The ads may have been effective, sure.
It's not really the point.
BUT, personally I found them wayyy too cutesy.
And I still like Dan Savages quote calling it "Oregons Bullshit Twee"

Probably should have responded with a "heh heh" and forgotten about it like everyone else. But this seems to be an internal letter for employees, so maybe it had to be addressed. Either way, showing a sense of humor is always a better approach.

There's no defending those ads. Did they put a bird on their press release?

I hold Laura Gibson solely responsible for denying me access to a $5,000 deductible. Curse you, woman. May your co-pays forever progressively increase for non-prescription drugs!!

(high fives self)

Mark Ray makes some good points in his response but really, he shouldn't take it personally. Whether or not you like the kooky ads, North isn't to blame, reasonable people understand that. Oracle, those who allocated the money and then failed at oversight are. Personally, I thought Oliver's parody was brilliant. Regardless, I'm sure there's plenty left of that 9.9 Million dollar contract to restore their image AND have money left over for weed, PBR's, and a couple new pairs of skinny jeans. Hell, bring in a ukulele and have a Portlandia celebratory sing along. Just invite me.. some of those tax dollars were mine. Live Long, Oregon. You still are the best place to live in the country!