2. WWF Attitude "Get It?" (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vji16xG4PYo If there is one thing that WWE (and the then-WWF) is good at, it's not taking itself too seriously (even despite things like entry #3). That seemed to be what Vince McMahon, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Sable, Mankind, and others attempted to convey as they released the above spot during the 1999 Superbowl. Taking place in the company's Stamford, Connecticut offices, WWE says that their staff continue to be asked such questions as Do Superstars work there? and Are there wrestling matches in the office? Even for WWE, though, the commercial was a bit over-the-top-- a bit too much for some, in fact, as a pair of television watchdog groups complained to the Federal Communications Commission about the content of the ad. Fox Sports quotes Robert W. Peters, president of the group Morality in Media, as saying that the spot was one of the most vile commercials ever aired on network TV even though "he conceded he hadnt seen it." In particular, it's the portion where a couple are embraced with the woman's legs wrapped around the man which drew ire. The spot was a tongue-in-cheek parody, said WWF marketing executive Jim Byrne. Everything about it was so over-the-top that for anyone to interpret it literally is interesting. Who would imagine that the reaction to such a commercial could possibly be more ridiculous than the commercial itself?
David Oxford
Contributor
Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died.
You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.
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