Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[bilgistic]

I'm amused that you looked it (them) up, Bastet!

[Prevailing Wind]

 

Women all knew that we wanted cooters as fresh and natural that using musk scented douches would allow!

Don't forget the strawberry "flavored" douches.

 

I read once (I think it was in Psychology Today before it got silly) that men don't like musk - they did studies and a bunch o'men hated the musk scent.  Then they injected them with estrogen and they thought musk smelled great!  I thought that was very interesting, and then stopped buying anything that had musk scent in it.

[Brattinella]

Are you guessing or have you seen the commercial? I've yet to actually see it as I'm generally doing some needlework and only listening. That would make sense if it's an injection. Why didn't I think of that?!

I have sorta seen it; I tend to tune out commercials if I can, it may be the one about putting wads of filler in your upper cheeks to replace your 'apples'.

[bubbls]

I looked "lumps and bumps" up too. Who knew?!!

[janie jones]

I don't remember what this is an ad for, maybe ant traps or ant spray, but this woman walks into the kitchen, and there's a person-sized ant raiding the refrigerator.  The ant drops something that looks like small olives.  Are they supposed to be olives, or is the ant pooping?

 

I read once (I think it was in Psychology Today before it got silly) that men don't like musk - they did studies and a bunch o'men hated the musk scent.  Then they injected them with estrogen and they thought musk smelled great!  I thought that was very interesting, and then stopped buying anything that had musk scent in it.

I read somewhere once that they put musk in women's scents because women find it appealing and will therefore buy it.

[editorgrrl]

I don't remember what this is an ad for, maybe ant traps or ant spray, but this woman walks into the kitchen, and there's a person-sized ant raiding the refrigerator. The ant drops something that looks like small olives. Are they supposed to be olives, or is the ant pooping?

It's Raid: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/73Mw/raid-late-night-snack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW3Ry1D3vQo

[spaceytraci1208]

Have y'all seen the commercial for "Colorama" a coloring book for adults? I'm completely for grown folks coloring but when the commercial suggested people could give their finished work (is there a word for it? "Colorings"?) to people as gifts, my side-eye almost damaged my retinas

[janie jones]

It's Raid: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/73Mw/raid-late-night-snack

Okay, but is the ant pooping?  That was my question.

[bilgistic]

I watched it, and I don't know, either! The whatever-they-are are gone after the woman sprays the Raid, so it apparently makes ant poop--or olives--go away, too. If it's poop, wouldn't it be bigger for an ant that size? Maybe he's constipated. Why are we thinking about this?

[editorgrrl]

They're green olives. I assume TPTB chose them for plausible deniability, but how do olives fall out of anything but a skeleton when they burp?

[bilgistic]

I will forever picture this commercial when I see an ant.

[CarpeDiem54]

Bawahahaha! You guys crack me up! I've been wondering if that was ant poop, too. Obviously, warped minds think alike.

[Ubiquitous]

Why is the little boy at the begining of the epipen ad allergic to "penis"?

[bilgistic]

Apparently, I am, too, since I haven't had any in four years.

[InDueTime]

Did no one at Yoplait realize they gave a male voice to an obviously female cow?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctUKfe5BBIc

[BusyOctober]

I am absolutely HATING the new KFC ads.  That new "Colonel" is the creepiest creep whoever creeped. It would be less haunting if they exhumed the original old coot and reanimated him. (Plus think of all the Walking Dead fans who'd follow a zombie-fied Col. Sanders to a KFC!)

[ABay]

Did no one at Yoplait realize they gave a male voice to an obviously female cow?

She identifies as male?

[90PercentGravity]

I am absolutely HATING the new KFC ads.  That new "Colonel" is the creepiest creep whoever creeped. It would be less haunting if they exhumed the original old coot and reanimated him. (Plus think of all the Walking Dead fans who'd follow a zombie-fied Col. Sanders to a KFC!)

But then they'd lose the bible belt.

[Aquarius]

Why is the little boy at the begining of the epipen ad allergic to "penis"?

 

OMG.  I have a friend who worked at M&M Mars for years, and when he tells me about misadventures on the line that made peanut M&Ms, I always do a double take.  Learn to enunicate, Stan!!

[xaxat]

I saw an ad where Kellog's was trumpeting the fact that their new Frosted Flakes contain "energy clusters".

 

Back in my day, we called that "sugar".

Edited June 23, 2015 by xaxat

[DeLurker]

Ahhh...the good ol'days of  Sugar Smacks and Super Sugar Crisp on our breakfast table.

[CoderLady]

Don't forget "Sugar Frosted Flakes." They're great.

[Brattinella]

And Sugar Pops!

[xaxat]

In other cereal news, Lucky Charms will now be free from all artificial colors.

 

I understand why they did this, but the kid in me asks "What's the point in that?" As a kid, I liked that stuff, in large part, because it had colors that clearly could not be found in nature.

Edited June 23, 2015 by xaxat

[Rick Kitchen]

There's a Walgreen's ad where a group of girls are all riding in a van and one little girl joins them and they look at her and one says, "What's wrong with your hair?"

 

Uh, I don't know, what is wrong with her hair?  It looks okay to me.

 

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7ceZ/walgreens-dance-team

Edited June 23, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[Brattinella]

But NATURAL food colors will still be fine.  Like RED=crushed beetles=natural food coloring.

[theatremouse]

There's a Walgreen's ad where a group of girls are all riding in a van and one little girl joins them and they look at her and one says, "What's wrong with your hair?"

 

Uh, I don't know, what is wrong with her hair?  It looks okay to me.

I can't hear it perfectly, but I didn't think the other girl said "what's wrong with your hair?" I thought she said something more like "what about your hair?", like perhaps they were all supposed to have a certain sort of 'do or accoutrement or something and the girl had arrived basically, not completely in uniform/costume? That's how it played to me, although I admit I've seen the ad many times and didn't really notice much difference between her hair at the beginning and the end. It's not like everyone had a french braid and she only had a ponytail or something... Edited June 24, 2015 by theatremouse

[editorgrrl]

There's a Walgreen's ad where a group of girls are all riding in a van and one little girl joins them and they look at her and one says, "What's wrong with your hair?"

Uh, I don't know, what is wrong with her hair? It looks okay to me.

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7ceZ/walgreens-dance-team

She's got a messy low side ponytail, whilst the entire minivanful o' Dance Team Jitterbug has pink ribbons in their hair.

I have no idea why they're all dressed like Rainbow Brite, though.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

In other cereal news, Lucky Charms will now be free from all artificial colors.

 

I understand why they did this, but the kid in me asks "What's the point in that?" As a kid, I liked that stuff, in large part, because it had colors that clearly could not be found in nature.

 

My question is, what does this mean for Mountain Dew?

[Muffyn]

The strange thing in the dance team in a van commercial is the girls have different hair on stage than they have while they are in the van.  So the coach seemingly did almost everyone's hair because one girl had a low ponytail. Okay, on rewatch they show several different (hideous) outfits and dance routines so I guess the coach bought enough hair spray, etc. at Walgreen's to do the entire team's hair many times over and to be able to name a new hole in the ozone layer after them.  

[Jamoche]

She's got a messy low side ponytail, whilst the entire minivanful o' Dance Team Jitterbug has pink ribbons in their hair.

I can't believe that a dance mom wouldn't have spare ribbons and an emergency supply of ponytail bands, since those tend to get lost or break - I always had a spare ponytail band wrapped around my karate belt for just such an emergency.

 

And since the kid does have a ponytail, they don't need a band, just ribbons. If dance mom doesn't have any sort of hair touch up kit at all, just do a quick French braid and take some of the extras off the other kids.

[smiley13]

That commercial for the washing machine with Kristen Bell bugs me because the husband washes "Back Up Lambie" then hands it to her to take back to the child without drying it.  I am sure a soaking wet "Back Up Lambie" would be really soothing to the child.  

[Bastet]

The first time I saw it, I thought they were saying, "Back-up Plan B," so I sat there thinking, "Um, wouldn't the back up to Plan B be Plan C?"

 

Even knowing what they're really saying, I still don't get the commercial.  Why is a stuffed toy that's wet with water going to appease the kid any more than one that's wet with juice?  And is the baby even crying because of the juice, or because they took the toy away to wash it instead of doing it later?  Most of all, why, when this is their second child, are they so freaked out by the crying?

 

I like them in their earlier commercials, but I don't like this one and their other new one (the dinner party) doesn't do much for me.

[theatremouse]

That commercial for the washing machine with Kristen Bell bugs me because the husband washes "Back Up Lambie" then hands it to her to take back to the child without drying it.  I am sure a soaking wet "Back Up Lambie" would be really soothing to the child.

There may be two versions of the ad, one slightly shorter than the other with some bits cut, but at least in the longer one, he squeezes that toy hard, basically wrings it out and a ton of water comes out, so I think we're supposed to take it that it's not very wet at all when he hands it off. He doesn't towel dry it or anything, but given the amount of water that comes out of it, it's unlikely be to soaked.

[riley702]

Don't forget "Sugar Frosted Flakes." They're great.

Not as great as they used to be. They're not only not as sweet, but the consistency of the flakes is off, somehow. I used to love them and now can't make myself eat them.

[ari333]

Still.... damp Lambie. PASS :)

[DeLurker]

That commercial for the washing machine with Kristen Bell bugs me because the husband washes "Back Up Lambie" then hands it to her to take back to the child without drying it.  I am sure a soaking wet "Back Up Lambie" would be really soothing to the child.  

I was "that" kid, although with a blanket and not a stuffed animal.  I did exactly what Linus did in Charlie Brown when it was wash day - I sat in front of the washing machine.  And since we didn't have a dryer, I sat outside watching the clothes line.  Depending on the weather, Mom might take pity on me and iron it to make it dry faster.  My parents did not understand this attachment of mine, but they did not freak out either.

 

I think we're supposed to find Kristen Bell and hubby funny & charming in their parental panic, but the whole set up is just dumb, not funny and not charming.

[90PercentGravity]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7TGBxI6kCc

 

"Choose a pleasureless ordinary"?

[Aquarius]

I have sorta seen it; I tend to tune out commercials if I can, it may be the one about putting wads of filler in your upper cheeks to replace your 'apples'.

 

I hate that product and I hate that commercial.  One more thing they want me to think I need to compensate for as I age.  I have never in my life noticed that people (read: women) lose their 'apples' as they age.  I suspect many people haven't either.  Talk about a manufactured emergency.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

"Choose a pleasureless ordinary"?

They couldn't do this ad without writing in a library book? Or at least use a pencil?

[bilgistic]

She writes on his crossword puzzle, I thought...?

In that still shot above, she looks just as ridiculous as in the commercial. It's like the director told her to "Act 'sexy'!" and she did what she thought that was, but it's the worst B-movie acting ever.

Also, I'm going to make a wild generalization here and say that straight men just don't care that much about chocolate-covered fruit. I doubt it works that well as a seduction tool, and in the library (bookstore? coffee shop?) no less, but I could be wrong. I'm thinking women might be more into it, which is why the commercial is marketed toward women. I'm guessing.

I'm a little freaked out by shelf-stable fruit that is then covered in chocolate.

[Prevailing Wind]

This one isn't so much a head scratcher, but I didn't know where else to put it. Ispot doesn't have it and neither does YouTube, so I'll have to describe it...it's from the North Georgia Honda Dealers and starts off with a woman chowing down on a huge burger.  I'm not sure why, but the voiceover goes on to tell her that leasing a Honda costs less than the burger and is more reliable, blah, blah, blah...  Then they show a silver Honda driving away from the camera on a pretty standard Atlanta street - and the car dips on the curb side as it runs into a pot hole and then keeps going.  I don't think we're supposed to notice the pot hole, but I giggle every time I see it.

[90PercentGravity]

Okay. I just paid attention to this ad for the first time. Did the crazy lady in the VW kidnap the kid terrors?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDkvGoUo46c

[janie jones]

It's kind of a confusing commercial.  I didn't realize at first that it's a completely different family at the end of the commercial.  They're the people in the car that goes by as the lady says "Boys?"   (So not only are they different kids, she didn't even stop at the gas station.)  I originally thought it was the same family after they all piled back into the car.

 

I think the fact that I didn't realize that is partly because I wasn't paying a lot of attention, but partly because I thought the point of the commercial was that the mom didn't know that her kids terrorize gas station convenience stores because they pretend to be little angels when they're around her.  I thought they were trying to say that your kids won't destroy as many gas stations if you have this car since you won't stop as much.  Now that I realize that it's a different family, it doesn't even make sense to me anymore, because those three at the end seem to be good kids, so I don't know what the mom would have to worry about.  Unless they're trying to say that all little boys run amok everywhere they go.  Which I guess maybe they are, but then why make them be behaving in the car?

[Sandman87]

The beans now have pulled chicken in them.

If they've pulled chicken in, I'm not going near them. They might pull me in! I don't want to be part of the secret recipe. No wonder the Colonel has that sinister laugh...

[smittykins]

I thought they were trying to say that your kids won't destroy as many gas stations if you have this car since you won't stop as much.

That's the impression I've always gotten from the ad.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

She writes on his crossword puzzle, I thought...?

She does, but she also circles a couple of words in a book.

 

 

I thought they were trying to say that your kids won't destroy as many gas stations if you have this car since you won't stop as much.

I should think the first time would be the last time, after being charged for the damages.

[bilgistic]

She does, but she also circles a couple of words in a book.

Well, that's just not okay.

[theatremouse]

It's kind of a confusing commercial.  ...

I thought they were trying to say that your kids won't destroy as many gas stations if you have this car since you won't stop as much.  Now that I realize that it's a different family, it doesn't even make sense to me anymore, because those three at the end seem to be good kids, so I don't know what the mom would have to worry about.  Unless they're trying to say that all little boys run amok everywhere they go.  Which I guess maybe they are, but then why make them be behaving in the car?

I am not saying the commercial is clear, or makes sense. But here's my interpretation of what they meant to imply:

The kids (from both cars) neither necessarily behave nor misbehave while in the respective cars.

The kids whose mother is pumping gas are running amok in the convenience store possibly because of pent up energy from having been in a long car trip, possibly because they're monsters, possibly because all children will run amok if you cease supervising them for five minutes.

The kids in the car driving past do not have the opportunity to run amok, regardless of why they might be inclined to do so, because their mother gets way better gas mileage and need not stop.

So apparently the implication is: care about your gas mileage, don't need to find out if you can trust your children to function in public.

[LoneHaranguer]

There's an ad that plays a nice song while a guy clears out the litter that built up in his Subaru while his daughter was growing up, then tosses her the keys. What kind of parent would want their college-age kid driving a car almost as old as the kid is?