alstin communications

Although we’re still trying to wrap our head around the Philly blog tax (don’t miss Jen’s take on that!), we love our fair city located right here in the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. I for one have lived in a couple different regions of the state and although this clip pokes quite a bit of fun, I think many of you, like me, will come away with the warm and fuzzies (and more than a few laughs) for the state many of us know, love, live and work in.

As someone who is closing in on 20 years in advertising, I get it: commercials are meant to sell a product or service (or image), and I certainly have nothing against embellishment, extrapolation and laying it on thick. But some of these commercials are so brazen in their claims, I had to laugh. I hope you will too.

1. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise

As parents, we all struggle with what’s most important in our home and what we want to teach our children: kindness, respect for others, responsibility, compassion, honor, morality, etc. I never knew I was missing the biggest ethic of all–mayonnaise. All might look sugar-sweet in this commercial, but I swear I’ve never seen a baby so scared of his grandma. I also love the huge, beautiful banquet on the table and right in the center of it all: a jar of mayonnaise. Still, “It wouldn’t be home without Hellmann’s.”

2. Skippy Peanut Butter

We’ve all heard of subliminal advertising; this one is outright hypnosis. I’m not sure how this idea didn’t get shot down at the agency; to my naive way of thinking, creepy mind control might not be the best way to sell a product. Oh well, it’s 10:19, I’d better get to my grocer and buy 2 jars of Skippy.

3. Schaefer Beer

Oh the joys of drinking alone! Herbie is positively giddy listening to his beer bottle serenading him. Of course, the wife has to ruin all the fun. Maybe once your beer starts talking to you, it’s time to head to a meeting.

4. Stripe Toothpaste

The commercial opens with a congressional report stating that tooth decay is caused by germs (your tax dollars at work). But the real reason to buy Stripe is that because of the cool stripe, your children will be more willing to brush their teeth. Okay…

5. Camel Cigarettes

When you use the tagline, “More Doctors Smoke Camel Than Any Other Cigarette,” there really isn’t anything else to say.

Be sure to come back to this blog regularly to see future installments of Old Commercials to Make You Smile…and Cringe!

In one of many promotions designed to hype the season premier of Mad Men, fans of the show can now find out if they’ve got what it takes to join the team over at the newly formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in this fun time killer mock interview. See if you make the cut and where you fit in by taking the interview here. Season 3 premiers Sunday, 7/25 at 10pm!

Alstin wishes everyone a happy and safe 4th of July and a Happy Friday! While we’re at it, here’s some silliness to kick off your weekend – if you’re on Facebook, you’ll enjoy this one.

As much as I love watching old commercials, there’s more than a few that make you want to hide under the table. This week’s spotlight: misogyny, which seems to be a staple of many old commercials. What’s really interesting (I guess disturbing is the better word) is the complete lack of subtlety in these ads.

1. Folgers Coffee

Harvey is mad–and with good reason–his wife can’t make a decent cup of coffee! He can barely hold back his disgust as he tells her (the wife doesn’t have a name of course, she’s just “Honey”) that the girls at the office (hint hint) make better coffee with their hot plates. Can this marriage be saved.? Yes, thanks to a girlfriend telling her about Folgers. Whew!

2. Buick Riviera

This one starts off innocently enough. A man and a woman flirt by driving their cars along the road together to some very mod sixties music. Car looks nice and fun to drive too. Then at the very end, when all seems safe, a voice over tells you–no, I don’t want to spoil it, just be sure to watch it until the end.

3. Pepsi

The video and sound quality on this one are absolutely terrible (probably because Pepsi doesn’t want the original out there). Ladies, grab your notebook–this commercial will tell you everything you need to know about how to be happy in life.

4. Geritol

You know the old story: Man come homes from work, the house is a mess, so what else can he do but pull a gun on his wife?

5. Goodyear Tire

I never realized why good tires are so important–it’s because you never know when a woman is going to be driving. Apparently, you ladies have a thing for lots of confusing signs and off-road maneuvering while horror movie music plays in the background. The tagline: “When a woman is at the wheel, [these tires] mean more than mileage.”

I saw this TV commercial on one of my favorite blogs, AdFreak (forget the Super Bowl – this is where some of the funniest spots wind up and the write-ups are sometimes even funnier), and it only made me picture what it would be like if all of us here at Alstin heard what sounded like an ice cream truck in the office. Would I be running for cover, or running to be first in line?

I love watching old commercials. I remember putting together an educational-type of branding presentation years ago–it was so much fun looking through these gems. Old commercials (especially from the 50′s) have this soaring optimism, heavy-handedness and well, cheesiness, that is sorely missing in today’s jaded, ad-saturated society. I’d thought I’d share three with you that made me smile.:

1. Kool-Aid

This is a good example of the sugary (ha!) innocence in commercials that you just don’t see anymore. Best of all, Mom says priceless things like: 

“You know it’s pure and good.” An artificially-flavored drink mix? Of course it’s pure and good.

“You can give your youngsters a lot of pleasure with Kool-Aid.” Ok, I’m not touching that one.

“And it’s thrifty.” Really, tell me the last time you heard the word “thrifty!”

2. Bobbi Hair Care

No one knows less about women’s fashion or beauty than me, but it seems like the hair on this “smart girl” has been varnished and shellacked to a tornado-proof state. I think this is the first time I’ve seen a hairstyle that I could honestly say looks painful.

2. Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble Light Up.

Some clips need no introduction. Oh, I could talk about the irony of cartoon characters selling cigarettes, the commercial’s overt misogyny and more, but it would only be filler. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Fred Flintstone selling cigarettes:

We’ve already witnessed the first sign of the Apocalypse with the Doughnut Bacon Cheeseburger.

The second sign is now upon us: The Double Down.

Two pieces of cheese.
Two pieces of bacon.
Two pieces of chicken.

There’s no bun. Just two pieces of chicken instead of slices of doughnut bread. Bear witness:

Not sure what is more pathetic here – the fact that the 16 year old employee was fired for losing a “tenner” she was given to run a biscuit fetching errand OR the pathetic language used by her manager to fire her via Facebook no less. 

‘hiya Chelsea its Elaine from work. Sorry to send u a message like this but bin tryin to ring u but gettin no joy. I had to tell the owner bout u losin that tenner cos obviously the till was down at the end of day. she wasn’t very pleased at all and despite me trying to persuade her otherwise she said I have to let u go. I’m really sorry.’

If you’ve ever watched Reality TV, it’s a safe bet that you’ve found yourself wondering: Where do they find these people?

Well, there’s a job board for that. RealityWanted provides those who dare to dream that they too could very well be the next Snookie, Bachelor or Real Housewife the opportunity to apply directly to Reality TV, Game Show and Talk Show casting calls.

The PR firm behind the job board explains it like this: “It used to be that those with aspirations of being in the entertainment industry dreamed of singing or dancing or acting … today, those aspirations now fall into another category.” Another category indeed.

I recently came across this video from the folks at HR.com While the debt to Monster’s “When I Grow Up…” campaign from several years ago is rather obvious, this one concentrates all its sarcasm and sardonic humor on the human resources industry.

 Here’s hoping you find this video funny, but not in any way an accurate portrayal of your career!

Undercover Boss turned out to be a real lemon of a show. I kinda figured it would, although I totally fell for the preview. To prove that good things can come from bad reality TV, here’s the proof:

Thanks to the PunkRockHR blog (where I first spotted this clip) for leading me to the hilarity I just shared with you. Saturday Night Live is officially DVR worthy.

Is this cat just crazy?…or crazy like a fox? Ever walk away from your laptop and come back to find disaster and your cat looking pretty pleased?

“Paws” to write a caption for this photo (more points if it’s recruitment/HR related) and if we deem yours the best, you’ll WIN a $50 gift card to Starbucks.

Caffeine junkies unite – bring us your best.

Update: Congrats to Tonya Sanchez for her winning entry, selected on Tuesday, March 9th. A “Picture This” contest will be back to the blog in April, so keep coming back for more.

The latest ad from Monster shows that even the Boogey Man can land his dream job in today’s economy. (Besides checking out the latest job postings, he might also want to take a peek at the 25 Next Recovering Job Markets in the U.S. from Business Week.)

Ryan Star, a new rocker on the scene who is currently touring with American Idol winner David Cook, put a spotlight on the unemployed with his inspirational song + video for his new single Breathe.

The video features several unemployed adults who carry signs with messages that read: “Flight attendant. 34 years experience. Furloughed,” “Good at my job,” and “Sent out 100 resumes … nothing.”

Star says, “When I started thinking of how to represent ‘Breathe,’ this idea made sense because unemployment is the common thread that I have been seeing everywhere I have been touring It just feels to me that people everywhere need to hear a positive message, that things will all be OK and that we are here for one another.”

We were all expecting to have the World Series wrapped up by now. This full page ad running in our fair city’s newspapers today shows us that the folks over at Macy’s did too.

Through the magic of Macy’s, let’s win Game 5 … and 6 and 7. Go Phils!

(Update: Although Game 5 was quite magical, Game 6 was a different story. Thanks for a great season Phillies!)

Here at Alstin we are always looking for great places and delicious things to eat. If we were based in St. Louis, rest assured this would be the water cooler topic of the week. Wondering why healthcare premiums continue to skyrocket? Enter the bacon cheeseburger served between two Krispy Kreme glazed donuts. This, my friends, is a sign of the Apocalypse. I just don’t know what to say here. Yum?

Lee Jeans has raised more than $75 million for breast cancer research through their Lee National Denim Day program. The program encourages employers to allow their employees to wear jeans to work in exchange for a $5 donation. Nearly one million supporters are united each year under the program’s simple philosophy: one day, one cause, one cure.

Many of us share a common thread with this disease. On Friday, October 2nd consider asking your coworkers to get casual for the cause.

Michael H. Campbell is the Executive VP, Human Resources and Labor Relations for Delta Air Lines Inc. – a company with 84,306 employees. For that he earns a total compensation of more than $5 million.

Workforce Management compiled a list of the 30 highest-paid HR Leaders among publicly traded U.S. companies. Although the average compensation for executives on the list has dropped 20 percent since 2007, one of the most notable trends on this year’s list is that many hold multiple roles at their companies. Half the executives on the list hold at least one other title outside of HR.

This silly site under the guise of the Social Media Addicts Association  challenges, “Are you freaked-out by Facebook? Is Twitter twisting your mind? We’re here to help you!”

Their 5 Steps to Kicking the Habit include:

1 – Admit you have a problem but don’t tweet about it.

2 – Accept that you don’t need upvotes to feel validated.

3 – Understand the risks of poking strangers.

4 – Repeat after me: “Twitter and alcohol don’t mix”.

5 – Don’t go cold turkey! Just delete one friend a day.

Want to tell the world you are in “recovery”, or just weary of all things social on the web? There are also a few inspired t-shirts available that could be the perfect fit for you.

It’s no surprise that even during such difficult economic times Americans remain as enterprising as ever.

The product description for these buttons reads: Got laid off? Not a problem! Who wants to spend days pouring over job listings? It’s time to have fun. This collection of round pins would make great gifts for people that still have sense of humor about the situation.

Place your orders  here.

This video has some real charm and humor to it – “Nice monkey mug little dude.”

However, the real fun is in Deloitte’s clever companion microsite for recruiting consultants. Check it out at  www.born2consult.com.

While Will Ferrel may have “lost” his edge with Land of the Lost this summer, the clip you are about to see (admittedly from another easily forgotten comedy) is for those of us out there who interview candidates on a regular basis.

While some of us here at Alstin really want to take Anne Hillman to the Twittersphere, we admit this clip is pretty hilarious.

We recently talked to you about innerviews - a great, cost effective way to bring life to your website, postings and more with audio and video. Gathering testimonials and all sorts of content during a video shoot of your fellow team members can be a fun time for all. This particular example may not be exactly what you have in mind for your next day in the life/recruiting video, but it’s definitely entertaining.

Is there such a thing as overuse of social networking tools? Opinions vary that is for sure – click here for some more on the debate.

Alstin in no way, shape or form endorses this particular recruiting firm. However we do endorse funny stuff.

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Every recruiter has a wacky job interview tale or two – hopefully not this wacky.