After These Messages Podcast - podcast cover

After These Messages Podcast

Andrew Walsh & Genevieve Haassoundcloud.com
Hosts Andrew and Vieves talk TV commercials with their listeners, the Ad Council, in this weekly podcast. As the slogan says, they've got "hot takes on commercial breaks." Find them at [email protected]

Episodes

#342 Ads These Days

Over the course of an Adcolades and Admonishments, Andrew and Vieves realize just how much they are products of their generation and just how much they can't relate to pop culture today, no matter how many mid-tier rappers Vieves has heard of. Plus, there's a break in the case of "Mr. Quaigo."

May 24, 20221 hr 17 min

#340 Hot and Fathered

Vieves' high horse gets a workout this week as she and Andrew talk about commercials that rely on the overprotective dad trope. Plus, the Ad Council talks durability, and TV Guide enters the digital age with the help of two lovers.

May 11, 20221 hr 1 min

#339 Hush Money

It's all whispers and secrets this week as Andrew and Vieves look at commercials that take place in hushed tones, with occasionally terrifying results. Plus, it's a total jinglefest from the Ad Councilors, and the Most Special Jingle Ever (TM) really pays off.

May 04, 20221 hr 16 min

#338 Durable Goods

Andrew and Vieves look at the time-honored tradition of stress-testing products in a collection of ads that smash, soak and stain everything from engine oil to pantyhose. Plus, two excellent jingles offer a glimpse of a simpler past.

Apr 27, 20221 hr 2 min

#337 Compromising Positions

In life, we must learn to compromise, unless we're buying anything from beer to breath mints, in which case compromising can go to hell! Andrew and Vieves look at the commercial world's war on compromise. Plus, the 80s are back and they're wearing black tie.

Apr 20, 20221 hr 10 min

#336 Domestic Diss

A new campaign with a surprisingly anti-family bent has Andrew and Vieves looking at ads that focus on the darker side of family life. Plus, an Ad Councilor claps back, literally, and a shampoo jingle puts everyone in a black turtleneck kind of mood.

Apr 13, 20221 hr 10 min

#335 Stuff Films

A new Dr. Rick commercial inspires a show about commercials that take place in movie theatres, which then reveals that Andrew has a major deficit in the age-guessing department. Plus, a beer commercial gets retroactively ruined by a country song, and a college rivalry is reignited.

Apr 05, 20221 hr 11 min

#334 Fast Hawkers

Pressed for time, Andrew is inspired to look at ads featuring motormouth pitches for everything from toy cars to candy-riddled yogurt. Plus the Ad Council really brings it this week with an amazing jingle. And somehow, Andrew and Vieves are STILL getting the Super Bowl ads wrong.

Mar 30, 20221 hr 8 min

#333 Revenge Of The Thirds

For episode #333, Andrew and Vieves reflect on being one third of the way to a thousand shows while looking at ads that celebrate the number 33. Plus, for some reason, all the commercials this week are steeped in a weird brand of 1970s masculinity. Also, an eagle-eyed Ad Councilor notices something VERY similar about three different commercials that take place in the Old West.

Mar 22, 202259 min

#332 Aye. There's The Schlub

An Ad Week article that's a day late and a dollar short gets Andrew and Vieves thinking about commercials that celebrate the schlub in all of us. Plus, it turns out the red and yellow M&M's are older than they look.

Mar 16, 202257 min

#331 Good Deal

Andrew and Vieves venture into the high stakes world of poker-themed commercials to decide which ads win big and which ones lose their shirts. Plus, the Ad Council weighs in on the latest from Post Malone and a talented cat.

Mar 09, 20221 hr 21 min

#330 A Load of Rap

A recent spate of ads featuring 90s rap giants inspires Andrew and Vieves to look at hip hop legends getting paid to rep for everything from breakfast cereal to beer. Plus, an Ad Councilor does some doctoring, and a mystery involving a familial toe is solved at long last.

Mar 02, 20221 hr 14 min

#329 Let's Hear It For The Doys

The Ad Councilors weigh in with their hot takes on this year's Super Bowl commercials and gently point out that Andrew and Vieves missed some pretty big references in a couple of favs.

Feb 22, 202241 min

#328 The Second Annual Bowlie Awards

Andrew and Vieves hand out the coveted Bowlie Awards, which of course celebrate the finest commercials the Super Bowl has to offer. In a year dominated by electric trucks and pretend money, there's also a Manning in every pot!

Feb 15, 20222 hr 11 min

#327 Bowl'ed Predictions

With the "big game" once again on the horizon, Andrew and Vieves are gearing up for the 2nd annual Bowlie Awards with a preview of some early contenders. If it's not celebrities, it's cryptocurrency in this year's Super Bowl of commercials.

Feb 09, 20221 hr 29 min

#326 To Air Is Human

A somewhat misguided idea for a show about the rise of podcasts tanks immediately, forcing Andrew and Vieves to cobble together a tribute to the late great Howard Hesseman. Plus, ATM is the podcast of at least one Ad Councilor's dreams.

Feb 02, 202257 min

#325 Say Yes To The Press

In the commercial world, pretend reporters are always pretend hungry for the next big pretend scoop, whether it's news about boner pills or Subway's latest sandwich creation. Plus, the best soda pitchman, pound for pound, is back. And the world is not enough for John Hamm.

Jan 26, 20221 hr 3 min

#324 Marching Brands

It's hard to find an insurance company that isn't using marching bands to drum up sales these days, and Vieves and Andrew are feeling the rhythm. Plus, the Ad Councilors reveal just how close they are to becoming their parents. And it turns out dogs can party now.

Jan 19, 20221 hr 19 min

#323 From Dad To Worse

A long-running series of ads inspires Andrew and Vieves to have a reckoning of their own fuddy-duddiness. Plus, a local plumber has a great slogan, and the Ad Council goes to war.

Jan 12, 20221 hr 23 min

#322 Schlitz and Giggles

Andrew and Vieves hand out a few admonishments and a lot of ad-colades in a round up of current commercials that welcome back fan favorites -- and fans, period. Plus, a vintage campaign for a malt liquor brand will blow your mind.

Jan 05, 20221 hr 8 min

#321 The Past and the Curious

Andrew tests Vieves' encyclopedic knowledge of the After These Message archives using a trove of old listener emails. And if Ryan Reynolds gets any more excited about TV commercials, ATM is going to need to find a new gimmick.

Dec 28, 202156 min

#320 Pillow Talk

Advances in pillow technology lead Vieves and Andrew to explore a seemingly endless parade of commercials for pillows of every shape, size, and composition as well as inspiring a potential new business venture for Vieves. Plus, an Ad Councilor puts their finger on yet another reason why Amazon sucks.

Dec 21, 20211 hr 5 min

#319 Fairy Sales

Classic fairy tales serve as fertile ground for commercial premises, but how well do some of these ad wizards actually remember the source material? Andrew and Vieves explore ads that rely on happy endings to sell everything from Levi's to breakfast cereal. Plus, Ryan Reynolds resurrects a fan favorite, and Vieves gets good news about processed meat.

Dec 15, 20211 hr 28 min

#318 Smoovin' On Up

TBTL host and extreme commercial enthusiast Luke Burbank joins Andrew and Genevieve to weigh in on ad campaigns for egg-free eggs, sugar-free sodas, and charisma-free geckos. Plus, the Ad Council shares some commercials with local flavor to spare.

Dec 08, 20211 hr 6 min

#317 Second Brand News

Andrew and Vieves look at commercials for products that never quite made it to the top of the category heap. From Faygo to fake SPAM, these also-rans did their darndest to catch consumers' attention. Plus, buoy technology is surprisingly complex.

Dec 01, 20211 hr 17 min

#316 Ad, Better, Best

Andrew and Vieves review three current ad campaigns that run the gamut of quality, from boring and confusing to top notch pitches. Plus, sometimes surprising collaborations work, and sometimes they...don't.

Nov 24, 20211 hr

#315 Buy Low, Sell High

Andrew's 3rd or 4th worst phobia inspires Vieves to explore all the ways that plummeting to the ground is a metaphor for modern capitalism. Plus, an Ad Councilor's child becomes the unwitting puppet of Big Toilet Paper.

Nov 17, 20211 hr 7 min

#314 Bear Market

A domestic misunderstanding leads to a show about bears in which Vieves somehow achieves a new level of sanctimony. Plus, the Ad Council notices a creepy AI commercial that may also foretell the future of parenting.

Nov 10, 20211 hr 18 min

#313 Molly Coddling

Vieves takes over this week to sing the praises of Zillow's versatile new spokesperson and the sheer brilliance of a new campaign from the Lifetime Movie Network. Plus, a weirdly familiar musical score takes everyone on a trip to the dark web.

Nov 03, 202157 min