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Author Topic:   Space history in commercials, advertisements
uzzi69
Member

Posts: 181
From: Richmond, IN USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 08-10-2002 11:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for uzzi69   Click Here to Email uzzi69     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've seen a couple of neat commercials. The first one was for Office Depot...

The other was for the newest shuttle astronaut... the Michelin Man!

Kirsten
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Posts: 536
From: Delft, Netherlands
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 11-08-2003 12:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kirsten   Click Here to Email Kirsten     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have a neat job vacancy ad (from 1999) hanging on my wall. It shows an astronaut orbiting Earth in an MMU and says something like: "We don't mind you having extravagant hobbies - as long as you'll make it to the office at Mondays on time."

music_space
Member

Posts: 1179
From: Canada
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 11-24-2003 10:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for music_space   Click Here to Email music_space     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Two more commercials involving manned space exploration on Canadian TV.
  1. Far away in a field (more reminiscent of Kazakstan than the cape) is a Saturn V poised to take off. All of the sudden a old car drives by and a spacesuited man gets off and runs towards the now taking off rocket he just missed because he slept in. For Timex watches with alarm. I like it for its reference to the sixties.

  2. Two suited pilots in a shuttle-like vehicle get their weekly radio com with wives. One guy's wife tells him that she can't use the car anymore. He teases her, then she snaps back and tells him he took off with the car's remote. He fetches it in his suit pocket and aims it at the surface. The signal has to go through a nearby MIR-like station before reaching. For a remote-control retailer.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-13-2010 10:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Reviving this 2002 thread with a recent example...

jasonelam
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Posts: 691
From: Monticello, KY USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 07-13-2010 12:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jasonelam   Click Here to Email jasonelam     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Love the opening of the Chevy commercial: "Once upon a time, a bunch of guys got together with a crazy idea...."

Don't we wish it could be that way now...

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-06-2010 08:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
New OfficeMax commercial...

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-10-2010 09:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A bit of space history in the making, this Blackberry Torch ad includes Armadillo Aerospace's vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets.

Fezman92
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Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010

posted 10-10-2010 11:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Fezman92   Click Here to Email Fezman92     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There was one a little while back, I never caught who it was for but someone was walking by a newspaper and on the front page, you could clearly see a shuttle launch.

mikej
Member

Posts: 481
From: Germantown, WI USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 10-14-2010 07:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mikej   Click Here to Email mikej     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The wife saved this commercial on the DVR for me:

It starts with what turns out to be the conclusion of a job interview; there are mostly-indistinguishable rocket models throughout the room. On the far wall is that picture of Bumper 8.

While the fellow in the short-sleeved white shirt and black tie is expressing his doubts about the candidate, the "suit" is looking out the window as the candidate is walking back to his car and, seeing car's logo, calls the engineer over and says the they just may have found their next rocket scientist.

The funny thing is that they cut from the engineer standing in front of the picture of Bumper 8 immediately to a shot of the car's bumper, which I thought was a nice touch.

I rewound the commercial a couple of times and tried explaining to my wife how clever I thought the commercial was. It wasn't until the third time through that I realized that they weren't featuring the car's bumper, but rather the car's logo on the front grill. Oops!

(Maybe I should have posted this in the "You might be a space geek if ..." thread :-)

J.L
Member

Posts: 674
From: Bloomington, Illinois, USA
Registered: May 2005

posted 10-15-2010 11:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for J.L   Click Here to Email J.L     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Obviously Hollywood and the advertising world gets it. Too bad the politicians can't see the allure.

dom
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Posts: 855
From:
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 05-25-2011 02:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This shuttle-themed TV advertisement for a well-known opticians - remember that, it's important to the punch line - has recently started airing.

If you missed it - enjoy!

Tykeanaut
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Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 05-25-2011 03:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tykeanaut   Click Here to Email Tykeanaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Had missed this thread before but have now watched all the videos. They're great!

Blackarrow
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Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 05-25-2011 06:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The "Specsavers" shuttle advert is an instant classic.

music_space
Member

Posts: 1179
From: Canada
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 05-27-2011 12:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for music_space   Click Here to Email music_space     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is a 1985 Pepsi commercial:

music_space
Member

Posts: 1179
From: Canada
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 05-27-2011 12:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for music_space   Click Here to Email music_space     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
British Airways:

mark plas
Member

Posts: 385
From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 11-07-2012 06:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I found this commercial with Gene Cernan. It was shot May this year in Rotterdam. Why didn't I know about this!!

Henry Heatherbank
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Posts: 244
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005

posted 11-07-2012 07:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Henry Heatherbank     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great ad. Even better message. Shocking jacket.

garymilgrom
Member

Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 11-07-2012 07:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for garymilgrom   Click Here to Email garymilgrom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Goodyear is running an ad showing the LRV on the moon to highlight the diversity of their product line. Can be seen on many racing shows.

golddog
Member

Posts: 210
From: australia
Registered: Feb 2008

posted 11-09-2012 12:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for golddog     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Henry Heatherbank:
Great ad. Even better message. Shocking jacket.

C'mon, its not that bad!

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-09-2012 10:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Toyota is now airing a commercial featuring their Tundra pickup towing the space shuttle Endeavour on its way to the California Science Center.

(To answer an anticipated question, the weight cited, 292,000 pounds breaks down as follows: Orbiter (Endeavour): 150,000 pounds; overland transporter: 27,500 pounds; beams: 44,500 pounds; bolster beams: 11,500 pounds; dollies: 52,000 pounds; miscellaneous: 5,000 pounds.)

star51L
Member

Posts: 340
From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 01-26-2013 09:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for star51L   Click Here to Email star51L     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
For those of you into desktop customization, I happened across this from Deviantart.

Editor's note: Threads merged. The linked art originates from a Carlsberg beer print ad.

Dave Clow
Member

Posts: 236
From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 01-27-2013 11:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave Clow   Click Here to Email Dave Clow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Goodyear is running an ad showing the LRV on the moon to highlight the diversity of their product line. Can be seen on many racing shows.

This spot is causing more than a little consternation. Goodyear's suggesting that they had something to do with the Rover tires, but they didn't. Ferenc Pavlics of GM designed the Rover and invented the Rover tires. Boeing and GM fabricated the vehicle. I tried getting Goodyear to correct this, but they never replied.

Cozmosis22
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Posts: 968
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011

posted 01-29-2013 11:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cozmosis22     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Regarding the Goodyear issue, apparently back in 2008 or so they were working with NASA on the next generation lunar rover.

garymilgrom
Member

Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 02-18-2013 08:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for garymilgrom   Click Here to Email garymilgrom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
During the broadcast of the opening race of the NASCAR season Friday night Toyota had a commercial featuring the orbiter Endeavour during its move to the California Science Center.

Here's a shot of a Toyota truck pulling the orbiter.

Toyota Orbiter 2_400

And here's a close up shot from an angle that shows the orbiter's thermal tiles.

Toy Orbiter Tiles 400

WAWalsh
Member

Posts: 809
From: Cortlandt Manor, NY
Registered: May 2000

posted 02-25-2013 12:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for WAWalsh   Click Here to Email WAWalsh     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Not in a location where I can find it, but the classic example for this category would be Pete Conrad's American Express ("You don't know me") commercial.

Glint
Member

Posts: 1040
From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 10-09-2013 01:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Glint   Click Here to Email Glint     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Saw what is apparently a new commercial for USAA insurance. That's the insurance that specializes in selling to members of the armed services and their families. The ads often feature family members stating the "when and where" their insurance coverage began. Usually the year and where the family member served.

In the advertisement, a young woman says, and I'm paraphrasing, "in 1971 while orbiting the moon." Several members of the family are then shown holding what appears to be a white spacesuit photograph of Apollo 14 CMP Stu Roosa, if I'm not mistaken. Apparently Mr. Roosa's family members are in the commercial. Very poignant.

J.L
Member

Posts: 674
From: Bloomington, Illinois, USA
Registered: May 2005

posted 10-09-2013 01:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for J.L   Click Here to Email J.L     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes... saw that commercial. I believe it was Jack Roosa, and they show a launch day suit-up photo of Stu. They have my Apollo 14 image disc.

JPSastro
Member

Posts: 170
From: Tucson, Arizona
Registered: Jan 2009

posted 01-12-2014 07:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JPSastro   Click Here to Email JPSastro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Current TV commercial for Cadillac titled Shoot for the Moon featuring the decent audio clip from the Apollo 11 mission.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-15-2014 08:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Toyota's new commercial "Science Project" features space shuttle Endeavour:

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-17-2014 02:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Imagine where Buzz would've gone in today's Jockey underwear:

MCroft04
Member

Posts: 1634
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 08-17-2014 06:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MCroft04   Click Here to Email MCroft04     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great one Robert! I especially like the punch in the face.

Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member

Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-17-2014 07:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The 9/11 Memorial Museum in NYC is using in its TV ads footage presumably shot from space as well as a voiceover from Frank Culbertson, the only American off the planet during that time.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03-17-2015 03:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That "Specsavers" Space Shuttle advert cannot be classed a space history but it never fails to tickle me. I hope Eillen Collins gets an opportunity to see it when she come to Pontefract next month.

Wehaveliftoff
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Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 03-22-2015 04:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wehaveliftoff     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The posted Gene Cernan commercial reminded me of when the International Traveling TV show, GlobeTrekker, had an episode in Venezuela (?) where the gal was interviewing the mayor of the city when low and behold who walked by (looking at camera view briefly), the last man to walk on the moon Eugene; and neither recognized him. LOL.

Jurg Bolli
Member

Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-01-2015 03:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jurg Bolli   Click Here to Email Jurg Bolli     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
An interesting ad for tourism in Switzerland:

AlanC
Member

Posts: 147
From: Scotland
Registered: Nov 2014

posted 11-08-2015 03:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for AlanC   Click Here to Email AlanC     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is a lunar-themed Christmas advert for John Lewis in the UK:

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-02-2016 08:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Buzz Aldrin features in a new ad campaign for QuakerOats UK.

Another version of the ad can be viewed here. From AdAge:

Agency AMV BBDO tracked down some NASA archive material in which Buzz Aldrin and fellow astronaut Mike Collins banter about how much "oatmeal" he ate on Apollo 11. The ad, directed by Tom Merillion at HLA, features Aldrin, now 86, watching original footage of the mission, recalling the beauty of seeing the Earth from space, and inspiring the "next generation of explorers." According to the agency, Aldrin himself had never heard the original clip before.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 10-08-2017 10:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Interesting discussion about astronauts in commercials — courtesy of the French Space Conquest Forum.

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