TWC. Great products. Crappy commercials.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Several years ago, our agency did the TV, radio, print and direct mail advertising for the local Time Warner Cable division in Raleigh...

OK, I hate the national Time Warner Cable TV commercials. They're always so lame. Have been for years and years. Never funny. Poor production values (shouldn't a cable company's TV spots at least LOOK good?). DirecTV spanks them every time.

These newest ones with Mike O'Malley are as ugly as they are unfunny. Take a look. Borrrrring (even with a puppy)!

Too bad. Because really, Time Warner Cable offers good products. Their digital channels come in crisp and clear, their HD channels even better. You seldom lose picture in a rainstorm like satellite TV. Their DVR is simple to use and reasonably priced. And Road Runner is a consistent and reliable internet source.

Sure, they're a monopoly, raise prices consistently, and have so-so customer service (if you can get through). But what they sell is a good product and they deserve better advertising then they get.

There! I said it!

Bing tries to change the way we Google.

Microsoft has poured a lot of money into advertising and marketing to try and convince us to use their new search engine Bing instead of Google. Good luck with that.

And while their TV ads and messaging have been all over the board, here are a couple that at least offered good entertainment/production value.

If you want to see more Bing commercials (there are many, many to choose from), you might want to Google it...

Disgustingly funny.

The point of advertising is to get people to remember your product. Even if it's a product consumers don't normally--how should I say this?--give a rat's ass about.

They'll remember this.

(click on the ad to see it in all it's glory)

New ads for USAA look awfully familiar...

The Economist has been running short, bold, brilliant statements for years. Smart ads that capture the capitalist spirit of the magazine.

Looks like someone has a case of Economist envy.

A classic case of "too clever by half."

Buh-Bye!

No Hummer? What a bummer.

Good to see ya, wouldn't want to be ya!

Don't let the screen door hit you where the good Lord split you...

(insert your own pithy line here...)

Ask not what you can buy for your country...

Certain categories of advertising always suck: Razors (see previous rants). Any pharmaceutical product. And watches. Especially watches.

I'm not sure how you legally get to use an ex-President to hawk your expensive timepiece (by plugging the JFK Library at bottom left??), but Omega decided to go for it. Kennedy is not wearing/did not wear this brand of watch, but apparently the astronauts who went to the moon did.

Just what an astronaut needs on the moon: a watch! Would that be on the inside or the outside of your spacesuit?

So two thumbs down to Omega for this lame-ass "commerative" ad. You have no concept and you have no taste.

What's life like for a dog at a shelter?

A touching example of how media can be used in unexpected ways to cut through the clutter (which is often when it's most powerful). Though one hopes the sappy music in this video isn't playing at the bus stop. It's a bit much.

Pedigree is a mediocre dog food at best. But the company probably understands how to appeal to dog owners (and potential dog owners) better than anyone out there. They've taken the dog adoption/shelter support issue and made it their own.

Good for them. And good karma.

Now, go out there and get you a shelter dog...