46 replies to this topic

[isiscloud]

It had to happen sometime this summer, but I saw the first Olympics-related ad for Bank of America (what else). It's for a site that you can send a video of you or your friends cheering for your favorite Olympian. There were three women jumping up and down. One in red, one in white and one in blue. Induce eyeroll here...

Get ready for sponsorship mania for the next two months!!

[IseutLaBrune]

Morgan Freeman's voice narrating Kerri Strug's vault..."on one foot" gets me all choked up. I can't even remember what company the ad is touting; I just remember watching that moment live and being totally blown away by it, and I'm even more helpless with the sepia tones of the ad and the power of the Freeman.

[SnowDog]

I love that ad too, IseutLaBrune. I thought it really reflected the emotions and drama of the Olympics.

[AimingforYoko]

The one with Kerri Strug and the one with Derrick Redmond and his dad are both from Visa.

[tanyak]

The one with Kerri Strug and the one with Derrick Redmond and his dad are both from Visa

I like both of those ads, but the Derrick Redmond ad gave me chills. That is one of my favorite Olympic memories - sad as it is. *sniff*

[IseutLaBrune]

I just saw the Derrick Redmond ad last night. My boyfriend is not an Olympics junkie like I am (he will be, oh yes, he will be :)) so he had never seen that moment when it happened, but on seeing the ad he was like, "Oh, wow." And I told him about when I saw it and how there was not a dry eye in the house. That was amazing. I wonder what other big moments Visa will use in their ads. They've definitely chosen two of my favorites.

[isiscloud]

I'm surprised that there haven't been more Olympic ads. Must not be watching the right channels. The ones mentioned above are very tasteful and not all obnoxious.

[AimingforYoko]

There's a new AT&T cell phone ad with a 'Phelps Phan' who doesn't hear about a personal appearance by Michael Phelps because she's got 'no bars'. Also I've seen Phelps hawking Rosetta Stone language software plus I've seen Phelps on a bunch of ESPN Sportscenter promos. He's definitely the stud duck endorser among athletes heading into the games. If he pulls off the eight golds, sky's the limit.

[millk]

Why is Paul Hamm the only Hamm twin in the "my dad worked hard to get my to the Olympics" commercial? Morgan made the team too. Yeah I know about the whole contraversial all around that Paul won last games but imagine the emotional potential of the dad with twins deal! Maybe its just me and my twin-senstivity (I'm a twin)

[TarHeelTeacher]

OMG. The Coke, "If you've had a Coke in the last 80 years, you've had a hand in making every Olympic dream come true," commercial is beautiful. The images of different athletes getting medals through the years, including athletes from the Special Olympics, made me cry and cry. I am going to buy Coke right now.

[Dilandau]

The Visa "Go World" ad series gives me warm fuzzies. They're so well done!

[wormlegs]

TarHeelTeacher, every time that ad airs in our house, it's like some dust storm blows through at the same time. I'm not sure why that is. I love it.

[Disraeli Ears]

The Visa Morgan Freeman-narrated ads get to me...they all do. Because his voice is so reassuring and kind and wonderful...it makes me think that "world peace" could be achieved if only Morgan Freeman could speak to everyone in the universe simultaneously.

[tiftgirl]

OMG. The Coke, "If you've had a Coke in the last 80 years, you've had a hand in making every Olympic dream come true," commercial is beautiful. The images of different athletes getting medals through the years, including athletes from the Special Olympics, made me cry and cry. I am going to buy Coke right now.

I just found out today that the last Special Oplmpian they show receiving a medal (the boy that raises his arms) is my bosses newphew! I thought it looked like him, but thought surely she would have told us. They didn't know anything about the commercial until they saw it on tv Friday night!

The commercial already chocked me up, but man, next time I see it, I just know I'm going to be sobbing hard enough to scare the cat.

[TarHeelTeacher]

He's the one who really gets my tears flowing. I'm just teary up to that point, but seeing his pure joy, I lose it every single time without fail.

Edited by TarHeelTeacher, Aug 11, 2008 @ 9:12 PM.

[Scrambled Eggs]

My problem is that the Coke ad is the same music that ended Six Feet Under (it is, right?), so I always associate that music with death, not athletic triumph.

[TarHeelTeacher]

Hee! Before the Coke ad, I thought about Caruso when I heard the song. CSI:Miami used the song like a year before Six Feet Under did. It made me laugh when Six Feet Under used it on the series finale. All I could think about was Caruso, and I didn't shed a tear. By using it in that commercial, Coke rescued that song for me.

Edited by TarHeelTeacher, Aug 12, 2008 @ 7:54 PM.

[mojoween]

Stupid Visa.

I hate credit cards, I think they are run by soulless evil vampires. But dammit if I don't love the ad they rolled out the next commercial break after Michael Phelps won his record-breaking gold medal.

It's gotta be Morgan Freeman. Get well soon, Morgan. My husband and I were wondering the other day if Morgan could ever play a bad guy, and we both think no.

Edited by mojoween, Aug 12, 2008 @ 9:50 PM.

[GoldberryWaits]

It's gotta be Morgan Freeman. Get well soon, Morgan. My husband and I were wondering the other day if Morgan could ever play a bad guy, and we both think no.

I missed it - what was the gist, so I can place which Visa ad you're talking about?

And Freeman played "the bad guy" with Chris Rock in Nurse Betty (in the sense that he killed the main character's husband and was chasing her down to kill her, too, while spewing profanities uncharacteristic of him), but darned if you didn't kind of sympathize with him a little at the end.

[janie jones]

GoldberryWaits, basically it was just (and I don't think it still needs to be spoilered because I just watched it and I'm on the West Coast), "Congratulations, Michael, on getting more gold medals than anyone ever." It amuses me that they made that commercial and had it sitting there waiting, just in case. (As if anyone thought it wouldn't happen.)

Edited by janie jones, Aug 13, 2008 @ 12:32 AM.

[GoldberryWaits]

Heh... I wonder if they have commercials in the can for "Congratulations, USA Men's Gymnastics team, on your gold medal win. Sorry to hear about your coach, China."

Not that they won the gold - they weren't even "supposed" to win the bronze - but it just made me think of the SNL skit where they prerecorded breaking news for all situations, including the mauling death of the newscaster himself.

I did actually miss the Congrats, Phelps Visa commercial... I wonder if they'll rerun it? Since I'm once again far more into the Olympics than I thought I would be (every four years I do this!), and they delight in high swimming coverage, I'm due to see it if they do.

[AimingforYoko]

My husband and I were wondering the other day if Morgan could ever play a bad guy, and we both think no.

Spoilered just in case: He just played the bad guy in Wanted, where he quite eloquently stated, "Kill this motherfucker."
Topic: I love Nike ads and here's another one.

[Shelwood]

I did actually miss the Congrats, Phelps Visa commercial... I wonder if they'll rerun it?

Maybe (and it's probably online somewhere). What I'm sure they're hoping to air is the one you know they've prerecorded congratulating Phelps on breaking Spitz's record.

[janie jones]

I wonder if it'd be the exact same commercial but with different voiceover.

[GenieinTX]

I just saw the Derrick Redmond ad last night. My boyfriend is not an Olympics junkie like I am (he will be, oh yes, he will be :)) so he had never seen that moment when it happened, but on seeing the ad he was like, "Oh, wow." And I told him about when I saw it and how there was not a dry eye in the house. That was amazing. I wonder what other big moments Visa will use in their ads. They've definitely chosen two of my favorites

I didn't know/remember what this was so I looked for the commerical online. Burst into tears! That was amazing. I think the voiceover just brings it home.

The one I always see is the Phelps one saying he isn't a fish, but if squint your eyes just right.. Love that one.

[Actionmage]

I hope that Visa can keep up the class with more of the gold-hued 'When We All Pull Together' ads for the Olympics.

I like that several other athletes are highlighted and it's obvious that they're not U.S. athletes. That's part of the fun, pick out someone new to root for when there isn't an American in a heat or round, imo.

BTW, you can't really go wrong with Morgan Freeman, right?

[Random Viewer]

Tumblr (I think it was) pointed out the Procter and Gamble combo Olympics/Mother's Day ad here. Quite affecting, IMHO.

[CheerAngel]

....Was "London Calling" the only song they could come up with for this year, or did they just not listen to the lyrics?

[whee whee piggy]

Phoenix University has one of those 'we help some schmuck get to the Olympics' ads running, but I swear that guy isn't really an athlete. First because he just looks like a normal guy lifting weights and he's supposed to be a weight lifter, and then he's wearing some generic tunic instead of the USA one. Has the Olympics gotten so tight with branding they won't even let someone wear the tunic?

[AimingforYoko]

....Was "London Calling" the only song they could come up with for this year, or did they just not listen to the lyrics?

Fun drinking game for the Olympics this year, take a drink everytime you hear that song during the broadcast.