Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[OSM Mom]

Well she acts like she can't have any of it. Which is wrong. She can. Just in moderation.

[mansonlamps]

I must admit, my mom taught me the most glorious red sauce, and it uses the teensiest pinch of sugar (to balance the acidity, she said).

 

 

Where were you in the days of TWoP where I got the internet version of drawn and quartered for pointing out that my born and bred Sicilian grandmother put a pinch of sugar in her tomato sauce?  I was told in no uncertain terms that NO self-respecting Sicilian would ever do that :)  I forgot the poster's name that's sauce recipe was legendary on that site and she was pretty adamant about it.

[ABay]

You say adamant, I say obnoxious. I never posted a response because I was so pissed off by the tone all I could think to say was "fuck you and your grandmother."

[meep.meep]

People *want* to have pizza from Domino's?

 

If I'm going to order pizza, and have it delivered, and pay and tip the delivery guy, it's not going to be Domino's.

 

And, am I the only one who remembers the good old days when the only thing a football player, especially those on defense, would eat on camera was soup?

Edited November 3, 2015 by meep.meep

[Ubiquitous]

There's an ad for some diabetes medication. The lady is at her mother or grandmother's house for Sunday dinner. It's Italian and served family style. So all these bowls go by with stuff she can't eat. Like pasta. But this bowl with meatballs comes by and she can't eat those either. Huh? What's wrong with meatballs. I figured those would be OK.

Was it for diabetes? I thought she was on a diet, which in TV Land, means a couple carrot and celery sticks.

[90PercentGravity]

I've been eating a lot of salads lately (from Salad and Go, not Panerra) and it is pretty much impossible to eat a salad gracefully, especially if you are in a hurry.

[Brattinella]

Where were you in the days of TWoP where I got the internet version of drawn and quartered for pointing out that my born and bred Sicilian grandmother put a pinch of sugar in her tomato sauce?  I was told in no uncertain terms that NO self-respecting Sicilian would ever do that :)  I forgot the poster's name that's sauce recipe was legendary on that site and she was pretty adamant about it.

 

I was actually a member of TWoP for a very long time, got my hand smacked a time or two.  I don't remember being involved in a tomato sauce melee, but I would have STAUNCHLY defended you!

[peacheslatour]

Where were you in the days of TWoP where I got the internet version of drawn and quartered for pointing out that my born and bred Sicilian grandmother put a pinch of sugar in her tomato sauce?  I was told in no uncertain terms that NO self-respecting Sicilian would ever do that :)  I forgot the poster's name that's sauce recipe was legendary on that site and she was pretty adamant about it.

We had quite the kerfuffle over this subject here on PrevTV up in the Pioneer Woman threads.  I will admit to being in the anti sugar in tomato sauce camp, but it stayed mostly civil.  At least no ones grandma was told to fuck off.

[Brattinella]

I can't imagine a person who would tell a grandma to fuck off. Yikes!

[ABay]

I SAID I never posted!

Edited November 3, 2015 by ABay

[editorgrrl]

There's an ad for some diabetes medication. The lady is at her mother or grandmother's house for Sunday dinner. It's Italian and served family style. So all these bowls go by with stuff she can't eat. Like pasta. But this bowl with meatballs comes by and she can't eat those either. Huh? What's wrong with meatballs. I figured those would be OK.

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/Ak02/jardiance-around-the-clock

She has a full plate: pasta, sauce, a meatball, three-bean salad, and green salad. I'm confused by her sad panda face, and by the music—a cover of "That's Life."

I guess the commercial is highlighting the importance of diet and exercise while taking Jardiance to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes?

Edited November 3, 2015 by editorgrrl

[CarpeDiem54]

She has a full plate: pasta, sauce, a meatball, three-bean salad, and green salad. I'm confused by her sad panda face, and by the music—a cover of "That's Life."

I guess the commercial is highlighting the importance of diet and exercise while taking Jardiance to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes?

Yeah, that's confusing since she has a little of everything. Maybe she's sad because she can't eat a huge pile of everything, which is probably why she has diabetes in the first place.

[ABay]

But hey, no judgment...

[Brattinella]

But hey, no judgment...

About what?

[proserpina65]

People *want* to have pizza from Domino's?

If I'm going to order pizza, and have it delivered, and pay and tip the delivery guy, it's not going to be Domino's.

 

I do sometimes, but I live approximately 2 minutes from one, so I never get it delivered.

[peacheslatour]

A Domino's driver crashed into our fence once.  It took forever to get them to acknowledge responsibility, even though there were witnesses.  We finally got them to pay up after a strongly worded letter from our attorney.  Assholes.

[backformore]

I saw a commercial telling me to change one of my outdoor lights to green to honor veterans.   Apparently veterans will get a warm and fuzzy feeling when they pass by my house and see that I put a green light on my porch.

The commercial is sponsored by Walmart, where i can buy those green light bulbs.

 

So - how does giving Walmart money help veterans?

[riley702]

I saw a commercial telling me to change one of my outdoor lights to green to honor veterans.   Apparently veterans will get a warm and fuzzy feeling when they pass by my house and see that I put a green light on my porch.

The commercial is sponsored by Walmart, where i can buy those green light bulbs.

 

So - how does giving Walmart money help veterans?

I thought we were supposed to have blue lights to show our support for police officers? It's like the gazillion colored ribbons to show support for every damned thing. Damn, I should just buy a kaleidoscope light for everyone and be done with it. From Wal-mart, of course. ;)

[Rick Kitchen]

I guess Wal-mart gets money out of patriotism just like Major League Baseball and the NFL get money from the Pentagon when they "honor" veterans.

[Ubiquitous]

I thought we were supposed to have blue lights to show our support for police officers? It's like the gazillion colored ribbons to show support for every damned thing. Damn, I should just buy a kaleidoscope light for everyone and be done with it. From Wal-mart, of course. ;)

I saw an ad or story about them painting handicap parking space lines green for veterans. I think that's what it was.ha ha

Some light beer ad festures this "club" that jogs and shit but their favorite part is fetting together to drink said product. Does this mean they're alcoholics?

[Demented Daisy]

I guess Wal-mart gets money out of patriotism just like Major League Baseball and the NFL get money from the Pentagon when they "honor" veterans.

 

I'm glad someone does because we sure as hell don't.  *grumble grumble grumble*

 

For the record, my Air Force husband doesn't care what color your porch lights are.  He won't know anyway because he's color blind.  He'd much rather you donate that money you would have spent on a light to your local VA.

 

No charity shaming if you don't, though.  ;-)

[editorgrrl]

Some light beer ad festures this "club" that jogs and shit but their favorite part is fetting together to drink said product. Does this mean they're alcoholics?

Is it this Michelob Ultra commercial? http://www.ispot.tv/ad/73a4/michelob-ultra-come-together

[Sandman87]

People *want* to have pizza from Domino's?

If I'm going to order pizza, and have it delivered, and pay and tip the delivery guy, it's not going to be Domino's.

I knew someone who worked at Domino's part time when I was in college. She said there were a couple of occasions when she wanted pizza for her lunch break, so she went to a nearby Round Table.

[Bort]

I saw an ad or story about them painting handicap parking space lines green for veterans. I think that's what it was.ha ha

Oy. Most veterans aren't even handicapped.

[Ubiquitous]

Is it this Michelob Ultra commercial? http://www.ispot.tv/ad/73a4/michelob-ultra-come-together

Yeah, that's the one!

[Brattinella]

Oy. Most veterans aren't even handicapped.

 

But lots of them are.  And many more NEW veterans are coming home with horrific handicaps.

[Bort]

But lots of them are. And many more NEW veterans are coming home with horrific handicaps.

I know, but my point was that making Veterans Day about handicapped spaces doesn't actually include all veterans.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

A Domino's driver crashed into our fence once.  It took forever to get them to acknowledge responsibility, even though there were witnesses.  We finally got them to pay up after a strongly worded letter from our attorney.  Assholes.

Domino's responsibility for anything like that disappeared a long time ago, when they stopped guaranteeing delivery within a certain amount of time. It's up to the driver (and his insurance company) to cover any damages. From the company's POV, they were settling an unfounded claim to avoid litigation costs. According to the judge on a court TV show involving a similar situation with a different company, the company didn't even have to help identify who the driver might have been.

[Brattinella]

Domino's responsibility for anything like that disappeared a long time ago, when they stopped guaranteeing delivery within a certain amount of time. It's up to the driver (and his insurance company) to cover any damages. From the company's POV, they were settling an unfounded claim to avoid litigation costs. According to the judge on a court TV show involving a similar situation with a different company, the company didn't even have to help identify who the driver might have been.

When I was in high school, Domino's offered the "Under 30 min or it is free".  I happened to be standing in front of Domino's one warm day, when I saw a Domino's driver approaching diagonally through the parking lot @ about 45 mph.  At the very same moment, ANOTHER Domino's driver was approaching from a driveway approx at a ninety-degree angle, also screaming along @ about 45.  I retreated at the very last second, and they crashed together at the curb in front of Domino's.  True story.  Shortly thereafter, they stopped offering under 30 min delivery.

[Ohwell]

There's a commercial with skiers wearing L. L. Bean jackets, and they're playing a song by James Brown yelling "ain't it funky now!"  Now, I happen to love James Brown and I have most of his music, but this is dance music and it just does not fit with people going down ski slopes.  They just messed with a James Brown song and I don't understand why.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Ohwell

[Rick Kitchen]

There's an ad for Balsam Hill artificial Christmas trees (sigh, in the first week of November), and the woman is all happy that she doesn't have to worry about it any more.  Worry about what?

[Prevailing Wind]

A dried-out, dead tree in her living room going up in flames?

[Rick Kitchen]

Are we supposed to know who the blonde is?

 

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/AwLH/nespresso-training-day-featuring-george-clooney-and-danny-devito

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I think she's just an extra, though at first I thought it was Elizabeth Banks.

[peacheslatour]

There's an ad for Balsam Hill artificial Christmas trees (sigh, in the first week of November), and the woman is all happy that she doesn't have to worry about it any more.  Worry about what?

These ads were on here for a couple of weeks in July.  JULY.

[proserpina65]

A dried-out, dead tree in her living room going up in flames?

Eh, if she watered it properly, she wouldn't have to worry about that.

[smittykins]

There's still the issue of dropped pine needles.

[backformore]

there's a commercial telling me that " we live in a pick and choose world". what does that mean?  does it just mean hat we have choices?  

[Brattinella]

there's a commercial telling me that " we live in a pick and choose world". what does that mean?  does it just mean hat we have choices?  

 

Like, at a buffet?  What kind of ad is it?

[mmecorday]

^^ It's for a sleep-number bed, I think.

[LoneHaranguer]

I saw a Comcast ad targeting business owners worried about storms knocking their business off the net. Comcast's "solution" is to call to let them know when that happens. Shouldn't they be offering a reliable service that doesn't go down like that instead?

[tanyak]

There's an ad for Balsam Hill artificial Christmas trees (sigh, in the first week of November), and the woman is all happy that she doesn't have to worry about it any more.  Worry about what?

 

I know a family who puts their tree up the first week of November. And every year, I shake my head and say "I can't believe their tree is already up." 

 

In other head-scratching news: I just don't understand the GE commercial with the developer/coder. Why is everyone so confused he's going to work at GE? I can maybe get his parents not understanding (maybe), but why do his similar-age friends looks so confused? All kinds of companies need developers and people who can code. GE makes perfect sense for that. But the guy is annoying, too, because he goes out of his way to over-explain. The whole campaign has made me twitchy.

Edited November 9, 2015 by tanyak

[Brattinella]

I worked for GE a million years ago, and I think they still pay pretty well.

[CarpeDiem54]

I saw a Comcast ad targeting business owners worried about storms knocking their business off the net. Comcast's "solution" is to call to let them know when that happens. Shouldn't they be offering a reliable service that doesn't go down like that instead?

Since the Comcast internet service is probably bundled (I now hate that word) with the company's phone service, they won't be able to call except on their cell phones. I've had Comcast several times off and on over the years and the services (TV, phone and internet) would reliably crap out at least once a week for a few minutes to many hours.

[Brattinella]

Since the Comcast internet service is probably bundled (I now hate that word) with the company's phone service, they won't be able to call except on their cell phones. I've had Comcast several times off and on over the years and the services (TV, phone and internet) would reliably crap out at least once a week for a few minutes to many hours.

That's the big reason we don't go whole-hog with our phones, too.  Cable and internet from the same provider and it's pretty much guaranteed to go down once a week or so.

[CarpeDiem54]

That's the big reason we don't go whole-hog with our phones, too.  Cable and internet from the same provider and it's pretty much guaranteed to go down once a week or so.

Yep. I now have very reliable internet through CenturyLink (in a year and a half it's never gone down and they have great customer service), use a Mohu Leaf antenna and stream cable shows I just have to watch (like The Walking Dead, etc.) from Amazon with my Roku. I only have my cell phone with a cheap Virgin Mobile account. I no longer have a landline.

[Prevailing Wind]

Yep. I now have very reliable internet through CenturyLink (in a year and a half it's never gone down and they have great customer service), use a Mohu Leaf antenna and stream cable shows I just have to watch (like The Walking Dead, etc.) from Amazon with my Roku. I only have my cell phone with a cheap Virgin Mobile account. I no longer have a landline.

It's like I have a twin!  (OK, internet is ATT U-verse, but I've never had a problem with it except the time the modem flat-out died.)

 

Where I used to work they had Bombast Business and it was *always* going out, but some of that was because the boss' auto-pay AmEx declined the monthly bill. I can't be a true judge of their reliability. (I can, however, be a true judge of the boss' unreliability.)

[riley702]

I saw a Comcast ad targeting business owners worried about storms knocking their business off the net. Comcast's "solution" is to call to let them know when that happens. Shouldn't they be offering a reliable service that doesn't go down like that instead?

Is this the one with the guy who asks "What? You don't have a bed desk?" as he sits there in silk PJs that looks like a suit complete with tie?

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Is this the one with the guy who asks "What? You don't have a bed desk?" as he sits there in silk PJs that looks like a suit complete with tie?

Yes, that's the one. I just don't understand the point of the service. If he wants to know if things are working, he can pick up his cellphone and check. If he were asleep, what value would it be to wake him up? Then he'll be sitting in bed worrying about the fact that potential customers can't connect and there's no way of knowing when it might be fixed. If you're the type of person who's going to worry about the service going down, you're probably going to worry about not getting the phone call that you've signed up to get if that happens.

[Sandman87]

In other head-scratching news: I just don't understand the GE commercial with the developer/coder. Why is everyone so confused he's going to work at GE? I can maybe get his parents not understanding (maybe), but why do his similar-age friends looks so confused? All kinds of companies need developers and people who can code. GE makes perfect sense for that.

People generally don't know all the things that GE is involved in, so I can see someone going "Huh? A developer for a company that makes can openers and light bulbs?" When you say "GE", not a lot of people think of nuclear reactors or TV networks.