Applebee's Making Amends

If you watched any amount of last year's NCAA basketball tournament, you probably remember the Applebee's commercials that featured two guys singing the Gilligan's Island theme song, rewritten to be about some kind of a shrimp special. You probably remember this because 1) you hated it, and 2) it was on 6 times per half hour of tournament coverage.

If you're tortured by these memories, rest easy: Applebee's is killing them. Not literally murdering them, just losing the ad campaign. And I know what you're thinking. Just now? Yes. Just now. From the Kansas City Star, with thanks to a guy named Dave for the tip:

"While they were certainly memorable, they were also very polarizing," Dave Goebel, president and chief operating officer, said of the three ads, which started running earlier this year. Goebel also told Wall Street analysts that research showed the ads did not focus enough on the food. Bloggers and critic Bob Garfield of Advertising Age had a field day with the campaign, skewering it more than the grilled shrimp promoted in one of the spots.

Well, tough break, Applebee's guys. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have found the commercials so mercilessly unpleasant had I not been forced to watch them roughly 20 times per day over a two-week span. When March rolls around, we will certainly find someone else to hate.

'Applebee's Guys' dumped: We're just not into you [Kansas City Star] Applebee's Is Taking Over Your Life [Deadspin]