Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Jamoche]

Although the ad came to my attention because of its annoyance factor, it's the question that it raised that brings me here: Do kids these days have any idea who the Flintstones are, or do they think they're like Tony the Tiger? The show ended when their grandparents were still children! It was in reruns when I was a kid but I haven't seen any trace of it in decades.

[smittykins]

They may see it on DVD or Cartoon Network/Boomerang.

[Brattinella]

Here is just today's schedule on Boomerang network.   Actually, there is a whole boatload of episodes, but I didn't want to get in trouble posting that.  So here are two eps today.

 

 

 

 

The Flintstones - Divided We Sail
Tomorrow, 2:00 AM   /    BOOM-E 316
Barney subs for Fred on a television game show after Fred's stage fright gets the better of him, and when Barney wins a houseboat, Fred argues that it should be his because Barney wouldn't have been there if it weren't for him.

The Flintstones - Kleptomania Caper
Tomorrow, 2:30 AM   /    BOOM-E 316
Wilma prepares to donate Fred's old mementos to a rummage sale and hides them in Barney's car so Fred won't see them, but Fred finds them and thinks his best friend stole them even though he can't explain why Barney would want any of them.

I'm very glad the kids still have access to stuff like this.  There are so many moments I will never forget like when Wilma was singing her "Burger Song" "When you call on the run, for a burger on a bun..."  And of course, "Grind, grind, grind, grind grind!"

ETA: Did anyone here participate in the National contest to name their baby, Pebbles?

Edited August 28, 2016 by Brattinella

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, Brattinella said:

ETA: Did anyone here participate in the National contest to name their baby, Pebbles?

 

My mom did.  She picked Pebbles as the name, but so did thousands of others.  I don't remember what the prize was.

Here's something funny:  I hadn't seen the Volvo ad until I saw it here.  Then yesterday I'm watching WWII in HD on the History Channel, and the ad was shown in almost every break. 

[Ubiquitous]

Why isn't the guy who gets in his car, only to have Samuel L. Jackson pop our of hiding in the back seat, scared witless and thinking he's about to get carjacked or robbed? :-D

[Brattinella]

19 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

My mom did.  She picked Pebbles as the name, but so did thousands of others.  I don't remember what the prize was.

Here's something funny:  I hadn't seen the Volvo ad until I saw it here.  Then yesterday I'm watching WWII in HD on the History Channel, and the ad was shown in almost every break. 

I did, too.  It was pretty exciting for a little girl, a big national contest!

[Ubiquitous]

Why is the guy in the "other brand" of automobile sent to his doom by having his car pushed into a car shredder?

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 8:42 PM, editorgrrl said:

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/ASxb/2016-volvo-xc90-wedding-song-by-sharon-van-etten

 

Can I just say, I hate this bloody song.  It makes me dive for the remote every time I hear it.

[Jamoche]

On August 28, 2016 at 3:44 AM, smittykins said:

They may see it on DVD or Cartoon Network/Boomerang.

Ah. I don't get Boomerang. I'm still curious if that's actually enough exposure to support the cereal brand; the annoying "yabba-dabba-do" ads don't show the characters at all.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 8/28/2016 at 2:53 AM, Jamoche said:

Do kids these days have any idea who the Flintstones are, or do they think they're like Tony the Tiger?

Apparently somebody thought there was enough of a following to release a new animated movie early last year.

[janie jones]

I'm surprised to learn that some thought the guy in the front seat in the Volvo commercial was the groom.  I always assumed he was the guy who took the pictures in the camera he's holding, therefore not the groom.  (I mean, I've never seen a bride and groom taking pictures at a wedding, but maybe I haven't been to the right weddings.)

[erikdepressant]

On 8/27/2016 at 3:29 PM, Red Bridey said:

Thank you, editorgrrl.  I guess I did not pick up on the nostalgic details in the commercial.  I'll have to rewatch.  Now I guess all I got is that Dad made bad food choices as a kid and passes them along to the next generation.  [Confession:  chicken nuggets and the sausage egg biscuit are the ONLY two items I will ever order at a McDonald's...and I have red hair, though mine is super curly]

The McDonald's commercial narrator says, "We all want what's best for our kids."  Oh, the irony.

[Ubiquitous]

I'm tired of seeing ads for the "Honda Clarence" event. Was it a real typo and there just happened to be a guy working there named Clarence who thinks it's about him, or did he somehow sabotage or modify the signage so his name was on them?

[Spunkygal]

23 hours ago, janie jones said:

I'm surprised to learn that some thought the guy in the front seat in the Volvo commercial was the groom.  I always assumed he was the guy who took the pictures in the camera he's holding, therefore not the groom.  (I mean, I've never seen a bride and groom taking pictures at a wedding, but maybe I haven't been to the right weddings.)

I've always thought that the two younger guys in the passenger seats are the bride's brothers (the one bro with the camera took pics for Facebook) and mom is driving because dad was too emotional the whole day and had one too many glasses of bubbly. The creepy thing to me is that while mom is driving her family presumably home, the dad/hubby lovingly caresses her shoulder and then mom, who is driving, watches him in the rear view mirror with a beautiful loving look on her face, but she keeps watching him....and watches.....and watches and never takes her eyes from the rear view mirror back to the road.Hey, blondie! You're driving your family! Get your eyes on the road or newly married daughter will be visiting you guys in the hospital....maybe that's the next Volvo commercials. 

[shapeshifter]

There's a commercial in which a young woman is on a woodsy trail bridge, hiking with her dog, who has a long stick in his mouth that is too wide for the foot path bridge. His owner says, "Come on, you can do it!" So after bashing the stick into the sides of the bridge several times, the dog finally gets enough sideways trots in to bring his owner the stick. She smiles rewards him with petting.
All I can think is: Poor doggie, that must hurt your teeth everytime the stick bashes into the bridge. Am I right? Or do dogs not mind/feel this?

[janie jones]

I think if dogs minded they'd do it less.

[proserpina65]

20 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

I'm tired of seeing ads for the "Honda Clarence" event. Was it a real typo and there just happened to be a guy working there named Clarence who thinks it's about him, or did he somehow sabotage or modify the signage so his name was on them?

It's Volkswagen, and yes, it's deliberately the year end "Clarence" event because the employee's name is Clarence.  One of the ads even features other salespeople talking about how they wished their names worked with a sales event.  They are really stupid commercial and make me want to never buy a Volkswagen.  So good job, commercials!

[ennui]

After the recent emissions scandal and fines, I don't imagine anyone wants to buy a Volkswagen.  

[proserpina65]

3 minutes ago, ennui said:

After the recent emissions scandal and fines, I don't imagine anyone wants to buy a Volkswagen.  

Eh, that wouldn't necessarily make a difference to me if the car and the price were right, but those commercials annoy me enough to be the final straw.

[janie jones]

The whole Clarence event is so stupid.  It'd be one thing if Clarence was like the owner of the company or something, but why would they do that if he was "just" a salesperson?

[bad things are bad]

Quote

After the recent emissions scandal and fines, I don't imagine anyone wants to buy a Volkswagen.  

Well, they're way down in August compared to last year, and August 2015 wasn't a great month for them either, so you're on to something. They'll have to really improve the ads if they want to come back in the US

[DeLurker]

If they had worked in a clearance Clarence or an over Under word play a la Airplane! I would have loved it beyond reason. 

[Eliot]

On 8/30/2016 at 10:08 PM, Spunkygal said:

I've always thought that the two younger guys in the passenger seats are the bride's brothers (the one bro with the camera took pics for Facebook) and mom is driving because dad was too emotional the whole day and had one too many glasses of bubbly. The creepy thing to me is that while mom is driving her family presumably home, the dad/hubby lovingly caresses her shoulder and then mom, who is driving, watches him in the rear view mirror with a beautiful loving look on her face, but she keeps watching him....and watches.....and watches and never takes her eyes from the rear view mirror back to the road.Hey, blondie! You're driving your family! Get your eyes on the road or newly married daughter will be visiting you guys in the hospital....maybe that's the next Volvo commercials. 

I am ashamed that I sought out and and viewed the extended version of this hideous ad, and upon viewing I came to the conclusion that one of the younger guys is the bride's brother and the other is his partner/husband. I'm pretty sure the one guy addresses Gloomy Dad as "Mr. Such-and-Such." So...okay, points to Volvo if that's the case. But, honestly, the rest of those people annoy me so much I don't have the appetite to go back and re-view to confirm.

Edited September 1, 2016 by Eliot

[callmebetty]

On 9/1/2016 at 3:48 PM, Eliot said:

I am ashamed that I sought out and and viewed the extended version of this hideous ad, and upon viewing I came to the conclusion that one of the younger guys is the bride's brother and the other is his partner/husband. I'm pretty sure the one guy addresses Gloomy Dad as "Mr. Such-and-Such." So...okay, points to Volvo if that's the case. But, honestly, the rest of those people annoy me so much I don't have the appetite to go back and re-view to confirm.

It also confirms in my mind that the gloomy dad and mom are/ were either divorced or separated and came together for the daughters wedding.  The extended version has him talking about going through rough patches or what not and to not give up. And the way he puts the ring back on his finger  (that is not in the edited version) made me say to myself ala Lucille Bluth  "I knew it". 

I always assumed the two dudes were the brothers but with the one calling gloomy dad Mr. ? Who knows who they are. But your theory is good.

And know I've officially spent too much time on this ad. And I'm not even going to buy a Volvo.

[mahidevran]

Commercial for the plant fertilizer HB-101. Not so much a head-scratcher in terms of internal logic, but in the sense of who in marketing thought this was good enough to air?

It is dreadfully, embarrassingly bad.

[AimingforYoko]

7 hours ago, mahidevran said:

Commercial for the plant fertilizer HB-101. Not so much a head-scratcher in terms of internal logic, but in the sense of who in marketing thought this was good enough to air?

It is dreadfully, embarrassingly bad.

 

Wait a minute, I think there was one stereotype they missed....It'll come to me, I know it....Got it! No anime!

[erikdepressant]

16 hours ago, mahidevran said:

Commercial for the plant fertilizer HB-101. Not so much a head-scratcher in terms of internal logic, but in the sense of who in marketing thought this was good enough to air?

It is dreadfully, embarrassingly bad.

I'm guessing it was aimed at people who grow their own weed.

"HB-101" sounds like something Congress would try to force through at the last minute.

Edited September 6, 2016 by erikdepressant

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, erikdepressant said:

I'm guessing it was aimed at people who grow their own weed.

"HB-101" sounds like something Congress would try to force through at the last minute.

I don't know anyone who grows their own weed, but the labels on the bottles look pretty suspect.

"Make all the plants super energetic!!"

[mahidevran]

12 hours ago, erikdepressant said:

I'm guessing it was aimed at people who grow their own weed.

I saw these in air in Oregon and Washington, so you may be on to something there.

There's another version of the ad which involves a swarm of ninja clones  (played by the same woman, who can now also fly), but I can't seem to find it online.

[xaxat]

So Tina Fey, who is probably worth tens of millions of dollars, flys coach?

Yeah, OK. 

[Brattinella]

The new Domino's ad with the "Dictator" who is insisting on salad, like it is her DUE?  Like everyone else will of COURSE agree that they are getting salad?  Yikes.

[DeLurker]

Must be related to yogurt bitch.

[theatremouse]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

So Tina Fey, who is probably worth tens of millions of dollars, flys coach?

Yeah, OK. 

Those seats do not look coach to me. Business class, maybe.

Although of wealthy celebs I can think of, if you tried to convince me one was spotted flying not-first-class, Tina Fey is one I would totally believe.

[ChromaKelly]

22 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I don't know anyone who grows their own weed, but the labels on the bottles look pretty suspect.

"Make all the plants super energetic!!"

Sounds like electrolytes for plants. It's what plants crave! 

[topanga]

The latest Heineken Light commercial shows Neil Patrick Harris talking to a guy at a barbecue grill, and they have a conversation about how it's not okay to "flip another man's meat." Is that a double entendre, or are they really talking about flipping ribs and burgers? 

[Moose135]

10 minutes ago, topanga said:

Is that a double entendre, or are they really talking about flipping ribs and burgers? 

I'm not sure I want to know either way...

[bilgistic]

I hate that ad, namely because it came on about 100 times during something I was watching the other night. I'm certain it's supposed to be jokey, but just comes off lame and frat bro-y. NPH wants to flip the dude's meat, hurr hurr. Gah.

[DeLurker]

Isn't he married and a Dad now? 

[proserpina65]

6 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Isn't he married and a Dad now? 

I kind of read that ad as a play on his Barney Stinson character from How I Met Your Mother.  Not that it makes the commercial any better.

[mojoween]

All that McDonald's ad with the split screen does is make me miss Grimace and Mayor McCheese and Birdie and the Fry Guys.

Also, the nuggets in the ad look incredibly unappetizing.

[cynicat]

On 9/5/2016 at 8:09 PM, erikdepressant said:

I'm guessing it was aimed at people who grow their own weed.

"HB-101" sounds like something Congress would try to force through at the last minute.

Oddly enough, there used to be a fabulous ear/skin medicine for dogs that was called HB-101.  Coincidence?  I wonder...

[erikdepressant]

On 8/16/2016 at 9:07 PM, BusyOctober said:

There's a new Toyota RAV4 ad with a camping couple and their dog.  The guys tosses a stick into the fast moving river for the dog to fetch.  The couple gets in their vehicle and chases the dog down stream.  Wet and tired dog swims out with stick and the guy throws it back into the water, but now it's the girl's turn to drive. So....I am not a dog owner, and I know there are some dogs who love being in water, but I think the guy and his GF are dicks for joy riding while their dog is potentially drowning.

 

On 8/20/2016 at 5:23 PM, ennui said:

I saw this commercial last night. It is awful, I agree with you. That dog looks exhausted. The Toyota folks should be ashamed.

There's a petition at Change.org to have it removed, if anyone would like to sign. 

https://www.change.org/p/toyota-motor-company-the-removal-of-the-toyota-rav-4-commercial-depicting-animal-cruelty-a0dc9ad2-b734-4192-93a2-a7a14676e47f

I finally saw that commercial.

I am pretty sure that is the same actor AND DOG from the annoying Milk Bone commercials.

[Brattinella]

GAH!  Horrible unfunny commercial!  I even wrote to them, they pretty much said "Oh well..."

[bilgistic]

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

All that McDonald's ad with the split screen does is make me miss Grimace and Mayor McCheese and Birdie and the Fry Guys.

Also, the nuggets in the ad look incredibly unappetizing.

Whoever came up with the names "Mayor McCheese" and "Hamburglar" is a genius.

McNuggets are made in four shapes.

[mojoween]

5 hours ago, erikdepressant said:

 

I finally saw that commercial.

 

I am pretty sure that is the same actor AND DOG from the annoying Milk Bone commercials.

 

The actor tweeted it was the same dog but he said it was a coincidence.  (I follow him because he was the delightful Meatball in "Hart of Dixie".  I don't generally follow people on commercials, heh.)

[GaT]

I have no words

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AKkZ/peter-popoff-ministries-miracle-spring-water

[Moose135]

7 hours ago, GaT said:

I have no words

I do - fraud, scam, thief, con man...

Best line I've seen related to this guy:

If there is a hell, Popoff will be Satan’s used car salesman.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I really want to like the Secret commercial with the young girl preparing to ask her boss for a raise, but was it necessary to dress her as a cross between a mousy unpolished equivalent of Clark Kent and someone who should be on What Not to Wear?  If she's going to talk to the bigwigs, shouldn't she look a bit more put together?

[smittykins]

Peter Popoff is a tragic waste of a porn name.

[bilgistic]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

I have no words

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AKkZ/peter-popoff-ministries-miracle-spring-water

Those commercials have been on TV for YEARS. Ask me how I feel about religion.