The first few times I saw this Turkish Airlines ad — embedded below — on CNN International, I didn’t recognize Oscar Award winning actor Kevin Costner. Instead, I noted the ad’s other elements: The twist at the end, the catchy tune, and the various appeals to male vanity.
But then a pal, K, mentioned Costner’s involvement, and I gave the spot another viewing. And indeed, it’s Costner:
Predictably snarky commentary can be found here and here, and a Turkish Airlines billboard featuring Costner and the “Feel Like a Star” campaign can be seen here.
I love this bizarre Thai TV ad (embedded below) for Sylvania light bulbs.
According to this blog, the light bulbs are advertised as helping to “keep monsters at bay”:
Jeh United Ltd in Bangkok promoted the Sylvania Light Bulb as the way to keep monsters at bay in this off beat TV ad from Thailand. A child at a picnic points out figures from South East Asian mythology. His father fearlessly names them as Kra Sue, the floating head of a female vampire ghost, Kra Hung, a flying ghost, the Banana ghost and others. All is safe in daylight. But when the light goes out…
This rap (embedded above) summarizes all five seasons of The Wire. Spoiler alert, naturally, if you haven’t yet seen the best television show ever created. (And why haven’t you?)
I'm Newley Purnell, a journalist in Bangkok. My work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, on ABC News Radio, and more.
I use this site to highlight my stories and point out interesting links that I come across during my research.
