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Creativity Online

Rate the Ad: Gatorade: Forest Jamboree

Tiger Woods talks to inspirational animals in an animated forest.

Published: Apr 15, 2009
Last week, we checked out the resurrection of Sir-Mix-a-Lot for Burger King kids' meals. From Crispin Porter + Bogusky, this parody of the early '90s anthem "Baby Got Back" transforms the big-booty tag line into "I like Square Butts" to promote SpongeBob SquarePants toys in the $0.99 meal deal. The famed masked king of burgers scampers around the spot spinning records on the 1s and 2s and measuring the dancers' phonebook butts. The one-hit wonder himself even shows up at the end. What did you think? Too raunchy for kiddies? Too dated? Too awesome?

As always, responses to Crispin's antics and what's appropriate for children were all over the map. On the anti-Square Butts side, commenters said the spot was totally off target, inappropriate and that they've already had way too much of BK's king and his eerie plastic grin. Parent and commenter "bec123" says, "A particularly annoying and inappropriate rap ad. It probably will be enjoyed in certain markets NOT associated with children. Sorry, we'll stick to Happy Meals. My kids are freaked out by the weird Burger King anyway and this does nothing to change that. Please save me from having to watch this every twenty minutes for the next three months."

As for positive reviews, some Adsters thought this latest effort fits right in with the Crispin Burger King canon. Commenter "davehelfrey" even used the word genius. To again hear from the parent gallery, "rsw" says, "First, it's funny. And totally on brand. You don't necessarily have to know the original or who Sir-Mix-a-Lot is to appreciate it. But if you do, it works on another level. In fact, it wouldn't have worked as well -- if at all -- if they didn't get Mix-a-Lot for it. I have three kids, and no I don't feel the original -- and certainly not the parody -- are too sexually explicit. Everyone has a butt. Butts can be funny, and square butts even funnier. If you don't get that, you need to pull the stick out of yours. The humor is right in line with the cartoon -- it's often silly and juvenile. And don't assume younger kids don't know the original. My kids do. A lot of kids do. That song has never really gone away. Which is why I expect to hear kids singing this cover version for a while."

This week, we'll stay in the kiddy section for an animated spot from Gatorade for its Tiger Woods branded Focus sports drink. In the "Woods of Wisdom" spots from and TBWA/Chiat/Day L.A., Tiger is a child playing a round in the forest among personified animals like Squirrel the Sports Announcer and Possum the Groundskeeper. A misstep finds a discouraged Tiger doubting his abilities, but all it takes is an uplifting word from a furry friend and a sip from the magic sports drink waterfall to remind the young lad that he's the best golfer in the game's history. Oh yeah, and that hydration is for concentration. Concentrate on being Great! There's even a song and dance that may remind some Disney enthusiasts of The Jungle Book movie. In fact, the bear mentor figure in the spot above is an uncanny cross between Tiger's dear departed dad and Baloo. Well, what do you think of mixing the worlds of golf, kiddy cartoons and pep rallies? Is anyone confused? Singing or toetapping? Wondering why they didn't paint Tiger in as a feline cub? Birdie or double bogey? Share your take on Tiger's forest frolic, below.

4 Comments: By rdjwilliams April 15th, 2009 06:20:21 pm

If the target market is elementary school-age kids who aspire to play golf and are not too jaded to enjoy the old school Disney-like theme, then this is onthe mark. Otherwise, it's cute but ineffective.

By pv April 16th, 2009 01:21:34 pm

These are nice but I had to rewatch them when they came on TV because it was the biggest WTF I've experienced in months. These feel so far off brand, not to mention the racial overtones that I'm sure some wingnuts will jump on. Tiger's so inspiring in the flesh, why not use that? This is a big fail in my humble opinion.

By zeke86 April 25th, 2009 06:12:53 pm

I liked the look and feel because it reminds me of the cartoon features I used to watch and I feels totally different than anything else on TV - others may have a point that this look and feel may miss the mark with the broader audience but I still love the effort.

By smithmizzou April 28th, 2009 10:50:07 pm

Don't get this ad at all. Gatorade has carved out one of the strongest brands in the country, and this spot is nowhere near the brand voice that has made them so successful. Off the rails.

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