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Bah, Humbug!Castigating Christmas at the office.

Compiled by Geoffrey AndersenUpdated Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, at 4:13 PM ET

(Continued from page 6)

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In sharp disagreement, cbattle judges the production value excellent:

…examples of the best in Flash animation in the industry today. As for it looking "dated", that couldn't be further from the truth: The ads are part of a very contemporary style of animation with roots in mid-century animation/illustration that gained prominence with "Samurai Jack" in 2000, and continues to this day with shows like "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends".

Last but not least, knotstandingstill laments the growing trend of using cartoon characters in ads:

Cartoons do not require enormous sums of compensation, nor do they merit any royalties. They also garner the attention of the youngest viewers...thereby setting up that name recognition before they even know that one day, they too, will need car insurance…
The most annoying cartoon character trend is the goofy and/or silly voice-overs. Though this is more prevelent in radio advertising, it has too many diciples in television. These same geniuses just got FAT off of a slew of political ads. They should be rounded up, and horse whipped.

You will find the Ad Report Card Fray brimming with other strident opinions on the matter. Interesting note: in contrast to the flashy style of its ads, the Esurance Web site is astoundingly bland. AC … 1:30pm PT