Various quick intercuts between different people in different walks of life — sitting on a couch, lying in bed, sitting at a lunch counter, sitting in an office, looking through a store window, sitting at a shoe shine station — looking at something and saying the same word. “Sputnik.” “Sputnik.” “Sputnik.”
We keep cutting back to the same people, as they are more insistent. “Sputnik!” “Sputnik!” “Sputnik!”
Each time they get more frantic, more commanding, more shrill. “Sputnik!!” “Sputnik!!” “SPUTNIK!!!!”
Cut to a generic, rather tentative-looking game show contestant on the TV. “Uh … Skylab?”
“Game Show Network. You know you know.”
They’ve done this same thing with “Marsupial” (“Rodent?”) and “Botulism” (“Salmonella?”). If you’ve ever shouted at some idiot on TV who couldn’t figure out the blindingly obvious answer, you’ll love this one.
Of course, it helps if you watch the Game Show Network. Which we do, to excess. It sounds really funny. But it’s really fun.
(Actually, “The ‘Botulism’ spot earned Game Show Network a Silver Lion while ‘Sputnik’ and ‘Marsupial’ made the Cannes Lion Shortlist. Cannes Lion Awards are determined at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, which celebrates the latest in creative advertising from around the world. Over 19,000 entries were received for Cannes Lion 2001 consideration.” From NewsRe.)