Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[CoderLady]

5 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

Sad but true, I remember when people did that!

 

This is me being OCD, but in the newest fake focus group Chevy ads in which successive car covers with the competition's names on them are pulled back, where do the car covers go? I don't see them laying on the ground in front of the trucks...

I wondered that, too. The one time I paid attention it looked like the covers got sucked between the floor and the bottom edge of the wall. A bit freaky, but it works for me.

[Brattinella]

I wonder if young people understand WHY we had to use code like that for long-distance calls.

[Maverick]

 No.   Nor do they know what a party line, rotary phone or pay phone are.

[Jamoche]

"I can't believe it, but I found bladder control panties that look pretty!"

And then she preens and poses, smoothing the panties like they're some nice upscale satin, when it looks like it's made out of athletic tape. It's not terrible, but it is much closer to the everyday undies I wear when I don't expect anyone to see them, and I have never in my life preened in my everyday undies.

[Jacqs]

40 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

"I can't believe it, but I found bladder control panties that look pretty!"

And then she preens and poses, smoothing the panties like they're some nice upscale satin, when it looks like it's made out of athletic tape. It's not terrible, but it is much closer to the everyday undies I wear when I don't expect anyone to see them, and I have never in my life preened in my everyday undies.

By the way, i had a discussion with my disability aide today. She agreed that lacy ladies underclothes is scratchy and exists only for sex appeal.

[Ubiquitous]

8 hours ago, Maverick said:

 No.   Nor do they know what a party line, rotary phone or pay phone are.

There's a vidclip going around of kids trying to use a rotary phone but the first time I saw someone unfamiliar with a rotary phone was on MTV's 1970's House in the early 2000's. It had never occurred to me that someone would not know how to use one.

[Haleth]

17 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

This is me being OCD, but in the newest fake focus group Chevy ads in which successive car covers with the competition's names on them are pulled back, where do the car covers go? I don't see them laying on the ground in front of the trucks...

Hate this ad.  According to a "survey", they claim Chevy is more reliable.  Who conducted the survey and who was asked?

[mmecorday]

Quote

"I can't believe it, but I found bladder control panties that look pretty!"

And then she preens and poses, smoothing the panties like they're some nice upscale satin, when it looks like it's made out of athletic tape. It's not terrible, but it is much closer to the everyday undies I wear when I don't expect anyone to see them, and I have never in my life preened in my everyday undies.

I have been hating on this commercial for a long time. Who else is going to see those fancy bladder control panties? Her doctor? Her boyfriend who has some kind of adult diaper fetish?

[sempervivum]

Bladder control pants- Depends (I think)- short, stoutish woman claims she's never been able to find diaper/panties that fit: 'They're all too loose'. Come on, honey.

[funky-rat]

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 4:28 AM, Ubiquitous said:

I noticed they've been playing old Geico ads recently. I'm still tired of the caveman ones!

Me too, but I forgot how catchy the blip of a song they play in the background is (of the one where he's in an airport).

3 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I have been hating on this commercial for a long time. Who else is going to see those fancy bladder control panties? Her doctor? Her boyfriend who has some kind of adult diaper fetish?

It may be a "vanity" thing.  My late MIL wouldn't wear them, though she desperately needed them.  She would wear feminine hygiene items, soak through them, and complain.  No amount of my telling her they were NOT designed for that would work.  She decided it was better to carry 4-5 changes of clothes in her car at any given time, pee herself somewhere trying to get to a bathroom, and then change in the parking lot.  Unfortunately, my husband is inheriting her overactive bladder, and has had some near calls, but we both agreed that we'd wear Depends before we would pee ourselves.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, funky-rat said:

Me too, but I forgot how catchy the blip of a song they play in the background is (of the one where he's in an airport).

It may be a "vanity" thing.  My late MIL wouldn't wear them, though she desperately needed them.  She would wear feminine hygiene items, soak through them, and complain.  No amount of my telling her they were NOT designed for that would work.  She decided it was better to carry 4-5 changes of clothes in her car at any given time, pee herself somewhere trying to get to a bathroom, and then change in the parking lot.  Unfortunately, my husband is inheriting her overactive bladder, and has had some near calls, but we both agreed that we'd wear Depends before we would pee ourselves.

Yep, my dad has the same problem. I bought him some really high end Depend-like things. He won't use them, in fact his care giver just called me to tell me he had an "accident" in the car today and she was having a hell of a time getting him to wash up before he put on her freshly laundered pants.

I too love that music in the Geico caveman commercial, anyone know what it's called?

[scarletine]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Yep, my dad has the same problem. I bought him some really high end Depend-like things. He won't use them, in fact his care giver just called me to tell me he had an "accident" in the car today and she was having a hell of a time getting him to wash up before he put on her freshly laundered pants.

I too love that music in the Geico caveman commercial, anyone know what it's called?

Here you go:

[Jamoche]

13 hours ago, Haleth said:

Hate this ad.  According to a "survey", they claim Chevy is more reliable.  Who conducted the survey and who was asked?

Everything you ever wanted to know about how they're lying with statistics

 

https://jalopnik.com/the-truth-behind-chevrolet-s-real-people-claim-that-its-1831604863

[LoneHaranguer]

On 1/15/2019 at 10:54 PM, Jamoche said:

Everything you ever wanted to know about how they're lying with statistics

Why are they using the third year? Is that when competing models start having parts break down, while Chevys did that in the first two years, so they have aftermarket replacements good for another year or two? Did the author really expect J. D. Power to comment? That's another bunch willing to finesse the data for car companies, usually by inventing a vehicle "class" to get the right results.

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Why are they using the third year? Is that when competing models start having parts break down, while Chevys did that in the first two years, so they have aftermarket replacements good for another year or two?

It was probably meant to look at long-term reliability, assuming most cars don't have many issues in the first year or two of ownership.

[Jamoche]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Why are they using the third year? Is that when competing models start having parts break down, while Chevys did that in the first two years, so they have aftermarket replacements good for another year or two? Did the author really expect J. D. Power to comment? That's another bunch willing to finesse the data for car companies, usually by inventing a vehicle "class" to get the right results.

I'm sure the author didn't expect a comment, they just wanted them on record as not commenting.

Chevy had to pull the ad after all three of the other companies challenged them on it :)

[LoneHaranguer]

16 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

It was probably meant to look at long-term reliability, assuming most cars don't have many issues in the first year or two of ownership.

Then why not include those years too? I wouldn't classify the third year as "long-term" either. Other companies have had claims for five or ten years. The best Chevy could do was point to something about that one particular year. It was how many people weren't having problems. If the data had said they had the least number of problems or lowest repair costs over some period, they would have gone with that (I've seen both by others).

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 12:25 PM, janie jones said:

I don't know how the conversation with one's doctor would go, but I imagine there's a list/map of regions that have been deemed hot zones for these "certain fungal infections."  Whenever I donate blood, as a followup to the question about what countries I've visited, I've got to tell them the cities I've traveled to so they can verify they aren't in the danger zone.  (I can't remember if it's for dengue or malaria or what.)

I always got the "did you live in Britain for 6 months or more between 1980 and 1996?" whenever I went to give blood, because of mad cow disease.  Finally I just quit the blood bank because I couldn't donate and finding someone else to do it for me was a pain.  (I lived there for 6 months in 1995.)

On ‎01‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 12:35 PM, Bunnyto4 said:

I'm convinced I'm watching too much tv because I'm troubled by the realization that the "camping Depends guy" and the "Teeter" guy are one and the same. Your thoughts? Anyone?

The father with the picky eater kid in the Capital One Savor commercial is the same as the father of the Make-A-Wish kid in those Subaru Share the Love commercials.  I noticed because he looks like the younger brother of the hot Trivago guy.

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 11:50 AM, mmecorday said:

I have been hating on this commercial for a long time. Who else is going to see those fancy bladder control panties? Her doctor? Her boyfriend who has some kind of adult diaper fetish?

Well, her boyfriend could very well see them if they're going on a date and end up having sex afterwards.  He wouldn't need to have any kind of fetish.

Personally I don't think they're all that pretty, but if they make her feel better about having to wear what are basically adult diapers, good for her.

[peacheslatour]

24 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Well, her boyfriend could very well see them if they're going on a date and end up having sex afterwards.  He wouldn't need to have any kind of fetish.

Personally I don't think they're all that pretty, but if they make her feel better about having to wear what are basically adult diapers, good for her.

I think the lavender ones are pretty. It's a good effort, why should bladder control panties look like diapers?

[proserpina65]

18 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I think the lavender ones are pretty. It's a good effort, why should bladder control panties look like diapers?

Exactly.  It's a medical issue, not some kind of moral failing.  I don't if I'd call the lavender ones pretty, but they are at least somewhat attractive, more like something a woman would want to wear anyway.

On ‎01‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 1:42 PM, sempervivum said:

Bladder control pants- Depends (I think)- short, stoutish woman claims she's never been able to find diaper/panties that fit: 'They're all too loose'. Come on, honey.

They could be too loose, depending on how they're constructed.

[BigBingerBro]

Add me to the list of people who can't imagine anyone thinking that those adult diapers are attractive.  I have no idea what the previous designs looked like, but they must have been pretty bad in comparison.  Wasn't there a commercial a few years ago that had people dancing in the streets wearing Depends?  I will say they are definitely trying to make them less shameful.  Not sure if they are being successful or not.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 10:54 PM, Jamoche said:

Everything you ever wanted to know about how they're lying with statistics

https://jalopnik.com/the-truth-behind-chevrolet-s-real-people-claim-that-its-1831604863

Wow, I perform online surveys from Ipsos! I have done surveys from JD Powers so I don't take any claims from them seriously.

[sempervivum]

New Lincoln Nautilus ad with Matthew McConnaghy (?)- He's at/giving a dinner party, telling a funny (?) story; cut to him playing pool, presumably in his own house (?), where 2 people are sort of spying on him in a corner and saying something we can't hear; cut to him looking out the window at his Lincoln; cut to him driving into the darkness.

What the hell does this mean? Why would this inspire someone to drop big bucks on a car?

[Tom Holmberg]

40 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

What the hell does this mean?

This is an example of how other products are now copying perfume ads- basically beautiful people doing incomprehensible things for the length of the ad.  See also the Volvo ad with the goofy Euro-trash voice-over about how this is the best time of your life (because you are driving a Volvo).

[peacheslatour]

"Trash". Why?

[friendperidot]

I've only glimpsed part of the Matthew McConnaghy's newest ad. I thought as he drove away from the house, it was on fire. Those big windows, maybe it was the way they were lit, but it looked like there was fire behind them. But, as I say, I just caught a glimpse.

[Tom Holmberg]

18 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

"Trash". Why?

"Eurotrash is a derogatory term for certain Europeans, particularly those perceived to be arrogant, affluent..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurotrash_(term)

"A human sub-phylum characterized by its apparent affluence, worldliness, social affectation..."

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Eurotrash

[QuinnInND]

On 1/17/2019 at 4:57 PM, BigBingerBro said:

Add me to the list of people who can't imagine anyone thinking that those adult diapers are attractive.  I have no idea what the previous designs looked like, but they must have been pretty bad in comparison.  Wasn't there a commercial a few years ago that had people dancing in the streets wearing Depends?  I will say they are definitely trying to make them less shameful.  Not sure if they are being successful or not.

They basically looked like diapers and you looked like a toddler wearing them. You could totally tell someone was wearing them. They're trying to make them less obvious.

[theatremouse]

On 1/20/2019 at 5:46 PM, friendperidot said:

I've only glimpsed part of the Matthew McConnaghy's newest ad. I thought as he drove away from the house, it was on fire. Those big windows, maybe it was the way they were lit, but it looked like there was fire behind them. But, as I say, I just caught a glimpse.

I think what you're recalling is there's a fountain in the driveway area, with lights in the water, and as he drives away you can see a sort of flamey-shaped twinkling, but it's probably just the reflection of the water on the wall behind it, and the movement is from the water.

My interpretation of the events of the ad are something along the lines of: he goes to a gathering at this house; it's not his house; he has a fine enough time but after a certain point he doesn't feel like hanging out with people anymore and just wants to go for a drive; so then he does.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I think what you're recalling is there's a fountain in the driveway area, with lights in the water, and as he drives away you can see a sort of flamey-shaped twinkling, but it's probably just the reflection of the water on the wall behind it, and the movement is from the water.

That's what it looks like to me as well.

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

They basically looked like diapers and you looked like a toddler wearing them. You could totally tell someone was wearing them. They're trying to make them less obvious.

Now they look more like underwear and aren't as bulky.

[Prevailing Wind]

Do you still smell like urine, like with the old style adult diapers?

[Jacqs]

Why do so many people like to make jokes about baby diapers and their wearers now needing adult diapers? There should be no shame in a medical episode.

[chessiegal]

I have no need for adult diapers now, but I see it in my future. We joined our Senior Center last year to take a class. When I went to the bathroom, they had a variety of not so fashionable adult diapers available for use for free. I thought, wow, I’m really getting old!

[xaxat]

On 1/20/2019 at 12:39 PM, sempervivum said:

New Lincoln Nautilus ad with Matthew McConnaghy (?)- He's at/giving a dinner party, telling a funny (?) story; cut to him playing pool, presumably in his own house (?), where 2 people are sort of spying on him in a corner and saying something we can't hear; cut to him looking out the window at his Lincoln; cut to him driving into the darkness.

What the hell does this mean? Why would this inspire someone to drop big bucks on a car?

He looks like a dinner guest who has way overstayed his welcome. "Hey Matthew, it was great to see you. (Fakes big yawn.) Look at that, I had no idea it was so late!"

[friendperidot]

Last night I learned that Omaha Steaks are cut by MASSIVE BUTCHERS! Then a few hours later I heard the ad again, I guess it's Master Butchers...nevermind. But I would have liked to see those MASSIVE BUTCHERS!

[Tom Holmberg]

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 11:39 AM, sempervivum said:

Why would this inspire someone to drop big bucks on a car?

The funny thing is that, unlike perfume ads (which I contend these car ads are mimicking), there's things about cars you can actually advertise-reliability, safety, comfort, gas mileage, etc.  Instead they seem to selling some vague hipster lifestyle (in the McConaughey ads, the lifestyle seems one of introspective depression). 

[Tom Holmberg]

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 7:46 PM, friendperidot said:

Those big windows, maybe it was the way they were lit, but it looked like there was fire behind them.

It sort of looks like this (but it is a fountain in the ad):

https://tinyurl.com/y84kl534

[Prevailing Wind]

10 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I have no need for adult diapers now, but I see it in my future. We joined our Senior Center last year to take a class. When I went to the bathroom, they had a variety of not so fashionable adult diapers available for use for free. I thought, wow, I’m really getting old!

I get pretty excited when the incontinence pads are on sale at Walgreen's. It's an old woman's dream come true.  My neighbor, in her 50s, wears the full-on diapers, but hers is a different kind of problem I wish she'd never told me about.

[LoneHaranguer]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

He looks like a dinner guest who has way overstayed his welcome. "Hey Matthew, it was great to see you. (Fakes big yawn.) Look at that, I had no idea it was so late!"

That's an understatement. You can see it get dark, then light again, out the window, but it's night again when he finally heads down the driveway.

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, Jacqs said:

Why do so many people like to make jokes about baby diapers and their wearers now needing adult diapers? There should be no shame in a medical episode.

Exactly.  I don't see why it's a problem if the makers of adult incontinence products try to make their products more attractive, and market them as such.  On the grand scale of annoying commercials, saying you've found pretty incontinence undergarments is way, way, way below Chevy Douche.

17 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Do you still smell like urine, like with the old style adult diapers?

Presumably there are deodorants in the product, although even that wouldn't help if they're not changed frequently enough.

[Prevailing Wind]

15 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Presumably there are deodorants in the product, although even that wouldn't help if they're not changed frequently enough.

Therein lies the problem. The old folks on Social Security can't really afford to be changing those things as frequently as they have "accidents" and end up smelling like a urinal. 

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 11:16 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

Do you still smell like urine, like with the old style adult diapers?

You mean after they are used, right?

[Red Bridey]

One of the latest Taco Bell ads has me scratching my head.  Why is some blonde pixie lady wandering through Alice's Wonderland or Fairyland looking for tacos?  I don't understand the premise or what audience TACO BELL is selling it to.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Red Bridey

[peacheslatour]

41 minutes ago, Red Bridey said:

One of the latest Taco Bell ads has me sratching my head.  Why is some blonde pixie lady wandering through Alice's Wonderland or Fairyland looking for tacos?  I don't understand the premise or what audience TACO BELL is selling it to.

Stoners. Taco Bell knows it's market.

[Red Bridey]

Ahh, it's a little psychedelic for stoners, no?  I don't know what kind of product I would think that ad would be for, I have been trying to come up with something.  A bunch of stoned college guys is not the audience I would expect.  But I'm old and I have never eaten at a Taco Bell so what do I know?

[AuntiePam]

7 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

One of the latest Taco Bell ads has me scratching my head.  Why is some blonde pixie lady wandering through Alice's Wonderland or Fairyland looking for tacos?  I don't understand the premise or what audience TACO BELL is selling it to.

From the iSpot website: 

Taco Bell extends an invitation to join a world that defies logic, meaning that the people are dressed eccentrically, the laws of physics loosely apply and the burritos have unconventional fillings. You're not having a "burrito dream," says the restaurant. You're seeing its Chicken Enchilada and Three Cheese Nacho Grande Burritos, which are available for $1.00 on Taco Bell's Cravings Menu."

I kinda like the ad.  Reminds me of a del Toro movie, without the blood and gore.

[Tom Holmberg]

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 9:11 AM, Tom Holmberg said:

in the McConaughey ads, the lifestyle seems one of introspective depression).

I've come to the conclusion that the McConaughey Lincoln ads are about his descent into madness-he talks to himself or to dogs rather than real people, he has notebooks full of his insane ramblings and odd clippings, and he tries to drown himself in between driving around aimlessly.

[LoneHaranguer]

20 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

I don't know what kind of product I would think that ad would be for, I have been trying to come up with something.  A bunch of stoned college guys is not the audience I would expect.

I recall a Big Bang Theory episode where a character who had been drinking mentions stopping at Del Taco afterward, and I see the local Taco Bells are open an ample time after the bars close. So, snacks for drunks?