In normal times, a spot featuring a dimwit and the girlfriend of a dimwit might have limited appeal for viewers who feel they fit into neither of those categories. But the once-every-four-years World Cup is not a normal time for hundreds of millions of soccer fans around the globe, and this spot for MTV International capitalizes on that fact. (La Comunidad/La Comunidad-Summer created the campaign, set to air on MTV channels outside the U.S.) With so many people intent on watching the tournament's month of matches, other entertainment media are apt to feel neglected. But instead of sulking, MTV International expresses its understanding of those folks -- including the fellow in this Russian-language spot who has eaten dozens of cans of dog food so he can send in the labels' coupons and maybe win a promotional trip to South Africa for the tournament. When our hero's girlfriend suggests he could have sent in the labels without having actually eaten the dog food, he confesses that this expedient hadn't occurred to him. Granted, most viewers won't carry their World Cup obsession to such stupid lengths. But they'll like being addressed as people whose interest in the World Cup explains why they aren't watching as much MTV as they usually do. People enjoy feeling they're part of an intense, global event, and events don't get much more intense and global than the World Cup. By acknowledging (and exaggerating) their interest in it, MTV subtly flatters these viewers even while underscoring its credentials as a global channel that's in tune with global sensibilities. --Mark Dolliver