A funny, but most interesting commercial

 Early this morning I was awakened by an agonizing pain in my left, little toe. I think I might have fractured it last night as I was putting my normally hurting feet — courtesy of neuropathy from a still undiscovered origin — up for rest.

 For some reason I had difficulty going back to sleep but it wasn’t just due to the pain. No, it was because I couldn’t remember all the lines in that hilarious Dos Equis TV commercial, “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” Click here to see the ad.

 The bearded, non-celebrity can be seen boating, playing jai alai or leading a night-time expedition with all in tow dressed in their finery. The voice-over proclaims that “His reputation is expanding faster than the universe. He once had an awkward moment just to see how it feels. He lives vicariously through himself. He is the most interesting man in the world.”

 Slate critic Seth Stephenson points out that the most interesting aspect of the ad is the subject’s line: “I don’t always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” Stephenson equates such an admission to Tony the Tiger saying he doesn’t like cereal but when he eats it, his brand is Frosted Flakes.

 It is difficult to imagine just to whom the advertiser is pitching. It would hardly be the “Whazzuppp???” crowds of bygone Bud Light ads or the other babe-laden  ads which equate drinking tons of beers with finding tons of fine women. Sometimes  it is hard to figure out just who an ad has been crafted for, especially when humor is involved. Humor crosses many different lines when it hits and just as many lines when it doesn’t.

 Nonetheless, hats off to the firm that came up with this campaign for its clever humor and its appeal to memory. It kept me up trying to remember it word for word this morning, didn’t it? Dos Equis has an accompanying Web site with the campaign, the funniest part of this medium is that the most interesting man supposedly leaves a note telling people to explore what’s around his place. There, in his study one finds a number of empty match boxes from foreign spots which can be opened and which contain local insults, something Mr. Most Interesting insists is helpful to know when operating in varied cultural climates.