Copy That

2014catchphraseclassic

Copy That is a catchphrase and exploitable image lifted from a cringe-inducing December 2014 EB Games Canada commercial for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, in which a lanky-necked store clerk softly says the line to two hyped-up customers. The screenshot of the clerk quickly turned into a photoshop template on 4chan and Tumblr.

advertising memescatchphrase memesexploitable templatescringe memescall of duty memes

Overview

Copy That is a two-word catchphrase and reaction image pulled from a 30-second EB Games Canada TV spot promoting Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare1. The line is delivered by an actor playing a store clerk who greets two frantic customers rushing in to buy the game, replying to their request with a soft, almost whispered 'copy that'3.

Most of the meme's staying power comes from the clerk himself. The screenshot people latched onto shows him with a strikingly long, thin neck and an awkward smile, which quickly made him a target for photoshop edits on 4chan3. In military and gaming slang, 'copy that' is just an acknowledgement meaning 'I heard you,' which is why the phrase also fit right into Call of Duty jokes6.

How It Spread

On December 19th, 2014, a link to the ad was posted to Reddit's r/videos, where it hit the front page with more than 3,800 upvotes and over 2,200 comments before the thread was archived2. The next day, MemeCenter ran a writeup calling it 'EB Games Makes The Absolute Worst Ad, Copy That!' which pushed the video to a wider audience3.

Within 48 hours the clip was re-posted to r/xboxone on December 21st and, more absurdly, to r/poetry on December 22nd, where users treated the clerk's line like a piece of minimalist verse5. Around the same time, screenshots of the clerk started showing up on 4chan boards including /v/, /tv/ and /s4s/, plus threads on GameFAQs picking apart the man's neck3.

On December 27th, a Facebook page went up dedicated to photoshops of the clerk, followed a day later by a single-topic Tumblr collecting the same kind of edits3. From there, 'Copy That Guy' settled in as one of those pre-2015 gaming commercial memes people still trot out whenever a stiff retail ad goes viral4.

How to Use This Meme

Two common uses. First, the phrase itself: dropping a soft, deadpan 'copy that' in reply to any request, mimicking the clerk's delivery for comedic effect6. Second, the exploitable: the head-and-shoulders shot of the long-necked clerk is typically pasted into other scenes, video game screenshots, or storefronts, with the joke resting on his awkward smile and neck rather than any specific caption3.

Frequently Asked Questions

Copy That

2014catchphraseclassic

Copy That is a catchphrase and exploitable image lifted from a cringe-inducing December 2014 EB Games Canada commercial for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, in which a lanky-necked store clerk softly says the line to two hyped-up customers. The screenshot of the clerk quickly turned into a photoshop template on 4chan and Tumblr.

advertising memes catchphrase memes exploitable templates cringe memes call of duty memes

Overview

Copy That is a two-word catchphrase and reaction image pulled from a 30-second EB Games Canada TV spot promoting Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare1. The line is delivered by an actor playing a store clerk who greets two frantic customers rushing in to buy the game, replying to their request with a soft, almost whispered 'copy that'3.

Most of the meme's staying power comes from the clerk himself. The screenshot people latched onto shows him with a strikingly long, thin neck and an awkward smile, which quickly made him a target for photoshop edits on 4chan3. In military and gaming slang, 'copy that' is just an acknowledgement meaning 'I heard you,' which is why the phrase also fit right into Call of Duty jokes6.

How It Spread

On December 19th, 2014, a link to the ad was posted to Reddit's r/videos, where it hit the front page with more than 3,800 upvotes and over 2,200 comments before the thread was archived2. The next day, MemeCenter ran a writeup calling it 'EB Games Makes The Absolute Worst Ad, Copy That!' which pushed the video to a wider audience3.

Within 48 hours the clip was re-posted to r/xboxone on December 21st and, more absurdly, to r/poetry on December 22nd, where users treated the clerk's line like a piece of minimalist verse5. Around the same time, screenshots of the clerk started showing up on 4chan boards including /v/, /tv/ and /s4s/, plus threads on GameFAQs picking apart the man's neck3.

On December 27th, a Facebook page went up dedicated to photoshops of the clerk, followed a day later by a single-topic Tumblr collecting the same kind of edits3. From there, 'Copy That Guy' settled in as one of those pre-2015 gaming commercial memes people still trot out whenever a stiff retail ad goes viral4.

How to Use This Meme

Two common uses. First, the phrase itself: dropping a soft, deadpan 'copy that' in reply to any request, mimicking the clerk's delivery for comedic effect6. Second, the exploitable: the head-and-shoulders shot of the long-necked clerk is typically pasted into other scenes, video game screenshots, or storefronts, with the joke resting on his awkward smile and neck rather than any specific caption3.

Frequently Asked Questions