The Drink Cart: O-Pee-Chee Adpinions
This issue is brought to you by the 32% of Canadians who couldn’t even be bothered to vote, but probably have strong opinions about rare 1998 hockey ads.
Dear marketing fans, junk wax hockey card lovers and Canadian election nerds who prefer their ad newsletters talk about hockey ads during the Stanley Cup.
I think we can all agree that the best part about Canadian elections is that they are extremely short. And if you’re old like me, or some of the 32% of voters that couldn’t even mail in a vote, you’re happy that you won’t be seeing non-stop political ads during your Bravo content or during your sports for a bit.
If you’re on Linkedin like I am, I’m sure you’ll also be glad to hear the end of Linkedin arm chair political analysis and election hot takes from marketers using the phrase “Elbows Up”. Join me in welcoming the return to em dash criticisms and AI get rich schemes as nature intended this platform to be used for.
If you’re in Toronto like I am, I’m positive that you’re happy to get back to Toronto Maple Leaf playoff fever. Okay, maybe we check in on that one after tonight’s game six as you might be about to jump off the bandwagon. Be careful.
To that end we did see this amazing 1998 Nike Hockey ad featuring Toronto Legend Mats Sundin going around this week. It’s a full vibe. This ad feels way older than just 27 years old, but does give a perfect taste of late nineties nostalgia. How long did brands push roller blading this hard in that decade. Like I remember that happening, but man they really tried to make it a full on thing.
This ad reminds me of this iconic Pavel Bure rookie card. Which was not even O-Pee-Chee but Upper Deck. And since we titled this newsletter about that OG Canadian sports card brand started in 1911, we could not resist how awesome the brand identity was.
Just look at this in all it’s glory. Then imagine tossing hundreds of amazing cards against walls or throwing them in the air and yelling “scramble” as we trampled over each other to get dirty, creased cards. I don’t even want to know how many great cards were ruined in the 1980s in this kind of insanity. But the logo cooks.
Oh, and during this random wormhole of nostalgia and post election euphoria I unearthed another hilarious Sundin related ad. This one telling the story of how he had turned a Montreal goaltender into a landscaper from about the same time period. The late 90’s were absolutely wild for hockey ads.
Four wild things that hit me like a baguette to the face
The world is healing, Gwyneth Paltrow is back to eating carbs.
This 3D animation for a giant Le Creuset giant pot truck by surreal artist Origiful.
I would 100% wear a branded Irish Whiskey jacket. Where my newsletter sponsors at?
Texas is closer to rebranding the New York strip into the Texas strip.
The two worlds of Nike
First the brand has released a nearly eight minute short called “The Trial of Luka Dončić”. The sort of high concept branded content, including a great film poster, that fans will really get behind. And the premise of the trial, “How can a man that bad have shoes that nice?” is pretty great.
I’m sure the Jordan Brand would like the Lakers to be getting further along in the playoffs to sell this shoe but they are already out (Editor: Is this an ad newsletter or a sports newsletter!) I even liked the shoe description, “Luka Dončić plays with zero remorse. He hits game winners without breaking a sweat and leaves defenders looking clueless—and he never feels bad about it. So what sort of shoes do you design for someone like that?” That’s very fun.
On the other hand, the brand is probably less mad at the Lakers and more mad about this London Marathon billboard controversy. Not much more to say about using the phrase “Never Again” with stark black and red that if you thought about it for even a few moments you’d probably think about National Socialism.
Insert my brain repeating Ferris Bueller: “Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, ‘I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.’ Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people.” (and so true for me, celebrating 20 years of non-car ownership this year.)
"We did not mean any harm and apologize for any we caused. The London billboards were part of a broader campaign titled ‘Winning Isn’t Comfortable,’ built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible,” a Nike spokesperson said in a statement.
I’m sure that the creative team had no ill intention, but it’s not a great look. You’re shooting for cheeky runner talk but landed with tone-deaf appropriation of sacred language at a time when anti-semitism is rising. At the same time, seeing some say, our peer review process would have totally caught that is pretty laughable. Since we’re on the topic of marathons, this Puresport brand electrolyte fuel station is pretty rad. And didn’t offend anyone.
Give the social team some herbs and spices for this one
Taking advantage of a trending moment doesn’t always work. But if you can find a way to jump in, gold. This is the story of football player Shedeur Sanders who dropped hard in the NFL draft and when they finally got picked in the 5th round.
When he posted his thanks, another brand’s social team with Sanders in the name went to work. So good.
The Royal Kingdom marketing budget must be completely insane?
The app game has racked up $91 milllion dollars in revenue and did nearly $20 million in March. So obviously they are dropping dump truck of crash on ads featuring Shakira, Lebron James, Amy Poehler, Kevin Hart, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox, Jimmy Fallon, and Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki.
It’s an absurd amount of creative for an app.
Take me out to the bald game
I know I stopped posting awesome baseball hats in this newsletter a few weeks back. But that does not mean I’m not going to post some fun baseball ads in addition to hockey nostalgia.
This one from DirectTV with some major leaguers is pretty great. Almost as good as the Texas Rangers losing game post with a sad but very cute dog.
And if you think I haven’t been thinking about the Bravo and MLB crossover game you’re absolutely correct. Remember: Summer and Baseball Should be Fun Amanda.
Ad History: McDonalds Breakfast Burrito (1991)
I just want to say that this jingle or song and just the site of that Picante sauce package in full 90’s glory brings you right back to your first 99 cent breakfast burrito.
Last call: The Drink Cart Gin Fizz
Did I walk out and find orange flower water for cocktail this past weekend? Yes. This is the story of a cocktail born in New Orleans and shaken into a legend.
The Ramos Gin Fizz isn’t just a cocktail, it’s more of a high-maintenance nightmare. Invented by Henry C. Ramos in 1888 and made famous at the city’s Roosevelt Hotel, it famously required line up of “shaker men” to pass the shaker down a line for up to 12 minutes just to get that signature cloudlike fizz just right.
Another story was that infamous Louisiana governor, Huey P. Long, famously flew a bartender from the Roosevelt Hotel to New York just so he could show a Manhattan bar how to make it right. This reminds me of the time I taught the bar staff at a swim up bar in Mexico what a Harvey Wallbanger was and then proceeded to hack that into a pitcher of frozen ones (Trust me). I just wanted to know why they had Galliano at a swim up bar.
Spoiler alert, don’t panic, you can do the shaking of the fizz about 45 seconds and it’s really all you really need. The drink is part chemistry experiment, part Southern charm. And those egg whites make a health drink right? I just don’t know how I’ll ever get through this stash of orange flower water.
Here’s the recipe:
2 oz gin
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce heavy cream
1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
3 dashes orange flower water
1 fresh egg white
Club soda, chilled, to top
With a fresh Ramos Gin Fizz from the Drink Cart in your hand and the cool sounds of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band playing in the background, you can really feel the burn of this random deep thought: Like jazz, the brands we remember don't always follow formulas. They learn to break them.
In another Bueller quote. “Les Jeux Sont Faits. Translation: The Newsletter Is Up.” Thanks for indulging me.
Drink Cart Approved™ agency discussion topics
When Jacquemus skips checking into the White Lotus but hires Greg/Gary for a banana photoshoot.
I dare you all to watch this edit of a recent Meghan Markle podcast interview. And also she totally ripped off an old Google ad in this interview. See if you can remember.
I watched this meme at least 12 times with this great headline: “Me paying $17 for a glass of Barefoot merlot at 9:30 AM in Delta Comfort+”
How would you redesign the hilarious coyote signage in Toronto?
Ad History: A 1959 Watneys beer ad starring Michael Caine is this week’s must watch.
The Drink Cart is your weekly fuel for pop culture brains and ad junkies. A cocktail of ad insights and hot takes that feel like you’re hanging at your favourite dive bar after launching your latest campaign.