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, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•2 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Invisible men, women and cars are put to work selling everything from blue jeans to mortgage lenders, raising some uncomfortable questions about nudity in the invisible community. Plus, both Star Trek and John Oliver inspire local advertisers to greatness.
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the spirit of Halloween, Andrew tries to trick Vieves with some treat-filled commercials. Plus, an Ad Councilor finds a surprising life insurance ad, and Vieves and Andrew are appalled - as usual - by the patriarchy's idea of a sexy romp.
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Andrew's newest obsession is revealed to be a campaign for a mattress retail giant with a surprising flair for the surreal. Plus, Vieves gets a lesson in dialectology, and a grocery store chain takes a long overdue poke at the French.
Oct 13, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast A deep dive into the trendiest of trending YouTube videos yields a trove of pre-roll ads that captured Vieves' imagination. Plus, the Ad Council is full-on free-associating the oddball grocery store names of this great nation.
Oct 06, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast What can't a man on bended knee sell to consumers? Andrew and Vieves look at ads that ask you to make a lifetime commitment. Plus, Vieves is outraged by the chutzpah of a vacation rental service, and Andrew finds the limits of some hometown heroes.
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast