And last, but not not least: Morrison’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTLjulVbbE4
Animated gingerbread man prances around the Christmas feast-laden dinner table of Ant and Dec while singing ‘Be Our Guest’.
The problem here is that I have no idea which of these two is Ant or Dec, so Ant (or Dec) and Ant (or Dec) dash in and sit down. Then Ant (or Dec) and Ant (or Dec) smile with delight at the acrobatics of the animated gingerbread man before Ant (or Dec) receives a flying napkin and makes an oddly disgusted face (was that really the best take?) and grabs a won ton from a won ton stand. Inspired by this, Ant (or Dec) takes a spicy prawn from the bottom of a pile (why? I have no idea. I think he might be educationally subnormal), Ant (or Dec) has a bit of panettone and Ant (or Dec) enjoys a mouthful of crackling, proclaiming it to be ‘delicious’. We then see the Morrison’s chefs, which are surprisingly small and plastic, and Ant (or Dec) enjoying some snow that turns out to be sugar (or cocaine; we never find out). The gingerbread man kicks some jizz onto Ant’s (or Dec’s) jacket (disgusted look again), while Ant (or Dec) pulls a cracker with the gingerbread man and someone flips a little biscuit into his mouth, causing Ant (or Dec) to look miffed. It all ends with a flourish from the gingerbread man, before Ant (or Dec) seems to suggest that Ant (or Dec) eats the little confectionary hominid.
Shit has been sucked.
So we’re all agreed that none of this years crop of Christmas commercials is as good as the John Lewis one from a few years ago with the demonic looking little boy waiting for the big day, yes?
Or is that just me?
And here’s more grist for the mill; the new Cadbury’s festive dribble: http://youtu.be/u7_Fn2dmrqM
(Sorry for the slightly odd sound; it’s not my vid.)
Ant and Dec read left to right always, it’s in their contract.
I love the fact that they have a contractual stipulation that overcomes their inherent indistinguishability.
Ant is the one who looks like he should be called ‘Dec’.
And Dec is the one who looks like he should be called ‘Ant’.
If there’s one thing I hate it’s Ant and Dec.
If there’s two things i hate, it’s still Ant and Dec.
They fucked themselves last year.
Tried to run with a conservative client before they could walk and pushed an ad on them that they neither wanted nor understood.
It bombed (nice bit of creative but wrong for client, target market and pretty much everyone other than readers of D&AD), client hired Ant and Dec without consulting agency and put business in review.
Agency retained with much compromising of fees and assurances that anyone involved in last years Christmas ad wouldn’t come within ten miles of the account – especially joint ECD’s.
New Christmas ad – great big steaming pile of poo because client has agency by the balls.
I admire agencies that take conservative clients and make them better. But you have to pick your battles. Last years ad killed any credibility and control that agency has with the client, and cost people their jobs.
@2. Ant and Dec read left to right always, it’s in their contract.
Even when they’re double teaming the make up lady?
‘Ant’ is the one you want to ‘Dec’
Spookily, it’s pretty much exactly a decade since Richard Curtis nailed the ‘Ant or Dec’ gag http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2mVtSyRcA8
Ah… that scene reminds me what a revolting pile of shit that movie is.