Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[bilgistic]

32 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

The Zulily ads are driving me crazy.  One of them, the lady who lets her toddlers take over the phone to place a Zulily order (her one little girl is wearing FUR in one shot) And the other ad, where the lady has 2 kids, orders from Zulily EVERY DAY and they live on ONE INCOME.

This is another irrational hatred of mine. (I know; how do I get anything else done in my life?) Those "flash sale" sites are genius, but in a psychopathic way, because they play on a psychological perceived "need" and fear of abandonment (yes, really).

I have a former friend in her 40s with a young son. She bought stuff from those types of sites at least weekly, and lived in debt while making nearly six figures with no so-called "good" debt (like a home). She told me once, "If you don't get it [whatever the site is hawking that day], it's gone!"

Having perused the "deals" on those sites, I am unconvinced they are any better than what you can find elsewhere if you really need eight sets of faux pearl earrings in different colors to match any outfit. Or infinity scarves. Always the infinity scarves.

[Lola16]

On 6/27/2016 at 0:13 AM, Rick Kitchen said:

I don't understand this ad.  Why is the guy having to paint the place before the girl gets home?  And is she not supposed to smell the paint smell?

 

 

My take is that he's using paint to convert his bachelor pad (dark purple) into a couples place (light purple) and that he is doing so to prove he's serious and ready for a commitment. Now why he waited until she was on her way over...

She looks like a combination of Fergie, Renee Zellweger and Kate Hudson with mumps... on both sets of cheeks.

[Sandman87]

12 hours ago, bilgistic said:

And speaking of autocorrect, one of my greatest annoyances in my first-world life is people who constantly bitch about the autocorrect function on their phone, but won't just turn it off. "I actually really lick it! It saves Tim!"

"Dim it autocorrect!"

"Duck!"

 

Reminds me of the old joke about handwriting recognition on the Newton:

Q: How many Newton users does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: "Faux! There to eat lemons, axe gravy soup."

[ennui]

On 8/17/2016 at 10:20 PM, Bastet said:

Anti-bacterial paint.  Where will it end?

Nothing sells like fear. 

14 hours ago, Brattinella said:

The Zulily ads are driving me crazy.  One of them, the lady who lets her toddlers take over the phone to place a Zulily order (her one little girl is wearing FUR in one shot) And the other ad, where the lady has 2 kids, orders from Zulily EVERY DAY and they live on ONE INCOME.

I think Zulily is owned by QVC. I've heard complaints that Zulily does not accept returns -- I never shop where I can't return something.

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, meep.meep said:

How is this wildly different from using regular paint and having to wash the walls first with something like TriSodiumPhosphate to kill anything that might be on the walls?  I've moved into some skeevy places.  You wash the walls to make sure anything that ever got on them is gone.  And I"m not a germaphobe by any stretch of the imagination.

I've only seen the commercial once - and I was rejoicing because she's actually painting a wall correctly!  Tape, then use a brush to do the edges and the corners, then finally get out the roller to do the big flat areas.

I've never washed walls before painting them.  I hope they were clean.

14 hours ago, Lola16 said:

My take is that he's using paint to convert his bachelor pad (dark purple) into a couples place (light purple) and that he is doing so to prove he's serious and ready for a commitment. Now why he waited until she was on her way over...

She looks like a combination of Fergie, Renee Zellweger and Kate Hudson with mumps... on both sets of cheeks.

Is it wrong that I like the original paint color better?

[Brattinella]

3 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

've never washed walls before painting them.  I hope they were clean.

Me, too.  I've never moved into a place I felt was skeevy enough to use chemicals on the walls.

[theatremouse]

It's not necessarily about it being skeevy. Paint doesn't adhere as well if the walls aren't clean. Even just general dust and normal not-at-all-implying-the-place-was-germ-infested-horror dirt that gets on walls from just existing can impact the paint job. If you don't clean the walls it doesn't necessarily mean you'll have peeling paint in five minutes. It varies. But it is better to do some amount of cleaning first.

I don't think the anti-germ paint was trying to say you don't need to clean the walls before using it, but there is a rationale for cleaning walls prepaint that has nothing to do with germs and everything to do with dirt. Just like if I stick my hand in a sandbox and then rub Purell all over, my hands might no longer be covered in germs but they're still probably covered in disinfected-sand. Dirt<>germs.

That paint ad would've appealed to a much larger target audience if she'd been painting a BATHROOM, rather than a living room. The way they shot it I see it speaking to those with: OCD, compromised immune systems, children with compromised immune systems, or homes in areas in the middle of some current outbreak that isn't viral.

[Brattinella]

Let me put this another way; I have never moved in to a new place that wasn't ALREADY freshly painted.

[LoneHaranguer]

2 hours ago, theatremouse said:

That paint ad would've appealed to a much larger target audience if she'd been painting a BATHROOM, rather than a living room.

Do you really want to paint a bathroom with something that will kill the weaker germs and make room for the stronger ones to thrive? A living room doesn't have the same favorable climate for bacterial growth.

[theatremouse]

I was coming from a marketing perspective, not a science one. IE, if you're trying to make people (who do not have OCD or compromised immune systems) think about "yay, walls that kill bacteria", you show the paint in a space people usually think of as having bacteria in need of killing. Average person doesn't think "ew, living room germs" but potentially does think "ew, bathroom germs". Someone thinking as far ahead as you are is not the target market for this product.

[Sandman87]

Today I was subjected to the current Charter commercial a number of times in a doctor's waiting room. They start out with "It's an epic night in, binge watching TV." I'm sorry, but sitting at home alone and watching TV all night is most definitely not epic; it's sad and pathetic.

(Also, it still sounds to me like the one guy is singing "It's getting dark but my boner's lighting up.")

[riley702]

30 minutes ago, Sandman87 said:

Also, it still sounds to me like the one guy is singing "It's getting dark but my boner's lighting up."

Like this?

Thanks for making me laugh and go look up this video again:

Edited August 20, 2016 by riley702

[Brattinella]

What IS that???

[riley702]

Electric 6's video for their song "Danger! High Voltage". If you haven't seen it yet, please do. It's hilariously inappropriate.

Edited August 20, 2016 by riley702

[Brattinella]

Thank you!

[Sandman87]

That's from the video for "Danger! High Voltage" by Electric Six.

I love that video. The stuffed moose has a light-up codpiece too, although it's kind of difficult to see.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, riley702 said:

Electric 6's video for their song "Danger! High Voltage". If you haven't seen it yet, please do. It's hilariously inappropriate.

"Don't ya wanna know how we keep startin' fires?"

2 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

That's from the video for "Danger! High Voltage" by Electric Six.

I love that video. The stuffed moose has a light-up codpiece too, although it's kind of difficult to see.

And the woman's bra is light-up as well. I LOL every time I watch that vid.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Cobalt Stargazer

[Brattinella]

Woops.  Yikes, anyway!

Edited August 20, 2016 by Brattinella

[mojoween]

One of those Let Go ads has two girls on a moped with a giant disco ball and the one girl is like we need to ditch this posthaste and the other chick says "I can't, it takes me back to the 70's."

If those girls were born before 1990 I will eat that disco ball.  I mean, it's POSSIBLE that they could be a smidge older than that, but they most assuredly cannot remember enough of the 70's to know what it was like to dance under a disco ball in that era.  I don't get why the agency would use actresses that young.

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, Sandman87 said:

Today I was subjected to the current Charter commercial a number of times in a doctor's waiting room. They start out with "It's an epic night in, binge watching TV." I'm sorry, but sitting at home alone and watching TV all night is most definitely not epic; it's sad and pathetic.

Well, you've made your mind up about my life, haven't you? The cat and I quite enjoy our evenings in front of the TV.

[Bastet]

Yeah, I don't get sad and pathetic, either.  I'd wager watching TV is how most people spend an average evening.  (Which begs the question of what could possibly be so epic about it, so I'm side-eying the commercial even though I haven't seen it.)

Edited August 20, 2016 by Bastet

[Jamoche]

16 hours ago, riley702 said:

Electric 6's video for their song "Danger! High Voltage". If you haven't seen it yet, please do. It's hilariously inappropriate.

The Got Milk ad using that is back in rotation!

[ennui]

On 8/16/2016 at 7:07 PM, BusyOctober said:

There's a new Toyota RAV4 ad with a camping couple and their dog.  The guys tosses a stick into the fast moving river for the dog to fetch.  The couple gets in their vehicle and chases the dog down stream.  Wet and tired dog swims out with stick and the guy throws it back into the water, but now it's the girl's turn to drive. So....I am not a dog owner, and I know there are some dogs who love being in water, but I think the guy and his GF are dicks for joy riding while their dog is potentially drowning.

I saw this commercial last night. It is awful, I agree with you. That dog looks exhausted. The Toyota folks should be ashamed.

There's a petition at Change.org to have it removed, if anyone would like to sign. 

https://www.change.org/p/toyota-motor-company-the-removal-of-the-toyota-rav-4-commercial-depicting-animal-cruelty-a0dc9ad2-b734-4192-93a2-a7a14676e47f

Edited August 20, 2016 by ennui

[peacheslatour]

Just signed it. Thanks!

[Brattinella]

E-mail sent, thanks!

[Sandman87]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, I don't get sad and pathetic, either.  I'd wager watching TV is how most people spend an average evening. 

What I was trying to get at there is that it's sad and pathetic that she thinks it's epic.

[theatremouse]

On 8/19/2016 at 9:51 PM, Bastet said:

Yeah, I don't get sad and pathetic, either.  I'd wager watching TV is how most people spend an average evening.  (Which begs the question of what could possibly be so epic about it, so I'm side-eying the commercial even though I haven't seen it.)

I propose that if what one were planning were say, to binge watch all of Daredevil, or Jessica Jones or some new theoretically very exciting, good show in one evening that one had been eagerly awaiting, given the hyperbolic way many folks seem to use "epic" nowadays, it can be a reasonable non-pathetic choice of phrase, wherein "epic" is commonly used to mean "thing that will be long and I am personally very excited about doing". As opposed to if one were to constantly choose that turn of phrase in reference to one's TV-watching, one either has a problem, or is just one of those assholes who calls anything they find remotely enjoyable "epic", in which case they can fuck right off.

Edited August 21, 2016 by theatremouse

[LoneHaranguer]

On 8/19/2016 at 11:15 PM, mojoween said:

If those girls were born before 1990 I will eat that disco ball.  I mean, it's POSSIBLE that they could be a smidge older than that, but they most assuredly cannot remember enough of the 70's to know what it was like to dance under a disco ball in that era.  I don't get why the agency would use actresses that young.

Apparently, at least one of them has a fan base after a Hunger Games appearance. They're old enough to have attended some 70's-themed events, back when somebody tried to revive that stuff. I don't recall the peak, but google tells me members of the Village People were being thrown into TV episodes and movies through most of the 90's and early 00's.

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

one of those assholes who calls anything they find remotely enjoyable "epic", in which case they can fuck right off.

So what you're saying is my blueberry cornbread muffins I baked today are NOT epic?  Bwaaahahahaha.

[elle]

What is going on in the Volvo commercial with the "Hey, Smile" song?  Did the man with the wedding ring get jilted?  Who are the other 3 people and where in the world are they driving?

[snarktini]

Speaking of irrational anger, the realtor.com ads drive me nuts. People are dreaming about the perfect closet / bathroom / pool, and Elizabeth Banks shows them they can just buy their dream home! Because buying a nicer house never occurred to them.

My annoyance is triggered because I live in the San Francisco area, where even small, entry level properties with major compromises start at 500K. That house exists on realtor.com but I can't have it.

ETA: I just realized this belongs in the Irritation thread...didn't see that one! I'm new around here, I'll get it right next time.

Edited August 25, 2016 by snarktini

[chessiegal]

4 hours ago, elle said:

What is going on in the Volvo commercial with the "Hey, Smile" song?  Did the man with the wedding ring get jilted?  Who are the other 3 people and where in the world are they driving?

This! Me too, please explain.

[Bastet]

It's part of a series.  He's the father of the bride.  Why he's twirling his wedding ring and looking like someone pissed in his corn flakes, I don't know.  (I'd guess he hates the groom, except in the other one he's practicing his toast in which he's positive about the marriage.)

[janie jones]

I don't think he looks upset.  I always thought he just looked pensive.  I hate those commercials.

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 5:14 PM, Brattinella said:

Let me put this another way; I have never moved in to a new place that wasn't ALREADY freshly painted.

I have at least once.  Gave the walls a quick dust and then painted; that was as much wall cleaning as I've ever done before painting.  My current place, maybe the walls were painted shortly before I moved in, but in dull, bland, real estate colors, so I've repainted most of the rooms over the years.  Still no more cleaning than a quick dust, and I've had no problem with the paint.  Still, even if the walls needed cleaned first, I don't get the idea of antibacterial paint.  Then again, I find most paint commercials borderline annoying, except for the one which used the song "Colors" by April Smith and the Great Picture Show, and I only liked that one because I like the song.

I find the one where the guy hurries to repaint the room while his girlfriend is on her way home inexplicable.

[ennui]

23 hours ago, elle said:

What is going on in the Volvo commercial with the "Hey, Smile" song?  Did the man with the wedding ring get jilted?  Who are the other 3 people and where in the world are they driving?

There is a section on answers.yahoo with some theories that are hysterically funny. Guesses include Syrian refugees, Uber, carpools, gypsies, carjacking, ring pawning, affairs, gay marriage, murder, suicide, and rest homes. One theory is that the commercial is to illustrate that even Bin Laden looks good in a Volvo.

Perhaps that's the point; we are to make up our own story.  

[elle]

21 hours ago, Bastet said:

It's part of a series.  He's the father of the bride.  Why he's twirling his wedding ring and looking like someone pissed in his corn flakes, I don't know.  (I'd guess he hates the groom, except in the other one he's practicing his toast in which he's positive about the marriage.)

Thanks!  I really should not put this much curiosity into this commercial.  In addition to being the father of the bride, he must be the ring bearer, otherwise why would he have the groom's ring?

4 hours ago, ennui said:

There is a section on answers.yahoo with some theories that are hysterically funny. Guesses include Syrian refugees, Uber, carpools, gypsies, carjacking, ring pawning, affairs, gay marriage, murder, suicide, and rest homes. One theory is that the commercial is to illustrate that even Bin Laden looks good in a Volvo.

Perhaps that's the point; we are to make up our own story.  

Ooo, a creative writing prompt commercial!

Edited August 27, 2016 by elle

[editorgrrl]

On August 25, 2016 at 4:18 PM, elle said:

What is going on in the Volvo commercial with the "Hey, Smile" song?  Did the man with the wedding ring get jilted?  Who are the other 3 people and where in the world are they driving?

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/ASxb/2016-volvo-xc90-wedding-song-by-sharon-van-etten

Quote

On a quiet ride home from a wedding, the bride's family reminisces together in a shared sentimental silence over photos, memories and a song that brings a smile to the father's face.

[Red Bridey]

There's a McDonald's commercial (for Chicken nuggets maybe) with a little boy and a little redheaded girl in split screens which baffles me.   Does the little boy turn into the little girl's father?  I thought the kids were friends, but it doesn't make any sense any which way.

[editorgrrl]

23 minutes ago, Red Bridey said:

There's a McDonald's commercial (for Chicken nuggets maybe) with a little boy and a little redheaded girl in split screens which baffles me.   Does the little boy turn into the little girl's father?  I thought the kids were friends, but it doesn't make any sense any which way.

Yes: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AR6w/mcdonalds-chicken-mcnuggets-a-better-mcnugget

Quote

A side by side frame shows a little boy growing up a couple decades in the past, next to a little girl in the present-day. He passes everything along to her while a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" plays. The boy shows her how to play basketball, and throws the ball across the frame so that she can try. When he moves his stuffed dog toward her, it turns into a real Corgi puppy. They end the day at McDonald's, where the young boy passes his McNugget to her, and then slides on over into her frame where he ages and becomes her father. He grew up with McDonald's Happy Meals and continues the tradition with his own daughter.

The father uses a joystick, rides without a helmet, and eats his McNuggets out of a styrofoam clamshell:

[AuntiePam]

3 hours ago, editorgrrl said:

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/ASxb/2016-volvo-xc90-wedding-song-by-sharon-van-etten

So dad is looking at his own wedding ring and remembering his own wedding?  His wife (the bride's mother) isn't in the car.  So -- sad/happy memories?

The redheaded girl in the McD's commercial -- she looks exactly like my daughter-in-law must have looked like as a child. 

[riley702]

I thought his wife was driving?

[AuntiePam]

58 minutes ago, riley702 said:

I thought his wife was driving?

Looks more like a daughter to me.    I thought the newly married couple were in the front seat, dad in the back. 

ETA:  Just found the extended version -- the man with the beard is the bride's father.

Edited August 27, 2016 by AuntiePam
New info!

[bilgistic]

Wait, so the newly married woman is driving her husband, dad and some random joe somewhere (home)? Can we all agree this commercial is a failure?

[elle]

Here is the extended commercial for Volvo "a place to collect your thoughts".    What I infer is that the woman driving is the MOB and wife to FOB directly behind her, passenger in front is best man, and the 4th person is a mystery guest or a groomsman.  And  they are in Maine?

[AuntiePam]

56 minutes ago, elle said:

Here is the extended commercial for Volvo "a place to collect your thoughts".    What I infer is that the woman driving is the MOB and wife to FOB directly behind her, passenger in front is best man, and the 4th person is a mystery guest or a groomsman.  And  they are in Maine?

 

elle, but the wedding is over.  Someone said thanks to dad for his wonderful speech.  So where is the bride?

[elle]

54 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

but the wedding is over.  Someone said thanks to dad for his wonderful speech.  So where is the bride?

Left for the honeymoon?  Again, my take is we don't get to see the bride except for one little blip on a digital camera.  I think it is the passenger/best man/photographer that tells Mr. FOB good speech.  The beginning of the commercial is that we see, everyone getting ready for the wedding except the bride, and then the looong drive afterwards.

(my goodness, it is a writing prompt!)

[AuntiePam]

Ah, that makes sense, elle.  The woman driving just looked so young, I thought she was the bride. 

Also, I thought it was unusual for the woman to be driving with three men in the car.  I like that though, now that I think about it.

Edited August 27, 2016 by AuntiePam

[Red Bridey]

Thank you, editorgrrl.  I guess I did not pick up on the nostalgic details in the commercial.  I'll have to rewatch.  Now I guess all I got is that Dad made bad food choices as a kid and passes them along to the next generation.  [Confession:  chicken nuggets and the sausage egg biscuit are the ONLY two items I will ever order at a McDonald's...and I have red hair, though mine is super curly]

[bilgistic]

I still don't cotton to the Volvo commercial, even having the extra info. If the two random dudes in the car wouldn't have been there, it would've improved the clarity by a good 50%. Mother could still be driving, and Father could be in the passenger seat looking through the pictures. There'd be no confusion over whether the younger guy in the front was the groom. Dad could even reach for and squeeze Mom's hand at the end after they look at the daughter's picture.

And cut! That's how you make a commercial, folks.