This is a new site and all, but it’s all the week before a major holiday (or a four day weekend if you want to look at it that way), so you’re lucky you’re getting a second post out of me at all, but after I found this little winner of a print ad in Rolling Stone today, I just had to share.

Energizer first started using the cleverly-named Energizer Bunny in its ads back in 1989 and I think people started ignoring the little fucker after about the first 5 or so years when whatever team took over the account moved on and left a bunch of unfunny hacks to run the show.

The ad above has got some real problems.  Just the layout alone should have gotten somebody fired.  I know they were trying to go for this edgy, off-the-cuff look, but instead if just looks like the creative director just phoned it in after the concept phase.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: OK, Mr. Client, here’s the new ad we’re going to put in Rolling Stone this month.

MR. CLIENT: Yeah, we approved the mock already, when do we get to see the real ad?

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Um, sir, we talked about this… this is the real ad.

MR. CLIENT: I’m sorry, what?

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: This is the real ad… you wanted edgy, something the last few kids that read rolling stone would, um, “dig” is I think the word you used.

MR. CLIENT: Oh what the fuck! This looks like your kid did this!

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Well, this is what we have to run with, today is the deadline.

MR. CLIENT: Of course it is…

Also, what’s with this teenage fantasy that is passing for copy here?  Did they think this ad was going in Maxim?  Are they seriously trying to sell batteries by telling you you’ll get more chicks because your camera will last longer?  What a surprisingly sexist ad coming out of the Energizer folks these days. I bet it got quite the laugh around the water cooler.

While I’m here, let’s talk about the name of this particular type of battery, “Advanced Lithium.”  Doesn’t that sound like something they have Lindsey on these days?  I mean, I worked at a Radio Shack in college and know that, yes, the battery really does have lithium, but so does a whole line of anti-psychotic meds.  I just have to wonder if that came up in the product testing at some point.

Of course, the use of a heavy anti-psychotic would explain a lot about the creation of this ad…

J.