Synopsis
A weekly podcast where we talk about the best part of watching television: The commercials! Andrew, Genevieve and their guests discuss the ads they love, the ads they hate, and the ads that they love to hate (we're looking at you, Movantik.) afterthesemessagesshow@gmail.com
Episodes
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#281 Guess for Success
24/03/2021 Duration: 01h05minAndrew adapts a classic game show to test Vieves' knowledge of commercials past, and a listener email almost makes Andrew cry. Plus, what's going on with Airbnb? Do their ad wizards need therapy or what?
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#280 The Visible Hand of the Market
17/03/2021 Duration: 51minA sudden profusion of commercials about the lives and preoccupations of hand models has Andrew and Vieves scratching their heads. Plus, a dancing diva promotes "edible" soup, and a commercial for a vacation service takes a dark turn.
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#279 Dance Like No One is Buying
10/03/2021 Duration: 01h20minFeeling cheated by a mostly dance-free Super Bowl, Andrew and Vieves pit ads that feature choreography against each other to establish TOTAL DANCE DOMINANCE. Plus, an Oregon PSA goes too far.
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#278 TV Show Me the Money
03/03/2021 Duration: 01h02minNormally, Andrew and Vieves look at ads that air between the TV shows they watch, but this week, they consider what happens when the TV shows try to get in on the commercial action. Plus, a listener email sends Andrew out a whole new door.
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#277 Can Sell Culture
24/02/2021 Duration: 01h24minVieves takes over the first half of the show this week to talk about a new strategy from The General, and Andrew administers a quiz that answers the question: is there any gimmick that's too dumb for beer makers to try? Plus, an eagle-eyed Ad Councilor spots a crack in the matrix.
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#276 Commergency Broadcasting System
16/02/2021 Duration: 58minAfter two weeks of muzzling the Ad Council in favor of their own hot takes, Andrew and Vieves turn the show over to listener reactions to Super Bowl ads, jingle singers, and one terrible local ad that constitutes a true commergency.
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#275 And the Winners Are...
10/02/2021 Duration: 02h34minIn what turned out to be a pretty good year for Super Bowl ads, Andrew and Vieves turn in a monster of a show as they attempt to select the weirdest, funniest, famous-est, and all-around bestest to receive the inaugural Bowlie Awards. Be sure to pee first - it's a long one.
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#274 Introducing...The Bowlies!
03/02/2021 Duration: 01h32minAwards season starts early this year with the inaugural Bowlies! Andrew and Vieves bestow the soon-to-be-coveted Bowlie awards on the best of this year's crop of Super Bowl ads. Find out who's in the running before next week's big ceremony.
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#273 The Call of the Child
26/01/2021 Duration: 01h23sAndrew and Vieves look at ads that feature phone calls between parents and children. So if you haven't called your mom or dad this week, just listen to this episode instead. Also, Andrew is full-on obsessed with finding a commercial he thinks he saw, and Progressive spotlights their newest star in a web extra.
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#272 There's No Business Like Business Business
20/01/2021 Duration: 01h09minIt's business time and Andrew and Vieves are making the business of business their business, looking at ads from big companies featuring little companies doing all the work. Plus, dandruff gives women one more thing to worry about, and a listener reveals a surprising connection to convicted criminal and cult leader Keith Raniere.
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#271 The Six Is In
13/01/2021 Duration: 01h17minAndrew and Vieves take a cue from (allegedly) Ernest Hemingway and construct six word stories about their favorite and least favorite new commercials. Plus, children's toys somehow keep getting worse.
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#270 Ad Lang Syne
05/01/2021 Duration: 40minAndrew and Vieves get some help from the Ad Council as they ring in the new year, including a cherry-flavored blast from the past, a questionable Santa, and some pleas for help from listeners who are looking for ads of their youth.
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#269 You Say You Want a Resolution
30/12/2020 Duration: 01h21min'Tis the season for new year's resolutions, and from losing weight to getting organized, Americans' top ten most common resolutions feature a lot of the usual suspects. Andrew and Vieves consider ads that might - in theory - help people keep those resolutions.
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#268 The Little Prints
23/12/2020 Duration: 01h28minAndrew and Vieves wade into the weeds of disclaimers, warnings, and other assorted dodges hiding in commercials' fine print. This week's episode was recorded on a closed course. Do not attempt! Meanwhile, the Ad Council discusses campaigns that evolve over time.
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#267 Ad Santa
16/12/2020 Duration: 01h16minTBTL host and perennial After-These-Messages content pirate Luke Burbank joins Andrew and Vieves to evaluate this year's crop of commercial Santa Clauses. Plus, it's a great week for jingles, and it's possible that Luke's mom has been an imposter this whole time.
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#266 A M.A.S.H Made in Heaven
09/12/2020 Duration: 01h05minA Geico ad campaign has got Andrew and Vieves playing a modified MASH game to see how their lives might turn out under different circumstances. Plus New Zealand continues to dominate in the PSA game, and the devil meets his Match.com
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#265 Ham, Pam, Thank You Spam
02/12/2020 Duration: 01h07minAndrew outdoes himself by creating a new segment that's sure to earn him a spot in the rhyming hall of fame. Plus, Andy's Corner is back with a grim window into the sexual politics of the past, and one Ad Councilor has some serious pipes.
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#264 The Liquor Picker-Upper
25/11/2020 Duration: 56minWith quarantine dragging on through the holidays, America turns its lonely eyes to boozing it up solo, a fact that hasn't been lost on advertisers. Plus, one listener shines a light on an uplifting ad and another has beef with a laundry machine seller.
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#263 - Trek Mate
18/11/2020 Duration: 01h27minAndrew and Vieves are joined by friend and Star Trek Supernerd Ben Harrison who, as the host of not one but TWO Trek-themed podcasts, is happy to school them on the subtle intricacies of ads that boldly go where no ad has gone before. Plus, Ben reveals just how badly Andrew stepped in it by critiquing an advertising bigwig.
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#262 Pod People
11/11/2020 Duration: 01h12minThere is a special breed of podcasters who have also found work pitching everything from laptops to denim. Andrew and Vieves look at podcasters in commercials this week, and a listener discovers the world's worst thing.