Super Bowl ads 2012 - A Trunchpolian critique

Possibly the biggest regret of my life was suggesting to Pete Rozelle over lunch back in 1966 that it might be a fun idea for the winners of the two competing American Football leagues, (the AFL and the NFL) to play a one off friendly game I affectionately called the “Super Bowl” (a rather cryptic reference to the rather delicious bowl of lobster bisque I was enjoying at the time).

Had I known that that innocuous little suggestion would lead to the multibillion dollar retinal assault that is the modern day Super Bowl, I would of course have kept my trap shut and simply finished my bisque in silence.

Well, sadly I cannot rewind time and undo my grievous mistake, so instead I will give a biting critique of the pick of this years most talked about Super Bowl advertisements.

Coca-Cola:

How they got these two polar bears to act in front of camera is beyond me! I can only presume that the bear’s must have been raised in captivity and trained by the finest acting coaches from a very tender age indeed. Aside from the acting, which was wonderful, the advertisement itself left a lot to be desired. My advice to Coca-Cola? If you have the world’s finest polar bear actors at your disposal, put them to good use!


Hyundai Cheetah:

To release an advert almost perfectly recreating the circumstances surrounding the gruesome death of my good friend Nathaniel Epstein on the set of a 1961 Cheetah Spark Plugs commercial is insensitive in the extreme!

Volkswagen:

More acting animals, wonderful! Unfortunately the advert itself makes no sense at all.

Toyota camry

I think I just vomited all over my new Church’s leather brogues.

Chevrolet:

I had no idea Clint Eastwood was running for President this year. What a splendid way to launch his campaign! Clint, if I hadn’t have had my US dual citizenship revoked in 1972 you would have almost certainly been able to count on my vote.


HULU:

Brilliant!! Hilarious!! I don’t get it.

Pepsi:

Oh dear.

Trunchpole Awards 2011 - call for entries

Back in the 1950's, long before The Clio's or the One Show was even conceived of, the only award worth winning was a Trunchpole Award (or Trunchy, as they were affectionately known).

I created the Trunchies with one thing, and one thing only, in mind: to recognise the very best in creative excellence across the world. Needless to say, for the 11 years that the Trunchies ran all but 3 of the awards given out went to my agency, Trunchpole & Trunchpole.


Well, It gives me a great deal of pleasure to announce that the Trunchies are back! And this time I promise not to enter myself.

As of today I will be accepting entries in the following categories.

1. Film (paid for media)
2. Film (unpaid for media)
3. Press
4. Poster/Outdoor
5. Radio
5. Digital (websites and the like)
6. Social Media
7. Miscellaneous

Please email all submissions (pdf's, links, jpegs, whatever you see fit) to corneliustrunchpole@yahoo.com

The deadline for submissions will be the 15th of May 2011.

Good luck!

Cornelius

Man of the year 1942

Many thanks to Emma Hirst at Advertising Age for digging up this gem from their archives. Sadly, on account of a particularly unbalanced critique of one of my Colgate commercials, I sent the accolade back barely 6 months after receiving it.

T&T Partnerships

The next (and most exciting) phase of T&T’s return to glory will involve the forming of strategic partnerships with a select number of the world’s finest and most progressive agencies. Agencies with a social conscience. Agencies with an appetite to do something, how should I say……..a little different.

If you happen to work at such an agency, and have the authority to sanction such an exciting partnership, do please get in touch with me at corneliustrunchpole@yahoo.com for more details.

Huzzah!

T&T recruitment – phase II

In my quest to attract the finest, most exciting and agile minds in the advertising world to T&T, I am now embarking upon a fresh wave of recruitment. If you would like to be a part of Trunchpole & Trunchpole, please send an example of the single piece of work or idea you are most proud of to corneliustrunchpole@yahoo.com

(I care not if this piece ran, was merely speculative or was not even an advertising idea at all! Indeed, as far as I am concerned it can be scribbled on the back of a beer mat!)

Alternatively, just write to me explaining why you would like to be a part of the most exciting new agency the industry has ever seen.

I am particularly keen on hearing from the younger and hungrier amongst you. Especially those still in college or striving for their first significant break.

Thank you.

Back online!

You may have noticed that Cornelius' Corner has been a tad quiet of late. Well, rather embarrassingly the reason behind this is that, to put it simply, I completely forgot my password for the account.

Now, this may seem like an easy enough thing to do for someone of my age, but, for a man who twice won "Schoolboy Memory of the Year" at prep school, and whose recall skills made him a key member of British Army's "Nazi Spy Facial Recognition Team", I have found this development in my mental well being most alarming. So much so in fact that I have visited my doctor and requested a series of most intrusive physical examinations. CAT scans, CT scans (which apparently do not stand for Cornelius Trunchpole), X-Rays and, just to be on the safe side, a colonoscopy to boot.

If I do indeed receive the dreaded diagnosis of Alzheimer's, I will of course dedicate the rest of my life to finding a cure.

Trunchpole: the interview!

Here it is. Part 1 of my first radio interview in almost 50 years. And what a revealing portrait it is too.

http://theradioshow.soundlounge.com/


P.S. I believe once you click on the interview it will download and then play in your itune. Somehow.