Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Prevailing Wind]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

people were flushing baby wipes down the toilet

Going to Small Talk.

[SoMuchTV]

I think I need some other input before I decide if this is head-scratching or outright annoying.  It's started showing up for me multiple times in a streaming show.  It's for BMW (unusual that I'd even remember that, so ... good job...?)

Mrs. Claus is at home and a cute doggy comes in the room.  She rolls her eyes; meanwhile Santa is apparently making deliveries and rummaging through his trunk like he can't find something.  Sad/anxious kid is looking through the window.  Mrs. Claus shows up (in her trusty SUV) with said cute doggy.  All is good.

So was Santa intending to stuff the dog in his trunk until it was its turn for delivery?  Please tell me I'm missing something!

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I think I need some other input before I decide if this is head-scratching or outright annoying.  It's started showing up for me multiple times in a streaming show.  It's for BMW (unusual that I'd even remember that, so ... good job...?)

Mrs. Claus is at home and a cute doggy comes in the room.  She rolls her eyes; meanwhile Santa is apparently making deliveries and rummaging through his trunk like he can't find something.  Sad/anxious kid is looking through the window.  Mrs. Claus shows up (in her trusty SUV) with said cute doggy.  All is good.

So was Santa intending to stuff the dog in his trunk until it was its turn for delivery?  Please tell me I'm missing something!

Santa screwed up. He forgot the puppy. Mrs. Claus to the rescue!

[SoMuchTV]

4 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Santa screwed up. He forgot the puppy. Mrs. Claus to the rescue!

I got that part, but it looked like Santa was expecting to find the puppy in the trunk of his BMW.  That's the part that concerned me.

[SmithW6079]

4 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I think I need some other input before I decide if this is head-scratching or outright annoying.  It's started showing up for me multiple times in a streaming show.  It's for BMW (unusual that I'd even remember that, so ... good job...?)

I'm feeling the same way about another commercial that I can't remember the product -- a little girl builds a snowman and along comes a kid who knocks it down. She freaks out, grabs the snowman and shoves it into the family's refrigerator's freezer (throwing all the food out onto the kitchen floor while her lame-ass parents just sit there).

We follow the kid and the snowman all through the year until the following winter when she brings it out and sets it on the snow ... until some kid (different from the one who knocked the snowman down last year) runs his bicycle over it (which makes me laugh every time).

She starts to rebuild it, and the kid who knocked it down in the first place starts helping her. I think he's supposed to be her brother, but we never really see him in any of the other family scenes of the girl and her parents, and I'm thinking he might be autistic or have some other developmental issues.

It just bugs me because they don't make the family relationships clear, plus the weak parents who let the kid's dirty snowman take up the freezer for a whole year.

[madmax]

22 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

We follow the kid and the snowman all through the year until the following winter when she brings it out and sets it on the snow ... until some kid (different from the one who knocked the snowman down last year) runs his bicycle over it (which makes me laugh every time).

I laugh every time, too.

I think he is her brother, who knocked them down the first time.  I mean, he'd have to be or why would he be there when she was putting freezer snowman back outside?  And then he's the first to help her build a new one.

What I don't get is why they have it in a cooler.  It would melt a hell of a lot more in there than the freezer.

[chessiegal]

On 12/9/2021 at 1:09 PM, chessiegal said:

Now I see Dr. Rick in a Priceline commercial. Really Dr. Rick? My old brain has enough trouble keeping things straight. Now you're confusing me when you're supposed to be helping me!

Quoting myself because I actually paid attention to the entire video and audio. Now I see Dr. Rick is sitting next to a woman and the nameplate in front of them says "Parents". Well done Priceline.

[friendperidot]

It's been running for years, in the Julia Roberts perfume ad, the song that plays, are they singing, "I have to tase you or I have to phaze you?" All I can think is tasers and phazers from Star Trek shows. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, friendperidot said:

It's been running for years, in the Julia Roberts perfume ad, the song that plays, are they singing, "I have to tase you or I have to phaze you?"

It's "I have to praise you".

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

It's "I have to praise you".

I'd much rather taze Julia Roberts.  She annoys the crap out of me.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

I'd much rather taze Julia Roberts.  She annoys the crap out of me.

I've liked her in several films, but I can't stand her in those commercials.  Of course, almost every celebrity perfume commercial is unbearable.

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

I've liked her in several films, but I can't stand her in those commercials.  Of course, almost every celebrity perfume commercial is unbearable.

I'm hit or miss on her films, but the perfume commercials are obnoxious.  As you say, most celebrity ones are.

[BradandJanet]

On 12/5/2021 at 9:10 AM, Caseysgirl said:

While the Alexa commercial with the couple dancing to “I Only Have Eyes for You” is lovely, I can’t help but notice that the wife has obviously grown 6 inches since she was a teenager. That must have been some growth spurt!

This commercial drives me nuts for that reason. Either the woman grew, or the man's spine is collapsing. Didn't the people who hired the actors think about the height difference? 

[Haleth]

I don't mind the height change since they are such a cute couple, but the song ends and then begins again mid song.  Alexa, play the whole song.

[Gharlane]

On 12/8/2021 at 2:45 PM, peacheslatour said:

OMG! Are they kidding with that shit? Barf.

I know, right? For some weird reason, when I see the woman wearing a purple fuzzy sweater with a yellow splash on the front, I think it's a Batman design.

[Gharlane]

There's a new Xmas commercial that I find ambivalent which features a man getting his mother a gift and waits by her front door until a deliveryman drops off a package, at which point he swoops in and shoves it in a festive bag and presents it to her. So, was he waiting for a delivery he could claim as his gift to her, or did he buy a gift for her and have it delivered to her house, hoping he could package it before she found it? 🤔

[Popples]

4 minutes ago, Gharlane said:

There's a new Xmas commercial that I find ambivalent which features a man getting his mother a gift and waits by her front door until a deliveryman drops off a package, at which point he swoops in and shoves it in a festive bag and presents it to her. So, was he waiting for a delivery he could claim as his gift to her, or did he buy a gift for her and have it delivered to her house, hoping he could package it before she found it? 🤔

He ordered the gift from the Best Buy app and waits for the notification that it's been delivered so he can scoop it up and put it in a gift bag. That commercial annoys me because the gift is still in a shipping box with his mother's address on it so it would be obvious it was delivered to her house. Bring a boxcutter or something to remove the gift from the packaging box and so you can at least make it look like you put in some damn effort for your mother.

[janie jones]

Why hide that he had it sent to her house? "Hey mom, I had some gifts sent to your house, and I'll wrap them when I get there."

[Browncoat]

Why didn't he just have it delivered to his own house?  Then he could have unpacked it and wrapped it nicely.

[Tom Holmberg]

1 minute ago, Browncoat said:

Why didn't he just have it delivered to his own house?  Then he could have unpacked it and wrapped it nicely.

I guess because then they wouldn't have a commercial. 😉

[Maverick]

 Because it was a few hours before the family holiday party and he hadn't bought anything.  So Best Buy hooked his slacker ass and delivered just in time to look like he wasn't a slacker. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

Because it was a few hours before the family holiday party and he hadn't bought anything.  So Best Buy hooked his slacker ass and delivered just in time to look like he wasn't a slacker. 

Exactly.  The pitch is how quickly they'll deliver, so the premise is he forgot to get his mother's gift until someone on the phone asks him if he got it, he lies and says he has it, he buys it online with same-day delivery, he sits outside his mom's house waiting for it to be delivered, dumps something out of a bag in his car, scoops the package off the front porch into that bag, and says "Merry Christmas, Mom" as she opens the door.

Not only is there going to be a label on that box, it's probably going to say "same-day delivery" on it, so she's going to know what he did.

[chessiegal]

I love Best Buy, but based on my experience, I wouldn't depend on them for same day delivery (they say you'll have it by 9 pm if you order by such and such a time.) Earlier this year, my DVD bit the dust as I was getting ready to watch a movie I had bought (from Best Buy, I didn't ask for same day delivery.) In looking for a new player, I found one I wanted, ordered it around noon with same day delivery by 9 pm. It arrived around 4:30 pm. Voila! I was impressed. A few weeks ago I ordered Apple Airpods with same day delivery. They came around 10 the next morning. Okay - not what was promised, but good enough. Last week I ordered something else same day that did not arrive and I was eventually told it wasn't available for delivery. First they sent a text saying it was out of stock. 10 minutes later they texted it was available for pick up. Okay, fine. So I decided to pick it up today and in checking the status before I left, it told me it was available for same day delivery. Oh no you don't, I'm not falling for that again, - I picked it up today. Bottom line - the guy in the commercial lucked out.

[xls]

This! You cant understand what the  kid is saying!  I think I caught 'youre a winner' or something🙄

 

[janie jones]

"You're a champion. You're not a quitter. Quitters don't do what they're 'posed to. Champions do. And you're a star! And you shine. That's what you do. That's what you do every day."

I think the kid's diction is fine, but I hate anything "uplifting."

Edited December 18, 2021 by janie jones

[peacheslatour]

22 minutes ago, xls said:

This! You cant understand what the  kid is saying!  I think I caught 'youre a winner' or something🙄

 

Really? I understood every word. She says, you're a champion, you're a star. You're not a quitter. You do what you're supposed to do that's not what a quitter does. You're a champion. Every day. 

(not verbatim but that's the gist.

[Bastet]

54 minutes ago, xls said:

You cant understand what the  kid is saying! 

I can.  I don't speak kid, but I had no trouble understanding what she said.  (I did have a bit of trouble getting my eyeballs back into position after rolling them at how very hard that commercial is trying, though.)

[Gharlane]

On 12/17/2021 at 1:32 PM, Popples said:

He ordered the gift from the Best Buy app and waits for the notification that it's been delivered so he can scoop it up and put it in a gift bag. That commercial annoys me because the gift is still in a shipping box with his mother's address on it so it would be obvious it was delivered to her house. Bring a boxcutter or something to remove the gift from the packaging box and so you can at least make it look like you put in some damn effort for your mother.

Even better, ship it to your house so you don't have to worry about her finding it first and you can wrap it at your leisure! 

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, Gharlane said:

Even better, ship it to your house so you don't have to worry about her finding it first and you can wrap it at your leisure! 

He didn't have any leisure because he forgot to get her present until it was nearly too late; the package arrived the same time he was scheduled to arrive for the family dinner.  They're trying to advertise how you can get something last minute thanks to their same day delivery, but all I think about is how dumb he is.

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, xls said:

This! You cant understand what the  kid is saying!  I think I caught 'youre a winner' or something🙄

 

She's fine. It's that Caleb kid on the Shriner's Hospitals ads I can't understand.

[cynicat]

18 hours ago, Gharlane said:

Even better, ship it to your house so you don't have to worry about her finding it first and you can wrap it at your leisure! 

Does anyone else miss the 5 page rule from TWoP?

[peacheslatour]

That backwards flag commercial for Jeep Wagoneer.  Is that really a thing? Doesn't seem like proper flag etiquette to me.

[dleighg]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

That backwards flag commercial for Jeep Wagoneer.  Is that really a thing? Doesn't seem like proper flag etiquette to me

I imagine they made the ad to deal with some complaints about the flag's appearance, but their explanation (as well as their showing of other places it appears), is exactly what the flag code specifies: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/heres-why-us-flag-sometimes-appears-backwards

[theatremouse]

There's an ad for Dupixent with a dude walking around his neighborhood, crossing the street, looking at a garage sale, etc. In one shot, there is a tree in the road. Obviously, fake set it up sound stage type thing - or maybe CGI - but it's a tree that looks planted couple of feet in the road, like where a car might be parked. Other trees are planted in grassy areas, so it's not totally screwed up but there's this one that makes no sense.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That backwards flag commercial for Jeep Wagoneer.  Is that really a thing? Doesn't seem like proper flag etiquette to me.

Yes, a US flag displayed on a vehicle (or even on the shoulder of a uniform) is supposed to have the blue star field appear so it is facing forward as the vehicle/person is moving. I know it can look backwards, but it is appropriate placement.

You can see the differences here, from one of the times I photographed Air Force 1. On the right side of the aircraft, the flag faces "backwards" to have the blue field forward:

But on the left side, it is in the more usual direction, again to have the blue field forward:

[Mrs. Landingham]

I have an issue with one commercial in the series of Progressive commercials about “becoming our parents”. It’s the one where the people are in an airport. A lady is saying to a guy, “don’t buy anything, I packed so many snacks.” And their “leader” (the guy teaching them to not be like their parents) takes her bag of snacks away and says “nope”. Okay, perhaps I’m really old, but I pack my own snacks for flights. Who wants to pay for over priced - and sometimes mediocre depending on the airport - gift shop snacks? Unless the duty free shops have some amazing and tempting treats, I’ll stick with the granola bars and almonds I brought myself. 

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, Mrs. Landingham said:

I have an issue with one commercial in the series of Progressive commercials about “becoming our parents”. It’s the one where the people are in an airport. A lady is saying to a guy, “don’t buy anything, I packed so many snacks.” And their “leader” (the guy teaching them to not be like their parents) takes her bag of snacks away and says “nope”. Okay, perhaps I’m really old, but I pack my own snacks for flights. Who wants to pay for over priced - and sometimes mediocre depending on the airport - gift shop snacks? Unless the duty free shops have some amazing and tempting treats, I’ll stick with the granola bars and almonds I brought myself. 

I generally like the Progressive Dr. Rick ads, but this one misses the mark. I always pack my own snacks. And we print out our boarding passes. We flew for the first time in about 3 years last week, and our boarding passes, electronic or paper, didn't show we were preTSA approved for our trip out. The ticket agent at the airport was able to take care of it with a printed boarding pass. Sorry Dr. Rick - can't agree with you on this one.

[cynicat]

11 hours ago, Mrs. Landingham said:

I have an issue with one commercial in the series of Progressive commercials about “becoming our parents”. It’s the one where the people are in an airport. A lady is saying to a guy, “don’t buy anything, I packed so many snacks.” And their “leader” (the guy teaching them to not be like their parents) takes her bag of snacks away and says “nope”. Okay, perhaps I’m really old, but I pack my own snacks for flights. Who wants to pay for over priced - and sometimes mediocre depending on the airport - gift shop snacks? Unless the duty free shops have some amazing and tempting treats, I’ll stick with the granola bars and almonds I brought myself. 

Have you considered that you have become your parents?

[mmecorday]

Can someone please teach the lady in the Walgreens ad how to wrap presents? She's miffed that she's out of wrapping paper while she's trying to wrap a stuffed animal toy (looks like a dinosaur.) Luckily Walgreens caters to the clueless and she's able to pick up more wrapping paper at curbside. I hope a box was in that Walgreens bag too. In the immortal words of Crow T. Robot, "Get a box!"

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

And we print out our boarding passes.

He says they have paper tickets, not paper boarding passes.  That is indeed a step too far.  But:  They're at the gate, so it doesn't make sense for them to have tickets instead of boarding passes.  So they bungled that part of the commercial.

And the snack part, which they could have easily salvaged by having her haul a whole smorgasbord out of her purse.  She doesn't just say, "I packed snacks," she says, "I packed so many delicious snacks," so it could have worked if she was over the top in her food packing.

It's a lazy entry in the series.

[Tom Holmberg]

1 hour ago, mmecorday said:

Can someone please teach the lady in the Walgreens ad how to wrap presents? She's miffed that she's out of wrapping paper while she's trying to wrap a stuffed animal toy (looks like a dinosaur.)

Maybe they can get the guy who wrapped the pony in the Capital One ad to show her how to do it.

[CrystalBlue]

6 hours ago, cynicat said:

Have you considered that you have become your parents?

I can actually believe that twenty-somethings won't think of packing their own snacks, until they get sticker shock and the next time they fly they'll be a little wiser.  I can see business people not bringing a day's worth of snacks, but all other people pretty much want to avoid the hassle and high prices of what's available at the airport.

[Mrs. Landingham]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

He says they have paper tickets, not paper boarding passes.  That is indeed a step too far.  But:  They're at the gate, so it doesn't make sense for them to have tickets instead of boarding passes.  So they bungled that part of the commercial.

And the snack part, which they could have easily salvaged by having her haul a whole smorgasbord out of her purse.  She doesn't just say, "I packed snacks," she says, "I packed so many delicious snacks," so it could have worked if she was over the top in her food packing.

It's a lazy entry in the series.

Good point. The bag that was confiscated from her looked to be a gallon-sized ziploc bag barely halfway full. Which led me to wonder what was so wrong about it. Had she brought half her pantry with her, I could see it being funny. 

[proserpina65]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:54 AM, cynicat said:

Have you considered that you have become your parents?

Then I've been my parents since long before I bought a house 'cause I've never bought overpriced snacks at the airport.  Of course, I remember when they gave you bags on peanuts on the plane, so . . . 

[Colleenna]

On 12/16/2021 at 2:17 PM, BradandJanet said:

This commercial drives me nuts for that reason. Either the woman grew, or the man's spine is collapsing. Didn't the people who hired the actors think about the height difference? 

I had a hella growth spurt at 10. Skirts that started out mid-knee wound up mid-thigh, and since this was 1958 Lutheran private school,  that meant buying new skirts or getting sent home. 

[Haleth]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:54 AM, cynicat said:

Have you considered that you have become your parents?

And I see nothing wrong with the guy who tells the grocery store manager what a good job the deli worker is doing.  That's a nice thing to do!

[dleighg]

13 minutes ago, Haleth said:

And I see nothing wrong with the guy who tells the grocery store manager what a good job the deli worker is doing.  That's a nice thing to do!

I sent a note to the manager of Home Depot about how helpful one the paint clerks was in finding the right color to match my front door when we were painting the front deck! I hope it made the guy's day!

[Crankybroad]

I do not understand the Publix dirty snowman commercial at all. It gives me the creeps a bit. 

[Popples]

I don't understand what a giant rolling ball of stuffed animals has to do with banking. They're trying to say that Truist Bank cares, but I associate stuffed animals with comfort more than caring. Also, it annoys me at the end of it the ball gives the little girl a flower and not one of the animals.

 

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, Popples said:

I don't understand what a giant rolling ball of stuffed animals has to do with banking. They're trying to say that Truist Bank cares, but I associate stuffed animals with comfort more than caring. Also, it annoys me at the end of it the ball gives the little girl a flower and not one of the animals.

 

If my car were broken down in the middle of nowhere and I saw that thing rolling toward me, I would run like the wind in the opposite direction.  Maybe climb a tree -- surely it doesn't climb trees?