" ... So Bad It's Genius." Not.

I'm not really sure what or whose purpose Ms. Lippert served with this harsh critique. She's right, it wasn't witty, artistic, or sassy. But it wasn't supposed to be. It's just a different take on one way kids emulate their parents. I'm a working mom. My 4-year old when asked if she's drawing will actually reply ,"I'm doing my paperwork." She's just repeating what mom said. That actually happens in real families -- kids like to pretend and sometimes Dad's help them pretend (maybe playing business meeting, maybe playing farmer like my hubby) and sometimes, Mom's put on a big smile at the computer because they realize they've been having to work to extra hard in this economy to help keep them family afloat and they didn't realize the kids were doing all this just to please them. I'd suggest that in this sub-standard ad Ms. Lippert just skewerd, that there's more reality than she cares to acknowledge. Most of us don't find it so offensive, because in bits and pieces (maybe not so contrived) these things happen. For middle America this is an aspect of real life... kids pretending to be grown ups. I'm also saddened by your need to throw in your own political leanings (apparently around the corner and to the left). Next time just critique the ad -- not your take on the middle class, the Reagan years, or your your endictment of society today. Your view of real families reminds me of the Mad Men tag line for season one... Where the truth lies. Your truth seems to be lying to you. Go have an ice cream at Friendly's and calm down a bit. Tomorrow is another day Ms. Lippert.

I saw this spot on television before I viewed it again here, and I have to say, it got my attention at home. It's not just another restaurant ad...people eating in the restaurant, food shots, deal announcement...it's a clever way to deliver the message. I loved the kids' presentation idea and smiled when I saw it, and the Dad's reaction was the same as mine. Barbara's main criticism seems to be the ad is not realistic, but the silliness factor is what makes it stand out. I suspect silliness is also the appeal of popular sitcoms like The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock. As Don Draper on Mad Men said, "success isn't about fitting in, it's about standing out." I believe Friendly's achieved that here and I say "Bravo" to them and to their ad agency.

It’s delightfully refreshing to read opinionated columns, obviously she was having a bad day. Her comments were unnecessarily over the top. Success does leave clues; what would she about the movie “Paranormal Activity” made for just $15,000 and grossed over $7,000,000 in limited release! This ad clearly has two focused objectives. If the objectives are of value to Friendly’s customers then they have hit the mark. It is the ad’s objectives that are important, not her personal preference in which were over the top.

I don't think it's the best commercial, but her criticism is unnecessarily harsh. It's selling burgers and sundaes, it's not premiering at Sundance.