Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[mojoween]

I would never use a Mac, but just try and pry my iPhone from my hands and see how many digits you come back with.

So that may be coloring my impression of the Samsung ad, because one of the features is that you can write on the screen with a stylus.  Woopee?  I mean, I can type just fine with my thumbs.  Why do I want this extra small piece of equipment that I can lose?

[mmecorday]

Quote

Who wouldn't?  Sloths are awesome.  LOL

Kristen Bell would agree!

[LoneHaranguer]

On 12/27/2017 at 9:53 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

why does The World's Most Interesting Man drink Dos Equis and then say, "Stay thirsty" ? Does XX not quench thirst?

Or is he saying you're better off staying thirsty than tasting whatever's in that Dos Equis bottle?

[Phebemarie]

I binged watched the Kids' Baking Championship repeats on New Years' Day and saw a cereal commercial that seemed more inspired by Hannibal Lecter than Captain Crunch.   The animated spot featured golden, square-shaped cereals dancing around, seemingly in a party mood.  One of the cereal notices its companion and eats it.  When a second square be-bops in, the cannibalistic cereal finishes it off, too.  

Very unsettling.   

Edited January 4, 2018 by Phebemarie
Thanks to Brattinella for giving a name to the monster

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, Phebemarie said:

I binged watched the Kids' Baking Championship repeats on New Years' Day and saw a cereal commercial that seemed more inspired by Hannibal Lecter than Captain Crunch.   The animated spot featured golden, square-shaped cereals dancing around, seemingly in a party mood.  One of the cereal notices its companion and eats it.  When a second square be-bops in, the cannibalistic cereal finishes it off, too.  

Very unsettling.   

I just wondered why they deep-sixed their slogan "Dig those crazy squares!"

[QuinnInND]

"Do you need a walking tub?".... HUH?? Oh! A walk in tub.  Good God I don't need a walking tub. 20 month old twins are enough walking around for me. 

[chessiegal]

9 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

"Do you need a walking tub?".... HUH?? Oh! A walk in tub.  Good God I don't need a walking tub. 20 month old twins are enough walking around for me. 

This 67 year old does. I've been lusting after one for years. We have a walk in shower which I miss when we travel and am stuck with a tub/shower combo. It's hard to get in and out of for these old bones. We have a regular whirlpool tub, and I am seriously considering replacing it with a heated walk in tub. My old arthritic bones would love it.

[Silver Raven]

6 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

This 67 year old does. I've been lusting after one for years. We have a walk in shower which I miss when we travel and am stuck with a tub/shower combo. It's hard to get in and out of for these old bones. We have a regular whirlpool tub, and I am seriously considering replacing it with a heated walk in tub. My old arthritic bones would love it.

I just can't get my head around the whole idea of having to wait till the tub completely empties before you get out, though.

[bilgistic]

So c-c-c-cold!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

I just can't get my head around the whole idea of having to wait till the tub completely empties before you get out, though.

That's what I am curious about with the commercials - so you seal yourself into one of these tubs, and 1) wait for it to fill, 2) enjoy your bath, and then 3) wait for it to drain so you can get out.  Aren't the first and last steps unpleasant when it's cold?

[bilgistic]

I'm going to need one of you to take one for the team and do the research. I don't want the ads on my phone's browser.

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 12/27/2017 at 3:33 PM, friendperidot said:

I play solitaire on an MSN game site. I refuse to pay for it, so I get ads. And they are all so very annoying. Before Christmas it was some freaky stuffed animal, I thought at first the name was "furked" but I think it was "fur real". I don't know, I turn the sound off on my computer most of the time. The there were ads for Play Do, some real imaginative play items, like a Play Do Easy Bake Oven and a Tangled Head device that you crank the clay out for hair. I think those would be boring after the first use.

But now, there's some sort of picture printing device from HP. One ad shows a couple of girls taking lots of selfies, hanging them on strings of twinkle lights, then mom & the girls looking at all the basically same pictures taken at the same time of the same people and oohing and ahing. Another ad shows a couple of teen girls exchanging gifts and they each got the other this device, then they proceed to take the same 200 selfies of them together and printing them out. A third, well, you get the picture. I guess I'm old, I have no interest in 200 selfies, actually I have zero interest in one selfie. I have never taken a selfie and have no plans to in the future. What a lot of self obsessed people! I do like looking at old family photos, but we didn't take pictures of ourselves every 5 minutes, getting film developed was an expense we just couldn't afford more than a few times a year for special occasions. But I really don't get all this obsession with selfies.

"hey you kids, get off my lawn!"

Same here. Heck only time I did was for a family member who wanted to see a pic of me. Outside of that no, you get a pic of my cat, a random avatar or a MS Paint version of me.

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

We have a walk in shower which I miss when we travel and am stuck with a tub/shower combo.

I always ask for the handicapped room. Frequently, it's a roll-in shower, but ALL the handicapped rooms at least have grab bars. I tell the truth - I have balance issues - and they book a room for me with no argument. What annoys me, though, is some of the rooms only have the grab bars at the back of the tub to help you get up. I *always* mention it to the front desk that they need a bar on the outside of the tub also to help you get OUT. With only the towel bar or the curtain rod to hang on to, it's an accident waiting to happen. I don't understand why they don't put grab bars in ALL the rooms. Everyone can benefit from a little help.

[smittykins]

 Taking to Small Talk.

[SerenityNow721]

Sorry if this has been asked. What's with the Volvo commercials that seem to be a mini, mini series?  Husband is in the car, wife is in the air - they're talking on the phone and she starts breaking up and he says "I love you, too". Second ad:  wife is in the car, they show her suitcase, she's happy to be home. Now there's a third ad - just the husband looking smirkingly at the sky. Did the wife go to the moon?  I don't get the ad at all. Is the point that they love each other sooooo much?  That she travels?  What, Volvo, what???

Giving way too much thought to such a a stupid, trivial thing.

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, SerenityNow721 said:

Sorry if this has been asked. What's with the Volvo commercials that seem to be a mini, mini series?  Husband is in the car, wife is in the air - they're talking on the phone and she starts breaking up and he says "I love you, too". Second ad:  wife is in the car, they show her suitcase, she's happy to be home. Now there's a third ad - just the husband looking smirkingly at the sky. Did the wife go to the moon?  I don't get the ad at all. Is the point that they love each other sooooo much?  That she travels?  What, Volvo, what???

Giving way too much thought to such a a stupid, trivial thing.

I haven't seen any of these, but my guess is that your second ad is actually the third one story wise.  Volvo likes to show their commercials out of order.

[xaxat]

13 hours ago, SerenityNow721 said:

Sorry if this has been asked. What's with the Volvo commercials that seem to be a mini, mini series?  Husband is in the car, wife is in the air - they're talking on the phone and she starts breaking up and he says "I love you, too". Second ad:  wife is in the car, they show her suitcase, she's happy to be home. Now there's a third ad - just the husband looking smirkingly at the sky. Did the wife go to the moon?  I don't get the ad at all. Is the point that they love each other sooooo much?  That she travels?  What, Volvo, what???

For the ones I've seen, here's the order. In the first ad, the wife, an astronaut, is driving them to her assignment at a fictional "NASA". Second, she's in space and calls him while he is driving. Third, they are driving home after her return. 

My question is why the husband decided to drive around and rely on spotty rural cell coverage when he was expecting a call from his wife WHO IS CALLING FROM OUTER SPACE!

[SerenityNow721]

OMG!  She's an astronaut!!!!  ??? I was kidding about her going to the moon!  Sarcasm!!  Thanks so much for the clarifications. I still don't understand what any of it has to do with Volvo, but at least the ads make a little more sense. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎12‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 3:22 PM, ABay said:

When I travel, I take pictures of the sites, not myself. I already know I was there.

I do some of both.

On ‎12‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 4:08 PM, Silver Raven said:

But that makes no sense after the "When you tell your boss you went to the doctor" line.  It's accusing you of taking more than an hour for lunch, not of washing your clothes from the night before.

I took it as: he told his boss he was going to the doctor but because he didn't use the right detergent, his clothes still smell like the steakhouse he visited the last time he wore that shirt.  Which makes his boss think he lied about the doctor to get extra time for lunch at a steakhouse.

I'm not saying that it's a good commercial or that his clothes really would smell that strongly after being washed, but I do think that's the point of those commercials.  That your clothes still smell of whatever you did when you last wore them because you didn't use the right detergent.

[Tunia]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I do some of both.

I took it as: he told his boss he was going to the doctor but because he didn't use the right detergent, his clothes still smell like the steakhouse he visited the last time he wore that shirt.  Which makes his boss think he lied about the doctor to get extra time for lunch at a steakhouse.

I'm not saying that it's a good commercial or that his clothes really would smell that strongly after being washed, but I do think that's the point of those commercials.  That your clothes still smell of whatever you did when you last wore them because you didn't use the right detergent.

According to iSpot TV, "Downy announces Protect & Refresh to help lock out odors."  It's not that the shirt has steak odor remaining, but that the detergent he used didn't protect him from new odors.  Apparently the idea is that if you use Downy Protect and Refresh, your clothes will repel any odors with which you might come into contact.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wYnQ/downy-protect-and-refresh-clothing-odors

[riley702]

Huh. Totally didn't get that, but it sounds good.

[mojoween]

I just paid attention to the Camry ad that uses that terrible version of “What a Wonderful World” and I am confused.

The camper slams on the brakes so it doesn’t mow down a family of deer.  The Camry jams on the brakes too.  Everyone looks serene and peaceful about this jarring near-accident.

What I don’t get is why the Camry then drives around the camper?  Why is the camper just sitting there once the deer have gone?  And there is no way on earth that wooded road would have a divided line showing that passing is ok.  Nuh-uh.

[bilgistic]

I wonder about that every time! Why is the car passing the RV?!?

[Jamoche]

17 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I wonder about that every time! Why is the car passing the RV?!?

Ever get stuck behind an RV on a narrow road? If you get a chance to pass them, take it. Otherwise you'll be driving at half the speed limit and stopping for every minor hazard.

[Brattinella]

42 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

Ever get stuck behind an RV on a narrow road? If you get a chance to pass them, take it. Otherwise you'll be driving at half the speed limit and stopping for every minor hazard.

Plus, you can't see the road.

[friendperidot]

Jillian Michaels makes it sound like a threat to work out on whatever equipment she's pushing. I've had treadmills in my past, so it actually would be a threat to me. I'll take walks about once a week, but I'll be darned if I'll spend thousands of dollars for someone to threaten me.

I wasn't sure if this made me scratch my head or if it annoyed me more, it was kind of a toss up.

[peacheslatour]

11 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Jillian Michaels makes it sound like a threat to work out on whatever equipment she's pushing. I've had treadmills in my past, so it actually would be a threat to me. I'll take walks about once a week, but I'll be darned if I'll spend thousands of dollars for someone to threaten me.

I wasn't sure if this made me scratch my head or if it annoyed me more, it was kind of a toss up.

She terrifies me.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 10:17 PM, QuinnInND said:

"Do you need a walking tub?".... HUH?? Oh! A walk in tub.  Good God I don't need a walking tub. 20 month old twins are enough walking around for me. 

*ring ring*

"Is your tub running?"

[Jamoche]

18 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Jillian Michaels makes it sound like a threat to work out on whatever equipment she's pushing.

Isn't that her whole schtick?

[PradaKitty]

Okay. There’s a commercial with a (supposedly single) father teaching his daughter how to shave her legs. I have never seen anyone shave their legs in a downward direction. Ever.  Anyway, said daughter cuts herself and has little pieces of toilet paper stuck on her legs to absorb the blood. I have no idea what they are selling because I am am yelling at the dad who doexn’t know not to shave legs in a downward direction! I sincerely hope he doesn’t shave his face in a downward direction - unless he wants to sever his jugular should his hand slip..,

[Brattinella]

3 minutes ago, PradaKitty said:

Okay. There’s a commercial with a (supposedly single) father teaching his daughter how to shave her legs. I have never seen anyone shave their legs in a downward direction. Ever.  Anyway, said daughter cuts herself and has little pieces of toilet paper stuck on her legs to absorb the blood. I have no idea what they are selling because I am am yelling at the dad who doexn’t know not to shave legs in a downward direction! I sincerely hope he doesn’t shave his face in a downward direction - unless he wants to sever his jugular should his hand slip..,

Never ever ever. 

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, PradaKitty said:

Okay. There’s a commercial with a (supposedly single) father teaching his daughter how to shave her legs. I have never seen anyone shave their legs in a downward direction. Ever.  Anyway, said daughter cuts herself and has little pieces of toilet paper stuck on her legs to absorb the blood. I have no idea what they are selling because I am am yelling at the dad who doexn’t know not to shave legs in a downward direction! I sincerely hope he doesn’t shave his face in a downward direction - unless he wants to sever his jugular should his hand slip..,

Isn't he quoting a website he's looking at on his cell phone?

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

Okay. There’s a commercial with a (supposedly single) father teaching his daughter how to shave her legs. I have never seen anyone shave their legs in a downward direction. Ever.  Anyway, said daughter cuts herself and has little pieces of toilet paper stuck on her legs to absorb the blood. I have no idea what they are selling because I am am yelling at the dad who doexn’t know not to shave legs in a downward direction! I sincerely hope he doesn’t shave his face in a downward direction - unless he wants to sever his jugular should his hand slip..,

Actually, a man DOES shave his face in a downward direction.  It's his neck that gets shaved in an upward direction.

[janie jones]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Isn't he quoting a website he's looking at on his cell phone?

Oh now I have another reason to hate this commercial.  I never noticed that, but I've always maintained that no one needs to be taught to shave.  But it seems the commercial itself is confirming that, because the girl could just look at the same goddamn website the dad is looking at and eliminate the middle man.

[little hermit]

I saw something, I think on one of the morning show, and it talked about how you show shave your legs in a downward motion. I've never done it and know of no one else that does. I'm confused, how could I have lived and shaved my legs so long and never heard that you should shave them that way?

[janie jones]

You're supposed to shave your hair, on your face or on your legs, in the direction of hair growth, because doing it in the opposite direction is supposed to cause irritation, which I think is supposed to lead to ingrown hairs.  I find this completely awkward and shave up my legs rather than down.  Plus, it seems more conducive to slipping and cutting your leg open.

[PradaKitty]

Every female I know shaves their legs in the up direction.  Down is just... wrong!!!

[Brattinella]

3 hours ago, little hermit said:

I saw something, I think on one of the morning show, and it talked about how you show shave your legs in a downward motion. I've never done it and know of no one else that does. I'm confused, how could I have lived and shaved my legs so long and never heard that you should shave them that way?

No, if you shave downward, no hair gets cut.  I tried that when I was 13 years old.  You have to shave against the way it grows.

[peacheslatour]

They've toned the Macy's One Day Sale commercials way down. Is this an aberration? How soon will it be before they start screaming at us again?

[riley702]

In JUST ONE DAY!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist.

[PradaKitty]

Okay, the commercial is for Toilet Paper! That’s why the poor misinformed leg shaving girl had pieces of it stuck all over the numerous divots she has cut into her leg by shaving it in the wrong direction...

[friendperidot]

Right now, I'm scratching my head. I've only seen this ad once, a few days ago and I'm still thinking about it, so it must be effective. The ad was a longer one, probably about a minute. Featured 2 families, one a mixed race with a black mother and white father, the other was a white family. In the mixed race family, it was a father and daughter that were featured in the white, it was mother and son. But the children were watching their parent, who wasn't connecting to all that was going on. I don't really remember what the father and daughter family were doing, just some sort of family activities, but in the mother/son, the son was playing in a basketball game, was at the free throw line, and was distracted by his mother in the bleachers. She got up and left the father sitting there, in the other family the father went into a room - bathroom? and the daughter sat outside the room in a hallway waiting for him and watching. At the end there was some small print about something and more to come later. There was no talking that I remember, there was nothing saying what the ad was for. I'm just guessing, but maybe a drug for depression or cancer or maybe it was for some sort of therapy thing for suicide or maybe it was one of those "family values" ads. I don't know and I haven't seen it again. I saw it in the early evening on probably ION, but it might have been H&I or Escape. 

Has anyone else seen this?

[Annber03]

Yeah, I've seen that one, too. It says something about how the parents haven't realized that the "thing" that's missing in their kids' lives is them, or something like that. I'm not sure what it's all about, either, but hopefully we'll get another commercial soon that fills in more of the blanks. 

[chessiegal]

9 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

Right now, I'm scratching my head. I've only seen this ad once, a few days ago and I'm still thinking about it, so it must be effective. The ad was a longer one, probably about a minute. Featured 2 families, one a mixed race with a black mother and white father, the other was a white family. In the mixed race family, it was a father and daughter that were featured in the white, it was mother and son. But the children were watching their parent, who wasn't connecting to all that was going on. I don't really remember what the father and daughter family were doing, just some sort of family activities, but in the mother/son, the son was playing in a basketball game, was at the free throw line, and was distracted by his mother in the bleachers. She got up and left the father sitting there, in the other family the father went into a room - bathroom? and the daughter sat outside the room in a hallway waiting for him and watching. At the end there was some small print about something and more to come later. There was no talking that I remember, there was nothing saying what the ad was for. I'm just guessing, but maybe a drug for depression or cancer or maybe it was for some sort of therapy thing for suicide or maybe it was one of those "family values" ads. I don't know and I haven't seen it again. I saw it in the early evening on probably ION, but it might have been H&I or Escape. 

Has anyone else seen this?

I've seen it. From the mother rubbing her abdomen, I'd say it's for an ulcerative colitis or Crone's disease drug. You're missing stuff because you have to go to the John.

Edited January 13, 2018 by chessiegal

[frenchtoast]

I thought the ad was going to be about texting and driving. Don't miss out on the important things by taking a chance to read a text that can wait.

[friendperidot]

oh, I'm so glad others have seen it! Thanks! Thought I was losing my mind!

[chessiegal]

My husband has ulcerative colitis that is thankfully under control with medication (none of the currently advertised, his is a sulfur based drug) and before it got under control getting to a toilet in time didn't always happen. Not pleasant.

[Haleth]

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, I've seen that one, too. It says something about how the parents haven't realized that the "thing" that's missing in their kids' lives is them, or something like that. I'm not sure what it's all about, either, but hopefully we'll get another commercial soon that fills in more of the blanks. 

That was my take too.

[Prevailing Wind]

The last time I saw it, there was tiny writing at the bottom at the end, but it was far too tiny & too quickly passing for me to read what it was.  I've decided I don't care. I'm not falling for that kind of manipulation. If they tell me what it's about, OK, but if they don't - that's OK, too. Companies that produce obscure ads like that don't get my business.

[smittykins]

I did catch the website at the bottom, which does reference ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s, so I assume it’s for a prescription med.