Russell Brand and HP? Considering it’s targeting business customers for its Touchpad, you might think Brand is a pretty odd choice of frontman for its adverts. And you’d be right.
But it’s far from the strangest pairing, as our rundown of the 10 oddest tech adverts ever shows. Click through to see what brings together Mr. T, John Cleese, Andy Warhol, Chuck Norris, Quentin Tarantino and Nicolas Cage.
10 Russell Brand and the HP Touchpad
HP has enlisted Russell Brand to promote its Touchpad. Shame it wasn’t BlackBerry, with its PlayBooky-Wook. Or Barnes and Noble, with its Nooky-Wook. Anyway, here he is, espousing all the benefits of using a Touchpad, including the advantages of true multitasking. Now there’s something we didn’t think we’d ever write.
9 Andy Warhol and TDK
Crazy guy, crazy ad.
8 Bill Cosby and Texas Instruments Home Computer
Cosby was at the height of his fame when this ad aired in the mid 80s. “With 16k memory it can take you a long way.” Simpler times, clearly.
7 John Cleese and the Compaq 386
Remember when John Cleese was funny? Well here he is in an advert for Compaq in the mid 80s, comparing a computer with a fish, which is pretty inspired. Or more inventive than most PC ads nowadays, anyway. The bit with him laughing is a bit awkward though.
6 Mr. T and Hitachi Data System Virtualization
Fresh from his Snickers adverts, T rocks up in this ad for Hitachi’s corporate IT arm in 2007, and from the outfits and set, it’s clear where the budget went. Altogether now: “Intelligence in the network is for suckers.”
5 Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Atari Video Computer System
Nineteen seventy eight, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar was one of the most famous basketball players on the planet. Then he made this ad, and a couple of years later he starred in Airplane! Well at least he had a sense of humour about himself, which is more than we can say for most footballers.
4 Nicolas Cage and Sankyo Pachinko
Nic Cage has had an odd career, from testosterone-fuelled blockbusters like The Rock to the remake of The Wicker Man. But perhaps none weirder than this ad, which sees him answering questions at a press conference before… well, see for yourself.
3 Quentin Tarantino and PerfecTV
This is how you do an ad. Have someone famous jumping around in a fight scene, and keep it short, too. Bravo Tarantino, and strange Japanese TV service we’ve never heard of.
2 Kevin Bacon and the Logitech Revue
Kevin Bacon talking about Kevin Bacon? Yes, you read that right – Bacon plays a fan obsessed with Kevin Bacon, with only a token mention of the Logitech Revue at the end, powered by Google TV. Strange? Yes. But oddly hypnotic, if only for the lack of product placement.
1 Chuck Norris and T-Mobile
In the Czech Republic last year Chuck was seen advertising T-Mobile, playing up to his tough guy persona. In this one, he can’t stand seeing a carp being hit with a mallet. Remember, his tears can cure cancer, but he has never cried.
