Excellent, particularly the pie. I've had more heartburn from pies than anything else.

Simple idea, powerful visual - I smell GOLD!

Isn't this just a copy of Harold Edgerton's work?

No, not really.

Edgerton's work was groundbreaking for photography, and showed us things that were hidden by their normal speed. Although the work was often strikingly beautiful, his purpose for the photos was for the advancement of science and photography.

The purpose of the Alka-Seltzer ad is to sell Alka-Seltzer, using the tools that Edgerton devised (or at least their current equivalents). To say that this is just a copy of his work, is to say that an ad for the Ford Escort is just a copy of Oogh's work (just my name here for the first guy to invent the wheel).

Also, the professor never used PhotoShop** on his pictures... ;->

**==> Yes, I know it's trademarked. The professor died in January of the year Adobe's Version 1 (for the Mac) was introduced.

Note: Edgerton said: "The trick to education, is to teach people in such a way that they don't realize they're learning until it's too late."

I'm not able to see the difference between a photo of a high-speed projectile passing through an apple or a banana (Egerton) and photo of a high-speed projectile passing through a pork-chop or a pie (Alka-seltzer).

Except that Edgerton is not selling Alka-Seltzer, or bullets. If he was selling anything, it was high-speed, stroboscopic photography.

By your reckoning, every ad that features a happy household sitting around the kitchen table, is the same as the first person who took a picture of his happy family, just for himself.

Edgerton's photos were quite startling at the time, and we [generic everyone] discovered that we could use photography as a tool to study ultra high speed processes.

The fact that the photos for the Alka-Seltzer ad are identical in style and nearly so in content, does not mean there is no difference. The ad drives home its point, that their product 'cuts through food', quite well; and since the photos are striking, they are more memorable (which, of course, enhances the desired effect of the ad).

I don't think that this is the first use of either Edgerton's photos, or the technique, in advertising. I seem to recall someone using one of his shots (ha ha) to show that their product was able to 'cut' through the background and standout against its competitors. [I think it was the bullet through the card(s) shot - It may have been a print ad for Maxell tapes***, back in the 1980's].
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***==> Of course, Maxell had that great TV and print ad of a guy [well-dressed, and apparently wealthy - the TV version showed his butler] sunk down in his chair, in front of his stereo system (which is playing "The Flight of the Valkyries" - in the TV version, obviously), and his martini glass is tipping over from the force of the sound, and his scarf is blowing back behind him, and he is sort of squashed down further into his chair.

Maxell - Blown Away (1979) 0:30 (USA)

Now, I thought it was obvious that the photo-chopping (pun on the pork chop! I know, that's so terrible) was a straight up homage to Edgerton's bullet & food item (usually fruit).

See, the really classic version of that ad was the Peter Murphy (from Bauhaus) one. I guess he looked too European for the US market.

Really? I've never seen that one. Must get it.

Badland ready now? Eclipse chewing gum...

Good find. Very similar.

For some reason, the Eclipse ad reminds me of Freshen-up gum - aka, "cum gum". (From many years ago).