If you're like me and you watch a lot of football, you've no doubt been smacked over the head with ads for ED drugs like Levitra or Viagra. Now, I suppose this is exactly the target market for these drugs -- a predominently male audience, presumably half of which is 40 and over -- but for the other half, its just gross. I mean, I don't want to hear about satisfaction problems, etc, and I certainly can do without the fine print line Levitra has to include (In the rare event a CENSORED lasts longer than four hours, call your doctor immediately). If it wasn't for the Coors Light commercials, I might have to TiVo games and avoid the commercials altogether.
So these ridiculous ads are ripe for someone to parody them. Lo and behold, its happened. But you'll never guess who is behind the parody campaign.
Cleveland Golf, a manufacturer of Golf Clubs and balls and other stuff you play Golf with.
That's right: Golf! The game played by stiff old men and rich guys who don't have to work during the day! The people least likely to find such a campaign funny!
Mad props, yo.
Tim Fuhrman of the Brainsaw agency which handles Cleveland Golf, said in an interview with USA TODAY: "Making ads for new golf drivers can be difficult since the claims for new drivers are often the same รณ longer and stronger."
They pitched a crazy idea: a parody of the Erectile Dysfunction ads that air wayyy too often on TV sports. Cleveland Golf was not behind the idea when it was pitched. But to their credit, they trusted their agency and greenlighted it. And the resulting commercial and print campaign is absolutely fantabulous. Yep, I had to combine two words into one to describe it, since its so awesome.
http://www.trajectiledysfunction.com/
The TV spots follow the familiar ED format: "Ask your swing doctor about a club that might not be right for everyone". Dubbing the disease "TD", or "Trajectile Dysfunction", the ads claim 1 in 4 men are afflicted with the ailment. Then, in typical drug-ad form, it shows a guy jumping into the air in a grassy field for no reason whatsoever, other than maybe he's used the club and is now "Stronger. Longer". Great stuff here, folks.
Then it shows a guy in his backyard hitting golf balls through a swinging tire -- an obvious nod to the Levitra ad with the guy throwing footballs through a tire. I mean, that's just ballsy.
And the best part: the fine print that warns of rare occasions where the club's effect lasts longer than four hours.
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