This week’s Rad is extremely serious.

Texas Instruments wanted to remind parents of the 80s that a child’s mind is not a f@&%ing joke.   They get the message across with an image of a kid who’s clearly got it going on in the brain department. So innocent, so inspired. Uuh, hell yes he can spell AND do math. With tools like Spelling B, Mr. Challenger and Math Marvel hovering above his head, he can pretty much plan on being a presenter at the upcoming TED conference.

The headline says it all… Literally, there are no other words on the page. And why should there be? Texas Instruments does the right thing by not junking it up with, I don’t know, their logo or anything. This is as much a PSA as it is an ad for a calculator company that would go on to make millions with their TI-83 graphing calculators.  You know, the ones used by 8th graders everywhere to play the shit out of games like Tetris and Block Dude.

So while your kid is almost certainly using TI products to play games in Pre-Algebra class, you can be sure that Texas Instruments is not playing games with their mind.

…then you are going to friggin’ love this new blog I found. It’s called I’m Remembering! and it features all the rad stuff us kids of the 80s and early 90s grew up with. And if you weren’t a kid during the neon age, you probably had one, or knew one, or at least saw one at the mall while you were buying Reeboks, so check it out and soak up some sweet rays of nostalgia.

In this week’s Rad, Jovan Musk answers the question that I myself have been asking for far too long.

If only I would have seen this Rad years ago!  I could have avoided that whole super low-rise jean phase.  And I sure as heck would have been eating a lot more peaches covered in…. yogurt?  Anyway, as you can see here, Jovan Musk has provided the masses with a no-nonsense guide to bringing sexy back.  High-waisted denim dual butt grabbing?  Check.  Making out at low tide and in a mall food court?  Check, check.  What is sexy?  Collages are what sexy is.  They couldn’t be more clear if they printed this thing on transparent vellum.

So okay, this hasn’t exactly been The Weekly Rad.  It may be more accurate, but The Whenever I Feel Like It Rad just doesn’t sound as good.

Anyway, this week’s Rad is a special request from one of our very own rad Switch dudes, Coder.

The bold and baggy fashions worn here by this fun loving threesome are called Skidz*.  This Rad features just three of the endless number of wacky prints available.  But as you can see, Skidz go with pretty much everything, especially straw hats.  With a drawstring waist and extremely relaxed fit throughout, you couldn’t ask for a more comfortable pair of pants for that awkward third-wheel situation you’ve gotten yourself into.

*Fanny pack not included.

I seriously love kids.  They are funny and weird, and usually have a good snack on hand.  I love them even more when they are featured in Rads, like the kids below.  Let’s assess.

Look how much fun they’re having!  Just hugging and leaning, acting totally natural.  The wardrobe choice is great here, too.  When neon sweats are unavailable, primary colors are the obvious alternative.  Add a few scrunchies and some shades on a rope, and you’ve got pure Rad gold.  Make the logo bigger?  Naaah… more like make these stylin’ kids bigger.  Thanks, Jess, for the submission of this Rad.

I’d like to preface this post by saying that I love my job. I am totally jazzed about being a copywriter. Switch is the coolest, and my professional life is turning out to be waaaay friggin’ cooler than all of my friends’.

However, in those moments when I’m not wrapped up in a cool project or scouring the internetz for the newest, coolest thing those kooky creatives out there are doing, I begin to feel a little bummed out about the industry.  Don’t get me wrong, there is some seriously cool shiz happening these days.  But I feel like, as a consumer, most of what I see on TV and in print somehow manages to try way too hard and be totally meh at the same time.  I’m bored with your lame lifestyle imagery of moms wearing sweater sets and kids making messes.  I don’t think your TV spot is funny just because it’s absurd.  And seriously, stop ruining songs that I like by pairing them with shots of a stunt-driving car.

I long for a simpler time, when advertisers said ridiculous things about products, but said them with feeling.  A time of shameless plays on word and windbreakers.  A time of neon anything, acid wash jeans and hair mousse. That’s right, folks, I’m talking about the ‘80s and I want them back.  I want to see more throwback creative in the world, and not just for the sake of being throwback.  But because it’s simple, straightforward and cool looking.  That’s why I’m starting a movement.

It’s called Radvertising and it starts now.

Radvertising is any ad produced during the decade of my birth (yeah, I’m a millennial, so?)  These timeless pieces of artistic genius usually feature bright colors, double exposure images, overt sexual innuendos and models in silly poses.  I’m starting a new feature, The Weekly Rad, right here on the switch blog, so check back often for your ‘80s ad fix.

This week’s Rad comes to us from Reebok, an obvious superstar of ‘80s fashion advertising.  It features bright colors, reverb graphics and the headline “Sizzlin’ Hot Neon.”  The body copy sings, and pretty much makes me want to search for these bad boys on eBay right this minute.  Because seriously dudes, life is not a spectator sport.

Also, I’m thinking about creating my own Rads in my free time, so email me if you have something you’d like to radvertise.