cricket with balls

Cricketers are a vain bunch, or they don’t get paid a lot, because how else could you explain the fact they get sucked into performing like tools in bad ads.

I’m not talking about proper ads that promote cricket. I’m talking about Cricket exploitation ads, that can be broken down into 3 sections.

Here is the current lot (youtube links provided when I could find them) of Australian ones.

The Good

Roy drives his extremely manly huge pen1s mobile up to the car wash. Then the car comes out all clean, followed by Roy in a towel cleaning his teeth. Then it says its legendary tough. Not bad at all.

Ponting has two new ads out from what I can tell. This one is pretty funny. It involves Ponting getting advice on how to say Valvoline’s catchphrase “Know what I mean” from the redneck blue blood John Laws. It’s pretty funny. Take a look.

The bad

Gilly makes a lot of performances in the 3 mobile ads. This one involves him carrying a bunch of shopping bags and such, while Richie commentates. Not necessary Gilly.

Ford seems to have a series of Ads that revolve around backyard cricket. Problem is there are 4 cricketers, and therefore 4 bad actors on the screen. Clarke seems to be the only one who can say his line without looking like a tool.

First one.

Second one.

The ugly

The Stuart MacGill ads for Wolf Blass, where Hussey and MacGill talk all so naturally about their favourite moments in cricket. It’s so very painful. It’s actually hard to watch. Brad Hodge does a great job of sitting behind them and saying nothing, which is hard for a Victorian to do.

The worst of the ugly is by far and away Pontings new effort at selling vitamins. Bad cricket puns, uncomfortable Punter, weird sound effects, nicknames for his bat and helmet, and a cramped hotel room set. And Ponting may be doing come very subtle product placement for adidas as well.