The Money Mustache Community
Around the Internet => Antimustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy => Topic started by: hybrid on November 19, 2013, 12:07:11 PM
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Nominee number 1
Random credit card commercial (you can see what an impact it made) shows off consumers conspicuously picking up the lunch check, buying the daughter lots of concert tickets, etc. because owner gets double points or some such. Let me get this straight, spend lots and lots of money because the $50 ticket is now only $49????
(The sad thing is it probably works)
Nominee number 2
Fiancee of divorced/widowed Mom buys young daughter a piece of Open Heart jewelry that matches Mom's and gosh aren't we all one big happy family now. Creepy in all caps! Every time my wife and I see this we get the heebie-jeebies.
(The sad thing is it probably works)
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My husband and I call that open heart jewelry "fish hooks." I'd catch so much fish using one of those diamond-encrusted suckers! :D
(and yes, it works - see loads of those stupid things)
There is a cell phone one now about signing up for continuous updates - pay a fee to get the latest gadget as soon as it comes out so you're always on the "cutting edge"... talk about disposable electronics! You'd be tossing out a pretty advanced smartphone every year or less.
The Le Vian "chocolate" diamond commercials... that's creative marketing at its finest. They took the ugly, worthless brown diamonds and re-branded them as luxurious "chocolate" (they own the copyright for calling brown diamonds that - other companies are using cognac, mocha, etc... to cash in on the marketing) and now really silly people are spending big money on things that used to be "worth" diddley-squat. Granted, they do have some snazzy designers that come up with pretty settings, but it's all so sheep-like to spend big money on stuff because the company that is selling them tell you they are valuable.
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A recent one I noticed is a Ford F-150 commercial that goes something like "if you're trying to decide what kind of truck to get, just look over the fence at any construction site. There's your answer, the F-150."
There are SO many logical flaws with this argument that it makes my head spin! I never see F-150s at construction sites, I see CONSTRUCTION equipment (bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, backhoes, etc)! Even if I did, the logic suggests if I'm a real man I should be driving whatever is being used in support of MAKING A BUILDING? If I don't work in the construction industry (and the audience doesn't because the ad explicitly says to "look over the fence") how does that have any bearing on MY needs for a vehicle?
But okay, Ford, I'll take your advice. I'm driving a bulldozer to work from now on. Oh yeah, baby, and it was no money down!
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The Le Vian "chocolate" diamond commercials...
Oh my gosh yes.... Chocolate Diamonds? Seriously? It's exactly what your fancy-pants diamond ring would look like - if you dropped it in a mud puddle.
Jewelry is near the top of my list of most ridiculous things to spend hard-earned money on.
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A recent one I noticed is a Ford F-150 commercial that goes something like "if you're trying to decide what kind of truck to get, just look over the fence at any construction site. There's your answer, the F-150."
There are SO many logical flaws with this argument that it makes my head spin! I never see F-150s at construction sites, I see CONSTRUCTION equipment (bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, backhoes, etc)! Even if I did, the logic suggests if I'm a real man I should be driving whatever is being used in support of MAKING A BUILDING? If I don't work in the construction industry (and the audience doesn't because the ad explicitly says to "look over the fence") how does that have any bearing on MY needs for a vehicle?
But okay, Ford, I'll take your advice. I'm driving a bulldozer to work from now on. Oh yeah, baby, and it was no money down!
Most F-150s I see are absolutely immaculate. Hmmmm.... Work vehicle? More like Chocolate Diamonds for the testosterone crowd. Apologies to anyone who actually uses an F-150 for it's intended purpose, and at least the F-150 serves some purpose, unlike a diamond ring dropped in a mud puddle.
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A recent one I noticed is a Ford F-150 commercial that goes something like "if you're trying to decide what kind of truck to get, just look over the fence at any construction site. There's your answer, the F-150."
There are SO many logical flaws with this argument that it makes my head spin! I never see F-150s at construction sites, I see CONSTRUCTION equipment (bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, backhoes, etc)! Even if I did, the logic suggests if I'm a real man I should be driving whatever is being used in support of MAKING A BUILDING? If I don't work in the construction industry (and the audience doesn't because the ad explicitly says to "look over the fence") how does that have any bearing on MY needs for a vehicle?
But okay, Ford, I'll take your advice. I'm driving a bulldozer to work from now on. Oh yeah, baby, and it was no money down!
Most F-150s I see are absolutely immaculate. Hmmmm.... Work vehicle? More like Chocolate Diamonds for the testosterone crowd. Apologies to anyone who actually uses an F-150 for it's intended purpose, and at least the F-150 serves some purpose, unlike a diamond ring dropped in a mud puddle.
That goes for 99% of trucks though. I hauled more shit in my 4banger S-10 than probably 95% of all 1/2 ton pickups.
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The Le Vian "chocolate" diamond commercials... that's creative marketing at its finest. They took the ugly, worthless brown diamonds and re-branded them as luxurious "chocolate" (they own the copyright for calling brown diamonds that - other companies are using cognac, mocha, etc... to cash in on the marketing) and now really silly people are spending big money on things that used to be "worth" diddley-squat. Granted, they do have some snazzy designers that come up with pretty settings, but it's all so sheep-like to spend big money on stuff because the company that is selling them tell you they are valuable.
I've been wondering about this! I had never heard of a brown diamond before, and I think they look hideous...why not just take your ring setting and plop a turd on it? At least it's free!
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A recent one I noticed is a Ford F-150 commercial that goes something like "if you're trying to decide what kind of truck to get, just look over the fence at any construction site. There's your answer, the F-150."
There are SO many logical flaws with this argument that it makes my head spin! I never see F-150s at construction sites, I see CONSTRUCTION equipment (bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, backhoes, etc)! Even if I did, the logic suggests if I'm a real man I should be driving whatever is being used in support of MAKING A BUILDING? If I don't work in the construction industry (and the audience doesn't because the ad explicitly says to "look over the fence") how does that have any bearing on MY needs for a vehicle?
But okay, Ford, I'll take your advice. I'm driving a bulldozer to work from now on. Oh yeah, baby, and it was no money down!
Most F-150s I see are absolutely immaculate. Hmmmm.... Work vehicle? More like Chocolate Diamonds for the testosterone crowd. Apologies to anyone who actually uses an F-150 for it's intended purpose, and at least the F-150 serves some purpose, unlike a diamond ring dropped in a mud puddle.
Depends where you live/work/frequent. If your area includes a mix of blue collar types you will often see very well used pickups around. You might call mine a cowboy cadillac given that a lot of the ime it is just a commuter or grocery getter, but I tow a travel trailer with it, use it to haul all the firewood a pick up for free, and spend a fair amount of time going down forest service roads with it to go hunting.
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Depends where you live/work/frequent. If your area includes a mix of blue collar types you will often see very well used pickups around. You might call mine a cowboy cadillac given that a lot of the ime it is just a commuter or grocery getter, but I tow a travel trailer with it, use it to haul all the firewood a pick up for free, and spend a fair amount of time going down forest service roads with it to go hunting.
That makes sense. I wonder how many of those are new trucks? If I bought a new pickup truck I would be too scared of scratching the paint to take it off the pavement :)
I think Ford's marketing strategy is off, at least if they were to target me. I prefer the old Chevy "like a rock" ads: tell me your truck has value because it's going to last a really long time and work reliably. Recent truck ads I've seen are all about image, or the fact that it can do something ridiculous like tow the space shuttle orbiter (that one was the worst: guaranteed no one is going to do that again, with any vehicle, until maybe sea level rise threatens their museums in 50+ years).
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That makes sense. I wonder how many of those are new trucks? If I bought a new pickup truck I would be too scared of scratching the paint to take it off the pavement :)
Yeah. Like I tell my friends (who have newish pickups), it's not really a truck if you'd hesitate one second before filling the bed with a load of horse manure :-) My truck's an '88 Toyota, and gets used for hauling firewood, hay, and yes, the occasional load of horse manure, as well as driving on Forest Service/BLM roads. And this morning I used it to yank out a couple of stumps...
But back to TV commercials. I don't see many (don't own a TV, so only see it when at friends' houses), but I think the most amusing are the drug ones. You have maybe 30 seconds of actual ad for a drug to treat some (usually trivial) condition, followed by 30 seconds of listing possible side effects, such as "increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or sudden death" :-)
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But back to TV commercials. I don't see many (don't own a TV, so only see it when at friends' houses), but I think the most amusing are the drug ones. You have maybe 30 seconds of actual ad for a drug to treat some (usually trivial) condition, followed by 30 seconds of listing possible side effects, such as "increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or sudden death" :-)
Yes! The drug commercials that list the side effects are hilarious. Sometimes one of the side effects is the very thing it claims to treat.
Those commercials are powerful. One of my relatives, who watched TV almost 24/7, believed he had every ailment listed in any commercial. No one could dissuade him, not even after having tests that came back normal.
He wasn't always a hypochondriac, but sitting in front of the boob tube all the time after retirement apparently makes one susceptible to this kind of thinking.
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Depends where you live/work/frequent. If your area includes a mix of blue collar types you will often see very well used pickups around. You might call mine a cowboy cadillac given that a lot of the ime it is just a commuter or grocery getter, but I tow a travel trailer with it, use it to haul all the firewood a pick up for free, and spend a fair amount of time going down forest service roads with it to go hunting.
I have a used pickup, and it looks like a used pickup. Because I used it like a pickup. ;-) I just get a kick out of the spotless F-150s I see in the suburbs.
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My Wife needed a truck to pull her horse trailer (the horse can't live forever I keep telling myself).. She drives it about 10 miles a week (which at about 8mpg is thankful). I bought her an '89 F250 for $1400 with a genuine 40,000 miles on it.
Does exactly the same as the shiny new ones and it hauls gravel, a car trailer a few times, manure and even a rental trenching macine that weighed 10,000lbs..:)
New truck?.. What on Earth is the point?
Frank
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My Wife needed a truck to pull her horse trailer (the horse can't live forever I keep telling myself).. She drives it about 10 miles a week (which at about 8mpg is thankful).
New truck?.. What on Earth is the point?
Old trucks don't have a "man step". Duh.
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I'm really annoyed at the TD mortgage commercial that shows an older dad taking a "vacation" from his mortgage for a few payments so that he can pay for his daughter's wedding.
- why does a guy of his age still have a mortgage?
- why the requirement for the daughter to have a big wedding that none of the parties involved can afford without stopping payment on other debt?
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Random credit card commercial (you can see what an impact it made) shows off consumers conspicuously picking up the lunch check, buying the daughter lots of concert tickets, etc. because owner gets double points or some such.
These make me twitchy every time I see one. I sincerely feel for the people this ridiculous logic works on.
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Any anti-depressant ad on Hulu. Why do they liken depressed people to emotionless wind-up toys? Maybe it's to make people even more depressed...such evil genius!
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Also showing on Hulu now is one in which AmEx (?) protects you from identity theft by sending you an alert on your phone when someone makes a "suspicious transaction," and the girl in the coffee shop confirms that, yes, she spent ... $848 on a watch. What? http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7bs8/american-express-fraud-alert-too-comfortable
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Oh god, speaking of Hulu ads I saw the most terrifying one multiple times recently. It shows various stylish young women picking clothing and accessories out of their computer/tablet. A woman types trench coat into a search bar and pulls one out of her computer screen then gets to work and pulls some leopard print pumps out of a tablet, walks down some stairs with other attractive young women and reaches into her smartphone and plucks out some lipstick. New things constantly from online because that's what women my age need to see. It wasn't enough for Pinterest to give them a place to collect pictures of ridiculous and expensive things they don't need, now they need the constant reminder of how easy it could be for them to get all those items.
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Oh! Just remembered another one...
The two women are out shopping and one runs over to a frou-frou purse, and sings a little jingle about her insurance company (ya'll know the "good neighbor" song) and asks how much money they saved to the guy that just pops up... and proceeds to spend the savings on said purse. So ridiculous. You saved money so you can spend it all on stupid stuff! Hooray!
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My Wife needed a truck to pull her horse trailer (the horse can't live forever I keep telling myself).. She drives it about 10 miles a week (which at about 8mpg is thankful).
New truck?.. What on Earth is the point?
Old trucks don't have a "man step". Duh.
Duh, yourself. If you can get on a horse from the ground (mine's 16 hands, so the stirrup is just about level with my hip bones), you can get in a truck without needing a running board.
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How about the various Ford commercials for their vehicles with EcoBoost: "Wow, this (vehicle) is so (stylish/sporty/whatever) AND it gets great gas mileage." "Yes, imagine if it was (this) OR great gas mileage? That would be like (some silly thing like sweet or sour chicken, or hide or seek)." Then you look at the fine print and the "great gas mileage" they are talking about is 22city/33highway for a Ford Fusion! Or a Ford Explorer getting 16/22! Since when is that great gas mileage?
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These commercials serve at least a two-fold purpose - to encourage you to buy and/or to make their name or commercials more memorable than the other company's name or commercials.
Even if you don't buy anything but remember the ad, it's done part of its job. Just sayin'.
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Oh! Just remembered another one...
The two women are out shopping and one runs over to a frou-frou purse, and sings a little jingle about her insurance company (ya'll know the "good neighbor" song) and asks how much money they saved to the guy that just pops up... and proceeds to spend the savings on said purse. So ridiculous. You saved money so you can spend it all on stupid stuff! Hooray!
I posted on that one several months back, that post includes pictures and a summary from what is still, in my mind, the very worst commercial on TV. Five anti-mustachian cocncepts packed into 30 seconds.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/the-worst-commercial-on-television-today/
The sad thing is it probably works.
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How about the various Ford commercials for their vehicles with EcoBoost: "Wow, this (vehicle) is so (stylish/sporty/whatever) AND it gets great gas mileage." "Yes, imagine if it was (this) OR great gas mileage? That would be like (some silly thing like sweet or sour chicken, or hide or seek)." Then you look at the fine print and the "great gas mileage" they are talking about is 22city/33highway for a Ford Fusion! Or a Ford Explorer getting 16/22! Since when is that great gas mileage?
On the one hand I can see better gas mileage being a plus if you actually use a truck. But on the other hand, why would most people get a new truck if the goal was to economize?????
Agreed, it's ridiculous. 30K truck gets better gas mileage? Oh sure, that will pay for itself in time compared to the 8K used truck.... Then again, these folks are marketing to the consumers, not us. We just get to make fun of their ridicuolusness.
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A local car dealership's ad on the radio (new cars, not a used car lot):
"I tried to stop spending but I just couldn't, I wracked up a lot of credit card debt and ended up in bankruptcy (*tear). But this dealership approved me for a new car at an affordable payment!"
Like it is normal to do this and a positive thing that you can still take on a car payment after ending up in bankruptcy. Ads like this should be illegal.
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And you'll notice that the *payment* is what's affordable. The actual total cost of the car? Why don't they mention that?
I remember being shocked when I rode to a friend's wedding shortly after college with another old college buddy. We were riding in his brand new, loaded-to-the-gills F-150. He told me how he walked into the dealership and told a salesman that he wanted the best truck he could get for $650/mo. At the time, he was living with his parents and working for the local recreation department, probably at less that $30K/year. I had never realized that there were people who negotiated the monthly payment of a vehicle, rather than the total cost, but I have since learned that this is pretty much the norm.
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What's a commercial? But seriously I don't even listen to them on the radio, usually listening to the news or change the channel otherwise.
Then you look at the fine print and the "great gas mileage" they are talking about is 22city/33highway for a Ford Fusion! Or a Ford Explorer getting 16/22! Since when is that great gas mileage?
This bothers me to no end. I used to be able to get 35-40 mpg in my old oil-burning barely running civic. Even with added weight from new safety features you would think engine technology would keep up.
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What's a commercial? But seriously I don't even listen to them on the radio, usually listening to the news or change the channel otherwise.
If our goal is to help ourselves, we should encourage commercials, right? I mean, the radio is free because someone else pays for the commercials.
If the goal is to help society as a whole, then commercials are a disaster.
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The one that has really confused me recently is a cell phone ad. The people in it have gotten new smartphones, but suddenly see some 'better' smartphone, so now they want that instead, and so they create 'accidents' like dropping the phone in a blender or leaving it in a cab, or pitching it off a bridge so they have an 'excuse' to buy the new phone. But isn't it going to cost them either way? Why not at least keep the old new phone and sell it to cut your costs (or better yet, be satisfied with your $500 handheld brand new piece of modern magic, after all the cycle is endlless)
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The people in it have gotten new smartphones, but suddenly see some 'better' smartphone, so now they want that instead, and so they create 'accidents' like dropping the phone in a blender or leaving it in a cab, or pitching it off a bridge so they have an 'excuse' to buy the new phone. But isn't it going to cost them either way? Why not at least keep the old new phone and sell it to cut your costs?
Because most people with expensive phones pay for insurance on their phones? :)
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TV? Why would any mustachian waste time/money watching TV?
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TV? Why would any mustachian waste time/money watching TV?
Because a lot of what is on TV is art. Is art appreciation objectively bad? Or are some forms of art bad because they're not displayed in a fine arts museum?
EDIT: RE: money--TV is mostly free now, since TV channels willingly stream the latest episodes of their shows over the Internet.
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Hard to say if TV shows constitute art. If you think an advertisement is art, then fine. But I define art as something the artist produces as an expression of themselves more than as something she thinks society wants to see (of course an artist's identity is shaped by society so there's always some indirect elements of that). But a product that's produced specifically to appeal to a certain demographic of people is just formulaic and does not count as art in my book. That eliminates most of what's on TV, since TV shows live and die by ratings.
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Hard to say if TV shows constitute art. If you think an advertisement is art, then fine. But I define art as something the artist produces as an expression of themselves more than as something she thinks society wants to see (of course an artist's identity is shaped by society so there's always some indirect elements of that). But a product that's produced specifically to appeal to a certain demographic of people is just formulaic and does not count as art in my book. That eliminates most of what's on TV, since TV shows live and die by ratings.
I don't want to get into a whole big thing on the definition of art, but I will mention this. Throughout most of the last millennium, the church has been the only consistently rich institution in the Western world, which is why most of the music we know of from the years 1000-1500 (and further) is religious: the church was the only one who could afford the paper to write it down on. Obviously, as an establishment, the Christian church had no interest in secular works (these pieces got "bad ratings"), so these works died and have been erased from existence.
Same thing with the system of art patronage. Wealthy people supported artists they liked so the artists could continue making more art. Stop making art that your patron likes ("bad ratings" again) and you're back to physical labor.
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TV is an entertainment medium. Some of it can be seen as dramatic art (think Masterpiece Theater, for example) and some of it is clearly cheap entertainment (Judge Judy). I get that some folks never watch it, some watch a little, and some watch a lot. Moderation in all things I say, and a favorite saying about life is too short to drink bad beer applies to TV as well....
The commercials? Well, they don't produce this stuff for free. Since we as a society have not devoted sufficient resources (taxes) to over the air commercial free entertainment, then commercials (or fund drives on PBS) are the price we all pay.
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I don't watch much TV with commercials, so most of the time I have no idea what people are talking about when they describe this kind of stuff. I don't have cable. Instead, I either use Netflix, or I link my laptop to my TV with an HDMI cable and watch from network TV sites with an ad-blocker that prevents me from having to watch commercials. It is so much nicer to be able to watch programming without being bombarded by people trying to sell stuff. It really makes me reflect on my pre-Mustachian days and I have to admit that back then I was susceptible to all the commercial brainwashing. I had a ton of crap I didn't need.
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We use Hulu, so there is no getting around commercials. But there are less of them, and I will often use that time to put clothes in the wash, fold clothes, straighten up, etc.
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A recent one I noticed is a Ford F-150 commercial that goes something like "if you're trying to decide what kind of truck to get, just look over the fence at any construction site. There's your answer, the F-150."
This is a real man's F-150: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series_seventh_generation
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"there is no getting around commercials"
I guess I would question this.
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Nominee number 1
Random credit card commercial (you can see what an impact it made) shows off consumers conspicuously picking up the lunch check, buying the daughter lots of concert tickets, etc. because owner gets double points or some such. Let me get this straight, spend lots and lots of money because the $50 ticket is now only $49????
(The sad thing is it probably works)
Nominee number 2
Fiancee of divorced/widowed Mom buys young daughter a piece of Open Heart jewelry that matches Mom's and gosh aren't we all one big happy family now. Creepy in all caps! Every time my wife and I see this we get the heebie-jeebies.
(The sad thing is it probably works)
OMG - we totally watch as our skin crawls off our bodies - this commercial is SOOO CREEPY it had to be written by the pedophile association! WHO let that one through the focus groups?!?!
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"there is no getting around commercials"
I guess I would question this.
If you have a way to use Hulu and get around the commercials I'm all ears.
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I never use Hulu so out of curiousity I just tried (I have Adblock Plus), and it seems like they detected it and scolded me. I still didn't see any commercials when an episode started playing and didn't have to disable ABP, but at a later commercial break it managed to load a commercial anyway. Interesting...
The comedy central full episode players aren't this smart.
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I normally don't pay much attention to radio commercials, but there is one that has been playing recently which makes me want to facepalm:
Person1: "Hey, are you on a diet? You look like you've lost weight!"
Person2: "No, I've just been cooking for myself lately..."
First time I heard this I thought it was going to be a healthy living commercial. Then it continued:
Person2: "I basically just throw everything in the garbage as soon as it's cooked, it's so bad. Even my dog won't eat my cooking!"
Person1: "But your dog eats dirt!?!"
Narrator: "Bad things happen when you cook! So, DON'T! Come to Days Off Pub for somesuchdeal that we have going on now..."
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I never use Hulu so out of curiousity I just tried (I have Adblock Plus), and it seems like they detected it and scolded me. I still didn't see any commercials when an episode started playing and didn't have to disable ABP, but at a later commercial break it managed to load a commercial anyway. Interesting...
The comedy central full episode players aren't this smart.
I typically just use the networks' websites instead of Hulu for that reason. Usually, I just have the scolding message at the beginning of shows on network websites and then no further commercial breaks. Hulu isn't really that useful, considering the other options that are available.
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My Wife needed a truck to pull her horse trailer (the horse can't live forever I keep telling myself).. She drives it about 10 miles a week (which at about 8mpg is thankful).
New truck?.. What on Earth is the point?
Old trucks don't have a "man step". Duh.
Duh, yourself. If you can get on a horse from the ground (mine's 16 hands, so the stirrup is just about level with my hip bones), you can get in a truck without needing a running board.
...and if you're a short, aging woman like me, you can get your husband to park next to a rock. Or you can haul an old concrete block over to the passenger side if he forgets.
Used F350 with 4WD and dually wheels (required for our county to load with gravel). It does almost all its running here on the property, but it does go on the public roads about once a month to get gravel (for which it's needed) or lumber (for which it's overkill). It's a 1986 and cost us $1500 without a bed, plus $100 for a used bed to go with. I'd be delighted to haul manure in it, but that stuff's expensive!
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I'd be delighted to haul manure in it, but that stuff's expensive!
Expensive? You just live in the wrong place - or maybe I do :-) Hereabouts there are any number of horse owners who'll give you all you can haul, for free. Indeed, these days my cute (but married, alas) neighbor with the fancy show horses will hook up a trailer to her little Gator thing and drop me a load whenever I need it. (My own horse lives at friends' ranch, some miles away.)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN3iyEc1TvY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN3iyEc1TvY)
A shameless attempt at brainwashing and encouraging you to soak up *even more* advertisements (while drinking Coke, of course!)
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"there is no getting around commercials"
I guess I would question this.
If you have a way to use Hulu and get around the commercials I'm all ears.
Mute button + spend a few minutes doing something else. Works like a charm.
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"there is no getting around commercials"
I guess I would question this.
If you have a way to use Hulu and get around the commercials I'm all ears.
Mute button + spend a few minutes doing something else. Works like a charm.
Or you can try the technological route. I'm sure Google has some ideas.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hulu+block+commercials
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I don't see how one can watch commercial TV and then complain about commercials. To me, it's just not worth it. Yes, I REALLY like certain TV shows, but I am willing to wait until they arrive at my library on DVD. Then I watch them for free, with no commercials. Yes, I REALLY like watching professional tennis, but I have managed to live without watching the tennis I can't find for free on the internet. For the most part, I have a commercial-free life, and I am SO happy with it.
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I don't see how one can watch commercial TV and then complain about commercials.
To me, the commercials are usually the most interesting part. I don't really watch TV (don't even own one), but see it when I'm visiting friends. I suppose it would get old if you saw them all the time, but to me it's almost like reading the occasional "Dear Prudence" column: a peek into another reality.
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I had forgotten about this one:
Toys R Us has a new ad campaign that blatantly undermines the value of education.
The commercial depicts bored, yawning kids on a school bus labeled "Meet the Trees Foundation" as they begin a nature-oriented field trip. The kids then jump for joy at the guide’s announcement that they’re actually taking a school trip to Toys R Us. The ad explicitly promotes material consumption over schools, science and the environment.
Toys R Us’ commercial reinforces the notion that education and exploration are necessarily boring in comparison to material things. The marketing campaign not only focuses children in the wrong direction, it burdens parents by undermining their efforts to make their children enthusiastic about school activities. The commercial is irresponsible and contrary to American values.
Please sign this petition asking them to pull the ad: http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12357
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My husband and I call that open heart jewelry "fish hooks." I'd catch so much fish using one of those diamond-encrusted suckers! :D
(and yes, it works - see loads of those stupid things)
I call that line of jewelry "double butt" cause they look like two rear ends glued together.
Nothing like a pair of diamond encrusted hineys to show your love. :)
This is hilarious (and sick). I'm sure NAMBLA especially loves the little heart/big heart ones! Gross!
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(For the record, no cable or Hulu, I have a $10 set of rabbit ears.)
There some new bank commercial that keeps running where the script says, "And the best part of our new (monthly pay) service? No more surprise overdraft fees!"
What pray tell, dear MMM community, is a "surprise overdraft fee"? If there's a demand and people are paying money to protect themselves against it, it must be a fairly regular occurrence for many.
My mind goes: "Overdraft"? Wrong. "Surprise"? Wrong. "Fee"? Wrong. How people have mixed those three idiocies together into a financially toxic bouillabaisse of insanity is completely beyond my comprehension.
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I had forgotten about this one:
Toys R Us has a new ad campaign that blatantly undermines the value of education.
The commercial depicts bored, yawning kids on a school bus labeled "Meet the Trees Foundation" as they begin a nature-oriented field trip. The kids then jump for joy at the guide’s announcement that they’re actually taking a school trip to Toys R Us. The ad explicitly promotes material consumption over schools, science and the environment.
Toys R Us’ commercial reinforces the notion that education and exploration are necessarily boring in comparison to material things. The marketing campaign not only focuses children in the wrong direction, it burdens parents by undermining their efforts to make their children enthusiastic about school activities. The commercial is irresponsible and contrary to American values.
Please sign this petition asking them to pull the ad: http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12357
I agree, this was a terrible idea from the very beginning. And I would feel that way even if I weren't a forester.
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Thanks for giving me a place to vent...
Have you seen the one for Nature's Bounty Cereal?
The one where the woman is out on a trail and the bear points her in the right direction??
Then they are sitting side by side on a treestump, presumably eating cereal together???
Little does she know she's about to become his next meal...
Where is PETA when you need them?
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The one that bugs me (on the rare occasion that I'm watching commercial TV) is the one for one of the cable or satellite companies that shows how much cable/satellite TV can enhance your life when you're doing other things. In one scene, we see kids in a tent watching TV on handheld devices while the rest of the family experiences the outdoors around a campfire. In another, we see an extended family at a family function talking to each, except for the lucky people on the couch who are watching "Family Guy." Don't get me wrong, there are certain people in my family who would drive me to an extreme like watching "Family Guy" if that were my only alternative, but I think in this situation I'd find something else to do, like playing with the kids or getting somebody to play cards or a board game or something with me.
That commercial just makes me sad, like the message is, "Why experience life when you can watch TV??!!"
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Well, since the commercial is shown to people who are watching TV, it kind of makes sense, doesn't it?
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I once saw an ad for a bank that was offering a free iPad to people who opened a checking account. A very slimy marketing tactic: I don't know exactly how much an iPad is worth and I'm likely to over-value it by consulting something like the retail price. The problem is that it's a depreciating asset so if I keep it it's not worth even a fair initial price. And this is coming from a bank, which should be marketing itself as a trustworthy partner for me and my finances but is actually, quite blatantly, trying to trick me.
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There's a new one for the local mall that I find absolutely disgusting in every way. I was trying to find a transcript, but I couldn't so I have to do it from memory (not a direct quote but you'll get the jist...)
Woman's voice: "Hey girls, When Thanksgiving is over and you've slaved away over the hot stove all day, cooked, cleaned, and even done all the dishes with NO help whatsoever from that buzzsaw that is passed out on the couch, it's time to do something for yourself. Come on down to XX mall which opens at midnight. Score deals for the kids for the holidays and pick up something for yourself too"....etc etc.
It's awful. And I don't think I even did the first part justice....it slams the husband/partner as a totally useless imbecile....so you should go spend money to make yourself feel better...right?
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Well, since the commercial is shown to people who are watching TV, it kind of makes sense, doesn't it?
Only in False Dichotomy World.
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You know what really gets me? I hate that there is now so much product placement within shows on TV. You can't watch "The Walking Dead" without basically watching blatant product placement for Hyundai everywhere.
No show was worse with this than "Chuck" on NBC a few years ago. The fans saved the show from cancellation by organizing group visits to the show's sponsor, Subway, so Subway put ads directly into the show. The characters would go to Subway constantly and talk about the sandwiches without it having any relation to the plot of the episode. It was so annoying.
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You know what really gets me? I hate that there is now so much product placement within shows on TV. You can't watch "The Walking Dead" without basically watching blatant product placement for Hyundai everywhere.
No show was worse with this than "Chuck" on NBC a few years ago. The fans saved the show from cancellation by organizing group visits to the show's sponsor, Subway, so Subway put ads directly into the show. The characters would go to Subway constantly and talk about the sandwiches without it having any relation to the plot of the episode. It was so annoying.
The first season of Chuck was a lot of fun, and that show had so much potential. Too bad the writing fell off so badly after Season 1. Did David Kelley write the first season and then get bored and leave it to a bunch of hacks like so many other of his shows? (Kidding, know he wasn't part of this show)
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You know what really gets me? I hate that there is now so much product placement within shows on TV. You can't watch "The Walking Dead" without basically watching blatant product placement for Hyundai everywhere.
No show was worse with this than "Chuck" on NBC a few years ago. The fans saved the show from cancellation by organizing group visits to the show's sponsor, Subway, so Subway put ads directly into the show. The characters would go to Subway constantly and talk about the sandwiches without it having any relation to the plot of the episode. It was so annoying.
That stupid new Robin Williams show is like an entire commercial (the couple of episodes I watched anyway before realizing how horrendous it is). Truly awful.
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You know what really gets me? I hate that there is now so much product placement within shows on TV. You can't watch "The Walking Dead" without basically watching blatant product placement for Hyundai everywhere.
No show was worse with this than "Chuck" on NBC a few years ago. The fans saved the show from cancellation by organizing group visits to the show's sponsor, Subway, so Subway put ads directly into the show. The characters would go to Subway constantly and talk about the sandwiches without it having any relation to the plot of the episode. It was so annoying.
To me, "Heroes" was worse. Well, to be fair, you could probably say it was "as bad," since it was also on NBC at the same time. There were whole plotlines around "We have to get the Nissan Versa because it's what we were driving in this comic book that predicts the future!" Then there were the quotes in the second season where, for example, the teenage girl is given the family car as a gift, and she says "The Nissan Rogue? You're giving me the NISSAN ROGUE?"
Gross.
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I have a new candidate for worst, though I don't know if it's the commercial or the actual product. Went to friends' place for dinner, and the young grandkids were there watching cartoons. Commercial comes on for a game/toy called the "Doggiedoodoo". There's this plastic dog toy, the kid stuffs "food" in its mouth, and they do some sort of game activity until it comes out the other end.
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I have a new candidate for worst, though I don't know if it's the commercial or the actual product. Went to friends' place for dinner, and the young grandkids were there watching cartoons. Commercial comes on for a game/toy called the "Doggiedoodoo". There's this plastic dog toy, the kid stuffs "food" in its mouth, and they do some sort of game activity until it comes out the other end.
I think you mean the Doggie Doo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDyOD1C67J0
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Not on TV, but I just saw a web ad from Green Giant vegetables with the slogan, "Less DOING, and more CELEBRATING!" I guess it was about using their products to make quick, semi-homemade snacks.
Because, you know, spending time together in the kitchen making family recipes from scratch wouldn't be celebrating the holidays.
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Rent-a-Tire: "The best decision I ever made!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDYyIrkYZGM
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I don't see how one can watch commercial TV and then complain about commercials.
To me, the commercials are usually the most interesting part. I don't really watch TV (don't even own one), but see it when I'm visiting friends. I suppose it would get old if you saw them all the time, but to me it's almost like reading the occasional "Dear Prudence" column: a peek into another reality.
+1 - I hadn't listed to the radio in almost 3+ years (when I had a car I lived in a town with no radio, so it was all my own music, then when I moved into a larger city I never drove my car...) but then these last two weeks I've had use of my mom's SUV. The commercials are so WEIRD. I feel like that guy in that movie when he gets those glasses...
(http://www.tshirtbordello.com/images/they-live-obey-l1.gif)
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That goes for 99% of trucks though. I hauled more shit in my 4banger S-10 than probably 95% of all 1/2 ton pickups.
[/quote]
My husband would worship at your S-10 altar. Best little truck. Now searching for a used Colorado to replace the one that just pooped out. Maybe we should go back to the S-10?
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- Black Friday furniture financing commercials (WHAT!? are you serious? I don't even WAIT WHAT?!?! GTFO)
- Commercials promising to get you on disability (there was a recent 60 minutes part about this, mind = blown)
- Any student loan "relief programme", usually aired between 1am and 3am as people stumble out of bars, between ads for pizza.
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Any holiday automobile advert that talks about "Holiday Savings end soon..." just rankles me... as if I link any car purchase I have ever made to the Christmas holidays. I think they are trying to through back to the Clark Griswalds holiday bonus check, even though most performance bonuses I have seen this millenium are timed for distribution after year end close.
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Some Black Friday car ad (no idea what car company): One woman telling how she got up before dawn to "save hundreds" on the bags of stuff she's unloading from her car. Neighbor replies that she slept till noon, "saved thousands" as they both look at the shiny new vehicle in her driveway. First woman looks dejected and moans "Oh...".
Buying stuff does not count as "saving" money. Yikes!
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Any anti-depressant ad on Hulu. Why do they liken depressed people to emotionless wind-up toys? Maybe it's to make people even more depressed...such evil genius!
Sadly that happy-go-lucky co-worker we all know and love very well could be highly depressed.
Anyways, I don't really have a "worst" commercial. I do notice I view commercials differently since coming here. Take this one for example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GR_gelar1I
I see all the little presentation tricks used to make the Quick-Clip Lights seem so much more appealing compared to traditional methods of hanging lights. I can also see how those clips can break and you'll eventually be forced back to using traditional hanging methods. ;)
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Some Black Friday car ad (no idea what car company): One woman telling how she got up before dawn to "save hundreds" on the bags of stuff she's unloading from her car. Neighbor replies that she slept till noon, "saved thousands" as they both look at the shiny new vehicle in her driveway. First woman looks dejected and moans "Oh...".
Buying stuff does not count as "saving" money. Yikes!
GMC.
They have another one with two guys that are neighbors where the one guy comes out of his car with a black eye from "fighting black friday shoppers."
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oooh, I just HAD to chime in on this one. While we were visiting relatives for thanksgiving, my fiancee and I were exposed to commercials for the first time in months since we cancelled our cable, and both of us found it shockingly off-putting. The very worst one is an AT&T commercial, where this woman is walking through a mall with two kids. She is saying something like "Dad's gift has to be perfect this year. We don't want a repeat of last year's incident" and then she turns to the kids and asks if she can count on them.
It actually gives me the chills. It just strikes me as a domestic abuse situation. "Don't want to be around Daddy if we don't get him exactly the right thing for Christmas this year!"
*shudders*
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oooh, I just HAD to chime in on this one. While we were visiting relatives for thanksgiving, my fiancee and I were exposed to commercials for the first time in months since we cancelled our cable, and both of us found it shockingly off-putting. The very worst one is an AT&T commercial, where this woman is walking through a mall with two kids. She is saying something like "Dad's gift has to be perfect this year. We don't want a repeat of last year's incident" and then she turns to the kids and asks if she can count on them.
It actually gives me the chills. It just strikes me as a domestic abuse situation. "Don't want to be around Daddy if we don't get him exactly the right thing for Christmas this year!"
*shudders*
I also saw that one over Thanksgiving. What boggled my mind is that nowhere in the ad do they mention COST. When they say "$0 down" I immediately think "oh, we're going to talk numbers now, okay. How much per month? What's the retail value of the phone? What APR does that payment boil down to?" then I'm confused when the ad ends...
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OK, so here's two:
TitleMax: This one really irks me, b/c the slogan is "I got my title back w/TitleMax!" To which I always want to yell back, if you didn't spend everything you made and then some, you would have your title in the first place!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOLtL_Yn6uY
Best Commercial EVER: Lending Tree's "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE
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Best Commercial EVER: Lending Tree's "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE
That is pretty funny. It's too bad the company it's for is one of the most despicable in existence.
Business model:
1. Collect personal information from people on website
2. Sell personal information to shady lenders
3. Profit!!!
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Here was my favorite from watching football on Thanksgiving (I know, I'm sorry).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWruMu9QPIg
It's just so creepy to me for some reason.
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Heard one on the radio where the mom was saying that now that they have Xfinity cable, their family will no longer be depressed anymore.
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Best Commercial EVER: Lending Tree's "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE
That is pretty funny. It's too bad the company it's for is one of the most despicable in existence.
Business model:
1. Collect personal information from people on website
2. Sell personal information to shady lenders
3. Profit!!!
Very true! When I originally thought of it, I was almost certain it was an SNL Skit, not an actual commercial. As it turns out, there was an old SNL skit that's very applicable today. I can't seem to find a good link for the skit, but here's the link to the transcript: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/05/05lbuy.phtml
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Best Commercial EVER: Lending Tree's "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE
That is pretty funny. It's too bad the company it's for is one of the most despicable in existence.
Business model:
1. Collect personal information from people on website
2. Sell personal information to shady lenders
3. Profit!!!
Very true! When I originally thought of it, I was almost certain it was an SNL Skit, not an actual commercial. As it turns out, there was an old SNL skit that's very applicable today. I can't seem to find a good link for the skit, but here's the link to the transcript: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/05/05lbuy.phtml
https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+don't+buy+stuff+you+can't+afford
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OK, so here's two:
TitleMax: This one really irks me, b/c the slogan is "I got my title back w/TitleMax!" To which I always want to yell back, if you didn't spend everything you made and then some, you would have your title in the first place!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOLtL_Yn6uY
Best Commercial EVER: Lending Tree's "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE
Ohhhhh, I hate the TitleMax commercial. "I got my title back with TitleMax"??? Nooooo, you pawned your car at TitleMax, likely the only thing of value in your possession. So very sad.
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I'd like to nominate Wonga Canada's Payday Loans commercials
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4KtdNplu-8
Take a look! You can borrow $300 for 2 weeks, for only $30. That's a 10% interest rate, so not too bad, right? Well, until you amortize that over a year, and come up with something like 272% annual interest rate! Fuck, right?
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I'd like to nominate Wonga Canada's Payday Loans commercials
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4KtdNplu-8
Take a look! You can borrow $300 for 2 weeks, for only $30. That's a 10% interest rate, so not too bad, right? Well, until you amortize that over a year, and come up with something like 272% annual interest rate! Fuck, right?
Not a new commercial, but who can forget the "Problem Solver Loan" from Western Sky? http://youtu.be/xgLMgVq4p_E
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Not a new commercial, but who can forget the "Problem Solver Loan" from Western Sky? http://youtu.be/xgLMgVq4p_E
Did they quote an 89% APR at the bottom, in small print?!
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Not a new commercial, but who can forget the "Problem Solver Loan" from Western Sky? http://youtu.be/xgLMgVq4p_E
Did they quote an 89% APR at the bottom, in small print?!
That is actually their best rate. This is from their website:
Loan Product Borrower Proceeds Loan Fee APR Number of Payments Payment Amount
$10,000 $9,925 $75 89.68% 84 $743.49
$5,075 $5,000 $75 116.73% 84 $486.58
$2,600 $2,525 $75 139.22% 47 $294.46
$1,500 $1,000 $500 234.25% 24 $198.19
$850 $500 $350 342.86% 12 $150.72
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Uggh.
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Not on TV but on radio: a couple of years back around this time of year there was a radio ad going something like this (I'm obviosly paraphrasing): you hear christmas music in the background and the sound of somebody unwrapping a gift. Then a female voice, first screaming, then yelling thank you, thank you, thank you, then somebody running away from the christmas tree, a door slamming, car engine starting and driving off. Then, a voice said something along the lines of "The new Ford Fiesta. The perfect Christmas gift for your teenage daughter."
The sad part is that I can actually see the clowns out there buying brand new cars for christmas for their kids.
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Ah yes, that reminds me of the years of Christmas Lexus commercials where a brand new Lexus is waiting in the driveway. The most ridiculous being where the missus buys her husband a car. A white car. A white hatchback car.
(Ladies, a tip. If you are so wealthy you are going to waste ridiculous amounts of money on a Lexus, we don't want a hatchback, and we don't want the color white. Just saying. And I own a hatchback.)
Well, apparently my friends and I weren't the only ones who found the commercial utterly ridiculous. Here is an R-rated send-up of that same commercial.
NOT SAFE FOR WORK DUE TO CRUDE LANGUAGE AND CONTENT, DO NOT WATCH IF EASILY OFFENDED (but funny as hell all the same)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSSrSoa07nM
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(Ladies, a tip. If you are so wealthy you are going to waste ridiculous amounts of money on a Lexus, we don't want a hatchback, and we don't want the color white. Just saying. And I own a hatchback.)
I'd say this is all personal preference. While DH and I both hate white cars, we both LOVE our hatchbacks. In fact we both love the Lexus CT 200h (not sure which one is in the commercial), we're just way too damn cheap to spend that kind of money on a car
Oh, I love my (red) hatchback too, but if we are going to entertain the notion that someone is going to senselessly drop crazy money on a car as a Christmas gift, then for heavens sake not a utilitarian and utterly practical white hatchback.... Something with two seats and a lot of vroom-vroom please.
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(Ladies, a tip. If you are so wealthy you are going to waste ridiculous amounts of money on a Lexus, we don't want a hatchback, and we don't want the color white. Just saying. And I own a hatchback.)
I'd say this is all personal preference. While DH and I both hate white cars, we both LOVE our hatchbacks. In fact we both love the Lexus CT 200h (not sure which one is in the commercial), we're just way too damn cheap to spend that kind of money on a car
Oh, I love my (red) hatchback too, but if we are going to entertain the notion that someone is going to senselessly drop crazy money on a car as a Christmas gift, then for heavens sake not a utilitarian and utterly practical white hatchback.... Something with two seats and a lot of vroom-vroom please.
I dunno. I would totally rock a white Audi A3.
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I once saw an ad for a bank that was offering a free iPad to people who opened a checking account. A very slimy marketing tactic: I don't know exactly how much an iPad is worth and I'm likely to over-value it by consulting something like the retail price. The problem is that it's a depreciating asset so if I keep it it's not worth even a fair initial price. And this is coming from a bank, which should be marketing itself as a trustworthy partner for me and my finances but is actually, quite blatantly, trying to trick me.
Why is that slimy? iPad is just like your computer only smaller and a bit less useful. Nevertheless it has some fair value which might or might not reach the actual retail price.
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Not on TV, but I just saw the following advertisement in the window of an upscale clothing store downtown: "Women look prettier shopping than running"
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Not on TV, but I just saw the following advertisement in the window of an upscale clothing store downtown: "Women look prettier shopping than running"
Nuts!
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That makes sense. I wonder how many of those are new trucks? If I bought a new pickup truck I would be too scared of scratching the paint to take it off the pavement :)
Yeah. Like I tell my friends (who have newish pickups), it's not really a truck if you'd hesitate one second before filling the bed with a load of horse manure :-) My truck's an '88 Toyota, and gets used for hauling firewood, hay, and yes, the occasional load of horse manure, as well as driving on Forest Service/BLM roads. And this morning I used it to yank out a couple of stumps...
This!
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That one Sears ad right now...with the two girls (20-somethings) who are going to a movie and park by Sears because "there's always parking"...and then get sidetracked and spend ALL DAY shopping instead, putting off the movie, until they leave with a gazillion items each and the words "well it will come out on DVD soon anyway."
Which to me says they didn't care that much about seeing the movie anyway, so they could have...
-baked cookies/tried a recipe
-given each other home mani/pedis
-gone for a walk/hike/bike ride
-rented another movie to watch at home (or Netflixed)
-done some crafts (maybe to sell on Etsy)
-about a million other things that would have cost them less than several hundred $$ each
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Not on TV, but I just saw the following advertisement in the window of an upscale clothing store downtown: "Women look prettier shopping than running"
Technically true - people get all sweaty and make weird faces when they run.
However, women who run look prettier than women who shop. Obviously the two groups aren't mutually exclusive but my point is obvious.
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That one Sears ad right now...with the two girls (20-somethings) who are going to a movie and park by Sears because "there's always parking"...and then get sidetracked and spend ALL DAY shopping instead, putting off the movie, until they leave with a gazillion items each and the words "well it will come out on DVD soon anyway."
Sounds like wishful thinking on the part of Sears execs. If your biggest selling point is "our parking lot is always empty," then things aren't looking so hot.
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That one Sears ad right now...with the two girls (20-somethings) who are going to a movie and park by Sears because "there's always parking"...and then get sidetracked and spend ALL DAY shopping instead, putting off the movie, until they leave with a gazillion items each and the words "well it will come out on DVD soon anyway."
Which to me says they didn't care that much about seeing the movie anyway, so they could have...
-baked cookies/tried a recipe
-given each other home mani/pedis
-gone for a walk/hike/bike ride
-rented another movie to watch at home (or Netflixed)
-done some crafts (maybe to sell on Etsy)
-about a million other things that would have cost them less than several hundred $$ each
I hate this one! Also, I think it starts off with the announcer saying something like, "Everyone knows there are great holiday deals around. What will surprise you is WHERE you find them....blah blah blah." This always makes me laugh because our local Sears is completely dead: empty shelves, broken light fixtures, hardly any employees and yet, not very good prices. If I found a holiday deal there, I would be completely shocked. So, yes, I guess they got that part right.
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That one Sears ad right now...with the two girls (20-somethings) who are going to a movie and park by Sears because "there's always parking"...and then get sidetracked and spend ALL DAY shopping instead, putting off the movie, until they leave with a gazillion items each and the words "well it will come out on DVD soon anyway."
Which to me says they didn't care that much about seeing the movie anyway, so they could have...
-baked cookies/tried a recipe
-given each other home mani/pedis
-gone for a walk/hike/bike ride
-rented another movie to watch at home (or Netflixed)
-done some crafts (maybe to sell on Etsy)
-about a million other things that would have cost them less than several hundred $$ each
I hate this one! Also, I think it starts off with the announcer saying something like, "Everyone knows there are great holiday deals around. What will surprise you is WHERE you find them....blah blah blah." This always makes me laugh because our local Sears is completely dead: empty shelves, broken light fixtures, hardly any employees and yet, not very good prices. If I found a holiday deal there, I would be completely shocked. So, yes, I guess they got that part right.
Yea, I think that's a lot of them... http://www.alternet.org/economy/eddie-lampert-and-ayn-rand
Hulu played this ad at least 10 times last night during 2 episodes of Agents of SHIELD. Ugh.
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Not a TV ad, but a new business opened in a storefront in town. "Puppies Plus" is the business name, and there's a big banner saying "Puppy Financing!" That's jus sick on so many levels.
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Not a TV ad, but a new business opened in a storefront in town. "Puppies Plus" is the business name, and there's a big banner saying "Puppy Financing!" That's jus sick on so many levels.
Do they repo the puppy if you default on the loan?
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Not a TV ad, but a new business opened in a storefront in town. "Puppies Plus" is the business name, and there's a big banner saying "Puppy Financing!" That's jus sick on so many levels.
There's a place like that with that same banner in our local mall. Makes me so angry, I just want to throttle people, fortunately I'm only in there very rarely.
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Not a TV ad, but a new business opened in a storefront in town. "Puppies Plus" is the business name, and there's a big banner saying "Puppy Financing!" That's jus sick on so many levels.
Do they repo the puppy if you default on the loan?
But puppies depreciate so fast, would it even be worth it?
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Not a TV ad, but a new business opened in a storefront in town. "Puppies Plus" is the business name, and there's a big banner saying "Puppy Financing!" That's jus sick on so many levels.
Do they repo the puppy if you default on the loan?
But puppies depreciate so fast, would it even be worth it?
There is a place near here that does what is essentially pet "leasing." You pay a monthly fee for the life of the pet and they send you food each month and supposedly will pay for all the "necessary veterinary care." Which to me means if your pet needs expensive surgery, they do the most profitable thing for them, which would probably mean putting the animal down and you'd have no say in the matter.
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I'm currently surrounded by TVs in very room of a house, most of which are on all the time. Just saw this gem:
(both talking to viewer)
Man: You could pay $5,000 for this bedroom set at other stores!
Woman: Who has $5,000?
I couldn't believe it...
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And then there is Credit Yes.
"Need car financing? Get the loan you need now to buy a car!"
http://youtu.be/eyflftprFdM
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I saw one this weekend that takes the cake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpzbJqkd9i8
Let's break it down:
- An SUV being used purely for a commute. The ad shows nothing (realistic) that this car can do that can't be done just as easily with a smaller car.
- At the beginning of the ad, note all the cyclists weaving through traffic and the elevated train above...
- ...and finally, a totally unrealistic and stupid stunt where the car uses a ramp to jump on top of the train to get ahead. If you ignore this BS, the car has clearly been beaten in the ad by other modes of transportation.
To top it off, I had to think REALLY hard about what model the car was so I could find the ad and post it here. I knew it was a Nissan, but I couldn't remember anything else... so, not even that effective despite me consciously seeing it and commenting on it several times just two days ago.
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I love the part where it says "Fantasy, do not attempt. Cars cannot jump on trains." I'd dare say I know a few boys in Hazzard County who have a thing or two to say about that....
My buddies and I have mocked this gem as well. "Well, maybe cars can't jump on trains, but how lucky they found a stunt driver who was also smoking hot!"
And I agree, I have seen this commercial many times during the NFL playoffs and could not tell you if my life depended on it which model it was. Well done Nissan Rogue, you perfect trainhopper you.
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After pondering recent anti-Mustachian encounters, I think I understand the point of the ad a bit more now. Maybe this is where they were going...
Americans think that mid-size cars are more fun to drive than big ones, but that they don't fit more than two people in them (not sure what they think the back seats are for but I digress...) So the ad shows a big car that comfortably seats three adults (or was it four?) but also can "have some fun" on the road. Us rational people focus on the dumb stunt in the ad and miss the subtlety of putting three adults in a car, something that many Americans think is impossible to do without owning an SUV, extended cab pickup or minivan.
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I love how that butt-ugly open heart (sounds surgical!) jewelry line is like an inkblot test. - I think it looks like a reared -up cobra. It might as well be for what it would do to our budget.
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I saw one this weekend that takes the cake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpzbJqkd9i8
Let's break it down:
- An SUV being used purely for a commute. The ad shows nothing (realistic) that this car can do that can't be done just as easily with a smaller car.
- At the beginning of the ad, note all the cyclists weaving through traffic and the elevated train above...
- ...and finally, a totally unrealistic and stupid stunt where the car uses a ramp to jump on top of the train to get ahead. If you ignore this BS, the car has clearly been beaten in the ad by other modes of transportation.
To top it off, I had to think REALLY hard about what model the car was so I could find the ad and post it here. I knew it was a Nissan, but I couldn't remember anything else... so, not even that effective despite me consciously seeing it and commenting on it several times just two days ago.
Wait, what city is that supposed to be in?
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At the very least we should give them credit for carpooling.
I had a boss that would drive separately from his wife for their 45+ minute commute even though they worked in the same place.
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Ooh, I thought of one today It's old and I can't remember the brand so I can't look it up. It was when SUVs were a new thing for consumers. In a regular car, a mother is driving and her kid is in the back. As they go over an overpass, the kid is looking at the beige concrete wall. Then you see them in an SUV and the child is looking out over the wall at this amazing landscape of green valley and rivers and hot air balloons, etc.
So, you should spend thousands of dollars more so that your kid has a better view for the .01% of roadway where this would make a difference.
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Resurrecting this thread because, oddly enough, I just saw a commercial which was run last year as well. It has some mustachian elements, but ultimately regresses to "you save money by buying more of our services" crap.
"I could cut my own hair." "Dad could rollerskate to work." "I could knit clothes for everyone."
http://youtu.be/C9zzleZcuZY
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I love how that butt-ugly open heart (sounds surgical!) jewelry line is like an inkblot test. - I think it looks like a reared -up cobra. It might as well be for what it would do to our budget.
It's clearly boobs and a butt. I'll wait for the psychologist to discuss my results with me.
I am so glad my husband doesn't feel the need to waste money on jewelry for me.
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So I originally heard about this while at my best friend's bachelor party. We took a cab and the driver was talking about how her brother repos rims. Like rims on a car... I had to ask about it. So apparently you can rent rims for your car. I thought buying big chrome rims for your car was about as stupid as one could get. Nope! You can RENT them. People fail to make the payments so often they put GPS units in the rims(I assume powered by the spinning motion) and there are people who are employed just to repo the things.
Then I heard this commercial in my car the other day.
Man with soft voice, "I can't seem to get a girl."
Man with tough voice, "Well you don't seem like a dork. Do you have a car?"
SV "Yes, and a job!"
TV "Well thats odd you can't get a girl. What size rims do you have on this car?"
SV "I don't know, the ones it came with."
TV "Well thats what wrong! You need BIG rims. You know what BIG rims means right? It means you have a BIG.... wallet! Go down to RENT-A-RIM and rent you some BIG rims for your car so women know you have a BIG... wallet!"
SV "Thanks! I'll go to RENT-A-RIM right now!"
TV "The more I think about it... you are a dork."
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
Is it this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dQoAHG7oM
That's awful advertising.
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I love how that butt-ugly open heart (sounds surgical!) jewelry line is like an inkblot test. - I think it looks like a reared -up cobra. It might as well be for what it would do to our budget.
It's clearly boobs and a butt. I'll wait for the psychologist to discuss my results with me.
I am so glad my husband doesn't feel the need to waste money on jewelry for me.
In case you guys need it spelled out for you:
(http://i.imgur.com/rtxeglx.jpg)
Buy this for your woman, get a BJ.
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
Is it this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dQoAHG7oM
That's awful advertising.
Yup, that's the one. I generally loathe most car commercials anyway (Now you don't even have to pay attention to the road, your car will brake for you!) but this one annoyed me more than most. Usually truck commercials at least highlight using it like a truck...
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
Is it this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dQoAHG7oM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dQoAHG7oM)
That's awful advertising.
Yup, that's the one. I generally loathe most car commercials anyway (Now you don't even have to pay attention to the road, your car will brake for you!) but this one annoyed me more than most. Usually truck commercials at least highlight using it like a truck...
The real irony, aside from the general evil of the ad, is that both guys look like milquetoast. Guess I'm just used to men who use trucks like trucks. Hell, I'm less milquetoast than the guy with the really shiny truck, and I'm an old lady. Oldish, anyway. Ladyish, I suppose, too, rather than ladylike. :-)
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
The first song is "Rainy Days And Mondays" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjFoQxjgbrs), which just helps paint the contrast even better: buy THIS CAR and you'll be a boring guy who has to go IN to work and suffer through Mondays and rainy days with no female attention, but buy THIS TRUCK and you can be cool and LEAVE work under the eyes of babes and drive off to AC/DC.
So glad you mentioned this commercial--I rarely watch TV, but saw this one over the holidays and cringed, too, because why does THAT guy need a TRUCK? Glad to know I have company there.
By the way: I'd never heard the acronym SWMBO. Thanks for the trip to Urban Dictionary, and the subsequent laugh!
zt
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By the way: I'd never heard the acronym SWMBO. Thanks for the trip to Urban Dictionary, and the subsequent laugh!
zt
Heh. It's the preferred way of referring to a girlfriend/spouse/partner on the car enthusiast forum I've been on for far longer than here, so it's what I default to. Amused me to the first time I saw it and looked it up. :P
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
I have seen that 2 or 3 times and I really didn't understand what they were trying to say. I thought the message was something like "whatever your style, we have something for you..." I totally didn't get that one of them was supposed to be exciting in comparison....doh.
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As idiotic as most truck commercials are, here's a series that rivals them: the ones with cool, enviable actor Rob Lowe with (DirecTV? guess it says something that I can't recall wtf they're advertising) vs. Various Loser Versions of Rob Lowe with cable.
Personally I think anyone whose self-worth depends how he watches TV has already cemented his loser status.
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There's a newish one for a Chevy truck (I believe)... starts off with a milquetoast-looking guy in a suit pulling up and parking in front of a big-city (looks like NYC to me, but could be any large city) building in a Honda sedan with something easy-listening-like playing, walks past street musicians playing the same fairly innocuous tune, and into an elevator with the same tune playing on the elevator music. Doors open and the guy walks out, nodding to a much more 'rugged' looking guy who is getting on the elevator- at which point the elevator music switches to a musak version of "Back in Black," he gets off the elevator and a woman notices him and watches him walk out, the street musicians are also playing "Back in Black," and he gets into a big, extended-cab Chevy truck and turns it on with the same song blaring and drives away.
The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
Is it this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dQoAHG7oM
That's awful advertising.
Oh my god I HATE this commercial. The Youtube description is also effing terrible. "With one turn of a key, the 2015 Chevy Colorado will change you. When you're behind the wheel of Motor Trend’s 2015 Truck of the Year, you sit differently and you walk differently. And suddenly the world is different. The world is yours for the taking." Not a shred of irony.
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Most of these car commercials remind me of the Canyonero from the Simpsons.
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I nominate the buick commercial where the yuppie couple in their mcmansion is spying on their neighbors with binoculars, googling over their new buick crossover-thing. The wife moans and complains how lucky the other wife is. Keepin' up with the Joneses overkill.
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H&R block. We get you the biggest refund!
By the time you're ready to do your taxes, your 'refund' is basically set already. The fact that there's billions of dollars worth of refunds means there's a lot of people who don't understand withholding, not that h&r block has expert magic tax powers.
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The obvious intended 'message' being, "You're much more manly driving a Chevy truck instead of a wimpy Honda sedan," whereas I'm sitting there thinking (and saying to SWMBO), "What a dumbass for driving a huge pickup truck- alone- in a big city."
Is it this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dQoAHG7oM
That's awful advertising.
Oh my god I HATE this commercial. The Youtube description is also effing terrible. "With one turn of a key, the 2015 Chevy Colorado will change you. When you're behind the wheel of Motor Trend’s 2015 Truck of the Year, you sit differently and you walk differently. And suddenly the world is different. The world is yours for the taking." Not a shred of irony.
I came here to post this one, so I'm glad to see it was already covered.
I actually have to give it some sort of credit for its honesty. Most pickup truck ads show giant loads of gravel being dumped in the bed, driving it down some muddy dirt road, or towing a boat somewhere. All total bullshit that they know the vast majority of their target market will never actually do, but they're selling the dream just like the Marlboro Man once did. And hey, someone could potentially do those things with a truck, so those few people in Chevy marketing who still maintained the ability to feel shame were granted some plausible deniability by that thin veneer of truth.
This ad completely dispenses with that bullshit and simply admits "yeah, we know you're just going to drive this non-sensical vehicle around the city to your office job. But hey, women will look at you, and you can listen to AC/DC in it!"
"And shame? Shame is for pussies that drive Hondas!"
My favorite bit is how he's able to pull his 18-foot long truck out of a downtown parallel-parking spot with a single turn of the wheel, because if there's any place where a crew-cab pickup truck truly shows its mettle, it's in its ease of urban parallel parking!
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I nominate the buick commercial where the yuppie couple in their mcmansion is spying on their neighbors with binoculars, googling over their new buick crossover-thing. The wife moans and complains how lucky the other wife is. Keepin' up with the Joneses overkill.
I hate this commercial so much. I can usually ignore or laugh at how dumb many commercials are, but this one just infuriates me with that wife's snippy tone.