AT&T has released a new video that highlights some of the outtakes from the "Bigger is better" commercial featuring Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell. It turns out that numerous ideas were originally on the table and that there was a ton of footage left on the cutting room floor. AT&T wisely decided to upload some of that footage to YouTube for all of our enjoyment.

It's nice to see all four men appeared to enjoy shooting this commercial, but Bill Russell might have had the most fun of anyone involved. Bird also has an incredibly tough time saying his lines which led to a rather humorous take where he grunts all of his responses. 

(H/T Pro Basketball Talk)

Recently we discussed the latest ad from Progressive where the company shouts "Let's Get Ready to Bundle" through your TV's speakers. One Cincinnati attorney took this message to heart and created a parody where he  challenges Flo in the boxing ring. 

Blake Maislin, a personal injury attorney, challenged Flo in the ring, demonstrating how he'll fight for you against your insurance company. The commercial features an actress that actually looks quite a bit like Flo, complete with her outfit and hairstyle. Obviously, Maislin couldn't use the word Progressive in his spot, but his rendition of Flo is pretty spot on. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Progressive takes exception once they see this as there's really no doubting who the ad is portraying. As if him punching out Flo wasn't enough, the commercial ends with Maislin punching a familiar gecko from GEICO. 

Dos Equis, the popular beer featuring "The Most Interesting Man in the World", is on a quest to move Cinco de Mayo to May 2nd this year. The popular holiday (some of us here in Chicago call it Cinco de Drinko) happens to fall on a Sunday this year, causing the brand some concern. Will people still want to celebrate knowing Monday looms near?

Dos Equis, Dos de Mayo - it makes sense. 

When you think of a "got milk?" commercial, what do you picture? Odds are you're probably thinking of a famous celebrity or athlete with a milk mustache. The California Milk Processor Board is out to change that with a couple ads that abandon the usual brand image strategy and instead attempt to highlight milk's features.

Milk has long believed to be one of the cures for a sleepless night. The newest "got milk?" ads highlight this point, showing what can happen when you wake up in the middle of a dream - with somewhat horrifying results. 

8:40pm: Season 6 of Mad Men will almost certainly feature the ascent of Peggy Olson, the descent of Don Draper, and the improbable continuation of Roger Sterling's life. But with the death of Lane Pryce, the moral center (centre?) of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, to what levels of depravity will Don Draper fall? And yes, Lane was the moral center of the office, perhaps no more so than when he embezzled from the firm. And what of Megan and Betty and literally scores of other characters that do not matter? What of MICHAEL GINSBERG, the wittier, shorter version of Don? 

Introductions: My name is Mike Hall (@mrhall). In real life, I'm the head of digital for NESN. In my spare time, I watch Mad Men obsessively. Every single day. Therefore, I'm your best partner for tonight's two-hour extravagaza, in which Don Draper will probably walk through a doorway. I had written live blogs for Mad Men from my personal site. Ben Koo offered me the opportunity to write here at Awful Advertisements, and my promo of my personal site just sounded like an awful ad, so I think I'll fit right in!

Let's get down to it!

Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. At least, I think you are but I'm not totally sure because you're practically making love to that burger.

The latest Hardee's ad targeted specifically at male consumers features Heidi Klum taking on the role of Mrs. Robinson from the classic movie The Graduate. In the film, Anne Bancroft tries to seduce a young Dustin Hoffman. Here, Klum kind of tries to seduce a guy with a Hardee's Jim Beam Bourbon Thickburger.

It's fascinating when two very different companies agree to work together for an advertisement. Here, GEICO is running another one of their "Happier than" spots and reached an agreement to use the Pillsbury Doughboy, mascot of (you guessed it) Pillsbury. 

The spot isn't too bad. The Doughboy has some tiny luggage, which of course holds the tiniest rolling pin ever created. He does his trademark giggle as airport security attempts to pat him down as he attempts to travel to a baking convention.  

What's interesting is the crossover itself, creating an unexpected relationship between car insurance and baked goods. GEICO created the concept and approached General Mills, owner of Pillsbury, for permission to use the lovable mascot in an ad. General Mills agreed, seeing as the Doughboy's portrayal matches the company's vision as well as numerous ads we've seen from GM in the past. It's a win-win. GEICO gets to make their commercial while Pillsbury receives some exposure without having to create a commercial of their own.

We haven't discussed Progressive commercials very much here at Awful Advertisements. Why? It's mostly due to the fact we feel companies such as Progressive and GEICO are almost too easy of a target. If we dedicated the time to them that they deserve, we'd have to open an entirely new site. 

With that out of the way, we couldn't resist commenting on the "Let's Get Ready to Bundle" atrocity that's consuming televisions across the nation.

Bundling insurance policies isn't a new concept. In fact, if you own any kind of insurance, you're probably well aware that you can bundle auto with home if you so desire. That's the first thing that's wrong with this Progressive ad - it's preaching common knowledge as if it's some sort of special, new discovery. It's not progressive, it's common.