Hasta La Creative!

Chili’s is a bit late to the table (ha!) with The Office-style humor in a pair of TV spots that have workplace themes. “Sling Dog” features a street vendor who slingshots food up into office buildings, as a giant chili pepper rolls by on a flatbed truck. In “Musical Chairs,” bored drones at a meeting play the kids’ game, and a giant chili pepper approaches outside on a scaffold outside. In each case, the appearance of the chili is accompanied by Seinfeld-ian funky-bass musical cues. So, we get references to a pair of classic sitcoms, but few real laughs to speak of. Still, the ads work well enough in a self-consciously goofy way, and the giant peppers give spot-on performances. Frankly, those of us who’ve eaten at Chili’s would take our chances with whatever the SlingDog guy sends up.

—Posted by David Gianatasio