Slow and Gassy Grandma Reference Causes Complaints, Yields Success

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In this week’s Ad Age TV Spots of the Week, my own agency’s work is featured. RDW Group of Providence Rhode Island created a series of :15’s for the Roger Williams Park Zoo. These spots were created by copywriter Wendy Boffi and art director Jeff Dahlberg. Ad Age shows two of the :15’s with the first featuring a spitting fish and the second a tortoise. The tortoise, of course, is given the “slow and gassy grandma” analogy.

The gassy grandma spot was so “successful” the Zoo received complaints saying today’s grandmothers are not slow and gassy, they are cool and hip. People asked that the spot be pulled. To which we said, it’s a joke, get over it. Besides, the campaign’s run is complete so you’re out of luck.

Other spots this week include a pre-movie commercial from another agency I worked for, Leo Burnett, featuring a Quasimodo-like character for Keebler’s Cheez-It; a boring car commercial for the Nissan Z; and a dude with body odor so bad he knocks over the foosball figures for Right Guard.

Picture of Steve Hall

Steve Hall

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