A profusion of commercials set in barbershops have Andrew and Vieves contemplating the community-building qualities of this great American institution. Plus, the Ad Councilors take everyone on a nostalgia-filled journey through the midwest.
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Friend of the show Nick Jarin pops in to explain what basketball players are to Andrew and Vieves. Plus a beloved icon is dragged from the grave to shill for soda, so... that's great. And the Ad Councilors REALLY deliver on the Michelob MadLibs front.
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr
Andrew adapts a classic game show to test Vieves' knowledge of commercials past, and a listener email almost makes Andrew cry. Plus, what's going on with Airbnb? Do their ad wizards need therapy or what?
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 5 min
A sudden profusion of commercials about the lives and preoccupations of hand models has Andrew and Vieves scratching their heads. Plus, a dancing diva promotes "edible" soup, and a commercial for a vacation service takes a dark turn.
Mar 17, 2021•51 min
Feeling cheated by a mostly dance-free Super Bowl, Andrew and Vieves pit ads that feature choreography against each other to establish TOTAL DANCE DOMINANCE. Plus, an Oregon PSA goes too far.
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Normally, Andrew and Vieves look at ads that air between the TV shows they watch, but this week, they consider what happens when the TV shows try to get in on the commercial action. Plus, a listener email sends Andrew out a whole new door.
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Vieves takes over the first half of the show this week to talk about a new strategy from The General, and Andrew administers a quiz that answers the question: is there any gimmick that's too dumb for beer makers to try? Plus, an eagle-eyed Ad Councilor spots a crack in the matrix.
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 24 min
After two weeks of muzzling the Ad Council in favor of their own hot takes, Andrew and Vieves turn the show over to listener reactions to Super Bowl ads, jingle singers, and one terrible local ad that constitutes a true commergency.
Feb 16, 2021•58 min
In what turned out to be a pretty good year for Super Bowl ads, Andrew and Vieves turn in a monster of a show as they attempt to select the weirdest, funniest, famous-est, and all-around bestest to receive the inaugural Bowlie Awards. Be sure to pee first - it's a long one.
Feb 10, 2021•3 hr 35 min
Awards season starts early this year with the inaugural Bowlies! Andrew and Vieves bestow the soon-to-be-coveted Bowlie awards on the best of this year's crop of Super Bowl ads. Find out who's in the running before next week's big ceremony.
Feb 03, 2021•2 hr 33 min
Andrew and Vieves look at ads that feature phone calls between parents and children. So if you haven't called your mom or dad this week, just listen to this episode instead. Also, Andrew is full-on obsessed with finding a commercial he thinks he saw, and Progressive spotlights their newest star in a web extra.
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr
It's business time and Andrew and Vieves are making the business of business their business, looking at ads from big companies featuring little companies doing all the work. Plus, dandruff gives women one more thing to worry about, and a listener reveals a surprising connection to convicted criminal and cult leader Keith Raniere.
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Andrew and Vieves take a cue from (allegedly) Ernest Hemingway and construct six word stories about their favorite and least favorite new commercials. Plus, children's toys somehow keep getting worse.
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Andrew and Vieves get some help from the Ad Council as they ring in the new year, including a cherry-flavored blast from the past, a questionable Santa, and some pleas for help from listeners who are looking for ads of their youth.
Jan 05, 2021•40 min
'Tis the season for new year's resolutions, and from losing weight to getting organized, Americans' top ten most common resolutions feature a lot of the usual suspects. Andrew and Vieves consider ads that might - in theory - help people keep those resolutions.
Dec 30, 2020•1 hr 22 min
Andrew and Vieves wade into the weeds of disclaimers, warnings, and other assorted dodges hiding in commercials' fine print. This week's episode was recorded on a closed course. Do not attempt! Meanwhile, the Ad Council discusses campaigns that evolve over time.
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 28 min
TBTL host and perennial After-These-Messages content pirate Luke Burbank joins Andrew and Vieves to evaluate this year's crop of commercial Santa Clauses. Plus, it's a great week for jingles, and it's possible that Luke's mom has been an imposter this whole time.
Dec 16, 2020•1 hr 16 min
A Geico ad campaign has got Andrew and Vieves playing a modified MASH game to see how their lives might turn out under different circumstances. Plus New Zealand continues to dominate in the PSA game, and the devil meets his Match.com
Dec 09, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Andrew outdoes himself by creating a new segment that's sure to earn him a spot in the rhyming hall of fame. Plus, Andy's Corner is back with a grim window into the sexual politics of the past, and one Ad Councilor has some serious pipes.
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 7 min
With quarantine dragging on through the holidays, America turns its lonely eyes to boozing it up solo, a fact that hasn't been lost on advertisers. Plus, one listener shines a light on an uplifting ad and another has beef with a laundry machine seller.
Nov 25, 2020•57 min
Andrew and Vieves are joined by friend and Star Trek Supernerd Ben Harrison who, as the host of not one but TWO Trek-themed podcasts, is happy to school them on the subtle intricacies of ads that boldly go where no ad has gone before. Plus, Ben reveals just how badly Andrew stepped in it by critiquing an advertising bigwig.
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 27 min
There is a special breed of podcasters who have also found work pitching everything from laptops to denim. Andrew and Vieves look at podcasters in commercials this week, and a listener discovers the world's worst thing.
Nov 11, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Among the grab bag of adcolades and admonishments this week, Andrew and Vieves look at a new bid for sonic branding by HBO, a Progressive campaign with questionable writing, and a FedEx campaign that has Genevieve concerned for the intellectual property of her favorite sport. Plus, it's parody songs and jingles galore from the Ad Council.
Nov 03, 2020•1 hr 8 min
A Bud Light ad in heavy rotation sends Andrew on a quixotic hunt for commercials that take place *inside* appliances. Plus, a fan favorite from Progressive Insurance turns out to have real acting chops.
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Usually, Andrew and Vieves have to muster up their own hot takes on the commercials they cover, but it turns on that on Twitter, they're just giving them away for free! It's a twitter takeover this week, plus, a diet shake ad makes everyone nostalgic.
Oct 21, 2020•1 hr 14 min
With the season of spookiness upon us, Andrew and Vieves spend this week's show looking at ads that embrace the horror. Plus, a confused fast food chain leaves an equally confusing musical legacy.
Oct 14, 2020•1 hr 9 min
With Snoop Dogg talking to Bad Bunny on a "shell phone", an office worker talking to someone on a coconut phone, and sports fans calling their moms on football phones, Andrew and Genevieve try to answer the biggest question of our day: What even IS a phone anymore? They also cop to a Very Big Whiff (TM).
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Like a dog that chases a car, but wouldn't know what to do if he caught one, advertisers sometimes find themselves with a celebrity spokesperson that they can't make good use of. Andrew and Vieves look at commercials that are wasting some high-dollar stars. Plus, the universe is trying to tell Andrew something about an old friend via an ad for a shingles vaccine.
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Fast food purveyors across the land are making the case for calorie bombs with extreme close-up shots and lots of slow-mo. It's food porn for the great unwashed. Plus, it's Jingle Time....almost.
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Dogs may be the species most affected by the various dings, squeaks and buzzes emanating from commercials, but this week Andrew and Vieves look at all kinds of ads that manage to intrude on our real lives in all sorts of ways. Plus, a pickle jingle for the ages.
Sep 16, 2020•50 min