Holiday and Seasonal Commercials

[theatremouse]

tries to sell how Thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate and then declares all these expanded hours with workers forced to man these stores or face losing their job.

Obviously, I'm not familiar with every corporate policy, but the whole "forced to work a holiday or lose their jobs" thing never rang true to me? When I worked an hourly gig (as well as when I was a manager of such peeps), everyone jumped to get holiday hours because it was time and half, and working those types of jobs, any opportunity for extra cash was wanted. There were more people volunteering to work holidays than could possibly be scheduled to work said holidays. It was a very small subset who actually wanted to go home and be with their families.

 

I mean, I don't like this aspect of manic power shopping crushing hordes over two days, people camping out for hours, etc. There are many reasons the Thanksgiving/black Friday/holiday shopping mania is obnoxious. But there's been a demand to shop those days, so I can't really fault the company for trying to make money off of it. I do fault them for excessive schmaltz. I fault the shoppers for showing up, which encourages the being open. Of course, I'm also expecting sales to move farther and farther into online-only territory, which negates the need to pay workers at all...so there's that to look forward to.

Edited November 23, 2014 by theatremouse

[janie jones]

Obviously, I'm not familiar with every corporate policy, but the whole "forced to work a holiday or lose their jobs" thing never rang true to me?

I only recently quit my retail job of several years, and we never had a "come on Thanksgiving or get fired" policy, but for Black Friday, (and as hour that the store opened creeped earlier and earlier, for Thanksgiving as well) we were not allowed to request the day off. And literally everyone got scheduled.  There was no automatic firing for not showing up (unless you're seasonal, because kind of the point of being seasonal is that you work on days like that), but you're also not allowed to shirk a scheduled shift.  You're only allowed so many strikes, and I'd have to think that a missed shift on one the busiest days of the year has to weigh heavier in even the most sympathetic manager's mind than a missed shift on a regular day. 

 

I'm not defending being open on Thanksgiving and I'm not defending such a strict policy per se, but for these stores who are in the news for having such a policy...I'd be interested to see how it compares to their ordinary missed-shift policy. 

[BubblingKettle]

Publix (supermarket chain) has the best holiday commercials.  They're not marred by annoying songs and taglines.  I love their Thanksgiving commercial.  The theme is "even if it's not perfect, it's still special."  Also, I commend Publix for being closed on Thanksgiving Day.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08rj14I6QPY&gclid=CIahlvaSg7sCFYVZ7AodGykADg

 

 

[heebiejeebie]

I'm just going by the statements these stores themselves have issued when it became an issue in the media.  Like it did last year and did as far back as Wal-mart when they started all this by opening for limited hours Thanksgiving Day morning.  I think that started back in the late nineties.  Sure there is outrage and hyperbole on both sides.  But not a single store has come forward and said categorically that not a single employee who does not want to has to work Thanksgiving.  Many have said employees can request off though....

 

I know there are many people who do like to work the holiday for the pay.  But exceptions don't always break rules. 

[RealityGal]

Obviously, I'm not familiar with every corporate policy, but the whole "forced to work a holiday or lose their jobs" thing never rang true to me? When I worked an hourly gig (as well as when I was a manager of such peeps), everyone jumped to get holiday hours because it was time and half, and working those types of jobs, any opportunity for extra cash was wanted. There were more people volunteering to work holidays than could possibly be scheduled to work said holidays. It was a very small subset who actually wanted to go home and be with their families.

 

I mean, I don't like this aspect of manic power shopping crushing hordes over two days, people camping out for hours, etc. There are many reasons the Thanksgiving/black Friday/holiday shopping mania is obnoxious. But there's been a demand to shop those days, so I can't really fault the company for trying to make money off of it. I do fault them for excessive schmaltz. I fault the shoppers for showing up, which encourages the being open. Of course, I'm also expecting sales to move farther and farther into online-only territory, which negates the need to pay workers at all...so there's that to look forward to.

You know, I've never seen the numbers, but I wonder how much of an improvement in sales were recognized by being open on Thursday rather than Friday.  I feel like when Wal Mart started it, it might have been a power move in a down economy to encourage people to shop.  Or to get to the limited budget people have for the holidays earlier than other retailers and therefore get a bigger cut of the pie. But retailers have made more profit every year which they think is due to being open earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving, but I wonder if its not somehow just due to the economy getting a little better.  I mean in some ways, it makes sense, I know that at least one year our family went to the movies on Thanksgiving, so I guess people are looking for things to do.  But the first day of shopping, to me, are going to be the doorbuster people.  Those are the people that you are going to get regardless of when you open, they are committed to sleeping in line and potentially peeing in bottles.  Maybe they just figure the retailer who opens earliest will get first spend of all the money.  In that case, in about 10 years we'll be having doorbusters in July.

[merylinkid]

That is what it is.   Its about getting the limited dollars out there.   People are only going to spend so much on Christmas.   You want those dollars spent in your stores, not your competitors.   If having earlier doorbusters than your competitor gets those people into your store first, it's better for your bottom line.   Christmas is the most important quarter for retailers.   It makes or breaks the year.    So they want more sales, more open hours to drive those sales through the roof to make the year good.

 

Or as I like to say when I see a commercial for an sale that has been "extended, "Guess they didnt' sell as much as they planned so they gotta keep it up to make their projections."

[Prevailing Wind]

 

Christmas is the most important quarter for retailers.

And Baby Jesus would so proud that it's all for him...isn't it?  Why don't we all just stick to gold, frankincense & myrrh?  Well, I think we can probably skip the frankincense & myrrh, but you KNOW what gold means, don't you?  Either he went to Jared or you're getting a Jane Seymour Butt Necklace™

[riley702]

NOOO, don't skip the frankincense and myrrh! Seriously, it's my favorite scent ever. Candles, wax tarts, custom perfume... if it's frankincense and myrrh, I'll squeal with glee. So I'm good with the "original three" Christmas presents. :D

[Brattinella]

You just reminded me, riley702, in a roundabout way, of one of my favorite perfumes of yesteryear "Youth Dew".  Anyone under 50 will not remember, but I can smell it now.

[ExplainItAgain]

Is it a celebrity doing the voice of the Surface Pro 3 Winter Wonderland ad? It sort of sounds like Wayne Knight but I can't find any information.

 

It's driving me craaaaaaaazy.

[janie jones]

You just reminded me, riley702, in a roundabout way, of one of my favorite perfumes of yesteryear "Youth Dew".  Anyone under 50 will not remember, but I can smell it now.

I do not like this name.  It seems like the name of a child pornography magazine.

[theatremouse]

OK, I have come to complain. I've been following the whole Marshmallow World discussion for what seems like weeks, and I thought "hm, am I just lucky? I have no idea what they're talking about." And then one week ago, I saw one of those ads, once, for the first time. Also the first time I had ever heard the song. And I thought "oh, that's what it was. OK. No biggie." And then again, did not see it at all for several days.

 

Until last night.

 

Last night, when, in the course of about 90 minutes I saw variations on that damn ad at least 7 times. Seriously, y'all. I have joined you. And I ain't happy about it.

[Brattinella]

http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Est-e-Lauder/Youth-Dew-555.html

[riley702]

You just reminded me, riley702, in a roundabout way, of one of my favorite perfumes of yesteryear "Youth Dew".  Anyone under 50 will not remember, but I can smell it now.

In my teens, I loved this cheap perfume called "Skin". Don't even remember who made it, just that the box was green.

Edited November 25, 2014 by riley702

[Haleth]

I saw the White Diamonds commercial yesterday.  Can't believe they still make that crap.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Haleth

[RealityGal]

You just reminded me, riley702, in a roundabout way, of one of my favorite perfumes of yesteryear "Youth Dew".  Anyone under 50 will not remember, but I can smell it now.

 Youth Dew...sounds dangerous!

 

I saw the White Diamonds commercial yesterday.  Can't believe they still make that crap.

 

Are they still using the Elizabeth Taylor commercials?  Those were classic.

 

Remember when Debbie Gibson and Liz Taylor were the only one out there with a celebrity fragrance?  I used to wear my "Electric Youth" all the time.

 

It's all become such a mess, I saw that some boy band named One Direction has a line of makeup out for women.  WTF?  Why in the world would I buy, or encourage anyone to buy makeup from a bunch of boys?

 

Are they still making White Shoulders?

[Prevailing Wind]

"What is White Shoulders?" was the correct reponse to a Jeopardy! clue last week (or the week or so before).  When I was a kid, our Pastor's wife wore White Shoulders.

 

I remember getting some "Youth Dew" drawer liner paper for my future SIL's bridal shower.  Lining her bureau drawers was one of the first things she did when they got back from their honeymoon.  I'm sure my brother appreciated her doing only half the bureau, so his socks wouldn't smell all girly.

[Haleth]

Yes, the White Diamonds commercial had the Ghost of Elizabeth Taylor Passed.

 

Speaking of celebrity fragrances, who thought having a Julia Roberts inspired one was a good idea?

Edited November 26, 2014 by Haleth

[RealityGal]

Yes, the White Diamonds commercial had the Ghost of Elizabeth Taylor Passed.

 

Speaking of celebrity fragrances, who thought having a Julia Roberts inspired one was a good idea?

Is it called "Pretty Woman?" or "Scent of an ex-hooker?"

[CarpeDiem54]

Yes, the White Diamonds commercial had the Ghost of Elizabeth Taylor Passed.

 

Speaking of celebrity fragrances, who thought having a Julia Roberts inspired one was a good idea?

Do you have to have a nose shaped like a ski-jump to smell it?

[merylinkid]

It's shaped like her mouth.   It only comes in the 1 gallon size.

 

Topic:   I finally saw the Marshallow World one.   What the hell did Target do to a beautiful song?

[Jamoche]

 I finally saw the Marshallow World one.   What the hell did Target do to a beautiful song?

The first one seemed to be pretty classic, but they're doing the usual Chrismas-music mangling to it - there's a faster one, and I'm sure the "let's draaaw ooout the voooowels" version is coming soon.

[theatremouse]

The song isn't even my problem with it, at least, not alone. I'm not exactly sure how this generally works precisely, but it seems like the way Target bought their ad space is bizarrely annoying. When I see this series of ads it's generally 2 per break. That's why it's infuriating, more so than just the usual overplayed ad scenario. A show goes to break: I see one Marshmallow World ad, then the rest of the ads, then another Marshmallow World, then back to the show. Repeat.

 

I think if I'd seen the ad(s) the same overall number of times, but not twice per break, it would have taken me longer to be as annoyed as I am right now. Because if I see it once, I know I'll see it six more times unless I go watch another show. It's inescapable. The fact that it contains a song, any song, makes it worse because it's repeated constantly and songs are sticky. I like Target and usually shop there in general, but they're progressively making me not want to anymore, between annoying the crap out of me with ads and the supermarketification clogging up the lines, I'm over it.

[merylinkid]

The Netflix holiday commercial still has me cracking up 5 minutes later.    Guy is chasing a woman through the airport calling her name.   He finally catches up to her.   She turns surprised to see him.   He asks if he can ask her a question.   She gazes at him adoringly "Sure anything."   He says, yeah, what's the Netflix password.  She stares at him and deadpans "ilovestephen" which is the guy's name.   He just responds with "all lower case, all one word."   She is all "yeah."   His utter oblivousness is hilarious.   You can tell she is thinking "why do I love this guy again?"   

 

It's not the usual Yogurt Bitch and bumbling guy.   It's just funny.

[CarpeDiem54]

The Netflix holiday commercial still has me cracking up 5 minutes later.    Guy is chasing a woman through the airport calling her name.   He finally catches up to her.   She turns surprised to see him.   He asks if he can ask her a question.   She gazes at him adoringly "Sure anything."   He says, yeah, what's the Netflix password.  She stares at him and deadpans "ilovestephen" which is the guy's name.   He just responds with "all lower case, all one word."   She is all "yeah."   His utter oblivousness is hilarious.   You can tell she is thinking "why do I love this guy again?"   

 

It's not the usual Yogurt Bitch and bumbling guy.   It's just funny.

LOL! It cracks me up, too. She looks like she wants to change the password to stephensadouchebag.

[Stella MD]

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7stK/shutterfly-create-perfectly-personal-gifts

This one is the trifecta of annoyance - an irritating urchin who can't sing, shilling holiday crap. Seriously, whoever told this unfortunate child that her reedy, nasal, nails-on-a-chalkboard voice was commercial-worthy needs to be taken out back and shot.

I also hate these series of commercials because they feel like false advertising. I'm sure in this day and age there actually is technology that could embed a video in a card, or at least believably could be, so I always feel let down when I realize Shutterfly doesn't actually make the products in the commercial but instead are just advertising their usual boring still picture cards, which lost their wow-factor a decade ago.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Stella MD

[janie jones]

I've only seen the ad maybe three times, but I kind of love the Big Lots Black Friday song.

[Neurochick]

They make the holidays look so picture perfect and happy.and i wish they wouldn't rub in your face. So many people in this country cannot afford the food spread all the beautiful gifts, don't live in a perfectly decorated colonial house in the suburbs and relatives that look like models.

They could scale it back and show you can be as happy in an apartment, say, and with what you can afford. .Or spending the day serving a meal to the needy or going to dinner with your friends and having a small gift exchange. Stop being so greedy, quit setting the bar so high and people up for disappointment and depression, just quit.

 

I agree with this.  Here's the thing though, people may be depressed during the holidays because:

 

They don't have the holiday/life that they dreamed they'd have.

They have the holiday/life they dreamed of having, but it didn't turn out the way they thought it would.

They had the holiday/life they dreamed of having, but that was decades ago and now things have changed.

 

I too wish holiday commercials would show different ways of enjoying the holidays. Even if you do have the family, home and food now, that could change in the future.  

[cynicat]

I've only seen the ad maybe three times, but I kind of love the Big Lots Black Friday song.

 

I really liked it the first 2 or 3 times as well.  Possibly even the first 5 or 6.  But twice during every single commercial break (that's 8 times/hour) all day long, makes it a find-me-an-icepick-so-I-can-pierce-my-eardrums kind of like.

[Neurochick]

And I am getting sick of, "It's the Black Friday-est Black Friday of all."

[friendperidot]

 

And I am getting sick of, "It's the Black Friday-est Black Friday of all."

I thought was black Friday is the black Friday of all, yours makes more sense even though it doesn't make sense. I am sick of it.

[Prevailing Wind]

OMG.  This is, by far, the creepiest non-clown thing I've ever seen...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJilxzxD8D8

 

An EXCELLENT reason for hating WalMart.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Prevailing Wind

[Rick Kitchen]

JC Penney, quit trying to make "You Just Got Jingled" happen.  Just, no.

[riley702]

OMG.  This is, by far, the creepiest non-clown thing I've ever seen...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJilxzxD8D8

 

An EXCELLENT reason for hating WalMart.

I might just have PTSD now. Wow.

[cynicat]

 

OMG.  This is, by far, the creepiest non-clown thing I've ever seen...

https://www.youtube....h?v=IJilxzxD8D8

 

Holy shit, that's just wrong. It's not even done well, which makes it even creepier. 

[Prevailing Wind]

The least creepy in the Walmart ad: I don't get why the cat's right eye is consistently smaller than the left eye.

[peeayebee]

The stuff of nightmares.

[Jamoche]

Holy shit, that's just wrong. It's not even done well, which makes it even creepier. 

Someone saw the dog dental chews ad with human teeth in dog faces and missed the part where the ad itself calls out the creepy factor.

[friendperidot]

I laugh like an adolescent over the dogs with dentures

[Prevailing Wind]

I like the dog dentures ad because the product they're advertising is an X-shaped chew and they've got David Duchovny doing the voice over.

[RealityGal]

The stuff of nightmares.

I only watched 8 seconds, so I'm hoping my nightmares of a set of snapping, singing dentures chasing me will only last for a week or two.

[theatremouse]

Nooooooooo! Now Cooking Channel has a Marshmallow World commercial! And just when Target's finally cut back a bit since most of their spots were black Friday spots with that song (at least the doubled up ones).

 

Dear Cooking Channel (or whoever you hired to do your ads),

No. Just no. This song is not fricking Jingle Bells level ubiquitous such that anybody can use it in a holiday ad and have it read generically Christmasish. A: I am already angry at it for being in 9 zillion Target ads. B: now when your ad comes on, I assume it's for Target. Don't even continue looking at the screen. Coincidence I looked up toward the end and saw your logo. So that defeats the whole purpose of running an ad if it just makes people think of some other ad for a company completely unrelated to your own (although hey, at least you didn't make your ad interchangeable for a direct competitor's).

 

In conclusion: fire you admeisters.

 

Love, Mouse

[Rick Kitchen]

I was in the supermarket today and they were playing the marshmallow song over the loudspeakers along with the other Christmas songs.

[Lola16]

I don't recall ever hearing Marshmallow World before the Target commercial. Maybe I just didn't notice it before.

[InDueTime]

I always liked this Toys for Tots commercial. Even though I haven't seen it in years.

[Prairie Fire]

That Walmart cat ad may be the worst holiday ad ever. It's so bad it's hilarious.

 

At 0:37, I think to myself, "Oh, for God's sake, don't do an encore"

[amaranta]

I saw the Hershey's Kisses bell choir on TV this afternoon.  I usually wait until at least after Remembrance Day before I start thinking about Christmas, but I'll allow it. :)

 

Agree with previous poster that the first sighting of this ad marks the beginning of the holiday season. (Sorry, I hit the quote button for your post but it didn't come through.)

 

IMO the best holiday ad ever.  (Clydesdales are my second choice.)

 

It's simple, clean, to the point, clever and - even after all these years - I still wait for the little hardest ringer at the end to go "Whew!"  I've always hoped that the person who came up with the concept won a Cleo, was handsomely compensated, and retired rich.

[Prevailing Wind]

I always like the Santa flying on the triple-head of a Norelco electric razor - that one was before the bell-ringing kisses and it always signified the start of the Holiday Ads for me.  Haven't seen it in decades, so I'm happy to see the bell-ringing kisses now.  Whew!

 

(I'm so old, I remember when it was a double-headed razor. LOL)

[Rick Kitchen]

Prevailing Wind:

 

[Tabbyclaw]

I've been hearing Marshmallow World for years, but never knew that's what it was called until people started complaining about it here. I always just knew it as "that other obnoxious song that gets played constantly in my store and which I can't understand a word of." (To distinguish it from "that one obnoxious song that gets played constantly in my store and which I can't understand a word of," which I later learned to be "Christmas Wrapping.")