Leo Burnett will regret (or heartily applaud) not hiring me
Sunday, August 29, 2010 When I was a fresh college grad, I interviewed with Leo Burnett, one of the world's top 10 ad agencies. I made it through the college recruiting process and was flown to their Chicago headquarters for a day of second round interviews. I was 9 gatekeepers away from achieving my lifelong dream of being a hotshot ad executive. All I had to do was convince 5 of them that I was the right man for the job.
I convinced 4. I was crushed.
That day, I doused my dream with lighter fluid, lit it on fire and stomped on its charred remains. I'm not good at dealing with failure.
Keep the above backstory in mind. Let me move onto the topic of the day: wipes. I'm thinking by now you've clued into the fact that I'm doing this campaign for Huggies. Before all this, I honestly thought "pfft. wipes are wipes." In fact, right after the wipes Huggies sent me ran out, we went and bought some el cheapo ones. They ripped on me. Multiple times. Right as I was grabbing them out of our dispenser. Right when Lessi was pooping mid-change. I wish someone were there to take a picture of me every time I stood dumbfounded, one hand hoisting my baby's legs, the other hand weilding a torn-off corner of a bargain baby wipe. FAILblog gold.
And the other day, out of the blue, d wife texted me wistfully about the days when we had the "good wipes." The pain is real, ladies and gentlemen.
Huggies, you inspired me. Not only to wipe with confidence, but also to tell the world through advertising how good your wipes are. Today, my dream rises up from the ashes. Leo Burnett executive number 5, eat your heart out.
By the way, I'm giving away 5 tubs of the good stuff. If you have a baby or anything else you'd like wiped, leave a comment with a good poop story of your own. Or tell me how awesome I am at commercials. I'll randomly draw a winner next week.
Reader Comments (28)
I liked the Mentos commercial nod the best. Classic! Well done to you, Fury and whomever was operating the camera.
oh god! the mentos I MEAN HUGGIES
i laughed pretty hard.
WIPE DA BUTT
i have to say, i laughed so hard, it came out sounding more like a chain of snorts.
why is it so funny? because i've had that happen with each of my four children. i still have not come across one set of wipes that have made me happy as huggies always has.
even when i'm broke, it's not worth it.
in addition, i loved your ad! BOOOOOOOOO! @ Leo Bumnett.
BUUUUUUUTTTT. BUUUUTTTT! Mentos poop is cute, poor BJ hahaha. Good job to fury as your assistant! :)
I used huggies wipes with my first daughter (who's now nine)- I was dirt poor... like, you have no idea how poor.... and I cheaped out exactly ONCE... after spending the better part of half an hour trying to clean pea-fed baby poop out from under my fingernails I said to heck with these cheapo wipes!! And really, in the long run, huggies are cheaper by dint of it not taking like, fifteen wipes to clean up one poo....
Unless you're my husband, who seems to have the unfortunate fate of having my daughter start pooping only after the diaper has come off- and she just poops and poops and poops.... I swear, this morning she had a poop that was half her size- and she's over 11lbs!!
Loved the commercial! Even though I hate hate hate that "bud" commercial.... your version made me laugh!
Okay, you win. You rock. You've got some mad advertising skills and I bet Leo Burnett is so kicking himself now for passing you over.
On the huggies thing: huggies IS the only wipe to use. Pampers wipes, yes even the non-cheap other brand wipes, just slid over the poop -- not actually removing it from the buttocks... and legs, hands, table-top/couch/floor/etc... Once was enough to take me back to huggies. I applaud you for picking a great product for whoring yourself, I mean supporting. Cheers!
I don't want anything having to do with wiping an ass, as my kids are 10 and 8 and well, eww. BUT, I had to tell you that when Tony graduated from school, he had a 20 year old pregnant girlfriend and a job interview with Enron, all through round 2 of 3. We can all agree that some jobs, are best left on the table.
Maybe that ad place wasn't right, but lets face it, you obviously know how to wipe baby bum.
LMAO I loved the Mentos commercial. I especially love your "aha" look. HAHA Great job! Eat that Leo Burnett peeps!!
Just this past weekend, by dear hubby had to clean up a poop that had escaped the front of our daughters diaper, and there was poop in her belly button.
Seriously, I never would have though in my past life that I would be so consumed with the bodily functions on another person.
BTW, I just discovered your blog (via the video on the Huggies Website, no less), and I am hooked. Keep 'em comming!
I admit, I am not much of a blog reader. A big part of that is that fact that my 19 month old son has reading radar - no matter where he is, no matter how happily occupied, he can sense when I am reading for pleasure and he seeks me out to interrupt. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, whatever. Mama is not allowed to read. But I am excited about your blog because there's VIDEO! That means...my son can enjoy them too, and give me a few moments peace.
I am a devoted Huggies diaper user, but I admit I am fickle when it comes to wipes. However, I just opened a pack of $1 wipes I got at Big Lots and I am already angry with them - the dispenser thing completed failed. So, perhaps it's time to drop the zero and get with the hero :)
Beautiful kids, btw. Lovely to see a happy and involved dad.
Your "CSI" post had me doubled over laughing. And since my 2-month old niece is averaging 3 clothing changes per day due to diaper blowouts, I'm sure these wipes would definitely go to good use!
HOLY CRap. I'm at work .. trying to keep the volume down but i can't keep the laugh down. Nice. hilarity at its best. a few OMG I can't believe he's doing that moments, too.
My favorite is the mentos one. I laughed at all of them though! In my kindergarten class, I use a LOT of wipes. We use them for faces, hands, tables, toys and since I teach some special ed kids, sometimes butts! Huggies are BY FAR my favorite. There is nothing worse than off brands.
Wipe da BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTT!
OK, I love how Lessi is fussing in the beginning until she notices the camera. She's totally going to be a ham - just like her daddy and big brother.
You crack me up, dude.
Ohh, your daughter and mine are going to be giant, walking hams. We should team them up. Get them their own blog.
My contribution to the poop stories. Yes, it's titled, "Bodily Fluid Armageddon". It's not just about poop. It was the hat trick of bodily fluids.
http://missivesfromsuburbia.blogspot.com/2008/12/bodily-fluid-armageddon.html
Poor BJ - Animal abuse I tell ya. I don't have any good poop stories...except I had to buy a large industrial size thing of wipes to clean my late pugs butt when he got diarrhea ... imagine me, full size model of a he guy that I am going into wall greens looking for wipes to clean my dog's butt.
Oh my God, Jim. I didn't think I could like you any more than I already did. But(t) this commercial sealed it for me: I think you are AWESOME and destined to be my bestest blog friend, whether you like it or not.
"Mommy, why are you laughing and crying? Why is there poop on the floor? Who is that guy?"
Lessi's cries made me almost angry at you, though. That was a close one...
Again, I am so happy for your kids that they have such a fun dad. Fury's future as an actor has great potential.
What a great way to start my morning.
Oh, I could use some wipes. A new nephew/niece is on its way. Gracias.
Okay, the last 2 were AWESOME. That executive should be kicked in the balls for letting your talented ass go elsewhere.
Two words. "Kids"
Sounds to me like your entire blog is full of.......well never mind.
Cheap wipes are always a big mistake. I use baby wipes even now that I haven't had to change a diaper in 3 years. They're great for everything.
Don't include me in the giveaway though. I want someone who lives with a daily need of needing an awesome butt wiping implement to have them.
I would love Huggies.... but as long as they use DMDM Hydantoin as their preservative I will NOT be buying them. :( Relative of formaldehyde on my babies skin? I think not. Homemade wipes R us!
Poop story:
On holidays in Cuba with the boy at about 14 months, we took our day trip from the resort to Havana - a 2.5 hour bus ride each way and a very long set of walking tours in the sun. Our boy was doing great, and was everybody's darling, but the change in food had certainly gotten to his digestion, and he was pooping like a madman. During our afternoon lunch stop, we realized that we had underestimated our diaper, wipe, and clothes needs for the day. To reduce risks, we were doing double duty on a change with him standing up on a concrete wall (no changing facilities in Havana), and just as he got the diaper off - bam! A huge squirt of poop flew out, passed narrowly between our waists and splatted on the sidewalk! A super close call, but it saved us a diaper and a wipe! Without that extreme good luck, we would have been completely out, and had a very rough 2.5 hour ride back.
LOL LOVE YOUR COMMERCIAL
LOVE. Hilarious :) Wipe da BUUUUUUUT! Although you better watch you don't get called by CPS for leaving Lessie on the table while you held the camera out of arms reach. j/k
Enjoyed your video on Huggies.com which lead me to find your blog. Hysterical!
Thanks for the great laughs. These spoof commercials are even better.
Truth: we use cloth diapers and I still use Huggies wipes.
OUCH! That video made me laugh until my diet pepsi went up my nose.... Painful but oh so worth it!!!
Thanks for the Huggies Wipes Give-Away! We are now well stocked.
It is much appreciated :)
OMG! That was awesome! I am going to walking around saying "wipa da butt" all day!