TheCrankyCreative

Wow, the new campaign for Marcus by Goldman Sachs is terrible. Not only does it manage to make Rosamund Pike completely unappealing - something I thought was surely impossible - but that tagline - "You can money" - makes me want to knock the smug, stupid smile off the ad creators' smug, stupid faces. On a happier note, does anyone know the brand/advertiser behind that wonderful watercolor-themed TV commercial showing dolphins and football players? It's beautiful - artful, even - but it doesn't do the best job of embedding its message in the mind.

Yep -- and before that, the stupid clog dancing and bagpipes. Any excuse to make noise just to get our attention.

See, this ad and others which misuse sound to irritate the shit out me -- well, they, ah . . . they irritate the shit right out of me. It's a boorish gimmick used by inconsiderate creatives who don't know how to behave as guests in our living rooms. And yes, it's all the rage and I hate it.

I think my biggest problems with it are: 1) Visually, it's a bit much for unsuspecting viewers (of which we all are); and 2) It runs at all hours of the day. People lost their minds over the Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle ad with the three cute girls "trimming their bushes," but so far as I know, that ad only aired during certain hours or during shows that were already aimed at more mature audiences. We all know what razors do. I'm not sure we need to see close-up camera shots of anyone, woman or man, shaving their pubes on TV.

I'm trying to sort out my feelings about this ad. Anyone else?

Liberty's "wet teddy bears" isn't a commercial -- it's the ad agency giving Liberty Mutual a public teabagging. "Look!" they are saying. "We can get this client to buy ANYTHING!" In my blog review of this ad, I included Liberty's contact information so people could speak out. If you'd like to give the company a piece of your mind, here is how to do it: https://www.facebook.com/libertymutual https://twitter.com/LibertyMutual Customer service phone number: 1-800-290-7933 Mailing address for the corporate headquarters: Liberty Mutual Insurance 175 Berkeley Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Be sure to address your comments to Jenna Lebel, Liberty’s chief marketing officer. None of these ads can air without her approval. Fight on, fellow ad critics!

Probably been answered already, but here is the link to the FCC page detailing the CALM Act and how to report too-loud commercials: https://www.fcc.gov/media/policy/loud-commercials I also like to call them out on Twitter at @FCC.

You aren't kidding. What twisted mind thought this stupid song and dance would make a great way to sell tax software? Especially when competition within the category is heating up. Shouldn't the ad be about Turbo Tax features and advantages? I had meant to review and rate every Super Bowl ad this year on my blog. Couldn't do it. The sheer idiocy would have given me an explosive aneurysm. I settled for writing a post that highlighted a few ads and suggested that the best Super Bowl ad (a full-page ad in the New York Times from Ryan Reynolds for Mint Mobile) wasn't a TV commercial at all. But you can bet your butt that this ad from Turbo Tax was my shining example of abject stupidity for this year. SO. BAD. Keep the ad discussions coming. I need ideas for my next ad review!

Bingo. What a shocking admission that Liberty Mutual has no message and no competitive advantages whatsoever. "Drek" is right. Wow, that's a really excellent analysis!

For other reasons? 😯 My reaction upon first seeing the ad was similar to yours. As I said in my review, "As a married man in his late forties, my days of contemplating the nether regions of nubile twenty-year-olds ought to be long over." But of course, this ad is not for me. The ad works well for its target audience, I think, which helps to explain why it's been on the air for four years. And having looked at it closely for the purposes of the review, I appreciate the ad's more subtle and humorous touches, such as the girls' facial expressions and the interplay between them. Bottom line, I think it's more fun and flirty than offensive. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @TattleTeeny.

It gets worse.

Oh, hey! Liberty Mutual is back with the next dementia-induced evolution of its "Truth Tellers" ads. Whaddyall think?

What's people's consensus on Schick's "trimming the bushes" ad for its Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor? I'm about to review this commercial for my site (yes, I'm way late to the bush-trimming party), and wanted to take people's temperature on it. I know the commercial has generated a lot of complaints and even boycotts over the years, but the ad is still running. I think that's because it works. What are some opinions here?

Oh, the goddamn cookie and the star! LOL. I wrote a review of that ad recently. Holy cow, you aren't kidding. So bad. If you don't already know how these commercials are made, the people in them really are people off the street. They're approached by young folks with clipboards and asked if they would like to participate in "market research" for $200. So they're paid, which means that once they find out the job is to ooh and ahh over Chevy vehicles on camera, that's exactly what happens -- along with the incredibly stupid blurtations you hear in the ads. I agree with you, it's time for these ads to go!

Excellent point. Unfortunately, nothing is sacred on Madison Avenue.