Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[peacheslatour]

"Hi, I'm Jimmy Dean and I wish I could tell you how I feel about a morning like this." But I can't because I'm DEAD.

[mmecorday]

Oh, it could be worse, peacheslatour. They could have different actors/entertainers portraying Jimmy Dean in each commercial.

[lu1535]

This new Ebay commercial where the girls is "individual" and a "rule breaker" but into a floral trend then she sees lilac and jumps the floral ship. And do we need to discuss the annoying jingle? How is she "individual" when it's obvious she's following all trends? And that poor girl in lilac whose pic is being splashed all over the internet by the front girl. The commercial drives me insane!!

[smittykins]

Since there isn't a thread for "Commercials that Ook You Out":

Who is the genius who got the brilliant idea to put adults' heads on infants' bodies?

Edited April 20, 2018 by smittykins

[xaxat]

On 4/11/2018 at 1:46 PM, peacheslatour said:

How did Flo's moron sister ever come up with enough scratch to buy a house? From her job as a crash test dummy?

Flo's moron sister also has a half empty fish tank. I feel bad for the fish she killed.

[SmithW6079]

On 4/13/2018 at 8:58 AM, JacquelineAppleton said:

Can i ask something, as I'm among friends here? I'm sorry if i'm doing anything wrong. Have you noticed that a lot of television adverts featuring children use girls? Femininity is seen as so fragile that it's the go-to to evoke the innocence of childhood.

can you imagine a boy in this commercial? a boy wouldn't have worked in her place - the cuteness factor would be different for a start:

Yes, as a matter of fact, I could imagine a little boy doing exactly the same thing and evoking the same sense of innocence.

On 4/13/2018 at 11:28 AM, JacquelineAppleton said:

the 70s was also a time when the devastating second-wave put down to young boys that asked if a girl could do something was "Sure, can you have a baby?"- which is bigoted and excludes trans men and non-binary people. 

Because we should totally judge 40-year-old attitudes by today's standards, completely ignoring that attitudes evolve and change. 

[Moose135]

On 4/20/2018 at 8:58 AM, smittykins said:

Since there isn't a thread for "Commercials that Ook You Out":

Who is the genius who got the brilliant idea to put adults' heads on infants' bodies?

Probably the same guy who got the brilliant idea to put feet in place of peoples' hands.

[crazycatlady58]

Or the guy  who thought  up baby/monkey  /cat or whatever  it was. *SHUDDER*

[Silver Raven]

32 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Probably the same guy who got the brilliant idea to put feet in place of peoples' hands.

God, that ad is creepy!

[Brattinella]

I dunno, puppy monkey baby is truly horrifying, IMO.

[smittykins]

"Certain chemicals can prevent pain from delivering the color you want."

Pain can deliver color?  Who knew?

Oh, paint...

[Jacqs]

This Irish Telecom ad i posted earlier is pretty creepy with a child being able to contact a strange old man through a toy phone. Reminds you of Poltergeist II and the Twilight Zone ep with Bill Mumy that P II stole from.

[OmegaX123]

So I was watching Good Mythical Morning today (yes, in the evening, I do things weird xD ), and the third video of the day was a commercial-based guessing game. The last commercial they showed (which I managed to find the commercial itself on YouTube) was this (YT: 1987 - Jordache Jeans - Old Man Commercial)

.

What was Jordache/the ad agency they used thinking? I mean "we just killed an old man, let's go buy jeans"? And the sound design, or possibly the degradation of quality over the years, or both, makes it extra creepy. I get shivers not just down my spine but throughout my whole body when the "NO!" at the beginning plays.

Edited April 25, 2018 by OmegaX123

[Brattinella]

42 minutes ago, OmegaX123 said:

So I was watching Good Mythical Morning today (yes, in the evening, I do things weird xD ), and the third video of the day was a commercial-based guessing game. The last commercial they showed (which I managed to find the commercial itself on YouTube) was this (YT: 1987 - Jordache Jeans - Old Man Commercial)

 

.

What was Jordache/the ad agency they used thinking? I mean "we just killed an old man, let's go buy jeans"? And the sound design, or possibly the degradation of quality over the years, or both, makes it extra creepy. I get shivers not just down my spine but throughout my whole body when the "NO!" at the beginning plays.

What a horrifying commercial!  No idea what they were thinking!

[LoneHaranguer]

35 minutes ago, OmegaX123 said:

What was Jordache/the ad agency they used thinking? I mean "we just killed an old man, let's go buy jeans"?

It looks to me like the old guy is somebody they've been friends with and they've found unconscious or dead. The girl at the beginning clearly cares about him, but from the sound of it, one of the guys doesn't at all. No idea what it all has to do with jeans, and the slogan makes no sense. If they wanted to get people to talk about their ad and company, it should have been something more positive, like the Nissan ad where GI Joe jumped into a toy car and picked up Barbie; that didn't tout the product either, but it wasn't morbid.

[mmecorday]

Wow, I would have been 16 around the time that Jordache ad aired and I don't remember it at all. By that time, Jordache jeans were almost over. I guess the company was trying for an edgy approach in its advertising, but that's just plain weird and disturbing.

[nottopbravo]

Can someone explain to me what is going on in the Grammerly commercial called "The Sell"?  It seems they have a beaten up old desk and decide to name it "Hugo".  Why (the name), and for what purpose?  The desk is sold and................    What just happened?   (I know the small spelling mistakes and incorrect grammar were corrected in the commercial.)  Should there be "cute" names for everything on sale?

[mojoween]

The woman in the Lowe’s ad with the smart washer is standing directly in front of it.  Is there any particular reason she can’t just turn it on herself?

[shapeshifter]

On June 12, 2017 at 1:58 PM, Fishy said:

Hate the Toujeo commercial with the idiotic dancing guy.  Dancing while he's seated at his computer, dancing on his way into his staff meeting.  Ugh - Idiotic.

I love the happy-dance Toujeo guy. I hope he gets cast as fun sidekick on a crime show.
Hrmmm. But it looks like it would have to be a Spanish language show:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3184048/
That's okay. I don't mind reading subtitles.

[LillyB]

What is with the Gabrielle perfume ad? Is the model escaping from a spider's web or what? Why doesn't the model close her mouth?

[knitorpurl]

I am confused by the new Heinz mayo spot. There is a line of people dressed as sandwiches drooling over the amazing taste of Heinz mayo. But they are sandwiches that are in line to buy sandwiches to eat? Or are they hoping for a slather of this fabulous new mayo for themselves? How does this work? 

[7isBlue]

18 hours ago, LillyB said:

What is with the Gabrielle perfume ad? Is the model escaping from a spider's web or what? Why doesn't the model close her mouth?

Mouth breather.

[peacheslatour]

Wait, what? People put 7-Up in their guacamole? Why? Why would you DO that?

[Mrs. Hanson]

Hate the commercial for 7 Up where the woman keeps getting arms, she ends up with six and frankly.....it is weird.

[QuinnInND]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Wait, what? People put 7-Up in their guacamole? Why? Why would you DO that?

In Texas that's a death penalty offense. 

[Haleth]

On April 29, 2018 at 10:37 PM, LillyB said:

What is with the Gabrielle perfume ad? Is the model escaping from a spider's web or what? Why doesn't the model close her mouth?

Is that the one with Kristen Stewart?  She probably thinks baring her teeth makes her look fierce.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Haleth

[Brattinella]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

Is that the one with Kristen Stewart?  She probably thinks baring her teeth makes her look tough.

I finally saw this ad last night.  Wowie how disturbing!  Kristen Stewart is probably a very nice person, but she appears to be a mouth-breathing, feral type.  Is this the image Chanel is going for?

[mmecorday]

Quote

Is that the one with Kristen Stewart?  She probably thinks baring her teeth makes her look fierce.

Or it makes her more attractive to werewolves and sparkly vampires.

[Jamoche]

The disconnect between Whose Line Is It Anyway? and every other show on that channel is never more obvious than when they're running ads. Usually I mute them, but I wasn't fast enough and caught the beginning of the "Wonder Bible". Starts off with "Our Father which art in heaven."

 

Yes, you saw that right. "which", not "who". Maybe one of the best known verses ever and they get it wrong. Yeah, even if I were the target market, you lost me.

[Brattinella]

19 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

The disconnect between Whose Line Is It Anyway? and every other show on that channel is never more obvious than when they're running ads. Usually I mute them, but I wasn't fast enough and caught the beginning of the "Wonder Bible". Starts off with "Our Father which art in heaven."

 

Yes, you saw that right. "which", not "who". Maybe one of the best known verses ever and they get it wrong. Yeah, even if I were the target market, you lost me.

Wow, doesn't "which" imply "thing"?

[Browncoat]

31 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

The disconnect between Whose Line Is It Anyway? and every other show on that channel is never more obvious than when they're running ads. Usually I mute them, but I wasn't fast enough and caught the beginning of the "Wonder Bible". Starts off with "Our Father which art in heaven."

 

Yes, you saw that right. "which", not "who". Maybe one of the best known verses ever and they get it wrong. Yeah, even if I were the target market, you lost me.

"Which" is used in the traditional version of the prayer:

http://www.lords-prayer-words.com/lord_traditional_king_james.html

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, Brattinella said:

I finally saw this ad last night.  Wowie how disturbing!  Kristen Stewart is probably a very nice person, but she appears to be a mouth-breathing, feral type.  Is this the image Chanel is going for?

Kristen Stewart has always come across as a mouth breathing nonentity.

[proserpina65]

57 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

"Which" is used in the traditional version of the prayer:

http://www.lords-prayer-words.com/lord_traditional_king_james.html

Apparently that's the difference between the Anglican book of Common Prayer and the Episcopalian one.  Who knew?  Every other word in the Lord's Prayer is the same.

Edited May 1, 2018 by proserpina65

[LoneHaranguer]

2 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Wow, doesn't "which" imply "thing"?

No; it only implies that you are selecting from more than one. 

[Brattinella]

57 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

No; it only implies that you are selecting from more than one. 

Thanks!

[Jamoche]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

"Which" is used in the traditional version of the prayer:

http://www.lords-prayer-words.com/lord_traditional_king_james.html

Well, there's my #lucky10K moment of the day. 

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

No; it only implies that you are selecting from more than one. 

You can use "who" for that.  "My brother who lives in Chicago is a teacher, but my brother who lives in New York doesn't have a job."  In standard American English, who/that refers to people, and which/that refers to objects.  http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/relative.htm

[LoneHaranguer]

14 hours ago, janie jones said:

You can use "who" for that.

You can, but "which" ducks the question of whether a deity is a person. My complaint about the ad is that it doesn't make clear how complete the product is. For example, does the story of Sodom & Gomorrah stop with Lot's wife getting turned into salt, or does it include when his daughters decide to get dad drunk and have some naughty fun now that mom's gone?

[Silver Raven]

The Travelocity guy confuses me.  He wants a room where he can bring Kitty, then in the next scene, he's in a room with his dog.  Is his dog named Kitty, or did he lie to the hotel?

[chessiegal]

4 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The Travelocity guy confuses me.  He wants a room where he can bring Kitty, then in the next scene, he's in a room with his dog.  Is his dog named Kitty, or did he lie to the hotel?

Doesn't matter to me. I'll be Kitty and share a room with him. ;-}

[janie jones]

6 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The Travelocity guy confuses me.  He wants a room where he can bring Kitty, then in the next scene, he's in a room with his dog.  Is his dog named Kitty, or did he lie to the hotel?

Kitty is the name of the dog.  It's "funny."

[QuinnInND]

There's a commercial for Lowes where this guy is outside alone grilling with an older grill, and everyone is inside partying. Then he goes to Lowes and gets a new grill and then everybody is out on the deck with him as he grills. Wtf. Why couldn't everyone be outside partying with him while he was using the other grill? 

[Brattinella]

I saw one tonight for anti-perspirant and the guy says it "prevents underarm pit stains".  Underarms ARE pits!

[bilgistic]

During The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, there was a commercial for Botox FOR MEN!

A guy in his 40s with shoulder-length hair was working in his home office on a vaguely architectural drawing while his adorable daughter played in the background. There were several shots of his contemplative, yet incredibly smooth forehead.

There was another, older man with graying hair who had deep "marionette" lines (the parallel lines down from the outer sides of the nose to the outer corners of the mouth--like a ventriloquist's dummy has, hence the name), but one thing at a time for men, I guess, over a grazillion years. I can't remember what activity he was taking part in. He looked waxy.

Welcome to our world, guys.

Edited May 4, 2018 by bilgistic

[Jaded]

@bilgistic the 2nd guy in that commercial was on a soap opera I'm ashamed to say I watched. I still watch other ones which don't bring me shame. I had wondered what became of him though.

Those two obnoxious fragrance ads one with Natalie Portman proclaiming to her bf to "prove it" and the other with constipation face Kristen Stewart unraveling literally are back with a vengeance. I guess to try and sell fragrances for Mother's Day.

[mmecorday]

Quote

constipation face Kristen Stewart

If there is a PTV hall of fame, this needs to go into it.

[peacheslatour]

14 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

There's a commercial for Lowes where this guy is outside alone grilling with an older grill, and everyone is inside partying. Then he goes to Lowes and gets a new grill and then everybody is out on the deck with him as he grills. Wtf. Why couldn't everyone be outside partying with him while he was using the other grill? 

I think he also bought some seating and spiffed up the whole outdoor area. They're selling the concept of "garden living areas".

[QuinnInND]

Oh OK. I guess I sort of missed that. I was more focused on the grill. 

[peacheslatour]

Match.com has one where this guy says he's looking for a woman who is "trusting, loving and kind." Okay, loving and kind I get, but why is trusting his number one priority? Sounds like a creep.

[Bort]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Match.com has one where this guy says he's looking for a woman who is "trusting, loving and kind." Okay, loving and kind I get, but why is trusting his number one priority? Sounds like a creep.

Well, it could go the creepy way, in which he wants someone who would remain clueless to his philandering. Or it could be that he’s had girlfriends in the past who were so insecure that they would call him every ten minutes to hound him about what he was doing.