Though we only had 12 days for the 2013 NHL Center Ice free preview, we had some fun and new ads. Starting things off with Tim Hortons in its Welcome to Canada spot. During the promotion, you could get a 49¢ donut with purchase of a hot drink. Sounds like "Welcome to Canada" to me.
Opening Day on CBC had most of the great ads during the period. Funny how ads that run on the CBC were so different from TSN and the Rogers Sportsnet feeds. We only had one full TSN network game and about 80% of one TSN-Jets feed, so perhaps we didn't have a good sample size.
One of the funniest ads that I couldn't find online was for the CAA (travel) Northeast Ontario edition, where a woman imagines herself going to Brazil. She cries out "Brazil" as we see her daydream where she is wearing a bikini top and a wrap. She is on a beach swinging with a good looking guy in a bathing suit. She finds out that the price she thought she was getting left out a few extra charges.
Realizing the new price, she cries out in the same tone, "Edmonton." She is wearing the same outfit except she is in snow alongside train tracks. She is swinging with a homeless bum who isn't good looking. A good example of a regional slam; apparently the opposite of sunny and good looking is "Edmonton."
P.K. Subban was out for the NHL Center Ice free preview, but he was still on our TVs with an ad for Hyundai Hockey Helpers. Along with his dad and brother Malcolm (we saw him for Team Canada for the World Juniors), they talked about helping people who can't otherwise afford to play hockey.
We don't hear much from Molson in the United States. Can't remember the last time I saw Molson in a U.S. bar. But Molson lives in Canada. I enjoyed the Molson Canadian 67 ad for "Guyet," a diet as seen through the eyes of a guy in a beer commercial. He runs so he can eat juicy burgers with fried onion strings on top. Molson Canadian 67 is the company's lighter beer.
Boston Pizza has clever commercials though I've never eaten at one before. I love the pompous guy who does "finger cooking," going online to order food from Boston Pizza. The newest one was where a guy changes into a foodie.
The dish the guy is eating is pulled pork penne, though it looks like he's eating spaghetti. There is a significant difference between penne and spaghetti. An odd juxtaposition.
McDonald's had what seemed to be an innocent commercial about value that ends with a muffin and coffee special. The spot talks about searching for a bargain and then we see "Bridge to USA ." This reflects the exodus of Canadian bargain hunters to cross into the United States thanks to the exchange rate and how much more expensive some items are in Canada.
A&W promoted its "Burger Buddies," an inexpensive burger with grilled onions. The customer keeps coming through the drive-thru to wonder why A&W was charging such a low price for such a burger.
CBC ran its own promos along the theme of Canada Lives Here. The video is "Jeannie's Dad" — a nice immigration story. The better video was Hay West, from last summer when Western farmers were desperate for hay because of the drought and Eastern farmers had plenty of hay. All about Canadians helping Canadians.
ATB Financial ran more of its NHL tough guys defending those who need help. The funniest of those was one of the Calgary players taking on the Vancouver Green Men, the ones that haunt the penalty box at Rogers Arena.
The next preview will either be in early April (same time as MLB Extra Innings) and/or the last week of the NHL season, this year in late April.
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