In a previous post, I bemoaned the loss of the Ajax knight, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and other personable brand symbols. These days, I lamented, we’re all too sophisticated to identify with such silly characters. But I was wrong. The Brawny paper towel man, a brand symbol since 1974, lives on, though he’s evolved over time.

Have you seen the new Brawny TV spot, or his image on the package lately? He looks like a gay teen’s dreamboat. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. For a funny take on this brand symbol’s evolution, see this blog post from 2004.

Wouldn’t you want your brand symbol to represent how strong and tough the product is? To me, a “brawny” guy reeks of testosterone, sweat and whiskey and is strong enough to uproot trees one-handed. “Brawny” this guy is not. Fer heaven’s sake, he’s wearing a white tee under his shirt that conceals any manly chest hair he might have! Women and gay teens protest!

Great balls of fire, this new TV spot is so lame I can hardly believe it. Take a look for yourself.

Did the Brawny brand people miss the boat on this one? Are gay teen boys really their target market? Or, as some have opined, do women who love the pictures on the covers of historical romance novels go for this type of clean-shaven, friendly, unthreatening hunk? IOW, a gay guy? The guys on those covers are brawny. And they have long, flowing locks, not the neat executive cut Mr. Brawny has.

And by the way, is the animation of him supposedly singing (ugh) as choppy as it looks to me? It’s like one of those foreign movies dubbed in English, where the lips and the words have nothing to do with each other.

Tell me, what do you think of the symbol and the advertising wisdom or idiocy of his look?

Sock monkey and his friends take a fun-filled road trip from Las Vegas to NYC in a new Kia Sorento. Love the sock monkey riding a mechanical bull and getting a tatto sewn on. Music is by The Heavy, “How You LIke Me Now.” The spot’s humor drives home the selling message: Hey, you can cut loose and have a ball when you have a 2011 Kia Sorento! Imagine it targets older teens or early 20s, though almost anyone this side of 70 would enjoy the fun these toys are having.

Another 2011 Sorento ad features a family traveling through a forest mysteriously furnished with framed family photographs, furniture and fixtures. Tag line: “Feel at home wherever you go.” It’s okay but much more laid-back than the monkeyshines spot. Aimed at families with kids, apparently.

What about the sock monkey spot? How you like it now?

The Geico “pothole” spot for emergency road repair always makes me giggle. Yeah, I like hick humor, okay? I hoot at “My Name is Earl,” Bill Engvall’s “There’s Your Sign” and Ron White’s “They Call Me Tater Salad,” too. I grew up in Mexico, MO, “Little Dixie,” so it can’t be helped.

But to salvage my cultural credentials, I also like Monty Python and Black Adder. And Restoration comedies. Well, some of them. Did that save my credentials or damage them further?

Ever since I saw the first Palm Pre TV spot, I’ve had a creepy feeling about that pale woman with the intestine-shaped hairdo and the monotonous voice. Turns out maybe I’m not alone.

This study finds people generally like the spots. In fact, they report feeling “inspiration” and “happiness.” But their interest flags noticeably when the spokeswoman is the key subject, or even when she turns to face them. Well, after all, what are they selling here, a girl or a smartphone? People are interested in the gadget, not the actress, no matter how bizarre she looks.

I wonder what thinking went into the design of this spokeswoman’s hair style, makeup and dress (I guess there’s a dress; the thin straps are all we can see). Is she supposed to be “simple,” like the Pre? Magical? Zenlike? Tranquilized? I’m stumped.

The actress’ preternatural calm is disturbing, like that of a serial killer or one of those pod people (how ironic!) from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” I know I shouldn’t let my distaste for her bias me against the Pre, but it’s difficult to set aside the key element of the campaign. Maybe that’s the problem. The Pre should be the star, not a pod person.

Oh, and by the way, some viewers thought the ads were from Sprint. Uh-oh.

You can participate in the study online by going to MediaCurves.com.