It looks like a jewelry commercial. It sounds like a jewelry commercial. But in the end, he went to Dairy Queen.
The ice cream chain’s newest ad—which premiered on Feb. 1 during the Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet’s widely watched Super Bowl pregame—is a not-particularly-affectionate send-up of jewelry commercials, with the requisite soft music, couple nuzzling by the fire, surprised significant other, and hushed narration, invoking “how sweet love can be.”
But the jewelry box holds only a spoon to eat Dairy Queen’s red velvet cupid cake. The woman gets tearful and calls her mother regardless.
An Adweek article dubbed the ad a “parody of Jared The Galleria of Jewelry’s syrupy, romantic ads.” Which is noteworthy since Dairy Queen’s corporate parent is Berkshire Hathaway, which owns two Jared rivals—Helzberg Diamonds and Ben Bridge.
Dairy Queen spokesman Dean Peters tells JCK the ad is a “parody of a typical Valentine’s Day commercial,” without singling out either Jared or jewelry.
But to most Twitter users, the target was clear. “That Dairy Queen ad perfectly trolled every engagement ring commercial/Facebook post I’ve ever seen,” one person wrote.
Other comments:
Dear @DairyQueen, that commercial you just aired during Puppy Bowl was perfect. Please never change.
— Chris (@xminustDC) February 1, 2015
Dairy Queen to Puppy Bowl viewers: “Him sharing an ice cream cake with you is the same as getting engaged. ACCEPT YOUR FATE”
— Von Bentley (@VonBent) February 1, 2015
I don’t know if any of ya’ll are watching the Puppy Bowl but that @DairyQueen commercial had me rolling on the floor laughing!
— Jennifer Rogers (@BluejayJenny) February 1, 2015
The 60-second spot will run on Saturday Night Live on Feb. 7, and the company is running 15- and 30-second versions.
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