They may not have had actual products, and we now know they never made actual money, but several dot-com companies ponied up some nice ads over the past two years. Even the Super Bowl won't be the same without them.
Pets.com and their funny little sock puppet? Buh-bye.
Oxygen.com and the baby girl who raised her fist high? Barely breathing.
But they were clever spots, and rightfully so they had to be. These companies grew from nothing, had no image, no appreciable difference from competitors, and HAD to stand out. The zanier the better. Anything that would get people talking about your dot-com on dot-Monday at the dot-watercooler. (Damn...I promised myself I wouldn't do that. Oh well...)
The Giver has become a Goner as send.com closes. Anyone seen slacker Stu buying stocks online lately? Shatner's quirky lounge singing spots for Priceline.com are all gone. MotherNature.com was a real bitch -- she packed it up and called it quits last November. The list goes on and on. (click here for www.fuckedcompany.com)
Hopefully, old stand-bys like Pepsi and Budweiser and Snickers and Visa can find a way to save the Super Bowl. But can anything save the dot-com advertising?