Reebok International, Leeches
A spoof about survivor skills and two comic guys, Nate and Brian, who clumsily try to enjoy the great outdoors. Nate, the larger of the two, frequently offers bad advice and suggests that they stray from the hiking trail they're on.
In this installment, the pair jumps into a swamp and as they get out, Brian -- who always panics -- is covered in leaches. He tears off his clothes, down to his wet underwear, and Nate starts ripping the leeches off of Brian. But when they discover the leaches are also on Brian's penis, his buddy decides that's too much too much to help with, and walks away saying "You're on your own." At that moment, a woman (a former "Survivor" member) jogs by and says, "Loser."
Some may recognize that storyline from the 1986 film "Stand By Me," an intended reference for viewers.
In another episode, one of the men gets bitten by a snake and the other bends over to suck the venom out of his thigh -- another jogger passing by sees it and it looks like the men are having oral sex.
The campaign polarized ad viewers, according to the USA Today Ad Track Index. It found the spots scored best with younger consumers: 25% of consumers ages 25-29 like them "a lot." The ads generated one of the highest "dislike" scores of the year: 29% disliked them vs. the Ad Track average of 13%. Why? Because 62% of consumers 65 and over disliked them. Yet, the ads scored highest in effectiveness: 22% of consumers think they're "very effective," over the Ad Track average of 24%.