Levis wants you to skate. FedEx, not so much.

FedEx, Gatorade Propel, and Levis Dockers all have commercials currently airing using skateboards. They range from pretty good to average. Decode my cryptic title with video links and commentary after the jump.

TV Commercials featuring skateboarding

FedEx

First up is this FedEx commercial which is actually the best one. The office types are trying to figure out why they aren’t productive, and the punch line of the joke is that there is a half pipe in the office. As you can see in this still, they have the legal warning: “PROFESSIONAL STUNTMEN. DO NOT ATTEMPT” which is pretty funny actually. Do not attempt to skateboard? Do not attempt to ride a half pipe? Do not attempt to pretend that you can’t ride a skateboard? This has got to be one of the signs of the apocalypse. Apparently, you can’t show any physical activity on TV without warning people not to do it. I guess we are all supposed to just sit in front of the TV and watch commercials. In any case, it’s still a funny commercial. I wish they showed a tighter shot of the ramp. I’ll bet this was a fun shoot. Maybe someone on the production staff has some set stills they could send in.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=LZbDlsoj_k0

Propel Fitness Water

Next up is this Gatorade commercial for Propel fitness water. It’s one of a series where a drop of water explodes into an athlete doing some sort of sport. This one has the added cleverness of a technique that is half Magritte influenced and half tromp l’oeil where the athletes are using fruit as part of their terrain. Ironically, there is no actual fruit juice in the product, see the disclaimer. Nice body jar and stale fish air though. You only need to watch the beginning. They had another commercial last year or so that also featured a skateboarder popping out of a drop of water. I think it was in a sink or something, and there was another segment in a subway car. I didn’t record it and it’s not up on their web site. Surprisingly, Gatorade does not have a professional skateboarder on their roster. They’ve got volleyball players though. Go figure. This commercial isn’t that new. Does anyone know who did the stunts?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cjsTTjOLwoI

Levis Dockers

Lastly, and weakest all around is a commercial for a product and demographic that I despise. The emphasis in this commercial is that you can wear Dockers to work or to play golf in. Great. Towards the end there is a short bit with the dad and son riding skateboards down a sidewalk. Surprisingly, dad doesn’t have a helmet or a disclaimer. The Levis company wants you to skate, but FedEx doesn’t. I wonder if the choice was made to put dad on a longboard in order to convey that he was a more spiritual and sage athlete than the little kid. Or perhaps so he wouldn’t seem robbed of his dignity? By the look of Dad’s “I’m taking a crap while riding this board” stance, I’m guessing it was to keep him from falling on his ass. Blink and you’ll miss it.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dE_Y9Cl3CYI