Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[90PercentGravity]

These two people have gotten to the point of getting MARRIED and, not only are their kids are this shocked about them being affectionate, but they barely seem to know each other? Was he a mail order husband? And if so, can someone forward the catalog to me.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn7-f0800KI

Edited August 4, 2015 by 90PercentGravity

[Cobalt Stargazer]

To be fair, the kids are still pretty young, so when the little girl says, "Your dad just kissed my mom," its probably the first time she's actually seen them smooch. If they were teenagers, who would be grossed out for different reasons, it'd be different.

[DeLurker]

To be fair,

There's no place for that in PTV!

[Brattinella]

Belsomra commercial - it's a drug for that new insomnia theory about how your "wake" system can interfere with your "sleep" system.

 

So to illustrate this, they make the words "wake" and "sleep" into anthropomorphic (zoomorphic?) creatures, Wake being a dog (I assume - it looks particularly wonky) and Sleep being a cat. And naughty Wake keeps bothering Sleep until he's exiled to the Belsomra pet bed so Sleep can curl up in bed with the lady.

 

Someone took some serious acid to create these furry words, just sayin'.

 

Kind of looks like that, eh? :D

[ennui]

I'm sure they mean they had nothing else on hand because fast cars are not something they could justify keeping on hand from a business perspective.

They could just borrow a car from the manufacturers. They send cars out to test tracks for the auto magazines. But for the commercial, they would need something just as fast, if not for the high RPM sounds (which could be dubbed) but for the background. There's a section where the white road markers look like a picket fence.

 

Thanks, Moose! Love the commercial, and the Viper commercial afterwards (which is 20+ minutes). I thought it interesting that it was produced by Motor Trend Films. There was an article in a recent issue with a face off between a Dodge and a Tesla, and they concluded the Dodge was steak and bourbon, and the Tesla was vegetarian. It was funny.

 

I also dislike the Belsomra ad. The Sleep cat is all white and fluffy and cuddly, and the Wake dog is grey and sooty. And then, at the end, there's a man in her bed, where did he come from? Suddenly she's married?

Edited August 5, 2015 by ennui

[amass]

And then, at the end, there's a man in her bed, where did he come from? Suddenly she's married?

Well, if he's anything like my husband he's waiting till she's asleep before he comes upstairs. Insomia sucks, not just for the person who can't sleep but for anyone near them who is sleeping soundly and snoring away....

[erikdepressant]

The commercial does state that Belsomra can cause hallucinations.  If the poor woman has befriended the furry animated words running around her house, it's not unreasonable that she could cozy up to an imaginary man every night.  Since the drug can cause sleep paralysis and hallucinations, I wonder if there will be a spike in alien abduction anecdotes on the web.

 

The commercial made me think about The Golden Compass (the furry words reminded me of the daemons).  I envisioned an extended version of the Belsomra commercial that begins with the wife cuddling Sleep Cat, but her husband's Horny Pig drives the Sleep Cat away and agitates Wake Dog.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

They could just borrow a car from the manufacturers. They send cars out to test tracks for the auto magazines.

And that's what they did; just saying it's a bit deceptive to suggest that it means anything about the speed of their car, because the film crew isn't going to have any fast cars built by a competing company around to use and they won't rent one if they have another of the client's available.

[Jodithgrace]

I've been scratching my head lately over the new ad for Viagra. The ad is all voiceover, the usual stuff, while an attractive woman wanders around her stylish apartment and out onto her lovely balcony. But there is nary a man in sight, impotent or otherwise. So, how does Viagra fit into this picture? 

 

Oh, and she looks perfectly content, not like she's waiting for somebody or about to leap off the balcony from loneliness. 

Edited August 6, 2015 by Jodithgrace

[90PercentGravity]

Yeah... I'm guessing that feeding your guy little blue pills isn't the best way to get quality alone time. 

[pandora spocks]

"I've been scratching my head lately over the new ad for Viagra.  The ad is all voiceover, the usual stuff, while an attractive woman wanders around her stylish apartment and out onto her lovely balcony.  But there is nary a man in sight, impotent or otherwise. So, how does
Viagra fit into this picture? Oh, and she looks perfectly content, not like she's waiting for somebody or about to leap off the balcony from loneliness."

Perhaps Spiderman has an erection problem.

[ennui]

And that's what they did; just saying it's a bit deceptive to suggest that it means anything about the speed of their car, because the film crew isn't going to have any fast cars built by a competing company around to use and they won't rent one if they have another of the client's available.

Well, most experts seem to agree that the new Dodge cars are blistering fast and very powerful, so I'm not going to quibble.

[mojoween]

I don't understand why Jeff Goldblum is hawking apartments.com but we're supposed to think he's actually Brad Bellflower, Silicon Valley icon. Until I saw that chyron the other day, I just thought it was Jeff Goldblum as celebrity spokesperson. Why the pretend backstory, apartments.com?

Edited August 7, 2015 by mojoween

[Brattinella]

I don't understand why Jeff Goldblum is hawking apartments.com but we're supposed to think he's actually Brad Bellflower, Silicon Valley icon. Until I saw that chyron the other day, I just thought it was Jeff Goldblum as celebrity spokesperson. Why the pretend backstory, apartments.com?

 

I know!  And the really creepy way he says "WIRRLD!"  Reminds me of Mortimer Snerd!

[pandora spocks]

Apple has released a series of ads that show how owning their 500.00 watch can make our lives better.  The ones that I remember are using it as a stopwatch, as a map if you're too fucking stupid to know where you are, a photo album to hold your itsy-bitsy photos,  a thermometer if you can't be bothered to call time and temperature, and playing tic-tac-toe.  Oh...it tells time, too!  Now doesn't that make you wanna dash out and get one?

[Actionmage]

I just saw that commercial and I felt really bad for the Wake creature.

 

I made sure to watch it a second time because  that woman gives lil' Wake such a bitchface when she turns over! I'm not always happy to be awake when my DH and pets are contentedly snoozing, but I don't take it out on innocent hallucinations either. I mean, during the day, the woman seems perfectly fine with the poor thing. Wake seems to also like her, as evidenced by the happy trotting behind The Woman and going straight to the Belsomra bed.

 

I wonder what she would do if : a) she was French and b) Wake was a bear? (Sorry; I read the last recap of Zoo. )

[erikdepressant]

Why do the Oreo commercials act like eating a few of their cookies helps us escape to a magic world of infinite, fun possibilities?  I can try eating a whole package and still not escape to a world where I don't hate life.

[bilgistic]

Nothing I eat doesn't make me hate life. I know; I've tried. Talenti gelato in double dark chocolate comes close, though.

[riley702]

Ooh, that sounds yummy!

[mojoween]

I have a question about the foot-activated lift gate. Does it worked if your car is locked? Because if not, and the reason you're trying to use your foot is because your hands are occupied, wouldn't you still need the key to unlock the car so you can use the foot operated lift gate? And at that point, if you have the key in your hand, wouldn't you just use the fob to open the trunk/hatch?

[Taylorh2]

I just saw a commercial for Little Caesars pizza, the guy standing at the counter says "Wow, this is  a lot less frustrating then ordering pizza online"

 

Each of his hands are punched through the back of two computer monitors (so you can see the keyboards). If he was sitting at the computer trying to order pizzas online, shouldn't his hands be through the front of the screens ?

[xaxat]

I have a question about the foot-activated lift gate. Does it worked if your car is locked? Because if not, and the reason you're trying to use your foot is because your hands are occupied, wouldn't you still need the key to unlock the car so you can use the foot operated lift gate? And at that point, if you have the key in your hand, wouldn't you just use the fob to open the trunk/hatch?

 

Some fobs use proximity activation. You don't need to pull it out of your pocket.

[Muffyn]

I just saw a commercial for Little Caesars pizza, the guy standing at the counter says "Wow, this is  a lot less frustrating then ordering pizza online"

 

Each of his hands are punched through the back of two computer monitors (so you can see the keyboards). If he was sitting at the computer trying to order pizzas online, shouldn't his hands be through the front of the screens ?

Maybe that's why he found it so difficult.  If he knew how to use a computer and didn't just keep trying to wave his hands over the back of the screen while shouting "I want pizza now!", he could have successfully ordered pizza. 

[mojoween]

Some fobs use proximity activation. You don't need to pull it out of your pocket.

Oh that's interesting, I was not aware of that feature. Which is probably why I don't work in R&D, heh.

[90PercentGravity]

Is this the same voice over guy from the Baby;s creepy ice cream monster commercial?

 

[revbfc]

"Not tonight, Berta. Not tonight!"

Did the people responsible for this ad know how ominous the script was?

[backformore]

I'm very confused about the man coming home to find the woman  in bed .  The man acts like she cheated on him, she acts all embarrassed to be IN BED UNDER THE COVERS with Red M&M.  Then Yellow M&M enters, he has been hiding in the closet, everyone is feeling betrayed.  

WTF?  

[Ubiquitous]

There's a new ad for Kool-Aid in which I guess kids are asking the Kool-Aid Man questions. There's this one in which he is asked about extreme sports (or something) and it cuts to him enthusiastically jumping on a trampoline while soaking some kids nearby with his innards that are sloshing all over the place.

[CarpeDiem54]

"Not tonight, Berta. Not tonight!"

http://youtu.be/Pp-AMyiYbNU

Did the people responsible for this ad know how ominous the script was?

That hit too close to home for me. That lady looks very much like my dear departed Mom just before she died.

And WTF is with "Nurses Heal"? Hospice nurses don't heal. They are there to make sure the patient is comfortable and not in pain. By the time you're in hospice care, you're beyond being healed. You're dying.

I'm very confused about the man coming home to find the woman in bed . The man acts like she cheated on him, she acts all embarrassed to be IN BED UNDER THE COVERS with Red M&M. Then Yellow M&M enters, he has been hiding in the closet, everyone is feeling betrayed.

WTF?

I don't understand that one either. Glad I'm not alone in being confused. Are the woman and Red M&M getting it on? Why is Yellow M&M hiding in the closet? Is there some kinky candy sex I'm missing out on? Edited August 10, 2015 by CarpeDiem54

[Rick Kitchen]

Red M&M is always involved in kinky candy sex.

[Ubiquitous]

And WTF is with "Nurses Heal"? Hospice nurses don't heal. They are there to make sure the patient is comfortable and not in pain. By the time you're in hospice care, you're beyond being healed. You're dying.

 

So it wasn't just me who thought about that.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Ubiquitous

[theatremouse]

Some fobs use proximity activation. You don't need to pull it out of your pocket.

Oh that's interesting, I was not aware of that feature. Which is probably why I don't work in R&D, heh.

The lift-gate thing is the combination of the two. You need to both have the fob in your pocket or otherwise close enough to the back of the vehicle when you do the foot-wavey action to activate it. If you just wave your foot, or just stand there with the fob, it won't open. But if you have the fob in pocket or bag while standing close enough, and wave your foot (or reach for the handle if you're not doing the foot-thing) then it unlocks.

[pandora spocks]

You know what, Mr. Ethnically Fickle Guy, who traded in his lederhosen for a kilt?  Ancestry.com loves customers like you who are in constanly search for their identity.  Before it's all said and done, your closet will be full of folk costumes.  The Germans are undoubtedly thrilled that you'll won't be wearing their lederhosen anytime soon.  You're only 55% Scots/Irish.  That means 45% of uncharted territory.  That kilt soon will be traded in for another costume on your next DNA excursion.

[mojoween]

I still can't believe ancestry.com does DNA testing.

[riley702]

"Not tonight, Berta. Not tonight!"

Did the people responsible for this ad know how ominous the script was?

Maybe Berta wants it to be tonight. It's not up to the nurse to decide when her dying patient goes. Maybe dragging it out longer will cause Berta pain. The nurse acts like her dying patient actually dying is some failure on her part. It's not about you, lady!

[Prevailing Wind]

My mom was in a nursing home, failing fast, and they kept pumping her with drugs that were supposed to heal her. At 93, with a broken hip, that wasn't gonna happen. I called in a hospice group to handle it.  The home's employee nurses were no longer in charge of dispensing meds & the hospice folks just dosed Mom with morphine to keep her pain free while she died.  The employee (healing) nurses were *very* upset that we did this.  One night I got a call, saying that my mom was non-responsive.  They kept repeating that, even after I asked, "Is she dead?"  "She's non-responsive."  Apparently, they're not allowed to say the word "dead."

 

And, oh, she was more than ready to go.  I felt so bad for her that she had to live so long in pain & misery, outliving her husband, her friends, her car, her bank account and her cat.  She even outlived two of her doctors.  We keep people alive way beyond logical reasonability. 

 

So, yeah, Hospice Nurse - let Berta go.  Open the window for her.

[Bastet]

"There comes a time when a dying man needs death the way a tired man needs sleep." -- Stewart Alsop

 

(Or, as it alternately gets quoted, "A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist.")

Edited August 10, 2015 by Bastet

[LoneHaranguer]

 

One night I got a call, saying that my mom was non-responsive.  They kept repeating that, even after I asked, "Is she dead?"  "She's non-responsive."  Apparently, they're not allowed to say the word "dead."

Sounds like a doctor hadn't declared it yet. Although they still avoid that word, there's other phrasing they use after it's official.

[revbfc]

Maybe Berta wants it to be tonight. It's not up to the nurse to decide when her dying patient goes. Maybe dragging it out longer will cause Berta pain. The nurse acts like her dying patient actually dying is some failure on her part. It's not about you, lady!

I took it as the nurse making sure Berta's soul can't escape when it leaves the body so she can steal it for nefarious purposes. THAT NURSE STEALS SOULS!!!

[Sandman87]

You know what, Mr. Ethnically Fickle Guy, who traded in his lederhosen for a kilt?  Ancestry.com loves customers like you who are in constanly search for their identity.  Before it's all said and done, your closet will be full of folk costumes.  The Germans are undoubtedly thrilled that you'll won't be wearing their lederhosen anytime soon.  You're only 55% Scots/Irish.  That means 45% of uncharted territory.  That kilt soon will be traded in for another costume on your next DNA excursion.

I'd be impressed if they could determine that he's 55% anything, because they'd have to be able to find ancestors going back at least to great-great-great-great grandparents in order to get that percentage.

[bilgistic]

There's a kit another site uses/used that takes DNA from saliva. You send off the kit and the scientists (or whatever) can tell you what percentage of your heritage is from what nationality. I've seen it on Who Do You Think You Are, maybe. The site that used that technology was having trouble; perhaps Ancestry bought them. I'm completely speculating.

[Brattinella]

I think sending off to get your DNA done is completely reckless and stupid.

[Rick Kitchen]

I think sending off to get your DNA done is completely reckless and stupid.

 

Why?

[Haleth]

My kids gave my husband an ancestry.com DNA kit for Fathers Day a few years ago.  We all thought it would tell him if he was related to historical figures.  Nope.  It only tells you what part of the world your ancestors likely came from, which we already knew, so it was pretty disappointing.

[Brattinella]

Because no one should know that but me and mine, not some anonymous database.

[90PercentGravity]

Why is this commercial so dark? Is that intentional? Was there a fire?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1kA5fIPfkw

[CarpeDiem54]

Why is this commercial so dark? Is that intentional? Was there a fire?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1kA5fIPfkw

WTF? Maybe they needed to block out the sun to hide David Hasselhoff's bad plastic surgery and aging looks? Dodge needs to stick with those cool Miami Vice type commercials and ditch this one.

[Brattinella]

Wow you weren't kidding about it being dark!  Hass looks pretty awful, and was that other guy Don Johnson?

[Moose135]

...was that other guy Don Johnson?

 

In the car? No, that's Richard Rawlings of "Gas Monkey Garage" - he's been in a series of Dodge ads.

[cynicat]

Red M&M is always involved in kinky candy sex.

 

I thought it was the green M&Ms that got their candy freak on.