Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[chenoa333]

1 minute ago, Haleth said:

Now I'm really scratching my head.  Isn't she a singer?

Yeah. Me too. Kathy Lee? Is she the white version of Lil Kim? Or possibly the dark haired anorexic cook on Food Network's "The Kitchen"? 

[chessiegal]

15 minutes ago, chenoa333 said:

Yeah. Me too. Kathy Lee? Is she the white version of Lil Kim? Or possibly the dark haired anorexic cook on Food Network's "The Kitchen"? 

Kathy Lee Gifford is on the Today Show. Katie Lee, ex of Billy Joel, is on the Kitchen. Two different people.

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, chenoa333 said:

Yeah. Me too. Kathy Lee? Is she the white version of Lil Kim? Or possibly the dark haired anorexic cook on Food Network's "The Kitchen"? 

Well, she was a Hee Haw Honey.

[chenoa333]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Kathy Lee Gifford is on the Today Show. Katie Lee, ex of Billy Joel, is on the Kitchen. Two different people.

I will forever get Katie Lee and Kathy Lee Gifford confused. But thanks for the info! 

[Prevailing Wind]

Just remember: Kathie Lee Gifford is the harridan that promoted Carnival Cruise lines for eons. Even back then, they were a crap cruise line.

[Prevailing Wind]

OK - we've been seeing those ovarian cancer/Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder ads for a while now. The other day, not paying attention, I thought I heard something I'd not heard before.  You know how they always say, "If you've been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and you used Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower..."  NOW I heard after the brand names, "for feminine hygiene..."  Huh? Were they getting responses from people who used the powder in their armpits?  And I may be a failure as a woman, but WTH do you do with talcum powder "as feminine hygiene" ??  Are they powdering the inside of their vaginas? How does this work?  (Pardon me for asking such an indelicate question, but I really don't know.)

[Brattinella]

Putting powder in the crotch of panties was popular for a while.

[chessiegal]

I remember 20-30 years ago using talcum powder for "freshness" on occasion. As a chemist, I was puzzled by how talcum powder could cause cancer. Some googling says J&J knew their product contained asbestos. Now that's interesting information.

[Ashforth]

17 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I remember 20-30 years ago using talcum powder for "freshness" on occasion. As a chemist, I was puzzled by how talcum powder could cause cancer. Some googling says J&J knew their product contained asbestos. Now that's interesting information.

Anyone who wants more information about this can send me a private message.

[janie jones]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

OK - we've been seeing those ovarian cancer/Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder ads for a while now. The other day, not paying attention, I thought I heard something I'd not heard before.  You know how they always say, "If you've been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and you used Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower..."  NOW I heard after the brand names, "for feminine hygiene..."  Huh? Were they getting responses from people who used the powder in their armpits?  And I may be a failure as a woman, but WTH do you do with talcum powder "as feminine hygiene" ??  Are they powdering the inside of their vaginas? How does this work?  (Pardon me for asking such an indelicate question, but I really don't know.)

When these ads first came out, I was talking with my sister, a friend of hers, and her sister-in-law.  My sister and her friend were all worried about the baby powder giving them cancer and talking about switching to Burt's Bees or something.  The sister-in-law and I were like, what do you even do with the baby powder?  Then my sister was perplexed as to how she and I could have had the same upbringing and she patted herself down with baby powder and I'd never heard of such a thing.  (I know she didn't learn it from my mom -- I have no idea where picked this up.)

[peacheslatour]

12 hours ago, janie jones said:

When these ads first came out, I was talking with my sister, a friend of hers, and her sister-in-law.  My sister and her friend were all worried about the baby powder giving them cancer and talking about switching to Burt's Bees or something.  The sister-in-law and I were like, what do you even do with the baby powder?  Then my sister was perplexed as to how she and I could have had the same upbringing and she patted herself down with baby powder and I'd never heard of such a thing.  (I know she didn't learn it from my mom -- I have no idea where picked this up.)

I'd never heard of it before these ads either. My mom always told me never to use anything other than soap and water down there because it would throw off the PH.

[funky-rat]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I'd never heard of it before these ads either. My mom always told me never to use anything other than soap and water down there because it would throw off the PH.

People I know who used it did so for odor, chafing, or sweating.  I recall commercials in the 80's to use powder to keep you "fresh" and keep odor at bay.  Scented body powder was a thing for a long time and could be found on lots of people's dressing tables in a pretty container, complete with a powder puff (usually flower scented).  My late MIL was religious about using it.  She once bought me a bottle of what she used and told me to try it (sweating/chafing issues).

Blech.  All it did was turn to paste, requiring me to have to shower again to get it off.  Plus I found that the scent didn't react well with my body chemistry (I can't wear some perfumes either), and it left a funky smell.  I tossed the powder in the trash.

Late MIL dealt with urinary incontinence, made worse by uncontrolled Diabetes.  She refused to wear Depends type stuff, and also refused to use the special pads made for that.  Instead, she'd buy feminine hygiene pads, then complain she was "soaking through Kotex like crazy".  No amount of telling her they were not meant for that purpose would work.  She'd use the powder,  but smell like an odd combination of powder and pee.  Now when I smell baby powder, that thought is burned in to my brain.

[Tom Holmberg]

7 minutes ago, funky-rat said:

I recall commercials in the 80's to use powder to keep you "fresh" and keep odor at bay.

https://www.thecut.com/2016/04/sad-truth-behind-the-baby-powder-ovarian-cancer-lawsuits.html

[funky-rat]

13 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

https://www.thecut.com/2016/04/sad-truth-behind-the-baby-powder-ovarian-cancer-lawsuits.html

Agreed.  Some people (myself included) have the bad luck of having crappy body chemistry, and we sweat sometimes in areas we'd rather not.  One of the reasons I left my prior job is because one person would leave nasty notes on my desk, and several times had a supervisor speak to me (the 2nd or 3rd time, the supervisor relented that she didn't notice anything overly offensive).  I had such a complex that I upped my lunch time to an hour, and would go home to clean up, whether I really needed it or not.  I ultimately consulted with a doctor, who assured me the person was just being a jerk and was making greatly overblown comments, but still....  I wish we could just all accept each other.

I've seen ads from back in my grandmother's time that advocated making a douche with Lysol.  I can't imagine.

[Tom Holmberg]

14 minutes ago, funky-rat said:

I've seen ads from back in my grandmother's time that advocated making a douche with Lysol.  I can't imagine.

Almost right out of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and Windex.

[peacheslatour]

42 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Almost right out of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and Windex.

My dad thinks Bactine can cure anything, up to and including cancer.

[Tom Holmberg]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My dad thinks Bactine can cure anything, up to and including cancer.

I think Nyquil will cure most common ailments.  But it has to be the green Nyquil.  (An acquaintance who was a pro wrestler and has horrible arthritis discovered it eased his pain much better than other things he used, proving my theory.)

[LoneHaranguer]

22 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

The mother awakens, and tells Alexa to turn on the outside lights and she joins her.

In the version I've been seeing, the ad ends without the mother leaving her bedroom. I noticed that the kid is still kicking the ball into darkness because the lights don't shine very far. I guess its a neat feature that if you whisper to Alexa, it'll whisper back, but you can control lights with a smartphone without saying a word.

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

OK - we've been seeing those ovarian cancer/Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder ads for a while now. The other day, not paying attention, I thought I heard something I'd not heard before.  You know how they always say, "If you've been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and you used Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower..."  NOW I heard after the brand names, "for feminine hygiene..."  Huh? Were they getting responses from people who used the powder in their armpits?  And I may be a failure as a woman, but WTH do you do with talcum powder "as feminine hygiene" ??  Are they powdering the inside of their vaginas? How does this work?  (Pardon me for asking such an indelicate question, but I really don't know.)

No, they're powdering the groin area, and I guess some can get into other areas.  It helps absorb sweat, if that is an issue.  (It can be for me.)

The science is still out on the cancer/talcum powder connection, and so far, most (if not all) of those big settlements have been overturned.  But the ambulance chaser commercials are not going to tell you that.

FWIW, I've used power with cornstarch instead of talc for years, but not because of any alleged cancer link; it seems to work better at preventing chafing, which is the whole point to begin with.

Edited April 18, 2019 by proserpina65

[Prevailing Wind]

7 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I think Nyquil will cure most common ailments.  But it has to be the green Nyquil.  (An acquaintance who was a pro wrestler and has horrible arthritis discovered it eased his pain much better than other things he used, proving my theory.)

Taken orally or as a rub? Honestly, the only thing I've found so far is a prescription gel ointment, "Diclofenac Sodium 1%" - it's about $48 for a 100 gram tube at Walgreens - the 3% is $999!!!  I've heard it's got a well-known brand name that, apparently, doesn't advertise, because I'd never heard of it...Voltaren. But, because it's an NSAID, it carries cardio-vascular risks.

[Tom Holmberg]

12 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Taken orally or as a rub?

Taken orally.  My theory, and I'm not a doctor but I play one on the internet, is that because it's a liquid, it works faster and you get more painkiller all at once (plus the alcohol).  Then again it could be the placebo effect.

[Ubiquitous]

21 hours ago, funky-rat said:

I've seen ads from back in my grandmother's time that advocated making a douche with Lysol.  I can't imagine.

I guess that's one way to disinfect oneself...

5 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Taken orally.  My theory, and I'm not a doctor but I play one on the internet, is that because it's a liquid, it works faster and you get more painkiller all at once (plus the alcohol).  Then again it could be the placebo effect.

According to The Medicine Show, NyQyil is good for colds because it makes you sleep, the best way to recover from a cold or flu.

[Tom Holmberg]

1 minute ago, Ubiquitous said:

NyQyil is good for colds because it makes you sleep, the best way to recover from a cold or flu.

This is true, and I could always feel my sinuses clearing up after taking it, making it easier to sleep (though I think they may have changed the formula fairly recently, so it might not work the same or as well).  At one time I read a description of Nyquil as "a witch's brew of every OTC medicine" (plus the alcohol).

[Prevailing Wind]

10 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

 I'm not a doctor but I play one on the internet

There's a forum in which I participate that had one of those pathological liars who claimed to be a doctor. We all knew she wasn't and referred to her by the acronym of your above statement. We called her Inad Bipooti. She never had a clue. I kind of felt sorry for her.

As for the NyQuil, I was hoping it was an external use, because I can't take the stuff internally without sleeping for three and a half days (off one dose).  I can easily be in pain and stay in bed. The whole purpose, in my mind, of pain relief is to be able to function normally. <shrug>

[Tom Holmberg]

22 hours ago, funky-rat said:

I've seen ads from back in my grandmother's time that advocated making a douche with Lysol. 

There's some douches I'd like to spray with Lysol.

[Tom Holmberg]

1 minute ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I can easily be in pain and stay in bed.

It took my friend the ex-wrestler 30 minutes to get out of bed in the morning due to his pain.  He took the Nyquil and found he could do much better.  He even called the company to ask them about it, but they told him the company doesn't claim it helps arthritis. :)

[Moose135]

On 4/19/2019 at 11:38 AM, Tom Holmberg said:

At one time I read a description of Nyquil as "a witch's brew of every OTC medicine" (plus the alcohol).

As comedian Lewis Black calls it, "the moonshine of medicine!"

[chessiegal]

My mother never had a drop of liquor/alcohol in her life, but boy howdy did she love Nyquil. Really amused me when I was old enough to realize why. I didn't spoil her enjoyment.

[Tom Holmberg]

5 hours ago, Moose135 said:

As comedian Lewis Black calls it, "the moonshine of medicine!"

So true.  Normally you buy a decongestant, it tells you don't use with alcohol.  Nyquil adds alcohol.

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

So true.  Normally you buy a decongestant, it tells you don't use with alcohol.  Nyquil adds alcohol.

I take Ativan (anti-anxiety drug) when I fly. The instructions say not to use with alcohol. Au contraire - alcohol makes it so much better!

[Ubiquitous]

In the Wells Fargo home mortgage ad, is it the doggess or a female narrator speaking? I'm not sure, but I think the doggess' lips are moving or not but then she describes the yard as a bathroom... the jury is still out as far as I am concerned. :-D

[Ubiquitous]

I saw a new one for Toyota with a bunch of guys driving around at night and getting bolt-cutters and arriving at a boat with a bunch of guys wearing handcuffs. Are they saying Toyota is somehow better for clandestine criminals?

[Colleenna]

On 4/18/2019 at 1:10 PM, funky-rat said:

People I know who used it did so for odor, chafing, or sweating.  I recall commercials in the 80's to use powder to keep you "fresh" and keep odor at bay.  Scented body powder was a thing for a long time and could be found on lots of people's dressing tables in a pretty container, complete with a powder puff (usually flower scented).  My late MIL was religious about using it.  She once bought me a bottle of what she used and told me to try it (sweating/chafing issues).

Blech.  All it did was turn to paste, requiring me to have to shower again to get it off.  Plus I found that the scent didn't react well with my body chemistry (I can't wear some perfumes either), and it left a funky smell.  I tossed the powder in the trash.

Late MIL dealt with urinary incontinence, made worse by uncontrolled Diabetes.  She refused to wear Depends type stuff, and also refused to use the special pads made for that.  Instead, she'd buy feminine hygiene pads, then complain she was "soaking through Kotex like crazy".  No amount of telling her they were not meant for that purpose would work.  She'd use the powder,  but smell like an odd combination of powder and pee.  Now when I smell baby powder, that thought is burned in to my brain.

Plain old cornstarch. Argo cornstarch. No smell, no asbestos. 

[InDueTime]

7 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

In the Wells Fargo home mortgage ad, is it the doggess or a female narrator speaking? I'm not sure, but I think the doggess' lips are moving or not but then she describes the yard as a bathroom... the jury is still out as far as I am concerned. 😄

The dog is speaking. In the ad, she says she gave her human "the look" to get her to buy the house.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/I6OS/wells-fargo-designer-dog-collar#

[Tom Holmberg]

16 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

Are they saying Toyota is somehow better for clandestine criminals?

I assumed it was a B&D thing. Which is equally odd to be applying to your customer base.

[Ubiquitous]

44 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I assumed it was a B&D thing. Which is equally odd to be applying to your customer base.

Ha ha, that did occur to me as well. I initially thought they were going to steal the boat for a combination joyride and all-night rave.

[Tom Holmberg]

4 minutes ago, Ubiquitous said:

I initially thought they were going to steal the boat for a combination joyride and all-night rave.

That would make a better ad.  Toyota drivers are risk-taking hipsters, rather than ineffectual sexual perverts. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

[funky-rat]

19 hours ago, Colleenna said:

Plain old cornstarch. Argo cornstarch. No smell, no asbestos. 

Good to know.  I don't have the issue as much now as I did then - that job required us to wear dresses and stockings.  Stockings do not allow my skin to breathe and that was a big part of it.  Once I changed jobs and was allowed to wear pants and socks, it's not as much of an issue as it was.

[Colleenna]

3 hours ago, funky-rat said:

Good to know.  I don't have the issue as much now as I did then - that job required us to wear dresses and stockings.  Stockings do not allow my skin to breathe and that was a big part of it.  Once I changed jobs and was allowed to wear pants and socks, it's not as much of an issue as it was.

I grew up back when women were expected to wear girdles in addition to stockings and heels. I sweat like a racehorse. 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Colleenna said:

I grew up back when women were expected to wear girdles in addition to stockings and heels. I sweat like a racehorse. 

That's insane! In 1964 my mom and her best friend opened a boutique for women that sold only pants and tops. They also sold boots. They did very well and eventually opened a second location. I guess they weren't the only ones who were sick of that shit.

[Ubiquitous]

There's a new Red Bull commercial that perplexes me that shows a conveyor belt of boxes, followed by a freshly drunken can of the product and then by works of origami.  Isn't he going to get fired for not making boxes? 

[mmecorday]

In the ads for booking.com, I know the announcer is saying "bookers," but I swear to dog, it sounds like he's saying "boogers."

[Gramto6]

Is that the botta book botta com guy? I don't understand why that makes any more sense than it makes them "glow".

[friendperidot]

 I'm confused about some Jamie Progressive ads. The ones with the singers, back when it first aired, I couldn't tell much difference in the singing before and after he gave them the tool. I thought they sounded fine. Now I'm seeing ads where they sound terrible, I don't even look at the screen to see if he gives them the tool. But I'm wondering if this was how they really sounded before the ad was dubbed with an actual singing group or the recording of that song by the group that recorded it. It's the only place I've heard the song so I don't know.

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Is that the botta book botta com guy? I don't understand why that makes any more sense than it makes them "glow".

No - botta book guy is for Choice Hotels. They include Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Econolodge..

Quote

Choice Hotels International, Inc. is a hospitality franchisor based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns several hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy.

Booking.com is a web site that searches for hotel options like Trivago and hotels.com.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

No - botta book guy is for Choice Hotels. They include Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Econolodge..

Wow, if I were asked, I would have said it was for booking.com cause I would associate "Botta book" with "booking"  haha, guess their ads aren't really working. Of course I that catch phase irrationally so I usually mute as soon as I realize it's coming. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 4/21/2019 at 11:10 PM, InDueTime said:

The dog is speaking. In the ad, she says she gave her human "the look" to get her to buy the house.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/I6OS/wells-fargo-designer-dog-collar#

Yep, and that commercial gets on my nerves every time that I see it. Nice try, Wells Fargo.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎4‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 11:43 PM, Gramto6 said:

Is that the botta book botta com guy? I don't understand why that makes any more sense than it makes them "glow".

The ad doesn't annoy me much (wow, I thought it was for booking.com until now!), but I always wondered why they're using a phrase that was popular in 1990's when people were fascinated by The Mob.

20 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Yep, and that commercial gets on my nerves every time that I see it. Nice try, Wells Fargo.

Did something happen with Wells Fargo that I missed? I remember seeing some sort of apology ad fro them and had no ideas what that was about.

[funky-rat]

On 4/28/2019 at 9:05 AM, friendperidot said:

 I'm confused about some Jamie Progressive ads. The ones with the singers, back when it first aired, I couldn't tell much difference in the singing before and after he gave them the tool. I thought they sounded fine. Now I'm seeing ads where they sound terrible, I don't even look at the screen to see if he gives them the tool. But I'm wondering if this was how they really sounded before the ad was dubbed with an actual singing group or the recording of that song by the group that recorded it. It's the only place I've heard the song so I don't know.

Are they singing "Heaven Is A Place On Earth"?  That was done by Belinda Carlisle back in the late 80's.

[friendperidot]

That sounds like it might be the name of the song. I don't listen to much music made after disco. As disco was fading, I found oldies and I've been stuck in the 50s ever since. And sometimes the 60s and even into the early 70s now and then.