Comments on: Santacon Used As Theme For New Motorola TV Commercial

By: Mike Kupietz

Mike Kupietz — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:17:31 +0000

I’m not convinced that anything that references a crowd of people dressed as Santa is automatically ripping off Santacon. Last I checked, Santacon doesn’t involve percussion instruments, dancers and acrobatics, and the santas in the commercial aren’t drinking or going into a bar.

It’s not like Caco’s ideas are so blindingly original that nobody else could arrive at a similar concept independently.

Except Artists For Earthquakes. That one was a true original. ;-)

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:12:15 +0000

Mining the Zeitgeist or plagiarism? Tough call. These ad agencies appear to be performing the function that Malcolm Gladwell, in “The Tipping Point,” refers to as “transforming”: taking the stuff that’s too cool or edgy for the mainstream and blunting the sharp edges a little bit to make it acceptable to the masses. It’s not like Cacophony or Santarchists or the like are going to buy Blue-Tooths or Bacardi or whatever based on its advertising, anyway. They’re on the leading edge; they’re not who advertisers could ever hope to target.

By: Mumbai

Mumbai — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:35:22 +0000

What a mindless stupid ad! As if the other ear goes deaf.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:36:11 +0000

Gee Kevin, maybe David Belle should sue for the use of Parkour in the ad also.
David Belle creator of Parkour? Interesting note…If I remember right was not the first
Cacophony event a Parkour type course? As far as I know the director of this ad did not ask, but was blogged about here a year and a half ago. Hmmm……..

By: Scott Beale

Scott Beale — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:05:44 +0000

Rick, both of those things you reference are on the Pillow Fight post. This happens so often that I’m not really going to duplicate the list each time a new one comes up. Maybe you should start a master list of them somewhere that we can link to.

By: Kevin Evans

Kevin Evans — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:54:10 +0000

Did they ask? Time for Rob to sue for royalties. ;-)

By: RICK!

RICK! — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:44:28 +0000

Don’t forget the McDonald’s Urban Golf commercial and CSI:NY take on the NY version of Urban Iditarod.

By: Tom Price

Tom Price — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:31:10 +0000

And note the bunny hopping out at the end? And the print ads Toyota ran ripping off Bring Your Own Big Wheel AND Soapbox Derby Races?

Standing by for Critical Mass, Improv Everywhere, Burning Man et al to be served up next. Proof, were any needed, that ad hacks are lazy vultures.