Three Drunk Monkeys launches Nova 969’s new breakfast team: Some combinations are just funny
Three Drunk Monkeys, Sydney is helping introduce Nova 969’s newbreakfast team to listeners, with a campaign proclaiming that “Somecombinations are just funny”. The campaign promotes the teaming ofMerrick Watts with new personalities Ricki-Lee Coulter and ScottDooley. It includes three TV spots exposing the strange truth that somecombinations are inherently funny – including a tennis-playing cow-man.
Three TV spots went to air last night following radio and online teaser elements. The campaign promotes the teaming of Merrick Watts with new personalities Ricki-Lee Coulter and Scott Dooley. The challenge is to convince mainstream Australians aged between 18 and 39 that radio will sound different with the addition of the new talent.
The campaign exposes the strange truth that some combinations are inherently funny. Take Merrick, Scott Dooley and Ricki-Lee. They are three completely different personalities from different backgrounds, and yet for some reason the combination not only works, it’s funny.
The teaser radio spots ran on 28 and 29 January on Nova and, cheekily, on rival radio stations without their knowledge! The spots promoted “cow-man milk” and drove listeners to the website. Once there, users can play a video which reveals that Nova 969 is behind cow-man milk.
In addition to radio and online, the campaign uses television, cinema, print and social media.
Says Noah Regan, creative director of Three Drunk Monkeys: “I’ve never questioned my sanity so much during the making of a campaign. From reading out ‘cut to a Cowman playing tennis’ to the Nova team, to the days deliberating which was funnier – a Cannibal belly-dancing with twins or twin cannibals belly-dancing.”
64 Comments
ONYA Benn, you’re kickin goals over there… we gotta grab some dumplings soon
awesome, funny stuff
These ads are brilliant!!!! Cowman..imagine a man and a cow together. Did Merrick come up with these? Because it’s perfect for the Nova audience.
Is that the same VO dude for the triple M stuff that was similar a few years back?
Emerald Nuts ads had some pretty wacky combinations as well. Advertising, it’s our life.
Good shit. Very brave for a media client
Will definitely win “best use of mustard.”
Comcast Rabbit scenario.
As for the mustard squirt… Pure genius.
Snappleberry.
But this is cooler in my opinion.
I must be viewing a different group of commercials than the anyone that left a comment between 3.49 and 6.58pm If the station is a funny as the ads then Im tuning to 2GB…………..
is everyone here kidding? this campaign isn’t even remotely funny. not even a little bit. zero funny.
That’s great. Congrats to all involved. Particularly the client.
Ironically these ads are terrible and so is the new breakfast show.
Hmmm.
It’s ok to say nice things about the monkeys, and anything that licks Droga’s bum gets up.. But anything else…..
Silence..
Some combinations are just funny. Yes, but only just.
Three thumbs up from one used to throwing rocks on this forum. Well done to all involved.
zombies, soccer and dancing. Telstra.com it’s your dot com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHWPjUJjRvQ
There were a few others as well around 1999…
Amazing ad. Well done.
10:42 – You’re a dropkick with way too much time. Why not try getting out there and win some awards instead of being jealous over others? This ad is great and it doesn’t matter if something only slightly similar has been done before.
How does it compare with the much lauded and awarded Skittles goat boy combination?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4uMeYFNpGI
Very good idea and should help to raise the profile of a new radio team. I’d be happy with this campaign. Especially one that gets compared to the Skittles.
I wanted to like them but they’re just not funny – the vasectomy one comes close, but like others have pointed out, they feel very skittles-ish.
well done monkeys, why oh why are there so many tossers on this blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gry4ZuOMy3g
8:33am
It’s not being compared to Skittles – it’s being scrutinised for being almost the same idea. And the altoids banana hands is pretty bloody close as well.
You’d think if you were going to come up with crazy, wacky combinations with limitless possibilities you’d steer clear of ones that were done before – oh my mistake, a cowman is completely different to a goatman. And balloon hands are entirely different to banana hands. Suuuure.
Skittles, Comcast, Altoids, Emerald Nuts…
So everyone wants to love the Monkeys. Problem is, these are average at best.
Look like it’s the usual pattern here. The first stack of comments are are unbelievably positive as agency staff and mates get told first the ads are up on the CB site. Then the real first time viewers see them and call it as it really is.
These ads are average. Early idea stuff. It would have taken 30 minutes to write all three. Not terrible, but not great either.
if people genuinely like this mediocrity (and that’s being generous) then it explains why our country has such low standing in the world of creativity. but if people are just lauding it because they wrote it or are friends with those who wrote it, or think it’s wrong to lambast it, then that’s even sadder. if i had this assignment, and presented this idea to my boss, i’d expect to be fired.
Balloon Hands – Ha – I like it.
I like them a lot. I cannot really see this is the same idea as Comcast Rabbits at all….but it seems that there are a few naysayers who think somehow Skittles, Comcast, Altoids are all the same campaign idea.
Just watched them and was underwhelmed to be honest.
Which agency do you work at 10.55am? Sounds like a pleasant work environment.
Yeah they were OK, but not HEAPS funny. There’s funnier stuff out there by more obscure shops.
hahaha. So funnyn’t.
I wouldn’t call them the same idea as Skittles. Not even close.
But they’re not as funny. Also not even close.
Whether or not the scenarios have been done before, or are funny, is completely irrelevant. The combination of Merrick (funny), Dools (no-one knows who the fck he is) and Ricki-Lee (the fat chick from idol) just doesn’t seem funny in a ‘haha’ way, it is a funny combination to put together though.. These ads do nothing to prove that these people actually are funny. Comedy, like creative, is highly subjective.. but these aren’t mainstream funny enough to for to like watching them over and over, then bother listen to Merrick and his poor excuse for Rosso… and the chick.
And they are loosely similar to the triple M ads from a few years ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWmd7olu330
The monkeys do good work. This is not some of it.
Are the twins ‘of age’?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA97kzai-Ew
Gavin – that comment reeks of someone from Austereo. I think you should focus on your own marketing strategies and principles before letting rip on the blog. The Triple M ad you reference is a nice spot. But Triple M is currently fucked and your advertising of late is worse.
Gavin – been making sense long? I do see your point to for to like.
Always award points for effort but these just aren’t very funny and might have not have seen the light of day with tougher internal critiquing perhaps. Not a crime and I like most of your work but these are not up to the normal Monkeys standard.
Some combinations are just funny. Sadly, these arent.
How are they even remotely similar to the MMM stuff? Apart from the fact they are both for radio shows.
This blog’s fanatacism about finding trivial similarities to obscure ads is nutso.
isn’t the issue perhaps more to do with how you guys come up with ideas rather than the ripping off of creative? the questions as i see it is why the solution to the issue of “disparate things combined” more often than not results in “lets make a literal hybrid… that will be funny”.
the square you’re trying so desperately to think outside of must be very small… why don’t you put more energy into making it larger?
or do ideas taken to the nth degree yield the same result by definition?
2:14PM – that comment reeks of someone desperately trying to defend the work they’ve either made, or approved.
What you on about zizek? Oh and before i forget i’m in the ‘not funny ‘camp.
I think these would be funnier if they dispensed with the setup and were just a funny story about the cowman-tennisplayer etc.
People have brought up Skittles. The reason skittles ads are funny is that they don’t waste time setting up the gag. They just tell a funny story.
There’s no ‘here’s a piñata, here’s a man, here’s a man who’s a piñata’. He’s just there and that’s what makes it work.
These just feel labored. Not to say there aren’t parts that are funny but they’re fleeting.
there is a BIG difference between funny and just plain…dumb. Sorry but these are a bit embarrassing.
Some combinations are just funny.
Some ads, just aren’t.
These ads sum Merrick perfectly. Thinks he’s funny, but he isn’t.
The strategy of Altoids (one of my favourite ads) is completely different.
I’m appalled that so called creatives see ads as executional elements and don’t get the big idea.
For the dummies, big idea for Altoids: So fucking interesting you wouldn’t notice a guy has a giant pair of Bananna hands.
Big idea for this: Separately, so what, as a combination, funny.
Very different ideas.
Apologies to the 3 drunk apes if I got your big idea wrong, but I’m sick of “creatives” who are so dumb they only see a script/treatment/balloons and not an idea.
Cut to the short & curly’s – didn’t mind these at all. Think Dools will be funny on commercial FM, he was for a long time on the J’s.
I think Ben has a good point. The idea is what matters, not small executional elements that remind us of other ads, movies, TV shows, songs, jokes, books etc. This idea is solid. The Monkeys have done a great job. It’ll be good for the radio personalities and the Nova brand me thinks.
Now back to work everyone, as it appears that we’ve done the dishes on this campaign.
Question that hasn’t been arksed is if anyone’s gonna tune in to the show because of these ads. We love dissin’ our fellow agency creative labourers in this forum, but that’s just a way to fill ourselves with a sense of importance that we don’t get elsewhere at work. Focus back on the client and the campaign objective for a tick and those ordinary consumers to whom we seek to convert, persuade, or compel into action. Will it evoke a response from them?
I didn’t work for DMG, and wouldn’t admit to it if I did given this under-done creative, but will it be effective for the intended audience? I’ll put a tenner on it.
Old mate – you make a good very point that more of this blog should be thinking about. I’d hazzard a guess that these won’t work as the honcho’s at DMG might want them to. If the combination of Merrick, Dools and Ricki is so funny, why aren’t they showing it? Maybe there’s a ‘part B’ to this campaign that proves it somehow.. but I doubt it. In short, I’ll take you tenner!
Balloon hands is the funniest ad.
if these ads are the bad ads who’s doing good ones here? All i see is a bunch of crap and this one at least delights me a little when it comes on tv.
All good saying those other ads are better, but might i remind you they were done in the states or the UK – none of you made them. Don’t bag it til you’ve made better – humour me.
Sadly, this is still funnier than these ads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOU8GIRUd_g
“I think Ben has a good point. The idea is what matters, not small executional elements that remind us of other ads, movies, TV shows, songs, jokes, books etc. This idea is solid. The Monkeys have done a great job. It’ll be good for the radio personalities and the Nova brand me thinks.”
Ben is generally a retard.
Secondly – the execution is more important than the idea. Always.
And for the record – I like these ads. Not fantastic but good enough to enjoy and not flick to another channel.
Funny? You’ve got to be joking!
This idea is theoretically strong.
I say “theoretically” because if it worked I would walk away agreeing that some combinations are just funny, and that this combination of personalities is potentially one of those combinations.
Unfortunately, the campaign is not successful in its attempt to convince that “some combinations are just funny.”
It’s a demonstration that fails to demonstrate.
Good rule of thumb, don’t back yourself into a corner like this campaign does. If you are going to be funny, just be funny. Don’t tell us you’re funny when you’re clearly not.
God these are so not funny.
EL G – how do you know, did you come in to the retard brothel last week?
If you think execution is more important than the idea, it must mean you like big blockbuster hollywood muscle films and overproduced boy bands.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Yes some combinations are funny… but not when you say it. Instantly brings it down a few notches.
Everytime I log onto this blog another person has commented a load of tripe (RUBBISH). When will we ever get any decent intelligent information / comments?