Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Stella Rose said:

Hot, crusty, growly older dude for the win.

I was all ready to laugh at Dean Winters being called an "older dude," and then I looked him up -- 54.  Not old, but, yeah, I'll give you older.  He doesn't read that way to me, though, because although it has aged (and sprouted some facial hair I'd dearly love to shave off), that baby face he had on SVU still comes through.

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, Stella Rose said:

And I forgive A LOT because Mayhem is effin HOT.   (Sorry bout it).  I have loved him since he was Olivia's BF on Law and Order.  Hot, crusty, growly older dude for the win.    DIBS!

You didn't get to see him naked on "Oz', I take it.

[Brattinella]

Yeah, naked on Oz was the bee's knees. :)  Also Christopher Meloni.

[Stella Rose]

Well friends, I guess my Netflix queue is now filled up.  Thank you both!!

[Lava VaVoom]

Ruby Tuesday with Rachel Dratch makes no sense whatsoever. 

Comfort Inns' "bada book, bada boom" is high on my sh1tl1st too.  I keep hearing "bada bing."  How does this sell hotel rooms?

And speaking of hotel rooms, will someone please shoot that damned Trip Advisor screech owl?  Grazie, Geno.

[QuinnInND]

On 7/14/2018 at 1:46 AM, Jamoche said:

Did and still does! Google image search on "laser engraved cube"

I have one that is glass (crystal?) that my MIL gave me for Christmas like 10 years ago. It's got a hummingbird in it. I love it.. 

[funky-rat]

On ‎7‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 4:22 PM, CoyoteBlue said:

Ruby Tuesday commercial : Rachel Dratch plays triplets who scream at the top of their lungs for no appreciable reason, while grimacing constipatedly.

Who the hell signed off on that and why is she screeching?

Because that's her schtick (funny voices, and faces) and one reason I never cared for her.

19 hours ago, Lava VaVoom said:

Comfort Inns' "bada book, bada boom" is high on my sh1tl1st too.  I keep hearing "bada bing."  How does this sell hotel rooms?

I always thought it made more sense to have it be "Badda bing, badda book".  It doesn't flow right the other way. 

14 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

I have one that is glass (crystal?) that my MIL gave me for Christmas like 10 years ago. It's got a hummingbird in it. I love it.. 

This is the identical style to the one my husband had, except his had a golfer in it.

[bad things are bad]

On 7/13/2018 at 7:14 PM, meep.meep said:

Why is that any different than going to the dealer and ordering a car?  You have to take it when it comes, or lose your deposit.

It's supposed to be different. The idea is that the average buyer spends 2-4 hours at the dealership completing the transaction--signing crap, the session with the finance guy, a pitch for extended warranty, etc. The online transaction is intended to make it possible for everything to be done before you go to the dealer

And only 5% of Americans order cars. Most of us buy from inventory, so a deposit is not an issue. 

[sempervivum]

Ice Cubes (or something?) gum- involves a sparkly unicorn that aims a ray of light at a ginger dude who's on the front lawn in a robe with concrete blocks on his feet. When the light hits the blocks, they shatter and 'release' his feet, I guess. He's wearing tube socks. He gets on the unicorn and gallops down the street, shouting 'to the shoe store'.

This is random as all hell, right?

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

Ice Cubes (or something?) gum- involves a sparkly unicorn that aims a ray of light at a ginger dude who's on the front lawn in a robe with concrete blocks on his feet. When the light hits the blocks, they shatter and 'release' his feet, I guess. He's wearing tube socks. He gets on the unicorn and gallops down the street, shouting 'to the shoe store'.

This is random as all hell, right?

Yeah, I don't understand the concrete block thing at all.

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 12:39 PM, bad things are bad said:

Kids, I'm in the industry and this is something that many companies are trying to make happen--instead of spending hours at a dealership, deal with it all on line. But it seems to me like test drive should be first, instead of wasting a bunch of time doing the "paperwork" only to find upon delivery that you don't like the car. 

I would never buy a car entirely online.  But then, I'm old.

On ‎07‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 7:14 PM, meep.meep said:

We buy new cars on line at my work.  They get delivered.  Usually people have driven one on their own, or driven one that someone else has, and decide to order one of those.

Why is that any different than going to the dealer and ordering a car?  You have to take it when it comes, or lose your deposit.

Every time I've bought a car, I could drive what I wanted before forking over a single cent.  Of course, I've always bought off the lot.  Still, not buying it without driving it first.

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 1:40 PM, bad things are bad said:

It's supposed to be different. The idea is that the average buyer spends 2-4 hours at the dealership completing the transaction--signing crap, the session with the finance guy, a pitch for extended warranty, etc. The online transaction is intended to make it possible for everything to be done before you go to the dealer

And only 5% of Americans order cars. Most of us buy from inventory, so a deposit is not an issue. 

Except that they show Carvana bringing the car to you, sight unseen except online.  Seems like you can return it, but still, I'd rather just go to the dealer, drive what I want and not futz around with the internet.

[friendperidot]

I've been without a car for a couple of years, through no choice or error of my own, unless, being sick and giving permission to my great-nephew to drive his grandmother on one of her freaking food hoarding expeditions, ok that was probably an error and I'm still angry. But if I could suddenly be in the car market, I might consider Carvana, at least for preliminary shopping and eliminations and comparison. But I would have to drive a car, make and model before I would fork over money for. 

[peacheslatour]

39 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

I've been without a car for a couple of years, through no choice or error of my own, unless, being sick and giving permission to my great-nephew to drive his grandmother on one of her freaking food hoarding expeditions, ok that was probably an error and I'm still angry. But if I could suddenly be in the car market, I might consider Carvana, at least for preliminary shopping and eliminations and comparison. But I would have to drive a car, make and model before I would fork over money for. 

I would agree with all of that plus I'd have a mechanic look it over.

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I've been without a car for a couple of years, through no choice or error of my own, unless, being sick and giving permission to my great-nephew to drive his grandmother on one of her freaking food hoarding expeditions, ok that was probably an error and I'm still angry. But if I could suddenly be in the car market, I might consider Carvana, at least for preliminary shopping and eliminations and comparison. But I would have to drive a car, make and model before I would fork over money for. 

With Carvana, you have to pay for it before you ever get to see the car in person.  There's a 7 day money-back guarantee, but otherwise, you click, you pay.

[friendperidot]

thank you, I didn't know that. Guess I'll do all my research the old fashioned way, research it car at a time, on line, lol. Then go look and drive.

[mojoween]

I can’t remember if the TV ad plays the same as the radio ad, but on the radio in the State Farm ad Cheryl asks “is my she-shed covered?” and Agent asks “what’s a she-shed?” and Victor says “she turned our shed into her hideaway” and Agent says “oh, yeah that’s covered” and Cheryl says “did you hear that Victor? I’m getting a she-she’er she-shed” and I'm not sure why she makes that leap?

Isn’t State Farm going to cut a check for the current value of the shed, which is still a shed, regardless how you blinged it up?  If you want to make it she-she’er, isn’t that on your dime?

[Monty9]

Quote

"Isn’t State Farm going to cut a check for the current value of the shed, which is still a shed, regardless how you blinged it up?  If you want to make it she-she’er, isn’t that on your dime?"

  It depends on if she documented the crap in it. Like if our shed burned up we'd say we lost a shed, our extra patio chairs, a 6' foldable table, and our lawnmower because we have pictures of the contents in our fire safe.  If she did the same she could claim a shed plus couch, chandelier, whatever was in there.  She could even argue that she improved the value of the shed. Not that she'd get a ton for painting it or curtains but....

Edited July 20, 2018 by Monty9

[Bastet]

9 hours ago, mojoween said:

and Cheryl says “did you hear that Victor? I’m getting a she-she’er she-shed”

I thought she said, "I'm getting a chichier shed" (not a word, but meaning a more chichi shed).  Which kind of amuses me, because chichi has a negative connotation - it means an attempt at stylishness that is actually just pretentious showiness - so that shouldn't be how she describes her "she shed," but it's also totally believable she thinks chichi is a good thing, in which case it's as if the commercial is mocking its own character.

[Jacqs]

Cheryl is a name that's dated/tied to the fifties. your average Cheryl would be in their sixties now. Not exactly the person car ads would be mostly aimed at?

[Browncoat]

46 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I thought she said, "I'm getting a chichier shed" (not a word, but meaning a more chichi shed).  Which kind of amuses me, because chichi has a negative connotation - it means an attempt at stylishness that is actually just pretentious showiness - so that shouldn't be how she describes her "she shed," but it's also totally believable she thinks chichi is a good thing, in which case it's as if the commercial is mocking its own character.

I thought that's what she said, too.

[mojoween]

That was actually my take on what she said (the description Bastet gave), and also my attempt at phonetically spelling what she said, because I didn’t realize that was a real word.

Edited July 20, 2018 by mojoween

[Tom Holmberg]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

so that shouldn't be how she describes her "she shed,"

A "chichier she-shed" is sort of the joke, I think.  I bet she sells seashells by the seashore, too.

[SoSueMe]

On 7/15/2018 at 10:35 PM, QuinnInND said:

I have one that is glass (crystal?) that my MIL gave me for Christmas like 10 years ago. It's got a hummingbird in it. I love it.. 

I have 3, all gifts from friends. Florida, Washington DC (with praying hands!) and NYC skyline (still with the WTC towers, sob). I keep them on a sunny window pane and they make beautiful prisms on the ceiling. Not normally my taste in decor, but I really have become fond of them. I'm pretty sure that mine are acrylic. Quite heavy for their small sizes.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎5‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 1:50 PM, bilgistic said:

There's another commercial with anthropomorphic food cannibalizing itself. A Heinz commercial for its new mayonnaise features a giant jar of mayonnaise (a man in a costume) working behind a deli counter, filling orders for a line of customers, who are giant sandwiches (adults and kids in sandwich costumes). He's making regular-sized sandwiches using Heinz mayonnaise, so he's essentially spreading his guts (mayo) on the carcass skin (bread) of his customers' people.

There's another brand of mayonnaise outside the deli looking in; he's mad that Heinz mayonnaise is getting all the business. I'm left wondering why lesser-brand mayonnaise would want to hasten his death.

 

A man spreading his white creamy bodily fluid on sandwiches? Hmmm...

 

On ‎5‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 9:05 PM, theatremouse said:

I am puzzled by the Volvo commercial that uses Favourite Things from The Sound of Music. The singer over-pronounces the double-t in "kittens" and "mittens" but in "kettles" it's practically a glottal stop. Independently, it's not odd to hear a double-t go either way, but the same person in the span of one song doing both sounds weird to me every time.

I hate that version of the song. For some reason I think it's a version from Fifty Shades of Gray, which is probably why I hate it.

 

On ‎7‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 6:42 PM, shapeshifter said:

Everytime I see the Consumer Cellular ad from AARP in which the female half of the young looking senior couple cheerily explains their different cell phone preferences by calling her hubby "Texty McTexterson," I feel sorry for her being so clueless about who he might be  texting—or sexting.

Is that the one where they're explaining the service at a restaurant and their middle aged busboy tells us he's a customer too? Every time I see that, I get a little sad thinking about a man working as a busboy at his age.

[funky-rat]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 12:04 PM, Ubiquitous said:

A man spreading his white creamy bodily fluid on sandwiches? Hmmm...

I loved comedian Kevin Meaney (RIP).  I saw a show with him and Kevin Nealon for my 21st birthday, a long time ago.  Kevin Meaney always incorporated his mom in to his routine by doing her voice (like Jim Gaffigan does, either making us hear his inner voice or the voices of people in the audience saying what they are thinking, etc) during his routine.  She was always wanting to know why he was locked up in his room all the time, insinuating that he was doing what teen boys do, and saying things like "Take off those tight pants and put on your big pants!  We're big pant people!".  He used to do this bit about the restaurant "Jack In The Box".  It went something like this:

"I went to Jack In The Box the other day and ordered a burger.  The lady behind the counter said "Do you want any Jack Sauce on that?"  I said "Excuse me, ma'am, what exactly is in the Jack Sauce?"  She said "It's a secret!".  I said "You can keep that Jack Sauce!".  Then some big guy comes out of the back yelling "I MAKE THE JACK SAUCE!"

**Kevin's mom interrupts:  "That's NOT RIGHT!  Back there in the heat, making Jack Sauce.  One way or another, mister you ARE going to go blind!!!"

 

So yeah, that comment immediately put Kevin and his mom in my head.

[Jacqs]

This is a commercial from 1985 but it's interesting to see that the producers seemed to think that girls in trousers couldn't sell baby dolls. That sunset colored dress looks like something out of America's Most Beautiful Baby, and the blue colored dress looks like Carol Anne's pajamas from "Poltergeist".

[bilgistic]

I'll grant Mattel that I've not spent much time around babies, but I'm positive that twisting motion is not how babies drink from a bottle.

[Eliot]

On 7/18/2018 at 3:40 PM, proserpina65 said:

Except that they show Carvana bringing the car to you, sight unseen except online.  Seems like you can return it, but still, I'd rather just go to the dealer, drive what I want and not futz around with the internet.

I'm still confused by the original Carvana ad - the one with the big flappy balloon-guy thingie who floats around in front of the dealership. He sees the sleazy car salesman guy ripping off all of these customers and gets alarmed, so he runs home and gets on his computer and buys his car from Carvana. Then he drives smugly by the dealership in the new car with his flappy balloon family in tow and essentially gives the sleazy sales guy the finger.

DUDE. YOU JUST CONTRIBUTED TO PUTTING THE DEALERSHIP WHERE YOU WORK OUT OF BUSINESS. How does any of that make sense?

[mmecorday]

Quote

I'll grant Mattel that I've not spent much time around babies, but I'm positive that twisting motion is not how babies drink from a bottle.

And babies tend to be still when they're feeding. This baby looks like it's trying to fit in a cardio workout while being nursed.

[funky-rat]

22 hours ago, JacquelineAppleton said:

This is a commercial from 1985 but it's interesting to see that the producers seemed to think that girls in trousers couldn't sell baby dolls. That sunset colored dress looks like something out of America's Most Beautiful Baby, and the blue colored dress looks like Carol Anne's pajamas from "Poltergeist".

 

The little girl in the yellow dress was an up and coming child actress who was murdered a few years later by her psycho/abusive dad.  :(

[meep.meep]

5 hours ago, Eliot said:

I'm still confused by the original Carvana ad - the one with the big flappy balloon-guy thingie who floats around in front of the dealership. He sees the sleazy car salesman guy ripping off all of these customers and gets alarmed, so he runs home and gets on his computer and buys his car from Carvana. Then he drives smugly by the dealership in the new car with his flappy balloon family in tow and essentially gives the sleazy sales guy the finger.

DUDE. YOU JUST CONTRIBUTED TO PUTTING THE DEALERSHIP WHERE YOU WORK OUT OF BUSINESS. How does any of that make sense?

Flappy balloon guy is an independent contractor.  They work and move on.

You're not confused by an inanimate object purchasing a car?

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, funky-rat said:

The little girl in the yellow dress was an up and coming child actress who was murdered a few years later by her psycho/abusive dad.  :(

Do you remember her name?

[ABay]

This might have come up before because it feels familiar, but I need help deciphering an ad. It's for Pacifico beer and t goes like this: there are 3 young men in a car, obviously friends, and one seems to be on a mission having to do with a wooden box. They arrive at a beach, they surf, and the one with the box opens it and reveals a pile of sand, a couple f shells, and a photo of him and his parents. The note on the back says something like, "one day take this back where it belongs". So he empties it onto the beach. And here's where I am confused--are these supposed to be the dad's ashes with embellishments? Or a keepsake and a nudge from his dad to go to this great place like a pilgrimage, a rite of passage, or something? The first shot of the box and the way the 3 guys are silhouetted on the beach pre-dumping suggest to me that it's ashes...but wtf with the shells, then? And it does look like sand rather than cremains. Opinions?

[Jacqs]

15 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Do you remember her name?

Indeed. Judith Barsi was her name. I have this strong feeling that the fact that Barsi was - and looked - Eastern European (both her parents were Hungarian) is why she hasn't stuck in the memory like blonde and blue eyed Heather O'Rourke.

[peacheslatour]

15 minutes ago, ABay said:

This might have come up before because it feels familiar, but I need help deciphering an ad. It's for Pacifico beer and t goes like this: there are 3 young men in a car, obviously friends, and one seems to be on a mission having to do with a wooden box. They arrive at a beach, they surf, and the one with the box opens it and reveals a pile of sand, a couple f shells, and a photo of him and his parents. The note on the back says something like, "one day take this back where it belongs". So he empties it onto the beach. And here's where I am confused--are these supposed to be the dad's ashes with embellishments? Or a keepsake and a nudge from his dad to go to this great place like a pilgrimage, a rite of passage, or something? The first shot of the box and the way the 3 guys are silhouetted on the beach pre-dumping suggest to me that it's ashes...but wtf with the shells, then? And it does look like sand rather than cremains. Opinions?

Maybe his parents met at the beach. They were  both championship surfers. They were the loves of each others lives. Then, later they die in a firey  car crash and the kid takes the ashes to the same beach and puts them back where they met.

[Jacqs]

9 hours ago, mmecorday said:

And babies tend to be still when they're feeding. This baby looks like it's trying to fit in a cardio workout while being nursed.

and those dresses have a very "Pleasantville" vibe. again they could easily have shown Judith Barsi and her co-kid in trousers. Says a lot about the age of the people making the ad that they couldn't conceive of that.

[ABay]

On 7/27/2018 at 6:12 PM, peacheslatour said:

Maybe his parents met at the beach. They were  both championship surfers. They were the loves of each others lives. Then, later they die in a firey  car crash and the kid takes the ashes to the same beach and puts them back where they met.

Thanks, @peacheslatour. On second viewing, I noticed the box says Baja 1972, so I think your first sentence is actually the answer.

[Jamoche]

On 7/27/2018 at 2:53 PM, ABay said:

This might have come up before because it feels familiar, but I need help deciphering an ad. It's for Pacifico beer and t goes like this: there are 3 young men in a car, obviously friends, and one seems to be on a mission having to do with a wooden box. They arrive at a beach, they surf, and the one with the box opens it and reveals a pile of sand, a couple f shells, and a photo of him and his parents. The note on the back says something like, "one day take this back where it belongs". So he empties it onto the beach. And here's where I am confused--are these supposed to be the dad's ashes with embellishments? Or a keepsake and a nudge from his dad to go to this great place like a pilgrimage, a rite of passage, or something? The first shot of the box and the way the 3 guys are silhouetted on the beach pre-dumping suggest to me that it's ashes...but wtf with the shells, then? And it does look like sand rather than cremains. Opinions?

Well, if it's Hawaii, maybe they're apologizing to Pele?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/peles-curse-lava-rocks-hawaii_us_5800337de4b05eff5582c5c7

Tourists mail rocks and sand back to Hawaii with notes saying "please put this back where it belongs":

Quote

 

According to this superstition, Pele ― the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes ― curses anyone who removes lava rocks from the islands with severe misfortune.

Although Pele is an important part of Native Hawaiian legend and history, the origins of the curse story are unclear. Still, many people who grew up in the islands, including Uyetake, heed the curse as a warning not to take home any rocks or sand.

 

[chessiegal]

I watch Decades channel on weekday afternoons to see The Mary Tyler Moore show and the shows with Bob Newhart. It seems it doesn't matter what the product is, many ads feature the words "trust" and "values". There must be market research that says old folks like me relate to that, but it does nothing for me. I'll buy a product or service based on needs and wants that sells for what I'm willing to pay for it after some research or trial.

[Brattinella]

Okay, so how is Coors Light Beer COLDER?  (As per their commercials).

[Jacqs]

Ah, nothing like a cold beer, cucumber sandwiches, an urn of tea and the sound of leather on willow to make an English summer just right...

[peacheslatour]

Quote

leather on willow 

Wait...what?

Edited July 29, 2018 by peacheslatour

[Bastet]

@peacheslatour, it's a phrase used to describe the sound of the bat hitting the ball in a game of cricket (the wood the bats are made out of comes from willow trees).

Edited July 29, 2018 by Bastet

[QuinnInND]

On 7/27/2018 at 3:53 PM, ABay said:

This might have come up before because it feels familiar, but I need help deciphering an ad. It's for Pacifico beer and t goes like this: there are 3 young men in a car, obviously friends, and one seems to be on a mission having to do with a wooden box. They arrive at a beach, they surf, and the one with the box opens it and reveals a pile of sand, a couple f shells, and a photo of him and his parents. The note on the back says something like, "one day take this back where it belongs". So he empties it onto the beach. And here's where I am confused--are these supposed to be the dad's ashes with embellishments? Or a keepsake and a nudge from his dad to go to this great place like a pilgrimage, a rite of passage, or something? The first shot of the box and the way the 3 guys are silhouetted on the beach pre-dumping suggest to me that it's ashes...but wtf with the shells, then? And it does look like sand rather than cremains. Opinions?

The picture in the box is of the dad and his two surfer friends from 1972 when they went to wherever surfing, at which time they picked up some sand and shells from the beach. So dad wants someday for his son Matthew to go with his surfing buddies down to that same beach and put the sand and shells back.  

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

It's a phrase used to describe the sound of the bat hitting the ball in a game of cricket (the wood the bats are made out of comes from willow trees).

Oh OK. Obviously we took it a tad differently. 

[Brookside]

On 7/5/2018 at 12:43 PM, peacheslatour said:

 Has there ever been a good toilet paper commercial?

I don't know if they still do them, but the old UK Andrex ads with puppies were great.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Oh OK. Obviously we took it a tad differently. 

I don't know about you but I have a slightly dirty mind. ;-)

[Jacqs]

8 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I don't know about you but I have a slightly dirty mind. ;-)

Colonials never understand cricket ;)

[Eliot]

On 7/27/2018 at 3:04 PM, meep.meep said:

Flappy balloon guy is an independent contractor.  They work and move on.

You're not confused by an inanimate object purchasing a car?

It's a sad state of affairs that a flappy balloon guy purchasing a car did not faze me in the least.

I still don't see how putting auto dealerships out of business is a good business strategy for an independent contractor whose livelihood depends on setting up shop in front of brick-and-mortar dealerships. Perhaps he will branch out to pizza joints.

[LoneHaranguer]

2 hours ago, Eliot said:

I still don't see how putting auto dealerships out of business is a good business strategy for an independent contractor whose livelihood depends on setting up shop in front of brick-and-mortar dealerships. Perhaps he will branch out to pizza joints.

He's already doing tax-prep places - a little seasonal, but a lot of job security.