Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[cynicat]

On 2/10/2017 at 7:27 PM, Sandman87 said:

There's a Raisin Bran ad running now where a man and his daughter (I assume) are sitting on a dock. The background music that's playing? "Werewolves of London." Why? Are we supposed to think that he's going to transform and eat her or something?

This post from @Sandman87 was from way back in February and I guess I missed it the first go around.  Well, it's back.  WTF?  Because Raisin Bran Crunch is the chosen food of werewolves?

 

[Prevailing Wind]

Because Raisin Bran Crunch goes so well with a piña colada at Trader Vic's?  Or because the Zevon estate sold the marketing rights to a very aggressive company who makes money for themselvesand the estate whenever a Zevon song is used somewhere?

[meep.meep]

The current ad featuring "fees" is the one with the babysitting who now wants $50 instead of $30 as agreed because of the fees.  What has me scratching my head is that she has this huge pink scar across her neck.  Is that part of the story?  If so, what?  If not, why not cover it up.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

[Brattinella]

24 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

The current ad featuring "fees" is the one with the babysitting who now wants $50 instead of $30 as agreed because of the fees.  What has me scratching my head is that she has this huge pink scar across her neck.  Is that part of the story?  If so, what?  If not, why not cover it up.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

I'll have to keep an eye out for that one!

[theatremouse]

On 8/19/2017 at 4:53 PM, Silver Raven said:

They're just setting themselves up for a lawsuit with these ads, if somebody actually does that and ruins their phone.

If it's the phone I'm thinking of, it supposedly can be submerged for up to 30 minutes without damage, so I don't really see how the ad is misleading about its use in or around water. Sure, don't SCUBA dive with it, but I've read some articles from reviewers who intentionally wanted to push the limit of how much water it could take, and apparently it regularly was fine after much more than advertised. So I disagree with the notion that they're setting people up to ruin their phones. They show people jumping in a pool with it, which is well within bounds of what it can withstand. IIRC the packaging is also very clear about the water issue, as in, not just in small print in the instructions. I think I remember something printed on the clear film on it that you'd normally remove before using, so it's very difficult to not notice, even if you didn't notice the text on screen in the ad.

[peacheslatour]

I really like Chewy.com but jeez this commercial: "I'm a stay at home mom of two boys so I'm super busy with their sports and schoolwork" Uh, shouldn't your kids be busy with their sports and school work not you?

[Jaded]

9 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I really like Chewy.com but jeez this commercial: "I'm a stay at home mom of two boys so I'm super busy with their sports and schoolwork" Uh, shouldn't your kids be busy with their sports and school work not you?

Since being purchased by Petsmart that commercial has been everywhere all times of the day. I roll my eyes and sometimes sigh when it comes on a channel I just tuned into after seeing it on a previous one. Chewy claim they will stay a separate company. I'm not holding out that much hope though.

[chessiegal]

I hope Chewy stays as good as they are. My kitty is on a prescription food to help her lose weight, and even though my vet is 10 minutes away, it's so nice to get it delivered - and at a cost of $8 less per case than at the vet.

 

 

 

 

4

[Silver Raven]

I have prescription food for my cat but Chewy only offers it in 50 pound bags.  I don't want to have to deal with that, plus Jack likes it freshly opened.

[friendperidot]

My problem with the Chewy ad with the stay at home mom is that she is condescending to working moms who hold down outside jobs and tend to their kids school and sports and extra curricular activities. Staying home and taking care of your kids is great, if you can do it. I haven't purchased from Chewy, I have looked at it, I don't have children other than my dogs, but I get irritated by the ad. 

[chessiegal]

I looked at Chewy because of their ads (annoying or not), and when I realized I could save quite a bit of money plus the convenience of getting it delivered for free rather than checking with the vet every 2 weeks, I was sold. Chewy required a prescription, but the vet was happy to give it to me.

[Prevailing Wind]

 But the best deal is to work for a vet and get to sign up at "Purina for Professionals" - the food is half price, less than the employee discount at the vet. $2 for shipping. I don't know why I resisted signing up for so long. Bosco & Stella are on a prescription diet, too - "Overweight Management."  Even with a 3 pound bag, I pour it into zip lock bags & freeze it, only leaving about 4 days' worth in the cupboard - they like it "fresh," too.

[Maverick]

Wrong thread

Edited August 23, 2017 by Maverick

[Brattinella]

On 8/20/2017 at 4:12 PM, meep.meep said:

The current ad featuring "fees" is the one with the babysitting who now wants $50 instead of $30 as agreed because of the fees.  What has me scratching my head is that she has this huge pink scar across her neck.  Is that part of the story?  If so, what?  If not, why not cover it up.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Okay, I finally saw this.  I am pretty sure that is a "jelly" necklace, like the bracelets.  Made of clear rubber and mostly for little girls.

[peacheslatour]

13 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Okay, I finally saw this.  I am pretty sure that is a "jelly" necklace, like the bracelets.  Made of clear rubber and mostly for little girls.

To me it definitely looked like a mark one might get from being strangled. Maybe she tried that fee b.s. on the wrong parents.

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

To me it definitely looked like a mark one might get from being strangled.

Sounds like the settings of your TV are off. I thought it was pretty clearly a choker based on the color, although I didn't pay enough attention to notice the type.

[xaxat]

On 8/19/2017 at 2:30 PM, spaceytraci1208 said:

Samsung really seems to be encouraging people to use the latest Galaxy around, if not IN, water. Water-resistant is not waterPROOF...I don't see how this leads to good things

It's too complicated to put in an ad, but there are technical specifications for water resistance. In the case of the Galaxy 8, it is IP68. Which means it can sit in a meter and a half of fresh water for 30 minutes.

[riley702]

I started buying from Chewy due to the experience of one of my fellow breast cancer survivors/Facebook friends. Her 16 yr-old kitty was having mysterious tummy issues and the vet prescribed an expensive canned food that was cheaper on Chewy. Within a week of receiving the order, it became apparent that Miss Fiona had cancer throughout her abdomen and had to be put to sleep. My friend called Chewy and asked if there was any way she could return the unused cans. They told her to donate them to a local shelter and they'd refund the entire amount. Two days later, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers arrived, with a sympathy card signed by all the employees. I immediately decided that this was a company I should be patronizing. I've never regretted it. We have a warehouse fairly close and my stuff is usually delivered in a day. Spend more than $49 and shipping is free. Cat litter and cartons of canned food can be expensive and heavy, even before you throw in a bag of dry. I save money and it's delivered to my door quickly.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, riley702 said:

I started buying from Chewy due to the experience of one of my fellow breast cancer survivors/Facebook friends. Her 16 yr-old kitty was having mysterious tummy issues and the vet prescribed an expensive canned food that was cheaper on Chewy. Within a week of receiving the order, it became apparent that Miss Fiona had cancer throughout her abdomen and had to be put to sleep. My friend called Chewy and asked if there was any way she could return the unused cans. They told her to donate them to a local shelter and they'd refund the entire amount. Two days later, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers arrived, with a sympathy card signed by all the employees. I immediately decided that this was a company I should be patronizing. I've never regretted it. 

First off, condolences to your friend on the loss of her cat.

Second, that is a really, really lovely gesture from the company. Wow. I love their suggestion of donating the foot to a shelter as well. I need to look into supporting these guys now, too. 

[spiderpig]

Don't know the advertiser.  Just remember the last line:

"Free toilet".

[funky-rat]

The people at Chewy are great, but they have a threshold for free shipping, and Petco does not, so I've stuck with Petco.  With Chewy, it would make my timing off to reach their threshold for free shipping, but other than that, they're awesome.

[peacheslatour]

My DH and I just lurve Chewy. No more lugging 5,000 pounds of cat litter out to the car in Costco's enormous parking lot.

[Sandman87]

A local real estate company has a commercial running which hits all the usual points (friendly, on your side, etc), but I'm a little puzzled by the item that they save for last. They position it as being a real deal clincher, and it's so important that they mention it again at the end of the commercial after they give out the contact information. And what is this all-important feature that they offer? "Our office is air conditioned!"

Huh? Are we suddenly living in the 1950s or something? I'm pretty sure that every other real estate place in town has that feature too, unless there's someone doing business out of a re-purposed potting shed in their back yard.

[GaT]

I do not understand the end of this commercial. What does she mean her work is done? She chose a dress, was she invited over for that reason? I just don't understand what "work" she's talking about.

[Sandman87]

Obviously, being friends with an indecisive brain doner qualifies as work.

[Maharincess]

On 8/23/2017 at 7:37 PM, riley702 said:

I started buying from Chewy due to the experience of one of my fellow breast cancer survivors/Facebook friends. Her 16 yr-old kitty was having mysterious tummy issues and the vet prescribed an expensive canned food that was cheaper on Chewy. Within a week of receiving the order, it became apparent that Miss Fiona had cancer throughout her abdomen and had to be put to sleep. My friend called Chewy and asked if there was any way she could return the unused cans. They told her to donate them to a local shelter and they'd refund the entire amount. Two days later, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers arrived, with a sympathy card signed by all the employees. I immediately decided that this was a company I should be patronizing. I've never regretted it. We have a warehouse fairly close and my stuff is usually delivered in a day. Spend more than $49 and shipping is free. Cat litter and cartons of canned food can be expensive and heavy, even before you throw in a bag of dry. I save money and it's delivered to my door quickly.

That is awesome and makes me happy that I use Chewy. 

I once sent an email to Amazon customer service and said my cat was disappointed that my latest package came in an envelope instead of one of the boxes that she loves. Two days later I get a huge box delivered with a cat toy, some treats and a bunch of empty boxes addressed to "Cat lastname". 

[janie jones]

15 hours ago, GaT said:

I do not understand the end of this commercial. What does she mean her work is done? She chose a dress, was she invited over for that reason? I just don't understand what "work" she's talking about.

I think she was invited over for that reason, to help the friend pick a dress for her date.

[CoderLady]

I thought she was the date girl's roommate, and that's why she's lounging on what is probably her bed with her bedroom door open. It's been ages since I've shared living space with random people so I may be wrong,  though. 

[TeapotDiva]

On 8/11/2017 at 4:34 PM, Sandman87 said:

Pick a reason:

• I'm promoting awareness of healthy elimination habits.
• I'm selflessly making peoples lives just a tiny bit less predictable so that they'll have something to talk about.
• I practice Linji's Buddhist teachings, and help others achieve insight through shock techniques.
• Someone once told me that honesty is the best policy.
• People talk too much, and I enjoy the awkward silences that follow my announcements.
• I honestly believe that people want to know.
• I sometimes forget to take my meds.
• I'm a spy who's communicating via a prearranged code.
• I'm generously giving fair warning that they might want to wait a few minutes before going into the bathroom.
• It amuses me.

Not because you have a potty mouth?  :-D

[Sandman87]

No, that would be from drinking out of the toilet, which I hardly ever do anymore.

[SoSueMe]

On 8/11/2017 at 7:34 PM, Sandman87 said:

Pick a reason:

• I'm promoting awareness of healthy elimination habits.
• I'm selflessly making peoples lives just a tiny bit less predictable so that they'll have something to talk about.
• I practice Linji's Buddhist teachings, and help others achieve insight through shock techniques.
• Someone once told me that honesty is the best policy.
• People talk too much, and I enjoy the awkward silences that follow my announcements.
• I honestly believe that people want to know.
• I sometimes forget to take my meds.
• I'm a spy who's communicating via a prearranged code.
• I'm generously giving fair warning that they might want to wait a few minutes before going into the bathroom.
• It amuses me.

 

20 hours ago, TeapotDiva said:

Not because you have a potty mouth?  :-D

 

19 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

No, that would be from drinking out of the toilet, which I hardly ever do anymore.

A couple of reasons why I like to pop in on the commercials forums occasionally :)

[riley702]

22 hours ago, CoderLady said:

I thought she was the date girl's roommate, and that's why she's lounging on what is probably her bed with her bedroom door open. It's been ages since I've shared living space with random people so I may be wrong,  though. 

Could be, and she's all, "Hey, you asked me to pick a dress. Delving into this date of yours far enough to decide what snack you should take along should the date "go south" before dinner is a little much. I'm out." 

[Prevailing Wind]

I've been seeing commercials for "Good2Go" insurance - several different versions, where these people on foot or waiting for a friend to pick them up claim they have a car, but they can't afford insurance, so they're bumming rides or walking.  Well, gee - that's very noble of them, but is there *anyone* who *doesn't* drive just because they don't have insurance? I always thought they drove anyway and hoped against hope nothing would happen.

[janie jones]

19 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

A couple of reasons why I like to pop in on the commercials forums occasionally :)

I thought it said "poop" at first.

 

6 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I've been seeing commercials for "Good2Go" insurance - several different versions, where these people on foot or waiting for a friend to pick them up claim they have a car, but they can't afford insurance, so they're bumming rides or walking.  Well, gee - that's very noble of them, but is there *anyone* who *doesn't* drive just because they don't have insurance? I always thought they drove anyway and hoped against hope nothing would happen.

My issue with this commercial is that everyone I know who has been in this situation has just sold the car.

Edited August 27, 2017 by janie jones

[StaceyNotStacie]

While it's heartwarming, I find the McDonald's commercial with the young man who was accepted to college a bit much. I can't see everyone stopping what they're doing for a minute or two, especially during one of their busy spells. 

[docmatt]

Quote

While it's heartwarming, I find the McDonald's commercial with the young man who was accepted to college a bit much. I can't see everyone stopping what they're doing for a minute or two, especially during one of their busy spells. 

 I like that one too, but honestly, I've seen the whole workforce of a fast food place stop for a couple minutes over much less.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Apparently millions of families are managing their digestive health with the occult!

Cool!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Apparently millions of families are managing their digestive health with the occult!

Um, whut?

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

There's some new yogurt stuff called Yacult, but that's sure not what it sounds like they are saying.

 

eta: ooh, sorry yogurt people, it's "Yakult."

Edited August 30, 2017 by Etaoin Shrdlu

[Brattinella]

Gross.  Glad I haven't seen that one.

[Prevailing Wind]

Makes me wanna yack.

I read the ingredients of Activia not too long ago and I didn't see any bacteria listed that was any different from any other yogurt with live bacteria. Whaaa????

[peacheslatour]

On 8/23/2017 at 11:23 AM, LoneHaranguer said:

Sounds like the settings of your TV are off. I thought it was pretty clearly a choker based on the color, although I didn't pay enough attention to notice the type.

You were right. I saw it again and it is one of those plastic/rubber choker things. It's just such a pale pink it doesn't stand out but it also doesn't blend in.

[SoSueMe]

On 8/29/2017 at 5:22 PM, Stacey1014 said:

While it's heartwarming, I find the McDonald's commercial with the young man who was accepted to college a bit much. I can't see everyone stopping what they're doing for a minute or two, especially during one of their busy spells. 

My heart was warmed for a while, then I was sad when I realized that it was his boss, or manager (I think) congratulating him. So,  is the manager stuck at McD's forever, doomed to congratulating former underlings?

[theatremouse]

I think it was a current underling. The boss may not be stuck forever, could  be a franchise sitch where dude isn't the manager he's the owner (or he's both). Does that make it less soul sucking? I'm just tryin re-warm hearts with hypotheticals.

[Jamoche]

20 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

There's some new yogurt stuff called Yacult, but that's sure not what it sounds like they are saying.

 

eta: ooh, sorry yogurt people, it's "Yakult."

Sounds like the sound a cat makes before the hairball comes up.

[Sandman87]

On 8/29/2017 at 7:52 PM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Apparently millions of families are managing their digestive health with the occult!

You know how they can use digital processing of old film clips to make dead people the spokespersons for new products? They should do that for Yakult. They could have Anton LaVey or Aleister Crowley endorsing their "occult" product.

[janie jones]

On 8/29/2017 at 11:04 PM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

There's some new yogurt stuff called Yacult, but that's sure not what it sounds like they are saying.

 

eta: ooh, sorry yogurt people, it's "Yakult."

It's not new though.  It's been around for years and years.  I don't know why they now suddenly decided to start advertising.

 

15 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

My heart was warmed for a while, then I was sad when I realized that it was his boss, or manager (I think) congratulating him. So,  is the manager stuck at McD's forever, doomed to congratulating former underlings?

I don't know about fast food, but I know a lot of retail managers are only in it temporarily until they move on to something else, the same way most of the underlings are.

Edited August 31, 2017 by janie jones

[GHScorpiosRule]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but I haven't been in here for awhile and being lazy, didn't feel like reading 50 pages!

So, there's this new commercial (new to me as I've never seen it until recently) about how kids can "go to school" online. K-12, is the program. It just makes me scratch my head because, well, what about human contact? Making friends? I guess it's like home schooling, but even with that, the child has a parent to talk to/with. It seems everything is on the internet/online. No human socializing.

I'm SO glad I grew up before the Information Age exploded. I was very fortunate with the teachers I had.

[peacheslatour]

12 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

You know how they can use digital processing of old film clips to make dead people the spokespersons for new products? They should do that for Yakult. They could have Anton LaVey or Aleister Crowley endorsing their "occult" product.

"Hello, this is Vincent Price speaking to you from beyond the grave, mwhahaha, ahem... for good digestive health eat Yakult or I will eat your braaiinnss.."

[Eliot]

21 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

My heart was warmed for a while, then I was sad when I realized that it was his boss, or manager (I think) congratulating him. So,  is the manager stuck at McD's forever, doomed to congratulating former underlings?

Maybe that's why he snatches the envelope out of "Sebastian"'s hands and reads it out loud in front of everyone before he knows whether or not it's an acceptance. He's secretly hoping it's a rejection so as not to be overshadowed by his ambitious underling!

I do enjoy watching that commercial because of the over-the-top performance of all the extras playing the co-workers. Clearly, this is the best thing that has ever happened to any of them.