Most Viagra ads are pretty tame, especially in the US. The spiciest thing might be a middle-aged couple dancing Salsa. But Pfizer's tried to venture out of the box a few times and gotten creative. Like this ad, with a badass dude driving a muscle car. The spot features a '69 Camaro (yeah, 69 - wink, wink, nudge, nudge), being driven across a dusty, desolate stretch of road. Steam begins to come from under the hood: Houston, we have a problem. But, as our commercial voiceover narrator explains, this man knows how to handle anything and not get thrown. He's in control and knows exactly what to do.
He pulls into a beat-up gas station, pops the hood, confidently strides to the cooler for a large bottle of water. After taking a swig and brushing past the service station's aged owner, he pours the remainder of the bottle into the radiator, and roars off down the highway: destination, suburban bedroom, and presumable one hot suburban soccer mom.
So, what's wrong with this sequence? Members of a couple of online classic car forums were quick to point out some logistical and technical flaws. First, you don't take a radiator cap off a hot engine - that's a good way to end up with second degree burns or worse. Wait for it to cool down. Next, pouring chilled water into an overheating engine? What?! You could crack your engine block. And also it would generate a huge plume of steam. And was that mineral water he poured in there? That's just wrong. Not because real men don't drink mineral water, but because minerals are one of the last things you'd want going in your engine.
As the car guys point out, if the car is supposed to be some sort of analogy for how your body operates and how to treat it, this ad is sending the wrong message.
The bottom line: don't get your car repair advice from a Viagra ad, any more than you would consult your car mechanic about your sexual "hydraulics".
Gotta say though, the soundtrack is solid. You really can't go wrong with Howlin' Wolf.
