Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Rick Kitchen]

There's an ad for something, whatever it is, I don't remember, but there's a pregnant woman who's telling her unborn child that she's the only one who knows what her heart sounds like from the inside.  I'm sorry, the baby isn't inside your heart.

[stillhere1900]

12 minutes ago, Rick Kitchen said:

There's an ad for something, whatever it is, I don't remember, but there's a pregnant woman who's telling her unborn child that she's the only one who knows what her heart sounds like from the inside.  I'm sorry, the baby isn't inside your heart.

Jesus H. Christ!!!!!  My eyes just rolled so far into the back of me head.

[smittykins]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I totally understand why she's still there - the drug controls the symptoms, doesn't "cure" the disease. Notice how the character says you can't go to a meeting because you're going to be in distress before the drug, but after the drug becomes cooperative and helpful. My husband has ulcerative colitis. It's controlled with medication - stop the meds and the symptoms return. It's not like an antibiotic that kills bacteria and isn't needed after the bacteria are gone. It's a chronic condition that cannot be cured, but symptoms can be controlled/alleviated.

It's like that one ad for depression medication which showed a black cloud-like thing following a lady around, and at the end, it was still there, but smaller(became more manageable).

[GaT]

I get that the guy is a recurring character from the commercials, but the whole big thing about the Ghostbusters reboot is that it's an all female cast. Why are they using a male Ghostbuster in the commercial? Shouldn't they have made Flo the Ghostbuster? Then they could have made the 2 guys from the other agency the ghosts.

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

[Ubiquitous]

What's the deal with the forced perspective ads for Lexus?

[Sandman87]

On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 10:30 PM, GaT said:

I get that the guy is a recurring character from the commercials, but the whole big thing about the Ghostbusters reboot is that it's an all female cast. Why are they using a male Ghostbuster in the commercial? Shouldn't they have made Flo the Ghostbuster? Then they could have made the 2 guys from the other agency the ghosts.

Not exactly confidence-inspiring that they make an explicit reference to their spokesperson being a slimer.

[Rick Kitchen]

I can't find video, but there's a McDonald's ad where this guy and girl are talking on the commuter train (or is it a bus?) and the girl says, "This is your stop."  And he acknowledges it, and asks if maybe they could get breakfast together some time.  She agrees, and says, "Some day," like she's trying to let him down gently.  And then he shows up with McDonald's breakfast, and says, "It's someday."  And the girl looks horrified, and puts on a fake smile and says, "Yeah, it is."

Am I reading too much into this, or is she looking like she's afraid he's stalking her?

[theatremouse]

On 6/30/2016 at 10:30 PM, GaT said:

I get that the guy is a recurring character from the commercials, but the whole big thing about the Ghostbusters reboot is that it's an all female cast. Why are they using a male Ghostbuster in the commercial? Shouldn't they have made Flo the Ghostbuster? Then they could have made the 2 guys from the other agency the ghosts.

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

At the end he's playing with the action figures...so I think the point they were going for here was less about the gender of the new cast/film but moreso about (as you noted) that recurring character, and that he is more the type to play with action figures than Flo, and that he is casting her as the ghost. So in this particular case I don't think the point was so much "using a male ghostbuster" as it was "using one of Flo's existing colleagues playing with toys and imagining himself busting her". Of course, that doesn't mean there wasn't some other way they could've done this ad that didn't involve that specific premise to have a dream sequence in which the various Progressive characters are a ghost+Ghostbuster in a scene, but I do think this one was going for something more about the power dynamic between Flo and the dude who doesn't get sprinkles because he's not a winner.

And now I'm disgusted at myself for putting this much thought into it.

Edited July 4, 2016 by theatremouse

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 0:59 AM, Rick Kitchen said:

I can't find video, but there's a McDonald's ad where this guy and girl are talking on the commuter train (or is it a bus?) and the girl says, "This is your stop."  And he acknowledges it, and asks if maybe they could get breakfast together some time.  She agrees, and says, "Some day," like she's trying to let him down gently.  And then he shows up with McDonald's breakfast, and says, "It's someday."  And the girl looks horrified, and puts on a fake smile and says, "Yeah, it is."

Am I reading too much into this, or is she looking like she's afraid he's stalking her?

Well, that's probably not what McDonald's was going for in the ad, but I definitely see the vibe.

[xaxat]

On 7/1/2016 at 1:30 AM, GaT said:

I get that the guy is a recurring character from the commercials, but the whole big thing about the Ghostbusters reboot is that it's an all female cast. Why are they using a male Ghostbuster in the commercial? Shouldn't they have made Flo the Ghostbuster? Then they could have made the 2 guys from the other agency the ghosts.

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

The NBA tie in ads also featured men as Ghostbusters (Kobe, Spike Lee etc.) even as the league is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the WNBA.

And, of course, Papa John stars as a Ghostbuster in his own ads. 

Haven't seen any tie ins featuring women.

[Brattinella]

What does Spike Lee have to do with the NBA?

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Brattinella said:

What does Spike Lee have to do with the NBA?

He famously interacts with NY Knicks players, they trash talk back and forth during games.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 0:59 AM, Rick Kitchen said:

I can't find video, but there's a McDonald's ad where this guy and girl are talking on the commuter train (or is it a bus?) and the girl says, "This is your stop."  And he acknowledges it, and asks if maybe they could get breakfast together some time.  She agrees, and says, "Some day," like she's trying to let him down gently.  And then he shows up with McDonald's breakfast, and says, "It's someday."  And the girl looks horrified, and puts on a fake smile and says, "Yeah, it is."

Am I reading too much into this, or is she looking like she's afraid he's stalking her?

How long has he been holding that bag of McDonald's food for this moment? Yuck.

[SmithW6079]

The new Corona ad has me scratching my head. A can of Corona escapes from a man's groceries, goes bouncing around town before it rolls onto the beach, where someone else puts it in his cooler.

This is the short version:

However, all I could think about is the unlucky individual who's going to open that can, which brought to mind this scene from "The Simpsons":

Edited July 8, 2016 by SmithW6079

[smittykins]

It makes me think of the old Chef Boyardee commercial with the can following the little girl home from the store, which makes me wonder if her mom will accuse her of shoplifting it.

[frenchtoast]

8 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

The new Corona ad has me scratching my head. A can of Corona escapes from a man's groceries, goes bouncing around town before it rolls onto the beach, where someone else puts it in his cooler.

This is the short version:

 

However, all I could think about is the unlucky individual who's going to open that can, which brought to mind this scene from "The Simpsons":

 

That was the first thing out of my 10 year old daughter's mouth when she saw that commercial. That and why there was no sand/dirt on that can after all the rolling around on the ground. 

[Watcher0363]

On 7/6/2016 at 4:13 PM, Brattinella said:

What does Spike Lee have to do with the NBA?

Really! Really? Mars Blackmon!!!! Air Jordan's would not be the same without Mars Blackmon.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Watcher0363

[Brattinella]

46 minutes ago, Watcher0363 said:

Really! Really? Mars Blackmon!!!! Air Jordan's would not be the same without Mars Blackmon.

I barely know what Air Jordans are, and the rest is just not in my world.

[InDueTime]

How is he able to butt dial when the phone screen is facing away from his butt?

[riley702]

Not to mention, I can't get my damned phone buttons to work when wearing gloves, so how is denim able to dial?

[Prevailing Wind]

I had a flip phone (got a new one) that would randomly dial people while it was closed & in my pocket. It called my voicemail, my sister-in-law (who's on speed dial) - and those two I can sort of accept, but to scroll down my contacts to get to "TLA" in the contact list & dial Terry not only once, but THRICE ???  She said the first two times, she was busy, so she sort of ignored it, figuring if it were important, I'd call back.  I never knew the phone was dialing her - it didn't show up in my "outgoing calls" list.

So...butt-dialing isn't always butt-dialing.  (Although, I get that the commercial claims this IS a case of butt-dialing.)

[smittykins]

Not butt-dialing, but my last phone(LG Optimus Exceed)had a penchant for taking pocket pictures, and this was with a passcode required to unlock it.  I once had to delete over 400 images of fuzzy blueness from my Photobucket.

[janie jones]

Gah, take two seconds to just turn down the volume on your phone when it rings when your boyfriend is clearly about to propose.

[mojoween]

This may be because I was fat, and now I'm not as fat but not slender like the lady in the ad, but in that commercial for a drug for something where they have one kale or one strawberry and the lady does one sit up, I can't figure out how she can do a sit up without something anchoring her feet to the floor.

That's all I can focus on.  Is she doing a CGI sit up?

[Brattinella]

I think, way back in ancient times, I used to do sit-ups with bent knees and didn't need help.  I may be misremembering, though.

[Bastet]

I don't have anything holding down my feet when I do sit-ups.  But now you've given me another excuse to avoid doing them!

[ennui]

17 hours ago, janie jones said:

Gah, take two seconds to just turn down the volume on your phone when it rings when your boyfriend is clearly about to propose.

Or, turn it off.

[Brattinella]

24 minutes ago, ennui said:

Or, turn it off.

That is a GREAT idea, for whenever you are interacting with an actual human being!

[Aquarius]

On 7/8/2016 at 0:55 PM, riley702 said:

Not to mention, I can't get my damned phone buttons to work when wearing gloves, so how is denim able to dial?

It's not the denim.  It's the butt muscles or something.  My husband butt dialed my work number from the SuperCuts where he gets his hair cut.  :Left a 2-minute voicemail message, which was as exciting as the old "Was the box corrugated?" commercial from Verizon.  I had no idea how to fast-forward the message and the system wouldn't let me delete it until I listened to whole . . .  two . . . minutes.  I never believed in the phenomenon of butt-dialing until that message. 

[Sandman87]

Sarah Michelle Gellar telling me that a lotion "reaches all of my nooks and crannies that my fingers can't reach", followed by someone else informing us that it's even better than "using both hands" communicates a message that's probably not what the manufacturer intended...I sincerely hope.

[Jamoche]

Just when you thought eHarmony couldn't get any creepier - one woman is telling another one about how her husband-to-be will ride up on a white horse with a pink feather. Before I could start eyerolling, the eHarm president peeks around and asks if she's tried eHarm - and then a little boy bounces past on a white hobby-horse with a pink feather. Ewwwww.

[ennui]

27 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

Just when you thought eHarmony couldn't get any creepier - one woman is telling another one about how her husband-to-be will ride up on a white horse with a pink feather. Before I could start eyerolling, the eHarm president peeks around and asks if she's tried eHarm - and then a little boy bounces past on a white hobby-horse with a pink feather. Ewwwww.

I kind of like that ad.  The girl then says that the feather was supposed to be for the horse (or vice versa, I forget).

[backformore]

On ‎7‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 5:35 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

I had a flip phone (got a new one) that would randomly dial people while it was closed & in my pocket. It called my voicemail, my sister-in-law (who's on speed dial) - and those two I can sort of accept, but to scroll down my contacts to get to "TLA" in the contact list & dial Terry not only once, but THRICE ???  She said the first two times, she was busy, so she sort of ignored it, figuring if it were important, I'd call back.  I never knew the phone was dialing her - it didn't show up in my "outgoing calls" list.

So...butt-dialing isn't always butt-dialing.  (Although, I get that the commercial claims this IS a case of butt-dialing.)

I've never butt-dialed, but My purse frequently decides to make calls for me. 

[Jamoche]

3 hours ago, ennui said:

I kind of like that ad.  The girl then says that the feather was supposed to be for the horse (or vice versa, I forget).

It might be cute if it were for any other product, but the eHarmony guy is creepy.

[Broken Ox]

Am I supposed to think this guy's about to commit suicide? Because I'm pretty sure he's about to floor it.

 

Edited July 10, 2016 by Broken Ox

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, Broken Ox said:

Am I supposed to think this guy's about to commit suicide? Because I'm pretty sure he's about to floor it.

I got that SAME feeling seeing this ad last night!  And what are they selling again?

[janie jones]

21 hours ago, ennui said:

Or, turn it off.

At least on my phone, it's way fewer steps to turn the volume down (volume button) than it is to turn it off, especially when receiving a call (decline the call, unlock the screen, hit the power button, confirm that you want to turn it off), so when your boyfriend is already down on one knee, I still say it's better to just silence the phone.

[Sandman87]

There's a perfectly good fountain right behind her that she could toss the phone in...

[ennui]

On 7/10/2016 at 9:25 AM, Brattinella said:

I got that SAME feeling seeing this ad last night!  And what are they selling again?

Volvo. Volvos have a reputation for being excellent in a crash, so maybe they are going to wreck it.

I still think this guy needs to man up. Sheesh.

13 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

There's a perfectly good fountain right behind her that she could toss the phone in...

But then she couldn't record a video of the proposal, and take a selfie with her new ring. Every moment of one's life must be recorded and posted on the 'net.

[peacheslatour]

The latest on my list of WTF: Honey Bunches Of Oats has a commercial where this guy is talking about working at a place where they make "surl". WTF.

[meep.meep]

What I'm scratching my head over:  1) nobody reacts to Jon Bon Jovi just showing up in their living rooms.  2) they are going to go back in time and say goodbye to Grampy and Tim.  Grampy shows up, but where is Tim?  Who is worried about Tim?  Just me?

[peacheslatour]

Lol.I thought it was Grampy Tim. I'll have to listen more closely next time.

[ennui]

I think it's Grampy Tim (no "and").  And it's a sad thought that doesn't belong in their stupid commercial.

[meep.meep]

It's definitely sung as "Grampy plunk Tim" and I guess I heard the plunk as "and".  If not, Bon Jovi is just stretching out the "Grampy" to excessive lengths, which is admittedly part of his style.

But still, Jon Bon Jovi is magically teleported into people's living rooms, and nobody wants to take a selfie?  Or call someone?

[ABay]

Like the police.

[Brattinella]

I wouldn't.

[riley702]

He really has aged well.

[editorgrrl]

On July 11, 2016 at 3:38 PM, peacheslatour said:

The latest on my list of WTF: Honey Bunches Of Oats has a commercial where this guy is talking about working at a place where they make "surl". WTF.

Vince Krizan is saying "cereal." (He works in Michigan, but I don't know if he grew up there.)

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7iQL/honey-bunches-of-oats-one-of-the-perks

[peacheslatour]

I realize he's attempting to say cereal, but it just sounds so stupid. Is that the way they pronounce it in Michigan? My family is from Western Pennsyltuckey, so I've heard some dumb pronunciations in my life. There is another Honey Bunches Of Oats commercial where this guy says he always looks for his number on the boxes at the store. He says something like "If you see the number 4FCC, that's me!" I always mutter "FCC are not numbers" and then I go back to smoking and plotting revenge, which are my hobbies.

[Jamoche]

Just saw a life insurance ad where one woman is slurring her words so badly that "cancel" becomes "cassl".