We had to get your (and our) attention back on this blog somehow, so went to the old tactic of put a swimsuit model in it.

But today there’s a reason. We’re celebrating the birthday of Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton.  The media and websites everywhere are using this week (which also has also Flag Day as an official holiday), as an excuse to post pictures of this patriotic symbol of our country.  See Business Insider as the most gratuitous author.

Now you may ask- What does the Kate Upton have to do with pest control? Answer – cockroaches!  Did you know that Kate Upton, aside from appearing on magazine covers and in Mercedes Benz ads, and Sobe beverage commercials, also appeared in a TV commercial with talking cockroaces?

As the Daily News wrote:

The curvaceous blond bombshell, who poses in a on the cover of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, stars in an upcoming TV commercial for Zoo York that has been deemed too risqué for the general public. In the ad [for a sakateboard manufacturer], Upton is seen jogging through Tompkins Square Park in New York’s East Village neighborhood as the skate brand’s infamous “talking” cockroaches provide expletive-ridden commentary along the sidelines.

See the ad here, which includes language that is not family friendly, and an alternative version that shows how jealous Kate makes the narrator’s girlfriend.

Just a comment on the commercial itself- we’re a pest control company, are pop culture afficionados, and pay close attention to advertising because we’re always trying to improve our communications with current or prospective customers – a lot of people don’t like talking insects, and if you have your insects using profanity, it greatly limits your ad’s ability to appear on most broadcast and cable channels, limiting your advertising reach.  It also raises the question of what the product the advertiser is selling. (We didn’t find the skateboards shown to be nearly as memorable as the model and the roaches…..)

*As a footnote, Tompkins Square Park, where the ad took place, is known for having terrible pest control problems – with rats in particular. Let’s hope thye advertisers don’t use this as an excuse to include talking rats in a new commercial.