We’ve always found it difficult to understand alien humor. Especially the kind that comes from the planet Comedy Central. Making holes in the earth; that’s ridiculous! Here’s another one talking about trying to get Schwarzenegger back on earth (?). And it doesn’t help that these creatures look like a scruffy version of ET, drink beer all the time and burp in their speech. The campaign consists of five commercials, of which one is a short film that will be shown tonight on Comedy Central. In this skillfully made long form film one of the bad mannered aliens borrows the body of ‘John from Burlington’ for a year, changes his job, stocks his fridge with cans of Budweiser and gets his white trashy neighbor pregnant. That is pretty funny – even for our Earthy standards. It could easily be a pilot for a new TV series. The campaign is created by John Doe and directed by Hein Mevissen. Through its long lasting relationship with MTV John Doe has specialized itself in making absurd channel bumpers. And since Comedy Central is a MTV Networks brand, that’s probably how they ended up replacing Comedy Central’s bankrupt agency Modernista! Great campaign that has lots of mileage and will easily build Comedy Central as a loveable brand.

Weird, but pleasantly weird. That was our first thought when we saw this commercial for telco provider Ben, created by Kumpany and directed by Hein Mevissen. The story roughly combines the tradition of Sinterklaas (the Dutch St. Nick) with the style of a Spaghetti Western. The protagonist is wearing Ben’s corporate colour and needs to “deliver this sack to Holland”. We don’t know what our blue friend is carrying or when he will be arriving in “Holland”, but that’s o.k. cause according to the press release nobody knows. To make the campaign integrated, you can follow him on Facebook and see what places he is visiting. One thing seems pretty sure, he’ll bring something for everyone – which is probably an interesting telco deal with Ben. It’s quite a bold choice of Ben to change its advertising property so radically. Then again, it is the only wise choice to make Ben stick out again in the overcrowded competitive field. Ben was introduced in 1999 by KesselsKramer with a legendary style that was so distinctive that the brand obtained instant fame. Then T-Mobile bought the brand, killed it in 2003, and made it come back again in 2008. But it was never able to reclaim its fame. This brand new commercial has the potential to do so. Let’s see what happens.

Wow, what an insight; an SUV – the Lexus RX 450 Full Hybrid – that doesn’t make you look bad. Maybe a little too American for the Dutch market. But then again, SUV’s were invented in the States, so the American touch might just add to its credibility. Anyway, great ad by Launched. Directed by Hein Mevissen (Bonkers) and shot by Benito Strangio.

Last June Comedy Central released a new series of commercials in which clowns harass Comedy Central’s headquarters for its “anti-clown policy”. It goes without saying that the attack by the “children’s party entertainment veteran” clearly spoofs the breaking news item on the Iraqi journalist throwing his shoes at George W in 2008 – this time a size 68 is being dodged. The commercial, created by Nothing and directed by Jonathan David, very smartly shows what kind of humour Comedy Central is made of – the format is the message, so to say; funny it is.

What we like best about this commercial for Comedy Central is the copy. Starting your commercial with “Comedy is serious business” does grab people’s attention. And ending the commercial with “Bunch of clowns” shows you know how to top things of in a subtle but catchy way. The metaphor of clowns attacking the Comedy Central head quarters is maybe a little too obvious and (in our opinion) not funny, but on the other hand; it does communicate a clear message: “Only seriously good comedy”. So all in all, Nothing and director Jonathan David did a good job in selling Comedy Central. Here’s another commercial that did make us smile.

This very basic phone, branded John’s Phone, was created by Amsterdam agency John Doe. As it is the most simple mobile phone you can imagine, it is dubbed ‘dumbphone’ – you cannot even text with it. But it’s also made with a sense of humour, since it carries a pen and small address book (at the back) to write down (sic) mobile numbers. The phone’s simpleness gives it a stand-by time of three weeks. And since the phone is also made of soy it’s (partly) bio degradable. John’s comes in different colours and this week a golden limited edition (picture) will be released at the luxury department store De Bijenkorf. The phone is not the first product John Doe has created. With the brand From The Supermarket (“Buy it, and it’s yours”) the agency already made Japanese styled water cartons, t-shirts, and even a scooter called Toni Electroni. John’s Phone could be very successful for its simplicity and the fact that it combines design with eco, but its limited ‘smartness’ could just as well be the nail in its coffin. Only the future will tell. In any case John Doe has once more put itself on the map quite smartly.