemma, thereby leaving no choice but to have Serena's moles appear to bounce back and forth?... I guess we'll never know. But this happenstance (however it came to be) deserves to examined. 

I seriously doubt this blunder wasn't caught in time. You're telling me, the agency's creative leads, the commercial's director, the video editors and production people involved, the account execs, and the client (i.e., all of the big-wigs at AT&T) -- they all missed this and only realized the error after the spot began airing?... Doubtful.

So the question is, how could the company choose to let the spot go to market like this? I mean, wasn't there a meeting where they weighed the pros and cons of such a decision? 

I can honestly say that I have been in those meetings -- where the advertising agency, after days, weeks or months of production, presents finished creative to the client company. "Last look"-type meetings where the client signs off on said creative, and I can state unequivocally that there is absolutely no acceptable explanation for why something like this shouldn't be fixed... None. 

You spend all of that money producing this commercial; you pay Serena; you pay John McEnroe; you pay the costumer (likely the same one used for Gal Gadot for the WW movies) and have a custom-fitted duplicate outfit made for Serena; and you don't want to spend the cash or take the time and effort to make the spot right by fixing the moles issue?

The result of not doing so is that we're left with a commercial that's something that AT&T and its ad agency should be ashamed of. Even moreso after so many like me have called them out on Twitter. 

Look, replacing TV ads and similar creative already trafficked into market can be tricky and expensive, but AT&T can certainly afford it. So the only explanation is that decision makers there believed the public wouldn't notice or care -- and/or that the mistake (as obvious and amateurish as it is) for whatever reason wasn't worth correcting.

But if AT&T doesn't have enough respect for its brand, for its customers, and for the simple notion of owning up to your own sloppy (or otherwise corner-cutting created) mistakes, then the company really don't deserve your business. 

And as for the advertising and marketing agencies involved in creating the spot -- which include Hearts & Science, a division of Omnicom Group -- they should all be rightfully mocked for their negligence and for being complicit.

Commercials We Loved - Fruit of the Loom and Big Fig

Here's two from the 70's featuring grown men dressed as fruit.



There were several of these Fruit of the Loom spots. Looking at them now, they're not very politically correct. What's with the stereotyping? Why does the black guy have to be the grapes?... What, a black man can't be an apple?... Or a lime?... Or a damn tangerine?... "Right on" my ass -- your underwear is racist!

As for the fig newton commercial, I picture the guy thinking, "Four years at Yale Drama School and I'm dancing around in pantyhose, curly toed shoes and a dried fruit costume."

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This 1993 commercial (narrated by Tom Selleck) always seemed kind of vague, even cryptic. Now of course, it all makes perfect sense and it's obvious that a lot of what AT&T was referring to was the development of its cellular network infrastructure and the technologies that were greatly advanced as a result. Unfortunately, by the time all of these technologies were finally realized and became available to the everyman, this commercial and the others in the series were long forgotten.

What AT&T needs to do is a followup. Something like this:
"Hey, remember all that cool shit that guy from Magnum P.I. told you about back in the nineties? Well you can do all that stuff now... Oh and by the way, guess who made that possible?... That's right, US... AT&T!... So all you ungrateful bastards, quit bitching about dropped calls and get down on your knees and start kissing our blue and white asses!"


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Commercials We Loved - "Terry Tate - Office Linebacker"

This one is for Reebok -- "Terry Tate - Office Linebacker" -- from the 2003 Super Bowl. The acting in this is great, especially the guy wimpering behind the recycling bin, and also the guy who plays Terry, Lester Rasta Speight, who I remember was also very funny when he appeared as a semi-regular on My Wife and Kids.

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The Star Trek Reboot Brings Back Memories

Was really taken with J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek movie. Sure, the whole time travel plot device has been done to death (in Star Trek: The Voyage Home and Star Trek: First Contact, and dozens of other sci-fi movies) and Winona Ryder's part was way too small. But Zachary Quinto was terrific as Spock; the other supporting characters were well cast; the special effects were stunning; and the action tense and exciting. All in all, a fine reboot that pays homage to both the original TV series and the previous films. Here's hoping they keep this cast together to carry on the Star Trek legacy. So with that in mind, courtesy of the Pop Culture Fiend Archives, here's the TV commercial for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the last of the films featuring the original Star Trek cast:

Commercials We Loved - "Laptop Hunters"

Don't know if it's her bubbly personality, the red hair, her Lisa Loeb "geek-chic" look, or the fact that I use a PC too (sorry all you condescending Mac lovers), but I am seriously crushing on Lauren.

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Howse About a Threesome?

 Do you know what you were doing 15 years ago?... 

I do... Watching this -- released 15 years ago today.

Commercials We Loved - "Be Like Mike"

Getting pretty sick of that "What's G?" commercial, where a bunch of recognizable (and not so recognizable) athletes simply scroll past a black background. First there was Gatorade, then somewhere along the line we got Gatorade Fierce, Gatorade Rain, Gatorade Tiger, Propel (also a Gatorade product), and G2. And now original Gatorade is just supposed to be called "G"?

Really people, how many versions of this product do we need?... IATSS! (It's all the same shit!) And now it's supposed to be called "G", as if shortening to just the initial is somehow hipper?

Get over yourself Gatorade. Get back to basics, ditch the fancy new advertising and resurrect this old school commercial.


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Commercials We Loved - Super Mario Land 2 (Wario)

Never played this one but the commercial was way cool...



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Deal Or No Deal Girls Branching Out

Recently noticed that Deal Or No Deal briefcase model Hayley has a role in the new movie Fired Up, opening February 20th. Judging from this trailer, it looks like Bring it On meets Sorority Boys with a smattering of American Pie Presents Band Camp.

In any case (no pun intended) it seems Hayley is a trained actress with a number of screen credits on her resume. Who knew?

It's nice to see the DOND girls are getting more exposure. For the record, I'd like to see more of...

Jenelle...

Megan...

Lindsay...

Lisa...

and Anya.

Anya, by the way, is featured in this commercial for Skinit.com.

Commercials We Loved - Cindy Crawford & Little Richard for Charlie

Here's a great one from 1993 starring Cindy Crawford and Little Richard...



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Chuck Amok

Has anyone else noticed that the writers of the TV series Chuck (Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, Matt Miller, and others) have been having a little fun this season naming the show’s characters? 

Chuck scripts are always sprinkled with obvious references and homages to pop culture favorites, including Chuck and Morgan dressing up as the sand worm from Dune for Halloween, the Buy More gang getting their Call of Duty 5 and Madden 09 on just after the real-life release of those games last year, and guest star Nicole Richie appearing as Sarah’s high school rival who starred in a TV commercial where she “ate a really messy cheeseburger” (an obvious allusion to Richie’s real-life former co-hort, Paris Hilton, and her infamous Carl’s Jr. ad (below.)



But things on Chuck have gone a step further this season. It seems many of the guest characters have been named after famous pop culture icons. Case in point:

Melinda Clarke guest starred as Soviet agent "Sasha Banacek". "Banacek" is a Polish name and a possible reference to the 1970’s TV series of the same name about a Polish-American detective played by George Peppard. 

In the previously mentioned episode with Nicole Richie, her character’s name is "Heather Chandler" -- the same as Winona Ryder’s nemesis, played by Kim Walker (below right), in the 1989 black comedy, Heathers. 

In the same episode, Heather’s husband is a geek named "Mark Ratner" -- same as the geek who crushes on Jennifer Jason Leigh in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. 


Want more?... Jordana Brewster (The Fast and The Furious) just completed an arc as Chuck’s old girlfriend, "Jill Roberts", which is also the name of an upscale women’s boutique in Beverly Hills. 

Jill’s boss’ name is "Guy Lafleur" -- who was a Hall of Fame hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens in the 70s and 80s.

And a new regular joined the Chuck cast this season. Tony Hale plays the Buy More’s new efficiency expert "Emmett Milbarge", which is an obvious mash-up of Chevy Chase’s "Emmitt Fitz-Hume" and Dan Aykroyd’s "Austin Milbarge" characters from the 1985 comedy Spies Like Us. 

There’s more, but you get the idea. I guess it’s cool if the writers wanna have a little fun this way cause Chuck is one of the liveliest shows on TV, with fun plots, lovable, charismatic leads in Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski, and a great ensemble of supporting actors.

Welcome to Pop Culture Fiend

Okay, this has been a long time coming…

I always imagined those would be the words I’d use to introduce this website once it finally got up and running. The fact that this thing finally came to be realized (in any incarnation) comes as something of a happy surprise. So let’s get on with it…

What is this?... Who am I and what’s my mission?... Simple... To fight injustice, to right that which is wrong, and to serve all mankind!... [Cue the horns and drums.] Da-Nuhh… Da-Nuhh!!!!

No wait, that’s the mission of the Superfriends. 

But this is exactly what I'm talking about. That reference to the old Saturday morning cartoon series, now more than 30 years old, is recognized by so many. (On the other hand, if you didn’t recognize it, then you may quickly come to discover that this is not the blog for you.) But the point is this:

In America, over the last 25 years or so, the elements of our popular culture (more specifically, things including and related to movies, music, books, magazines, TV shows, celebrities, fashion, toys and games, advertising, etc.) have been elevated from being merely just an amalgamation of frivolous diversions and distractions that (entertaining though they may be) have little or no lasting significance. Instead, it is our popular culture that today is both reflecting and indeed shaping our society, as it underscores who we are and what we care about, while binding us together through common experiences and a shared appreciation.

Our American culture includes our collective sensibilities, mores, belief systems, and behaviors. Examining our popular culture; studying it, creates a window into the hearts and minds of the American people and allows us to see concrete examples of what these sensibilities, mores, and behaviors are and what we (en masse) have come to value, accept and embrace.

Think I’m overstating things? Why then, is it our popular culture that continues to endure and permanently etch itself into our memories, even as other, seemingly more consequential things, pass away? Or more simply, why are movie quotes like, “Show me the money!” as easily recognized as “Ask not what your country can do for you.”? How is it that many of us know more lines from The Godfather than bible verses? And why are events from the early 80s like Iran-Contra and the US invasion of Grenada (events that had not only national, but global implications and consequences) practically forgotten, while a lightweight motion picture comedy from the same era (Risky Business) is fondly remembered and parodied in a new TV commercial twenty-five years later?



Because people, it is the miscellanea of American popular culture that’s providing cohesion for us in this, the most diverse country on the planet. So many of us are of different races, religions, economic statuses... We live in vastly different geographies, have different political ideals, enjoy different cuisines and the list goes on and on. Because of this, any given American’s experience and sensibilities can be completely foreign to those of another. And yet we’re able to find common ground in our shared remembrance of a popular TV show, song lyric, music video, or kids' game. Or in our recognition of a funny movie scene, or a one-liner perfectly delivered by a stand-up comedian. Or in our mutual admiration (or disdain) for a particular celebrity.

Popular culture has now moved beyond trendiness, beyond the realm of the short-lived, and beyond the moment. It has ingrained itself in our society and now influences the way we communicate, how we act, and what we value. As evidenced by the aforementioned TV commercial (and countless more like it) advertisers were some of the first to catch on to this fact and they now leverage pop culture to entice us into purchasing their products.

It’s a movement that’s likely to continue, as we continue to perpetuate our pop culture the same as we do our religious rituals, political history, family traditions, and the other things that make up our traditional culture. 

And through all of this, even as it is finally being taken seriously by academic types (many colleges now include it as part of their curriculums) pop culture remains and will always be one thing… uniquely fun.

Enjoy…