Slow and Gassy Grandma Reference Causes Complaints, Yields Success

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

RECENT ARTICLES

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

By your 30s, you start realizing these 9 things matter far less than you thought

By your 30s, you start realizing these 9 things matter far less than you thought

Hack Spirit

8 things parents say that make adult children feel closer to them

8 things parents say that make adult children feel closer to them

Hack Spirit

People who secretly see you as competition usually display these 7 behaviors

People who secretly see you as competition usually display these 7 behaviors

Hack Spirit

In the original precrastination experiments, people picked up whichever bucket was closer and carried it the rest of the way — even when it meant carrying more total weight for longer — just to stop holding the choice open

In the original precrastination experiments, people picked up whichever bucket was closer and carried it the rest of the way — even when it meant carrying more total weight for longer — just to stop holding the choice open

Global English Editing

If someone is only pretending to like you, these 8 behaviors usually give them away

If someone is only pretending to like you, these 8 behaviors usually give them away

Hack Spirit

7 things people quietly outgrow once they become comfortable with who they are

7 things people quietly outgrow once they become comfortable with who they are

Hack Spirit