Our Favorite Commercials From Super Bowl LIII

Unless you’re a New England Patriots fan like me, Super Bowl LIII wasn’t much fun to watch. Fortunately, we still had the commercials. Here are the ones we liked the most at The Hired Pens. (And by the way, Thrillist ranked their top 51 commercials — you can see them all here.) Pringles: Sad Device […]

‘Keep Calm and Carry On’: A Good Slogan Gone Bad

“Keep Calm and Carry On” reads an iconic motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939. The intention was to steady the nerves of an anxious public being thrust into war with Germany. Now, despite my mistrust of Instagram as a valid form of communication, I wasn’t around for World War II. But I […]

An Open Letter to Oui Yogurt From Moms Like Me

Dear Oui French Style Yogurt from Yoplait, Is it okay that I addressed you by your formal name? I’m not sure on the proper etiquette when writing to dairy-based products. Anyway, I don’t know what kind of crazy market research you did. But since you’re owned by Yoplait, I suspect it was extensive and expensive. […]

A Belated Postmortem on the Super Bowl LII Commercials

Doing an annual roundup of the Super Bowl commercials is practically a job requirement in our line of work. But after my beloved Patriots lost to the Eagles, I didn’t want to relive anything about the game. Besides, the consensus in many quarters was that this year’s spots were disappointing or derivative. Why add to […]

Party City’s New Commercial Makes Local Mom Cry

Scene: Two 30-something women stand behind a table of party food, in a Party City commercial. And … action! Mom 1: This is incredible! Mom 2: Right. Mom 1: Yes! Mom 2: What is that? (pointing to a lone plate of crackers a few feet away) Mom 1: Those are some gluten-free options. Mom 2: […]

Reviewing the New England Patriots Championship Memorabilia

The best thing about having your team win the Super Bowl — other than the false sense of personal achievement and the ability to claim superiority over other metropolitan areas — is loading up on the championship booty. The hat, the sweatshirt, the DVD … the heirloom porcelain plate? Yes, the heirloom porcelain plate! And […]

Dear Ford Motor Company: Please Stop Advertising Your ‘Ford Freedom Sales Event’

I’ve written before about the downside of my love for listening to Red Sox games on the radio: the dreaded overplayed ad. Every year, there’s an ad or two that emerges as an unavoidable irritation. The problem could be a failed attempt at humor, an overly enthusiastic spokesperson or an obnoxious jingle. Whatever the case, […]