Blockbuster Brings Carl & Ray Back

Blockbuster video announced that they will be bringing back their lovable Carl and Ray campaign for this year’s Super Bowl spot. If you haven’t seen the clips, you can find them on YouTube or most of the other video sharing sites. I’ve never been a big fan of renting from Blockbuster, but I have to admit that I love these ads. The spots do a great job of infusing humor into the marketing message and the cuteness factor of digitally animated pets has an especially broad appeal for a spot that will be seen by such a large audience.

I’m still not convinced that advertising during the Super Bowl gives Blockbuster the biggest bang for their buck, but at least this year’s commercial should be much more entertaining, then the lackluster spot that they produced for last year’s Super Bowl match up. Blockbuster’s press release only mentions, the upcoming Super Bowl spot, but I wouldn’t mind if they extended the campaign even beyond that, so that more viral ads will show up.

Davis Freeberg is a technology enthusiast living in the Bay Area. He enjoys writing about movies, music, and the impact that digital technology is having on traditional media. You can read more of his coverage on technology at www.davisfreeberg.com. Davis owns shares of Netflix stock.