• Share
• E-Mail
• Print

Blockbuster, once a behemoth in the movie-rental business, has fallen on hard times. While aggressive competitors were moving in a big way toward doing business through the mail and online, Blockbuster stuck for too long with its huge number of retail stores. Blockbuster's inability to stay in touch with the changing times finally forced it into bankruptcy in September, and many of those rental stores that no one wanted to trek to any more are now shuttered.

Blockbuster now says it will recapitalize, reduce debt and -- it hopes -- move on to a brighter future. To help get out the word about a new deal Blockbuster has cut with the Hollywood movie industry, the company turned to Euro RSCG/Chicago. Per terms of the deal, Blockbuster now gets first dibs on select Hollywood films 28 days prior to Netflix and Redbox. A new Euro TV ad campaign is designed to make sure people get that bit of news loud and clear through commercials that don't shy away from humor that is broad. Very broad. The campaign tagline is "Less waiting. More watching."

"Raccoon," a new commercial breaking Tuesday, opens with an angry raccoon latching on to an unsuspecting man's forearm. That painful development forces the man to make a beeline for the doctor's office, where a cheerily clueless receptionist ignores the raccoon and informs the man the doctor can see him in 28 days. That's the cue for the camera to pan to the waiting area where we see another patient with a giant nail thrust through his chest. He too is waiting patiently, seemingly oblivious to his dire situation. The commercial's final image has the two men seated next to each other contentedly viewing on a hand-held device what we can only presume is a movie release obtained from Blockbuster.

Given our druthers, we'd like all commercials to take the high road when it comes to comedy. But that's not the way it works nowadays. And as crude as some of the visuals are, "Raccoon" admittedly did prompt a couple of smiles.

But it remains to be seen whether this ad campaign, with its unabashedly unsophisticated humor, and Blockbuster's newfound ability to preempt Netflix and Redbox will help improve the movie-rental company's fortunes and ensure a long, profitable life.