Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[elle]

8 hours ago, funky-rat said:

I'm confused with the latest Amazon Dot commercial.  Where a woman asks Alexa to show her who is at the door, and Rebel Wilson answers from her bathtub, saying she's too busy doing humanitarian work, and the woman should just get the door herself.  Then Alexa thanks Rebel, and says she'll handle it.

HUH?  I'm lost......

Rebel, along with other celebrities, is filling in when Alexa had lost her voice, first seen in the Super Bowl commercial.  Alexa is now "saying" that she can take care of things again and no longer needs Rebel's help.

My question is why can't the woman answer the door herself.  She is hanging a picture.  She is not tending to a child in the bath or changing a diaper or any other way indisposed.  

Why would you have Alexa answer your door in the first place?  Is it linked into a home monitoring system?

6 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Like, we don't say, "Where's the beef?!" anymore

I still hear that phrase now and again.

[Tunia]

5 hours ago, elle said:

Why would you have Alexa answer your door in the first place?  Is it linked into a home monitoring system?

It can be if you have a "smart home".  Alexa can adjust the heat, turn on/off house lights, lower your electronic window treatments, start your coffeemaker and even start your car if set up to do so.  My son has his house set up for vocal command (and yes, Alexa recognizes voices), and It's unbelievable.  I'm waiting for Alexa to deliver him a cold beer during the game!

We have discovered one problem though...Alexa is set up through my son's iPhone on which I am "Mom".  When my granddaughter tells Alexa to "Call Mom", Alexa calls me, rather than g-daughter's actual mom.  It'll be easier to re-train g-daughter than reset the iPhone/Alexa.  (There's already been a similar commercial.)

Edited February 15, 2018 by Tunia

[Haleth]

The other day Alexa told me it was National Change Your Name Day.  She said I should change my name to Jean Luc Picard and hers to Computer and we could shoot photon torpedoes at the neighbors.  

[QuinnInND]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

The other day Alexa told me it was National Change Your Name Day.  She said I should change my name to Jean Luc Picard and hers to Computer and we could shoot photon torpedoes at the neighbors.  

That's epic!! 

[Ubiquitous]

On 2/12/2018 at 5:11 PM, bilgistic said:

My aunt's family had their 8mm films transferred to VHS. This was maybe 25 years ago, a bit before DVDs were widely used. The films date to about 40-plus years ago. We watched them one Christmas. They were also randomly transferred to the tapes and it was hilarious because we never knew what was coming up. The films would jump throughout about a five-year span.

My parents had some guy wirh cancer who was stuck at home transfer our films, complete with generic background music like on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The birthday segments are particularly funny b/c he plays "Happy Birthday" and dubs in the person's name in it.

On 2/14/2018 at 11:00 AM, funky-rat said:

I'm confused with the latest Amazon Dot commercial.  Where a woman asks Alexa to show her who is at the door, and Rebel Wilson answers from her bathtub, saying she's too busy doing humanitarian work, and the woman should just get the door herself.  Then Alexa thanks Rebel, and says she'll handle it.

HUH?  I'm lost......

I keep seeing one where a black comedienne tells him something while her friend is trying to tell her to shut up. I have no idea what that's about!

 

I keep seeing a new PSA about not wasting food in which a series of chefs bring a three course meal to a family. The first is some kinda of zucchii alfredo, the second is made from the ends and blossoms,  and the third is a salad made from the vines and leaves. What I don't understand is what the heck the second course is b/c it looks like a meatloaf garnished with zucchii stems and flowers. What was the point?

[Brattinella]

9 minutes ago, Ubiquitous said:

I keep seeing a new PSA about not wasting food in which a series of chefs bring a three course meal to a family. The first is some kinda of zucchii alfredo, the second is made from the ends and blossoms,  and the third is a salad made from the vines and leaves. What I don't understand is what the heck the second course is b/c it looks like a meatloaf garnished with zucchii stems and flowers. What was the point?

I love zucchini but those items are making me gag.  I like squash simple, boiled in water til tender, served with butter.

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

For some reason "a bridge too far" has started trending, and I'd bet few of the users of it know of its WWII origin.

I recall a review of the film, which called it "A Reel Too Long."

[funky-rat]

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 7:12 PM, elle said:

Rebel, along with other celebrities, is filling in when Alexa had lost her voice, first seen in the Super Bowl commercial.  Alexa is now "saying" that she can take care of things again and no longer needs Rebel's help.

My question is why can't the woman answer the door herself.  She is hanging a picture.  She is not tending to a child in the bath or changing a diaper or any other way indisposed.  

Why would you have Alexa answer your door in the first place?  Is it linked into a home monitoring system?

OK - that makes sense.  I don't watch the Super Bowl, so I had no idea she lost her voice.  Knowing that small piece of information, that makes more sense.  I haven't seen that commercial where she lost her voice, so I'm assuming it didn't air outside the Super Bowl.  Not everyone watches it, so that would have been helpful for Amazon to air the commercial again.

[LoneHaranguer]

6 hours ago, funky-rat said:

I haven't seen that commercial where she lost her voice, so I'm assuming it didn't air outside the Super Bowl.  Not everyone watches it, so that would have been helpful for Amazon to air the commercial again.

Super Bowl ads are available on the net, but you'd need a reason to look for it. Usually, you'll hear some buzz about at least one, but nothing this year.

[Tunia]

10 hours ago, funky-rat said:

OK - that makes sense.  I don't watch the Super Bowl, so I had no idea she lost her voice.  Knowing that small piece of information, that makes more sense.  I haven't seen that commercial where she lost her voice, so I'm assuming it didn't air outside the Super Bowl.  Not everyone watches it, so that would have been helpful for Amazon to air the commercial again.

Here it is:

[SuprSuprElevated]

4 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Super Bowl ads are available on the net, but you'd need a reason to look for it. Usually, you'll hear some buzz about at least one, but nothing this year.

A little about the Eli Manning / Odell Beckham Dirty Dancing spoof, but that's the only one I caught any residual buzz about.

[Nordly Beaumont]

Those Lowes commercials - "The moment you realize... your half bath needs your full attention." Doesn't it just need a toilet paper holder? Looks pretty darn nice to me!

"The moment you realize... how can there possibly be so many blues?" Isn't that more of a wondering than a realization?

[chessiegal]

11 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Those Lowes commercials - "The moment you realize... your half bath needs your full attention." Doesn't it just need a toilet paper holder? Looks pretty darn nice to me!

"The moment you realize... how can there possibly be so many blues?" Isn't that more of a wondering than a realization?

The Lowes commercials in general are stupid. However, last December we decided to buy a new dishwasher. After researching what we wanted, we found Lowes had the best price. Their customer service was wonderful. We are now big fans of Lowes. Not going to keep a silly ad campaign keep us away.

[QuinnInND]

19 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Those Lowes commercials - "The moment you realize... your half bath needs your full attention." Doesn't it just need a toilet paper holder? Looks pretty darn nice to me!

 

Right?  It needed a new vanity and get rid of that stupid pedestal sink. And a TP holder. 

[Amethyst]

The Symbicort commercials with the grandfather confuse me.  At least when it gets to the Big Bad Wolf parts.  The Big Bad Wolf is still the villain in this story, so it feels weird that we're supposed to cheer him on.  Once he takes a hit off that inhaler and feels better, we know what's coming, right?

It's funny when he's all out of breath, and the 3 Little Pigs so look so relieved and pop their little heads out of the windows.  I can't blame them!  This asshole is trying to blow down their house!

[funky-rat]

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 8:33 PM, Tunia said:

Here it is:

Thanks.  Love Gordon Ramsay.  He can talk through mine anytime.  ;)

[elle]

On 2/11/2018 at 3:21 PM, mojoween said:

The Walmart ad where the lady buys a binky and sippy cup over and over and over because the dog keeps getting them drives me nuts.

Is there any reason she can’t just wash them in boiling water and re-use them, or was I a terrible mother?

This one seemed to get a lot of play today, re-watching it I had a thought.  What if the little girl is deliberately dropping the binky?  She has made the connection between "I drop this" and "the dog picks it up".  Fun game!  

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎2‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 2:24 AM, Amethyst said:

The Symbicort commercials with the grandfather confuse me.  At least when it gets to the Big Bad Wolf parts.  The Big Bad Wolf is still the villain in this story, so it feels weird that we're supposed to cheer him on.  Once he takes a hit off that inhaler and feels better, we know what's coming, right?

It's funny when he's all out of breath, and the 3 Little Pigs so look so relieved and pop their little heads out of the windows.  I can't blame them!  This asshole is trying to blow down their house!

[chessiegal]

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, so started watching some retro TV channels that have ads for old folks like me. One was a company that would "discreetly" mail you adult diapers to save you the embarrassment of buying them at the store. Why do you need a specific company to do that? You can get anything from Amazon. Does it have something to do with Medicare?

[Ubiquitous]

I don't think Amazon was around when those ads were made.

[funky-rat]

4 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, so started watching some retro TV channels that have ads for old folks like me. One was a company that would "discreetly" mail you adult diapers to save you the embarrassment of buying them at the store. Why do you need a specific company to do that? You can get anything from Amazon. Does it have something to do with Medicare?

If they're the same ads I remember, some of it had to do with that they would work with your insurance to try to get some reimbursement. Those products are expensive.  They also offered that if you tried one and didn't like it, they wouldn't charge you, and let you try a different kind, which is also nice.  And at one point, it was embarrassing for people to have to admit they needed those.  I imagine it still is to a degree, but it's more out in the open now.  And I don't believe that places like Amazon were around then, depending on when the ad was from, or if they were, they weren't in their current incarnation as someone who offers anything and everything.

[chessiegal]

The ads are new, it was just that they were airing on a network that shows old TV shows.

[Bort]

There are many in the age bracket those adult diapers target that can't figure out the internet. If my dad wants something, I have to buy it on amazon for him. He would otherwise be trying to randomly browse stores to find what he's looking for.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

There are many in the age bracket those adult diapers target that can't figure out the internet. If my dad wants something, I have to buy it on amazon for him. He would otherwise be trying to randomly browse stores to find what he's looking for.

Thanks - that explains a lot. Our parents are gone, and we are soon to be in the market. :)

[Jamoche]

12 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, so started watching some retro TV channels that have ads for old folks like me. One was a company that would "discreetly" mail you adult diapers to save you the embarrassment of buying them at the store.

When my mom comes to visit, I toss some of those in with my groceries. The cashier only looks at it long enough to make sure the scan code's facing the right way. It's totally not embarrassing.

[funky-rat]

10 hours ago, Jamoche said:

When my mom comes to visit, I toss some of those in with my groceries. The cashier only looks at it long enough to make sure the scan code's facing the right way. It's totally not embarrassing.

It's not for me, and a lot of people of my generation, but my mom is 70, and she's uber-embarrassed about a lot of things, like needing hearing aids.  I sometimes wonder if it's because the generation before them didn't live as long, and this is new territory for them, but we've kind-of grown up with the idea of it.

[xaxat]

23 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, so started watching some retro TV channels that have ads for old folks like me. One was a company that would "discreetly" mail you adult diapers to save you the embarrassment of buying them at the store. Why do you need a specific company to do that? You can get anything from Amazon. Does it have something to do with Medicare?

I haven't seen that particular ad, but it might have something to do with Medicare/insurance. There are companies that advertise not just the medical product, but their ability to take care of all the paperwork to make it easy for the customer. Remember this gem?

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm so unembarrassed by buying incontinence supplies, I've told friends when they're on sale at Walgreen's. Whoo Hoooo. An old woman's dream come true!!  If the alternative is taking stupid drugs with a gazillion side effects they'll end up prescribing more drugs/more side effects for, I'll wear the pads stuck into my undies, thank you.

[smittykins]

Besides, I've used feminine products for over 40 years(bought them myself at least 30), so any embarrassment went out the window long ago

[Prairie Fire]

If you thought the Diet Coke Mango ad was bad.....they've bottomed out with this one.

[Sandman87]

There's a local commercial for a mortgage lender that advertises all the most important advantages of working with him:

• He's a lifelong local resident.
• He's honest.
• He has lots of experience.
• He has fourteen chickens.

Yeah, that's how I know I live in the sticks; the most important thing about a lender is that he has chickens. Maybe I'm supposed to assume that I'll get free eggs for working through him.

On 2/16/2018 at 7:26 AM, funky-rat said:

OK - that makes sense.  I don't watch the Super Bowl, so I had no idea she lost her voice.  Knowing that small piece of information, that makes more sense.  I haven't seen that commercial where she lost her voice, so I'm assuming it didn't air outside the Super Bowl.  Not everyone watches it, so that would have been helpful for Amazon to air the commercial again.

Until this exact moment I was unaware of that as well. And now those commercials merely make it look like Alexa is inconvenient and irritating to use. Or rather more irritating, because I'm just not into bellowing at an empty room to find stuff out.

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, Sandman87 said:

There's a local commercial for a mortgage lender that advertises all the most important advantages of working with him:

• He's a lifelong local resident.
• He's honest.
• He has lots of experience.
• He has fourteen chickens.

*Blinks*

...o-kay. That's an...interesting sales pitch. 

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

He has fourteen chickens.

Until a competitor opens up down the block and brags about having fifteen chickens!

[friendperidot]

Quote

It's not for me, and a lot of people of my generation, but my mom is 70, and she's uber-embarrassed about a lot of things, like needing hearing aids.  I sometimes wonder if it's because the generation before them didn't live as long, and this is new territory for them, but we've kind-of grown up with the idea of it.

Quote

I'm so unembarrassed by buying incontinence supplies, I've told friends when they're on sale at Walgreen's. Whoo Hoooo. An old woman's dream come true!!  If the alternative is taking stupid drugs with a gazillion side effects they'll end up prescribing more drugs/more side effects for, I'll wear the pads stuck into my undies, thank you.

I haven't had a need for incontinence supplies, but yeah buying feminine hygiene products all my life, no big deal. But I recently had to buy stuff for my young niece for yeast, then I had to explain to her how to use it. In the aisle at Walmart. It's all just part of life, I did, she went to the bathroom after I paid for it.

But I really don't get being embarrassed over using hearing aids, at some point many of us need glasses, no big deal. Maybe for me, it's because I grew up with a nearly deaf father who wore hearing aids when they were quite noticeable, a headband to hold a box behind his ear, a wire running from there down to about mid chest where there was another box, that's where you had to aim your voice to speak to him. Over the years, hearing aids changed, they are nearly invisible now, it has been suggested I try one, age and loud music catching up with me. If I had the money, it would be no big deal for me. 

[funky-rat]

15 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

Until this exact moment I was unaware of that as well. And now those commercials merely make it look like Alexa is inconvenient and irritating to use. Or rather more irritating, because I'm just not into bellowing at an empty room to find stuff out.

I'm not really into it as of yet.  I got it for Christmas from my cousins, but they have smart home features, and Amazon Prime, and stuff like that, which makes it more functional.  I have do XM, and you can play it on Alexa, but only if you pay for streaming service, and I do not.  So as of right this second, I really don't use it, but I have it plugged in.  Every time someone says Alexa on TV (including WWF, which my husband watches) it goes nuts.  We were watching Hell's Kitchen, with no one named Alexa and no mention of that name, when it randomly started playing "Boogie In Your Butt" by Eddie Murphy. Fun song, but so very random.  Once my husband gets situated at his new job, and we get some more bills paid off, I may subscribe to either XM Streaming or Amazon Prime (again, I stopped it when the price kept going up), but for now, she just sits there.

As for the commercial, I just really didn't understand why talking to Alexa would connect you to Rebel Wilson sitting in a bathtub.  Made no sense whatsoever.

[margol29]

I am totally perplexed by the new Fruit Gushers commercial. It has a kid ( I say kid but it looks like a young teenager) in the boys bathroom holding a box of fruit gushers and he sticks his mouth under the gel soap holder and takes a taste of the gel and makes a terrible taste face and then a guy pops out of the stall (he looks like he might be a famous rapper or something) and tells him to stick with the fruit gushers.

Then for the same product the kids are in science class the the teacher is holding a green octopus looking creature and squeezes it and green goo spurts out and a girls tastes it and well you know the rest.

Why do these simple minded children think that any goo looking stuff would taste like a Fruit Gusher?

[peacheslatour]

Quote

 he sticks his mouth under the gel soap holder 

Were they out of Tide pods?

[funky-rat]

1 hour ago, margol29 said:

then a guy pops out of the stall (he looks like he might be a famous rapper or something) and tells him to stick with the fruit gushers.

That guy looks so familiar, but I can't place him.  I do like that he has no time for foolishness.

[SuprSuprElevated]

5 hours ago, funky-rat said:

I'm not really into it as of yet.  I got it for Christmas from my cousins, but they have smart home features, and Amazon Prime, and stuff like that, which makes it more functional.  I have do XM, and you can play it on Alexa, but only if you pay for streaming service, and I do not.  So as of right this second, I really don't use it, but I have it plugged in.  Every time someone says Alexa on TV (including WWF, which my husband watches) it goes nuts.  We were watching Hell's Kitchen, with no one named Alexa and no mention of that name, when it randomly started playing "Boogie In Your Butt" by Eddie Murphy. Fun song, but so very random.  Once my husband gets situated at his new job, and we get some more bills paid off, I may subscribe to either XM Streaming or Amazon Prime (again, I stopped it when the price kept going up), but for now, she just sits there.

As for the commercial, I just really didn't understand why talking to Alexa would connect you to Rebel Wilson sitting in a bathtub.  Made no sense whatsoever.

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I use it in very narrow circumstances.  I do love dictating my grocery list to Alexa, an item at a time, as I run out or realize I have very little left of something, from across the room.  I also will use it for timers/alarms, which also comes in handy.  She's not very good at trivia just yet, and I'm hoping that will get better with time. By that I mean, asking a random question into the air and getting an answer.  Sometimes, "she" knows the answer, and sometimes not.  I did purchase an Echo-compatible outlet plug, and have a lamp plugged into it that I have her turn on when we leave the house.  I'm not a luddite, but not exactly 'wired' either.  Trying.

Edited February 22, 2018 by SuprSuprElevated

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I use it in very narrow circumstances.  I do love dictating my grocery list to Alexa, an item at a time, as I run out or realize I have very little left of something, from across the room.  I also will use it for timers/alarms, which also comes in handy.  She's not very good at trivia just yet, and I'm hoping that will get better with time. By that I mean, asking a random question into the air and getting an answer.  Sometimes, "she" knows the answer, and sometimes not.  I did purchase an Echo-compatible outlet plug, and have a lamp plugged into it that I have her turn on when we leave the house.  I'm not a luddite, but not exactly 'wired' either.  Trying.

As tempting as all that is, I am still unwilling to have an open mic in my house 24/7.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 minute ago, Brattinella said:

As tempting as all that is, I am still unwilling to have an open mic in my house 24/7.

I understand that viewpoint.  I've explained to my husband that if he should become homicidally angry with me, the evidence is in the cloud, and he will be convicted by a jury of his peers.  I consider that a bonanza of value for a mere $40 bux.

Plus the grocery list thing.

[Bort]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Were they out of Tide pods?

There’s a product waiting to happen, by the way: candy that looks like Tide pods. 

[QuinnInND]

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

There’s a product waiting to happen, by the way: candy that looks like Tide pods. 

 

[Ubiquitous]

HA HA HA!

OMG, really?

 

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 11:10 AM, xaxat said:

I haven't seen that particular ad, but it might have something to do with Medicare/insurance. There are companies that advertise not just the medical product, but their ability to take care of all the paperwork to make it easy for the customer. Remember this gem?

 

I always wondered if that white cat rubbing between her legs is sppsd to be some sort of symbolism.

[funky-rat]

13 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

 

Those are a European product.  Been out for a little while, per some friends overseas. But still, I find it hilarious.

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, funky-rat said:

Those are a European product.  Been out for a little while, per some friends overseas. But still, I find it hilarious.

FYI, you can buy loads of European products online, some with free shipping!  We got 1 bottle, then 2 squeeze bottles of HP Sauce.  It is divine!

[Maharincess]

On 2/22/2018 at 1:43 PM, SuprSuprElevated said:

 

Plus the grocery list thing.

I just keep a pad with a magnet on the fridge door. I got the pad for a buck at the dollar store. 

[Silver Raven]

nm

Edited February 24, 2018 by Silver Raven

[ChromaKelly]

Has anyone seen this Kohler commercial with a bunch of freaky looking robots going to a party with humans? Then at the end there's a futuristic Kohler toilet and the robots are all standing around while someone is about to use it? WTF is that about? Both my husband and I thought it was going to be a drug commercial for social anxiety medication or something. I was waiting for the "Is this how you feel at a party?" voiceover. This commercial does zero to make me want to buy a Kohler toilet. All it did was make me going WTF and freak me out a little. Been watching too much Black Mirror.

[friendperidot]

Quote

This commercial does zero to make me want to buy a Kohler toilet.

Wasn't it Kohler that had the pretentious architect with the equally pretentious couple where the woman hands him a faucet and tells him to design a home around that? I hate that ad campaign. I guess Kohler is into pretentious. I had a Moen kitchen faucet with the pull out spray, I loved it and if I ever to to live in a home of my own again, I'll have another. Don't particularly care if it's Moen or not, just as long as it works, but for the 10 or so years I had that one, I never had to replace washers, never had leaks or drips and they did have a guarantee about that so maybe I would go Moen again.