Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Ubiquitous said:

I saw the ad again last night and he was looking for room six and accidentally went to room nine, so how did he pass six?

He was staring at his phone while he was in the elevator and A)didn't notice when it stopped on the floor he needed and B)finally noticed it stopped (but was on the wrong floor). I see smartphone/elevator snafus all the time. Pay attention, people!

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, kariyaki said:

He was staring at his phone while he was in the elevator and A)didn't notice when it stopped on the floor he needed and B)finally noticed it stopped (but was on the wrong floor). I see smartphone/elevator snafus all the time. Pay attention, people!

I think they should start calling them "Dumb Phones".

[Prevailing Wind]

It's not the phones that are dumb.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 11/4/2018 at 12:30 PM, kariyaki said:

He was staring at his phone while he was in the elevator and A)didn't notice when it stopped on the floor he needed and B)finally noticed it stopped (but was on the wrong floor). I see smartphone/elevator snafus all the time. Pay attention, people!

The elevator may not have even stopped on the right floor. He just joined some other party-goers, figuring they were probably going to the same place, and was fooled by the upside-down number into thinking he had been right.

[Maverick]

Smart phone, dumb user

[Sequoia]

From a few pages back, I'll never be able to see the Jimmy Dean commercial the same way again.  When you point that out about a dead guy saying, "I wish I could tell you how I feel", that is straight up eerie.

[hoopznyo]

On 10/30/2018 at 9:05 AM, Ubiquitous said:

There's a booze ad in circulation that bugs me that basically features a guy going to a party but ending up at the wrong one, but he had a lot more fun than at the other, so I guess he went to right one after all. What I don't understand is that the boring party can hear the fun one directly above them, but the guy discovers he was at the wrong one when he discovers the room number (nine or six) was loose and turned upside down, meaning its on the same floor.

Were the friends who invited him to their party also at this "better" one? Didn't he notice he didn't know anyone.?

[LoneHaranguer]

55 minutes ago, hoopznyo said:

Were the friends who invited him to their party also at this "better" one? Didn't he notice he didn't know anyone.?

I think he eventually noticed, or he wouldn't have paid such attention to the number after going out the door.

[Brattinella]

Does anyone even have a guess as to what the substance is on the Ritz Crackers ad with the Glasses Girl?  It's driving me nuts!

[chessiegal]

53 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

Does anyone even have a guess as to what the substance is on the Ritz Crackers ad with the Glasses Girl?  It's driving me nuts!

Bananas and a mini chocolate chip. At least that's my take. As someone who has worn glasses since 4th grade (60 years ago), I'm so thankful technology has given me 20/20 all these years.

[Brattinella]

45 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Bananas and a mini chocolate chip. At least that's my take. As someone who has worn glasses since 4th grade (60 years ago), I'm so thankful technology has given me 20/20 all these years.

Thank you!

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Does anyone even have a guess as to what the substance is on the Ritz Crackers ad with the Glasses Girl?  It's driving me nuts!

All I see is boobs.  I'm glad someone knew the answer.

[shapeshifter]

One of those companies that installs gutters that never need to be cleaned (maybe "Leaf Guard"?) has sound bite interviews with satisfied customers.
One woman said that the big difference for her was that she no longer has giant icicles hanging from the corners of her roof.
All I can think is: You paid how much for these gutters and that's what you get??
Icicles hanging from the roof are one of the only good parts of winter weather!

[QuinnInND]

52 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

One of those companies that installs gutters that never need to be cleaned (maybe "Leaf Guard"?) has sound bite interviews with satisfied customers.
One woman said that the big difference for her was that she no longer has giant icicles hanging from the corners of her roof.
All I can think is: You paid how much for these gutters and that's what you get??
Icicles hanging from the roof are one of the only good parts of winter weather!

I hate icicles. They're pretty, but horrible. They get huge here, and can hurt you when they finally fall off. Or land on your car. We take a stiff rake or shovel and break them off. Awful things. Big chunks of dirty ice slamming to the ground. 

[janie jones]

I'm pretty sure I just saw a Burlington coat commercial that said when you donate a coat, "it's just like giving a coat."  Did I mishear?  Because it's not "just like" giving a coat.  It is giving a coat.  That's what donating is.

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, QuinnInND said:

I hate icicles. They're pretty, but horrible. They get huge here, and can hurt you when they finally fall off. Or land on your car. We take a stiff rake or shovel and break them off. Awful things. Big chunks of dirty ice slamming to the ground. 

Absolutely!

[peacheslatour]

Hey, Vistaprint, wtf is "creeeesmas"?

[Tom Holmberg]

15 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

I hate icicles. They're pretty, but horrible.

And they'll take your eye out. 

[peacheslatour]

48 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

And they'll take your eye out. 

And break your glasses.

[Ubiquitous]

22 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

One of those companies that installs gutters that never need to be cleaned (maybe "Leaf Guard"?) has sound bite interviews with satisfied customers.
One woman said that the big difference for her was that she no longer has giant icicles hanging from the corners of her roof.
All I can think is: You paid how much for these gutters and that's what you get??
Icicles hanging from the roof are one of the only good parts of winter weather!

We don't icicles here, but I am told by my northern relatives that seeing icicles on the house is a bad thing.

 

And now, for some random head-scratchers:

• Aren't those little girls a bit too old to making "Princess Toast", whatever that is?
• Why is the guy ordering Dominos Pizza for supper in the middle of the afternoon and interrupting his family's lives?

[Jacqs]

Yeah there's a UBank ad running with a little girl with a doll and the conceit is that she's play acting an adult complaining about insurance - she looks and sounds a bit mature for the type of doll she's talking to...

[docmatt]

Quote

Aren't those little girls a bit too old to making "Princess Toast", whatever that is?

I feel like the window between "old enough to use the toaster" and "too old for Princess Toast" is about an hour and a half

[Jacqs]

12 minutes ago, docmatt said:

I feel like the window between "old enough to use the toaster" and "too old for Princess Toast" is about an hour and a half

It's a Catch-22 - kids young enough to like Princess Toast, won't be old enough to film the advert correctly. So they have to go for the tallest, oldest-looking toddlers on the planet.

[Blergh]

26 minutes ago, JacquelineAppleton said:

It's a Catch-22 - kids young enough to like Princess Toast, won't be old enough to film the advert correctly. So they have to go for the tallest, oldest-looking toddlers on the planet.

Not to mention that they don't exactly enhance their apparent mother's credentials as an 'expert pharmacist' via the fact that she's evidently not educated them about basic nutrition yet the audience is supposed to rely on HER stamp of approval re pitched vitamins. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

This new ad by KFC made me go 'What?!' and lol at the same time.

 

[Maverick]

OMG...is that Michael Douglas??    Dude, you have Marvel Money.  You don't need to do this.

[Jaded]

28 minutes ago, Maverick said:

OMG...is that Michael Douglas??    Dude, you have Marvel Money.  You don't need to do this.

Apparently he's an actor named Craig Fleming.

[friendperidot]

I see ads for Rana Pasta, a pasta found in the refrigerator section. In general, I don't really "get" them, why is the chef sitting there with his arms wrapped around himself? cold from the refrigerator, but whatever, it's rather stupid. But there's one with a prisoner eating the pasta, takes a bite and the prison guard tackles him to the floor. I really don't understand. Another has a surfer waiting on the big wave which after he takes a bite of the pasta, hits. It isn't computing with me.

[Brattinella]

I haven't seen the Rana Pasta ad yet, but from your description I probably won't understand it either.

[QuinnInND]

12 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I see ads for Rana Pasta, a pasta found in the refrigerator section. In general, I don't really "get" them, why is the chef sitting there with his arms wrapped around himself? cold from the refrigerator, but whatever, it's rather stupid. But there's one with a prisoner eating the pasta, takes a bite and the prison guard tackles him to the floor. I really don't understand. Another has a surfer waiting on the big wave which after he takes a bite of the pasta, hits. It isn't computing with me.

My take. He's showing the pasta is found in the refrigerated section. And it's chilly there. The one with the prison guards. The pasta was smuggled in.  So they're tackling him because he's got contraband. And the one with the surfer, what better place to have a small boat? He's trying to get people to try his pasta by giving them samples in odd places. That's all I've got. And just as a side note, the pasta is delicious! 

 

 

Here's the ad.

https://youtu.be/t7H7i7eMJ2E

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, QuinnInND said:

My take. He's showing the pasta is found in the refrigerated section. And it's chilly there. The one with the prison guards. The pasta was smuggled in.  So they're tackling him because he's got contraband. And the one with the surfer, what better place to have a small boat? He's trying to get people to try his pasta by giving them samples in odd places. That's all I've got. And just as a side note, the pasta is delicious! 

 

 

 

 

Here's the ad.

https://youtu.be/t7H7i7eMJ2E

He was trying to introduce his refrigerated pasta to America, but doing it one person at a time became problematic (smuggling utensils in to the prison), so instead he's sitting in the refrigerated case with his pasta.  It's a bit goofy, but innocuous as commercials go.

And yeah, it's really good pasta.

Edited November 14, 2018 by proserpina65

[Moose135]

15 hours ago, friendperidot said:

But there's one with a prisoner eating the pasta, takes a bite and the prison guard tackles him to the floor. I really don't understand.

Because the guy gave him a fork to eat the pasta, which isn't permitted.

[Jacqs]

I wonder what the real Col. Sanders would think about his living on in KFC ads? Nothing like an animated corpse to sell things to families...

[friendperidot]

Quote

I wonder what the real Col. Sanders would think about his living on in KFC ads? Nothing like an animated corpse to sell things to families...

And Jimmy Dean, "I wish I could tell you..." Col. Sanders doesn't bother me as much for some reason, but the Jimmy Dean, "Sir, I wish there were things you could tell us too, but, please, you're dead, go to the light." I guess it's so obvious with the KFC ads that it's fake and it might be because Col. Sanders always was a little more of a caricature of himself even when he was alive and did his own ads...I'm not sure. But then there's Elizabeth Taylor still selling perfume every year, I don't care for those either. I never minded the ones with Fred Astaire dancing with the vacuum cleaner, maybe because they weren't on all the time, and they were so light-hearted, and it's just a joy to watch Fred Astaire dance.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, JacquelineAppleton said:

I wonder what the real Col. Sanders would think about his living on in KFC ads? Nothing like an animated corpse to sell things to families...

He and Jimmy Dean are calling Johnny Cochran to set up a class action suit with Liz Taylor and John Wayne.

[mmecorday]

Am I ready to Juvederm it? No, because 1.) it's too expensive 2.) it has too many side effects 3. Juvederm is not a verb!

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dziI/juvderm-collection-of-fillers-work-it

[Sequoia]

This isn't really a particular ad that is making me scratch my head, but more a style of ad.  I watch a lot of older shows and game shows, and they air a lot of medication ads or insurance and all those fun topics.  The thing I don't get is how these commercials go on and on and on and it just sounds like a bunch of blah blah blah.  Since I am not part of the target demographic, I asked my Gramma what she thinks of them, and she said she can't stand to hear them over and over.  It seems like these commercials should be in instructional videos about how not to do commercials.  A lot of times they just keep on yapping their jaws until your eyes glaze over, and these atrocities can go on for two or three minutes.  I've watched videos from people who tell you how to create effective commercials, and they say to be brief and just try to get your main point across.  These people try to pack every bit of their information into one commercial.  Wouldn't the best strategy be to have a 30-second or at the most 60-second spot and just direct people to your website or if they can't use computers, give them a number to call?  Have they not heard of DVR and the lovely ability to skip ads?  It's almost like they want people to hit the fast-forward button.

[Moose135]

37 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

Am I ready to Juvederm it?

I'd never heard of Juvederm before this thread, hadn't seen any of their spots, so I followed the link you posted.  It says Juvederm is a "Collection of Fillers"  So Juvederm is Spackle?

[QuinnInND]

3 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I'd never heard of Juvederm before this thread, hadn't seen any of their spots, so I followed the link you posted.  It says Juvederm is a "Collection of Fillers"  So Juvederm is Spackle?

Spackle for the face. 

[Prevailing Wind]

15 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

He and Jimmy Dean are calling Johnny Cochran to set up a class action suit with Liz Taylor and John Wayne.

Will Marilyn & her perfume ads be included? Those are the ones that squick me out.

[funky-rat]

On ‎11‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 3:21 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

And they'll take your eye out. 

 

On ‎11‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 4:10 PM, peacheslatour said:

And break your glasses.

But only if they fall off the garage.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, funky-rat said:

 

But only if they fall off the garage.

And your hillbilly neighbors smelly hounds eat your turkey and you have to go out for Chinese food. It's best to just stay away from garages altogether.

[Talky Tina]

I hate the Corolla Hatchback commercials.  They make no sense to me. In one a woman gets in the back seat, they spin in circles , she hits a piñata and it's over.  In the next, 4 people are running from a dog, then they're at a hospital, spin in circles and it's done. 

Has anyone seen them?  Do they make sense to anyone else?

Edited November 15, 2018 by Talky Tina

[peacheslatour]

53 minutes ago, Talky Tina said:

I hate the Corolla Hatchback commercials.  They make no sense to me. In one a woman gets in the back seat, they spin in circles , she hits a piñata and it's over.  In the next, 4 people are running from a dog, then they're at a hospital, spin in circles and it's done. 

Has anyone seen them?  Do they make sense to anyone else?

They're supposed to be "edgy".

[spaceghostess]

There's one for a beer/ale/possibly IPA? which shows people who aren't all that chagrined after various things go wrong in the office and other places because, beer. The tagline is "Bucket!" This is obviously meant to grab one's attention by sounding like "Fuckit!" I should probably be embarrassed at how well this gimmick worked on me. It took at least 15 viewings before I realized he was not, in fact, saying "fuckit" and getting away with it. In my (weak) defense, I'm usually doing something else when this ad is on and not really watching; there's probably something there that could make a person realize sooner what he's actually saying. Anyway, it was effective at getting my attention; not so much at getting me to remember the brand. I think it has a blue label?

Edited November 20, 2018 by spaceghostess

[funky-rat]

16 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

They're supposed to be "edgy".

If it's the one I'm thinking of, it gives me motion sickness, so I'd call it "pukey".

[Tom Holmberg]

19 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I hate the Corolla Hatchback commercials.

More and more commercials are getting like perfume/cologne ads. People do incomprehensible things for thirty seconds and then the product name comes up.

[Cobb Salad]

On 11/12/2018 at 12:37 AM, AntiBeeSpray said:

This new ad by KFC made me go 'What?!' and lol at the same time.

 

 

I came here to say the same thing and add:  I like waffles and I like chicken.  Together?  No way.  

[Bort]

23 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

I came here to say the same thing and add:  I like waffles and I like chicken.  Together?  No way.  

It's a "thing" in the south, especially lately. There are even chips.

[Brattinella]

I've never had chicken and waffles, but I'd be willing to give it a go! :)