Two ads, broadcast back-to-back on network television in the United States this past Monday night (September 2, 2013), caught my eye.

Oscar Mayer (which you may remember if born prior to 1990 as that baloney company), ran this ad. Titled “What You See Is What You Get,” this ad features a grandfatherly character who is amusing due to his overly honest answers. The idea is that Oscar Mayer’s products are honest; that the transparent packaging is representative of their all-natural goodness and nutritional value. What the ad really says is “Hey! We may be an old brand from an age gone by, but we’re comfortable enough to be honest with you.” [Unlike the denying-our-age-by-embarrassing-ourselves approach that is the Miracle Whip brand.] Oscar Mayer is too old to care about you or your delicate, organic granola sensibilities. In its day, you were just happy your baloney had a first and a last name.

Sprint, unfortunately, went with the zombie-themed spot seen here. This one featured a sales woman selling an undead customer on their new wireless plans. The idea is to capitalize on the youth trend of zombies, with a humorous play-off of their “unlimited for life” cellular service package. Unlike Oscar Mayer, though, Sprint is apparently tone deaf to their brand’s image as the distant third-place carrier. In this case, it’s actually Sprint who is the zombie, with the ironically implied message being what good is an unlimited for life guarantee if your carrier is already dead?

Ironically or not, both advertisements give a more or less truthful depiction of the brands they are promoting. Always be cognizant of what exactly you are relating to your brand’s image.