John Krasinski=Not Cute Enough

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Hey, I have an article on the show "Best Week Ever" in the LA Times right now. Check it out!

So John Krasinski is in a new Gap ad.

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What is this? I'm not quite sure what the "message" of this ad is. Is he supposed to be appealing to women in some way? I think that I'm supposed to get adorability from this picture, but I'm not quite sure. The signals are unclear: the scruffy hair, the puppy dog eyes, the bashful smirk, the cute awkward pause or the hands casually stuffed into the pockets? Are you supposed to be charming or something?

I am pretty sure that the ad is supposed to do with warmth. This young man will surely warm your heart, and so will a scarf! OK, I get the 'warmth' thing from the clothing but again, whether Mr. Krasinski is supposed to be lovable or not is somewhat nebulous, so I have an idea for how to make it seem a little clearer on how we are supposed to perceive him:

John1
Myspace Glitter Graphics

I don't know, though. It makes me go "aw!" but it doesn't make me scream "AAAWWWW I LOVE HIM SO MUCH I WANT HIM TO BE MY BOYFRIEND AND WE CAN HAVE MATCHING SCARVES TOGETHER AWWWW!"

You know what everyone likes? Christmas. (Well, most everyone.) This ad has come out during the holiday season, so maybe the public will find Mr. Krasinski more endearing if he shows a little holiday spirit. How about a team of happy gingerbread man friends?

Christmas John
Make your own Glitter Graphics

It's still cute but it's not, you know, so cute I want to stab myself. Plus, the gingerbread men are sort of distracting from John and we can't have that. So here, Gap people. Since neither you nor John Krasinski could get the message across that he's supposed to be cozy and adorable, I propose this as my final suggestion on how to increase his likeability in the ad:


JOHNALLOUT
Glitter Graphics

It's a little subtle but I think it might work.