Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Prevailing Wind]

16 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

"My stories."

I stand corrected.   Thanks!!

 

[Prevailing Wind]

5 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

There is a Dodge commercial with children pretending to drive really fast (they are racing a man who gives them advice--sometimes there is a shorter version where only the guy is shown).  At one point, one of the kids pauses and says that their lawyer wanted them to explain that it isn't real.  That is obvious, I wasn't worried about it.  I just don't understand why children pretending to drive is supposed to sell cars.

Because we Americans worship our children and bend over backwards to kowtow to them. If a kid wants to pretend he's driving a Dodge, by gum, we'll get him a Dodge  (or her) and probably teach them how to drive it. Kids have no boundaries in our world. They don't even have to eat what everyone else is eating. Sure, we'll make some mac & cheese. Let's let 'em eat it while they're driving!  (I think this is why I like that catfood commercial. Look! A mom who doesn't think her child is the bright and shining center of the universe!)

[SnarkySheep]

My newest peeve is the one where Parker the pizza delivery person just randomly shows up at Jake from State Farm's housing, enthusiastically dumping a mountain of free pizzas and sides into his arms.

First? Totally creepy and inappropriate for a customer to look up an employee's home address and just show up randomly in their doorstep. And second? I keep wondering, did Parker just steal all that stuff from her employer? But if she did pay for it herself, then she literally just negated the amount of her insurance discount.

 

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎11‎/‎2021 at 6:38 PM, Madding crowd said:

I agree that Dolly is far superior to Whitney's version, but the song played in the commercial still sounds slowed down to me.

I'm pretty sure it was her very first recording of the song.  It is a bit slower than her subsequent recordings of it.

On ‎03‎/‎11‎/‎2021 at 6:39 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

I've always thought the "special sauce" was just mayo & ketchup, which the BK Whopper has slathered on separately.

I always thought it was thousand island dressing.  I hate mayo & ketchup together.  It's a completely inexplicable flavor combination, imo.

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I'm pretty sure it was her very first recording of the song.  It is a bit slower than her subsequent recordings of it.

Yeah, I'm not sure which recording it is, since there have been several, but it's definitely an existing version, not a slowed-down version for the commercial, as I've heard it many times before.

[madmax]

16 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

There is a Dodge commercial with children pretending to drive really fast (they are racing a man who gives them advice--sometimes there is a shorter version where only the guy is shown).  At one point, one of the kids pauses and says that their lawyer wanted them to explain that it isn't real.  That is obvious, I wasn't worried about it.  I just don't understand why children pretending to drive is supposed to sell cars.

It's a "prequel" to the Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly film "Talladega Nights."  Because people want to be like them so they'll buy their cars.  🙄

[chessiegal]

When I'm watching Perry Mason late at night, there are often 2 commercials for cookware with different brand names - Gotham Steel and Granite Stone. They have different finishes. The commercials are the same with claims, the stuck egg, the not stuck egg with their cookware, same low, low price, even the voiceover male sounds like the same person. Which got me wondering if they were made by the same company. Mr. Google tells me they are both made by the same company - Emson. Mystery solved. Reviews on Amazon aren't stellar.

[CrystalBlue]

1 hour ago, madmax said:

It's a "prequel" to the Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly film "Talladega Nights."  Because people want to be like them so they'll buy their cars.  🙄

This is the movie that when he was a child, actor Houston Tumlin played Will Ferrell's son.  Houston just committed suicide yesterday, aged 28.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9398853/Talladega-Nights-actor-Houston-Tumlin-dead-suicide-age-28.html

[QuinnInND]

21 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

There is a Dodge commercial with children pretending to drive really fast (they are racing a man who gives them advice--sometimes there is a shorter version where only the guy is shown).  At one point, one of the kids pauses and says that their lawyer wanted them to explain that it isn't real.  That is obvious, I wasn't worried about it.  I just don't understand why children pretending to drive is supposed to sell cars.

Because there’s a kid in all of us. And kids love to drive fast. That's all I've got. 

They're trying to get adults to drink Pedialyte? Yuck. I tried a sip when my son was a baby and he was sick and needed to drink it. That was enough. It tasted nasty to me. No thanks. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by QuinnInND

[friendperidot]

On 3/23/2021 at 1:06 PM, sempervivum said:

I think 'programs' is an old way of thinking about TV (not sure it's going to be called TV forever, either),

by the time these people's children or grandchildren start buying homes and turning into them, there will change! And Progressive will have a new set of commercials about turning into your parents, lol.

 

[peacheslatour]

10 hours ago, friendperidot said:

by the time these people's children or grandchildren start buying homes and turning into them, there will change! And Progressive will have a new set of commercials about turning into your parents, lol.

 

"Mom, stop gaming all day! Why don't you take the Tesla hover craft down to the aqua farm and pick up some nice algae for dinner?"

[Nicmar]

On 3/24/2021 at 3:03 PM, proserpina65 said:

I'm pretty sure it was her very first recording of the song.  It is a bit slower than her subsequent recordings of it.

I always thought it was thousand island dressing.  I hate mayo & ketchup together.  It's a completely inexplicable flavor combination, imo.

I though 1000 dressing was used in Jack in the box Burgers Which I would not eat if I were starving....

[BusyOctober]

Aside from not ever being interested in a shower head with an Alexa-enabled speaker in it, the ad confuses me.  Not the product, but just the fact that one of the women getting out of the shower, dripping wet, with a towel wrapped around her looks like she has a full face of makeup, especially her eyes.  

[Prevailing Wind]

1 hour ago, BusyOctober said:

Aside from not ever being interested in a shower head with an Alexa-enabled speaker in it, the ad confuses me.  Not the product, but just the fact that one of the women getting out of the shower, dripping wet, with a towel wrapped around her looks like she has a full face of makeup, especially her eyes.  

Those women sleep all night in their makeup and it never rubs off on the pillowcase, either. Not even the lipstick.  But mess around with a married man, and that lipstick's all over his shirt.  WTH are you doing kissing his shirt, anyway?

[janie jones]

On 3/23/2021 at 11:06 AM, sempervivum said:

I think 'programs' is an old way of thinking about TV (not sure it's going to be called TV forever, either), because the shows actually were programmed by the networks. That episode of 'Mary Tyler Moore' was all you could watch at 7 pm on Saturday, because it was the only show programmed to be on at that time. Now, when you can watch almost any show anytime-assuming you have the right providers, apps, or whatever- nothing is really 'programmed'. IMO, of course.

While all of this is probably true, I'm fairly certain the idea that "programs" is what old people call TV shows predates everyone having in-home internet. Calling a TV show a "program" is akin to calling movies "pictures," although "pictures" brings to mind much older people, to me, and I'm fairly sure that I would have said the same thing 25 years ago.

I would guess, though, that perhaps among people of the generation(s) after mine, "program" might exclusively refer to a computer program, so it might not even seem like something old people would say, just wrong.

[SweetieDarling]

I think "programs" dates back to radio programs (it's what people did for entertainment before tv for you young'n's). 

[CrazyInAlabama]

My mother and her sister (I refuse to call that woman Aunt), both were totally hooked on their soap operas.   They called them their programs.  I'm taking the rest of this to small talk.

[Leeds]

On 2/22/2021 at 2:19 AM, cynicat said:

Are you sure?  Have you ever seen the size of a squirrels balls?  Massive, considering the body mass: scrotum ratio .  My avatar ought to know...wink wink.  

 

 

The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show squirrel is pretty much a celebrity in his own right.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2011/oct/05/great-british-bake-off-squirrel

On 3/6/2021 at 11:34 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

Capillus, the hat that grows hair.  It's been "cleared by the FDA."   What does that mean? if it were FDA Approved, wouldn't they say THAT?

Why are men so obsessed with trying to reverse baldness/pretend they're not bald?  Let it go already.  (Just realised I made an unintentional joke!)

Edited March 28, 2021 by Leeds
Right not rights (I watch too many cop shows)

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

 

The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show squirrel is pretty much a celebrity in his own rights.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2011/oct/05/great-british-bake-off-squirrel

Why are men so obsessed with trying to reverse baldness/pretend they're not bald?  Let it go already.  (Just realised I made an unintentional joke!)

Same reason women spend billions of dollars every year for creams, serums and surgery. Nobody wants to look old.

[Leeds]

55 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Same reason women spend billions of dollars every year for creams, serums and surgery. Nobody wants to look old.

It would be nice if people could grow old gracefully and didn't feel the need to disguise the fact that they are aging.  At some point it stops working and your grandchildren and strangers laugh at you behind your back.

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, Leeds said:

It would be nice if people could grow old gracefully and didn't feel the need to disguise the fact that they are aging.  At some point it stops working and your grandchildren and strangers laugh at you behind your back.

So true.

[mbluecpa]

On 3/24/2021 at 7:19 PM, QuinnInND said:

They're trying to get adults to drink Pedialyte? Yuck. I tried a sip when my son was a baby and he was sick and needed to drink it. That was enough. It tasted nasty to me. No thanks. 

I actually saw a display of it in the liquor store section of a superstore, so I’m guessing either a cheeky reference to or outright promotion as a hangover remedy?

On the head-scratching theme, a current ad for Assist Card. It subtitles the entire voiceover (which is separately annoying) but doesn’t really establish what the product is other than travel-related. I Googled it so I guess the ad worked on me, but would think a more effective ad should give at least a high-level indication of the product. It reminded me of first-generation pharma commercials that were intentionally vague, due I believe to regulations at the time. 

Edited March 29, 2021 by mbluecpa

[CrystalBlue]

24 minutes ago, mbluecpa said:

I actually saw a display of it in the liquor store section of a superstore, so I’m guessing either a cheeky reference to or outright promotion as a hangover remedy?

On the head-scratching theme, a current ad for Assist Card. It subtitles the entire voiceover (which is separately annoying) but doesn’t really establish what the product is other than travel-related. I Googled it so I guess the ad worked on me, but would think a more effective ad should give at least a high-level indication of the product. It reminded me of first-generation pharma commercials that were intentionally vague, due I believe to regulations at the time. 

I hate the commercials who have subtitles.  I think they do it to look that they're being inclusive of the hearing impaired potential customers.

[cinsays]

9 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I hate the commercials who have subtitles.  I think they do it to look that they're being inclusive of the hearing impaired potential customers.

and that's a problem because?

[bankerchick]

12 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

It reminded me of first-generation pharma commercials that were intentionally vague, due I believe to regulations at the time. 

So many of them are still like that.  'Ask your doctor if Flylaxalone is right for you.'  If it was, wouldn't my doctor have recommended it to me?  And what if it's an erectile dysfunction drug or something totally inappropriate for me?  At least if we had a clue about what the drug was for, we could decide if we should talk to our doctor about it. That's right up there with 'tell your doctor if you have cancer or have had a stroke.'  Wouldn't my doctor already know that??

[janie jones]

13 hours ago, mbluecpa said:

I actually saw a display of it in the liquor store section of a superstore, so I’m guessing either a cheeky reference to or outright promotion as a hangover remedy?

I don't understand why they don't make an adult version. Or at least, put the same stuff in a different package that didn't have "ped" in the name. I feel like they could make more money? I just went on their website, and they have a "sport" version that I don't think I've ever seen anywhere. The website is like "can adults drink Pedialyte! Yes they can!" It seems like it would be easier to convince (some) people if you just had a "new" version for adults.

[peacheslatour]

38 minutes ago, janie jones said:

I don't understand why they don't make an adult version. Or at least, put the same stuff in a different package that didn't have "ped" in the name. I feel like they could make more money? I just went on their website, and they have a "sport" version that I don't think I've ever seen anywhere. The website is like "can adults drink Pedialyte! Yes they can!" It seems like it would be easier to convince (some) people if you just had a "new" version for adults.

Here'a what I found.

Although they're similar, they have slight differences in their calorie, carb, and electrolyte contents. While you can sometimes use Pedialyte and Gatorade interchangeably, Pedialyte may be more suitable for diarrhea-induced dehydration, while Gatorade may be better for exercise-induced dehydration.

Gatorade is also a lot cheaper.

[Prevailing Wind]

14 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I hate the commercials who have subtitles.  I think they do it to look that they're being inclusive of the hearing impaired potential customers.

In which case, closed captioning would suffice. Anyone with the slightest hearing impairment is already using closed captioning, unless they're like my brother, refusing to believe they need it. So when a commercial includes its own captioning, it's helping the deniers like my brother to realize they really DO need CC.

I used to turn it on when I watching stuff at his house (because I need it) and he would come into the room and turn it off (he's not too empathic).  Last time I visited, the CC was already on. I think my SIL got tired of him turning up the volume and/or forgetting where his hearing aids are.

[janie jones]

My question was, why don't the Pedialyte people rebrand (or whatever you'd call rebranding while also keeping the original branding) it as an adult drink, not what is the difference between Pedialyte and existing sports drinks. I only brought up the sports Pedialyte because they already do have an "adult" drink.

I'm suggesting they take the exact same formula and slap a different label on it, maybe do different flavors. They then wouldn't have to put out commercials in which obnoxious children scold their diarrheal fathers for drinking it. They could probably also more directly market it more openly as a hangover cure/prevention.

[Popples]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

So many of them are still like that.  'Ask your doctor if Flylaxalone is right for you.'  If it was, wouldn't my doctor have recommended it to me?  And what if it's an erectile dysfunction drug or something totally inappropriate for me?  At least if we had a clue about what the drug was for, we could decide if we should talk to our doctor about it. That's right up there with 'tell your doctor if you have cancer or have had a stroke.'  Wouldn't my doctor already know that??

The ones that always make me yell at the screen are the commercials that say, "Don't take Flylaxalone if you are allergic to Flylaxalone." WHAT? It's one thing if they say to not take it if they list some ingredients that are known semi-common allergies, but how can I know if I'm allergic to something I've never heard of before I take it?

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, bankerchick said:

So many of them are still like that.  'Ask your doctor if Flylaxalone is right for you.'  If it was, wouldn't my doctor have recommended it to me?  And what if it's an erectile dysfunction drug or something totally inappropriate for me?  At least if we had a clue about what the drug was for, we could decide if we should talk to our doctor about it. That's right up there with 'tell your doctor if you have cancer or have had a stroke.'  Wouldn't my doctor already know that??

Someone else posted what you are attributing to me as the OP.

[CrystalBlue]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

In which case, closed captioning would suffice. Anyone with the slightest hearing impairment is already using closed captioning, unless they're like my brother, refusing to believe they need it. So when a commercial includes its own captioning, it's helping the deniers like my brother to realize they really DO need CC.

I used to turn it on when I watching stuff at his house (because I need it) and he would come into the room and turn it off (he's not too empathic).  Last time I visited, the CC was already on. I think my SIL got tired of him turning up the volume and/or forgetting where his hearing aids are.

Exactly.  Thank you.  Subtitles should be used for foreign language not closed captioning.

Also, you have my empathy on having an unempathetic brother.

[dleighg]

I use CC for scripted shows quite a bit when they have people with a non-American accent (Midsommer Murders, Bravo Below Deck LOL, etc.) I would assume that CC on commercials is well-synched, but CC on news shows for example is so ridiculously far behind, with spelling mistakes etc., that I can understand not being crazy about using it. 

[SoMuchTV]

4 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

In which case, closed captioning would suffice. Anyone with the slightest hearing impairment is already using closed captioning, unless they're like my brother, refusing to believe they need it. So when a commercial includes its own captioning, it's helping the deniers like my brother to realize they really DO need CC.

 

36 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I use CC for scripted shows quite a bit when they have people with a non-American accent (Midsommer Murders, Bravo Below Deck LOL, etc.) I would assume that CC on commercials is well-synched, but CC on news shows for example is so ridiculously far behind, with spelling mistakes etc., that I can understand not being crazy about using it. 

In my experience, commercials are rarely cc’d, so I can definitely see that the ad with subtitles was trying to make sure that it was accessible to people who would normally rely on cc’s. 

[Prevailing Wind]

I've seen a few CC'd commercials where the last line of the ad stays displayed on the screen right into the next (non-captioned) ad. Sometimes, the juxtapositions are hilarious. (Of course, I can't think of one off-hand, but it's funny when it happens.)

[Eliot]

I have a question about the Glowforge commercials. I see them all the time, and I guess my question isn't so much about the commercial as it is...what's the point of Glowforge? The add talks about printing on "leather, metal...anything that's laying around the house."

Setting the grammar error aside for a moment (it should be "lying," not "laying"), what's so appealing about buying an expensive 3D laser printer to burn your name onto random objects that are piled up in a closet?

[configdotsys]

21 minutes ago, Eliot said:

I have a question about the Glowforge commercials. I see them all the time, and I guess my question isn't so much about the commercial as it is...what's the point of Glowforge? The add talks about printing on "leather, metal...anything that's laying around the house."

Setting the grammar error aside for a moment (it should be "lying," not "laying"), what's so appealing about buying an expensive 3D laser printer to burn your name onto random objects that are piled up in a closet?

People typically purchase things like the Glowforce, Cricut and Silhouette Cameo so they can make personalized items to sell on sites like Etsy. 

[friendperidot]

I know a lot of miniature makers and seamstresses/seamsters that make doll clothing that have Cricuts and they love them. Some sell, some do for their own enjoyment. I wish there had been something like that years ago, I would have used it.

But on that same general line, there's a company Fractures, I think where you send in your pictures and they print them on glass, I don't quite see the point, I guess that decor just passes me by. There is a commercial for it, it does not make me angry or irritated or enraged, nor does it make me scratch my head, and it's not a favorite, it's just there.

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

I know a lot of miniature makers and seamstresses/seamsters that make doll clothing that have Cricuts and they love them. Some sell, some do for their own enjoyment. I wish there had been something like that years ago, I would have used it.

But on that same general line, there's a company Fractures, I think where you send in your pictures and they print them on glass, I don't quite see the point, I guess that decor just passes me by. There is a commercial for it, it does not make me angry or irritated or enraged, nor does it make me scratch my head, and it's not a favorite, it's just there.

I don't think I'd want to call a company that makes home decor out of glass "Fracture" but that's just me.

[SoMuchTV]

Just now, peacheslatour said:

I don't think I'd want to call a company that makes home decor out of glass "Fracture" but that's just me.

I was just trying to figure out how to put that exact sentiment into words!

[chessiegal]

I had a favorite picture made by Keepsakes - same idea as Fracture except it's a photo framed and matted. I surprised my husband with it. It's a picture from when my husband and I were in Paris - we had a hotel room facing a typical Parisian street. He took a picture of our bare feet propped up in the window looking out onto the street 4 stories below. I thought about having it done by Fracture, but opted for the Keepsake route, which I learned about from a tv ad.

With apologies to folks who are creeped out by bare feet. We're obviously not.

[peacheslatour]

44 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I had a favorite picture made by Keepsakes - same idea as Fracture except it's a photo framed and matted. I surprised my husband with it. It's a picture from when my husband and I were in Paris - we had a hotel room facing a typical Parisian street. He took a picture of our bare feet propped up in the window looking out onto the street 4 stories below. I thought about having it done by Fracture, but opted for the Keepsake route, which I learned about from a tv ad.

With apologies to folks who are creeped out by bare feet. We're obviously not.

I'm not. I think that's adorable.

[Browncoat]

44 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm not. I think that's adorable.

Same here.  Sounds like a neat photo.

[chessiegal]

48 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Same here.  Sounds like a neat photo.

I'll see if I can post it in Small Talk.

[Eliot]

21 hours ago, configdotsys said:

People typically purchase things like the Glowforce, Cricut and Silhouette Cameo so they can make personalized items to sell on sites like Etsy. 

I totally get that, but then why doesn’t the commercial say that? It doesn’t. It literally says, “anything that’s laying around the house.” Doesn’t sound to me like it’s marketing itself to crafters selling stuff on eBay or Etsy. To me, it screams, “This what it’s come to. You’re so bored you’ve got nothing better to do than personalize your andirons.”

On another note, I am still scratching my head to understand why Mercedes, 32DDD, has such a busy life that she can’t deal with wired bras. I see that bra commercial every commercial break on MSNBC, sometimes two times back to back, and her voice has now embedded itself in my brain like a sandpaper screw.

[Ohiopirate02]

I know it's a cover done in another language, but does anyone over at Airbnb know the actual lyrics to Lou Reed's original?

 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I know it's a cover done in another language, but does anyone over at Airbnb know the actual lyrics to Lou Reed's original?

 

This is in Spanish, yes? Don't they realize how many Americans speak Spanish? WTF were they thinking?

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I know it's a cover done in another language, but does anyone over at Airbnb know the actual lyrics to Lou Reed's original?

 

Valium would have helped that bash.

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

This is in Spanish, yes? Don't they realize how many Americans speak Spanish? WTF were they thinking?

I think it's Japanese.  I couldn't watch more than 30 seconds. I do not think babies with food all over their faces are cute.  I know, I know - they all do, I did it. I also pooped. I still don't think it's cute.

[CrystalBlue]

14 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I think it's Japanese.  I couldn't watch more than 30 seconds. I do not think babies with food all over their faces are cute.  I know, I know - they all do, I did it. I also pooped. I still don't think it's cute.

It's Spanish.  I heard pueblo, mundo, vista and I think cinco.  (Town or village, world, view, five.)