Slapstick violence: since the earliest days of comedy it’s been a foolproof way to make ‘em laugh. Reebok’s Super Bowl XXXVII commercial had plenty, along with an amusing premise (boosting office productivity), an element of surprise, and solid one-liners.

The spot was roundly praised by critics and viewers alike that year, though whether it actually succeeded in boosting Reebok’s brand is questionable. According to one poll after it aired, just 55% of viewers recalled that the ad was affiliated with Reebok. Even though Reebok itself considered it a success, citing a 4-fold increase in online sales, it’s still a good reminder to consider whether misaligned subject matter may cause your ad to become a victim of the vampire effect.

Terry Tate: Office Linebacker was a series of short comedy television commercials created by Rawson Marshall Thurber for Reebok based on a short film pilot Peter Chiarelli created in 2000; Tate was first shown at Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003. The short films feature Lester Speight as "Terrible" Terry Tate, an American football linebacker who "gives out the pain" to those in the office who are not obeying office policies.

Originally, Reebok produced six episodes between August to December 2002 with another episode Terry Tate, Office Linebacker: Sensitivity Training being made on February 1, 2004. Even Reebok in the United Kingdom made an episode called Late Lunch on January 22, 2005. There are a total of 9 episodes. The advertising campaign was one of the most successful of those in the history of the Super Bowl halftime shows.

The catchphrases include "The pain train's comin'", "You kill the joe, you make some mo'", "You can't cut the cheese wherever you please!", "'Cause when it's game time, it's pain time!", "Don't bring that weak-ass stuff up in this humpy-bumpy" and "Woo-woo!" After tackling a worker, Terry usually leaves him with a "WOOH! Bitch!!!"

While the first episode of the series implies that hiring an office linebacker is a highly unorthodox practice (one described as "thinking outside the box"), future episodes depict office linebackers as a common occurrence.

Though successful in attracting viewers and attention, the ads' ability to increase recognition of the Reebok brand has been questioned, with only 55% of respondents on an on-line poll indicating they realized the ad was affiliated with the company. Despite being aired only once on national television, the short was downloaded more than seven million times from Reebok's website.