Was not expecting to see a review of this.
Like all adverts, it doesn\'t matter how funny they are, they get annoying through repetition. And then there are the M&M mascots; I\'ve been waiting decades for the bloody things to just die.
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Keep in mind I'm in the US, so I don't see these dudes on television. I only learned about them on this site. This means I have total control over when I see them so I don't have to get sick of them. That's why I can't stand the Progressive ads that play constantly here. (GEICO gets a pass for trying new shit every year and for having nostalgic associations for me, even if I see them so damn much.)
The M&M mascots are just fine by me, but I am seeing them less and less lately. I liked their Super Bowl spot, which happened to barely feature the mascots themselves. The meerkat merch may be manipulative, but the M&M merch is inescapable, which means I've become totally numb to them.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
The overexposure of the Meerkats is probably exactly as aggravating to Brits as whatever you consider to be the most annoyingly repetitive ad you have in the US. These stupid savanna mongoose have been plaguing the airwaves for well over a decade at this point. I don\'t think you can get the full experience of just how pervasive you are unless you\'re getting subjected to them constantly.
The concept of the ad was somewhat okay-ish, way back in like 2009 or whenever they first started, but it\'s been stretched unbelievably thin at this point. The UK has its fair share of silly advertising mascots but few are as aggressively pushed as the Meerkats and Gio Compario. Most of them don\'t overstay their welcome. I reckon it\'s because UK advertising agencies have taken a leaf out of the American handbook in that most mascots (besides GEICO) stay permanently.
- pervasive they are. The edit function has been playing up lately...
I'd love to ditch the inherent overexposure and just enjoy commercials like any other creative work. I'll take your meerkats and you can borrow our gecko. Though I doubt any of us want Flo. :P
It's kind of fun to review commercials outside of the context of overexposure, huh? Lets you break down whether it really works or not. I actually don't think the reviews are that good (I was on a weird roll when I wrote the review), but from a marketing standpoint they are clever.
I bought Aleksandr's fucking book, BTW. I'm fascinated now.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.Leave a Comment:
Beyond simples
I'm more than familiar with over-the-top insurance campaigns stateside. But the GEICO gecko and Flo from Progressive never felt like interesting characters to me, even if the individual commercials were funny (well, for the former anyway).
So I watched a bunch of Compare the Meerkat ads online, as we don't get them in the US. The premise is chuckleworthy (it's identical to the first GEICO gecko ad), but I actually liked the characters as characters. There's an actual story here besides selling insurance, though they still drill the company name into your head. You can take them out of the context of selling insurance and they're still endearing. Aleksandr and Sergei and their pups have some really sweet times together. Their co-parenting warmed my heart. I guess that's why they successfully sell merch and books based on the meerkats.
Yes, I know I'm being manipulated with the cuteness to use their website, so the cuteness is a little cheap, but hey, if it works, it works.
The only criticism I have is that I don't always love the animation. Their characteristics and movement are cute, but their character designs look kinda crusty at times, especially compared to real-life meerkats, though later ads have improved upon that.
Oh, and they should let Aleksandr and Sergei be openly gay. Come on, we can all see it!