Welcome to 2010 and welcome back to an old category that hasn't seen a post in two months.
Today's entry in the annals of Great Insurance Company Ads comes from Vern Fonk Insurance. The name was so weird that I had to look it up to make sure this wasn't a put-on.The Vern Fonk Insurance does, in fact, exist, and I assume it believes the ads bring in customers, or it wouldn't have continued to produce them.
I will present two. The first "Pulled Over" includes the "Honk for Fonk" slogan featured in many commercials. It is supremely bad taste, including hilarious footage of a police officer beating a handcuffed speeding suspect, while his partner frisks the suspects wife (various "Oo's" can be heard from the wife if you listen closely).
The second "Dance" features the word Shipoopi used in many Fonk commercials. It is used as an interjection of some sort. The only other time I have heard the word used was in a song by that name from the Meredith Willson musical, The Music Man. As used in the song, the word be a baby-talk name for one's sweetheart. How that fits into the insurance business is beyond me. But, I never have been able to understand the subtleties of that industry.
One final thing. Both commercials refer to the internet as the intermat, interbank or something. I am sure Vern Fonk's customers know what that means and think it is funny. I am sure they are as comical at the agency when a claimant wants some benefits paid on one of his policies.
Vern Fonk customer: "I just had an accident and I need a insurance claim number before they'll treat me at the hospital."
Vern Fonk agent: "SHIPOOPI!"
Comments