Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Ubiquitous]

Why do they always refer to the type of car that is involved in your accident? "tap the bumper of a station wagon" Oh, it's just a station wagon? Oh, well then, no biggie.

Perhaps the morons are driving a small car and know enough about physics to know their car won't damage one with greater mass?

I need to share my shame somewhere. A close friend is in a commercial with Guy Fieri. While I am happy she will have a national commercial, I cannot condone any more Fieri sightings. The horror of Fieri continues, against all logical reasoning. Why, oh why, is this man on TV?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh4SpwwHIYU

Guy won "Who Wants to be the Next Food Network Star" show one year and hasn't vanished since (unlike the Hearty Boys, who knew what they're doing...). Anyhow, Guy reminds me of the Simpsons ep in which an obnoxious talking dog was added b/c the execs thought he was edgy, hip, and popular. We used to mercilessly mock his first show, in which he "cooked" and made sugary boozy drinks in his mother's basement with his loser friends, on TVwoP. If memory serves, he says he makes things like meat lasagna with pepperoni b/c his parents were health nuts. Whoah, what a rebel! Edited September 1, 2015 by Ubiquitous

[Ubiquitous]

OMG! What's this new horror? No, bitch, I won't smell your sweat soaked shirt and I don't care what you washed it in. I'm sure your b.o. has cancelled out whatever sweet smelling crap you threw in your washer.

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/736s/downy-fresh-protect-running-test

Actually, fresh sweat doesn't stink (some might say it smells good). It's after aging in a locker for a couple days that it smells bad.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I just recognized who played the whiny nag of a wife in the State Farm 'Jake' commercials. It's Jane Curtin! My god, I didn't even recognize her XD. And Dan Aykroyd was in it too. I just recognized them in the latter 'Conehead' version thanks to an article about them.

 

Here's the article.

 

Source: brandchannel.com

[TattleTeeny]

I roll my eyes whenever a call center is featured in a commercial.  Many companies do this: they show a sleek communications hub where ultraprofessionals interact with bleeding-edge technology.  Bonus points for animated diagrams on the monitors.  They also love giant maps on screens in the front of the room.  If you've ever worked in a call center, you know it's actually a maze of old, dirty workstations, populated by desperate people who had no choice but to apply there.  It's a miserable environment; employee turnover is so bad, a call center will hire anyone (and I mean anyone) who can speak, read, and type.

 

I started at the entry-level call center of my job; now I make a very decent salary--even by North Jersey standards--that allowed me to buy myself a home and a car (a year-old one because, unlike those damn Liberty Mutual fools, I sort of understand how depreciation works) with very little stress (other than that which is naturally rooted in my personality, that is). I'm happy to say that the same is true for many of the longterm employees I met there, who are now my close friends.

 

That said, while we certainly did not work in the super-high-tech, glass-enclosed, laser-operated space-age mission-control room shown in commercials--and while there was definitely a maze vibe--it was neither dirty nor desperate. I will admit that "miserable" is sometimes apt because, ugh, why are other people so stupid so often?!

Edited August 30, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[Cobalt Stargazer]

What bugs me about most commercials is they seem to be made by people who just don't think about them.  I think what happens is advertisers know that people hate commercials and will FF past them if they have a DVR, so they want to make something that will catch the eye because they know that MOST people don't really think about them.

 

For instance, the Toyota commercial, Jan started off as a receptionist, now she's selling cars.  If I mention that to most people, they look at me like, "Girl, you are over thinking that shit," because they'll half heartedly watch the commercial.  I may watch a little too closely because I'm asking myself, "what ideas are they trying to sell me?"  I think about this whenever I see a commercial where the husband is completely incompetent when it comes to household chores, or makes stupid purchases in a store.  It's like those commercials say that men are just like little boys and women have to always be the mother, which is a terrible way of looking at marriage IMO.

 

More than that, its a terrible way to look at people, because in counterpoint to most commercial husbands being complete idiots, the wives tend to be naggy whiners or condescending shrews. I can't fathom what would happen if an ad agency flipped the script so that the woman in the ad is a moron while the guy is an overbearing know-it-all.  Implying that an entire gender can't handle basic tasks like shopping and housecleaning? Blah-blah, gender roles, its the lack of intelligence that stands out to me, not the antiquated idea that only women are "supposed" to handle domestic issues.

[Neurochick]

 

More than that, its a terrible way to look at people, because in counterpoint to most commercial husbands being complete idiots, the wives tend to be naggy whiners or condescending shrews. I can't fathom what would happen if an ad agency flipped the script so that the woman in the ad is a moron while the guy is an overbearing know-it-all.  Implying that an entire gender can't handle basic tasks like shopping and housecleaning? Blah-blah, gender roles, its the lack of intelligence that stands out to me, not the antiquated idea that only women are "supposed" to handle domestic issues.

 

True, because what I wonder when I see those commercials is, "why would an intelligent woman marry a man who can't even handle a basic task like shopping?"  My mom went into the hospital for surgery when I was eight years old.  Now my dad didn't know how to roll my hair up; but he'd been in the army, he lived on his own for years, he knew how to cook and how to shop for food.  I doubt that most men today go from their parents home to living with a partner.  

[TattleTeeny]

When I was very little, my mom and dad were in a bad car accident, resulting in my mom being in the hospital for a week or so. My achy, sore dad took over and was fine (granted, he had a fairly large role in day-to-day caretaking anyway, especially for the early '70s)...though he did fall for it when I said that my mother ALWAYS let me eat Cookie Crisp cereal (or maybe he was just picking his battles...or spoiling me). And that's how I learned to tie shoes; he couldn't bend to do his at the time, so he taught me.

[BubblingKettle]

It really bugs me that this woman sounds like she's trying to swallow her own tongue when she says the /r/ sound.  Is it a regional thing? A speech therapy overcorrection? Mute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHnDHMOuV5w

Edited August 30, 2015 by CoolWhipLite

[BW Manilowe]

Perhaps the morons are driving a small car and know enough about physics to know their car won't damage one with greater mass?

Guy won "Who Wants to be the Next Food Network Star" show one year and hasn't vanished since (unlike the Hearty Boys, who know what they're doing...). Anyhow, Guy reminds me of the Simpsons ep in which an obnoxious talking dog was added b/c then execs thought he was edgy, hip, and popular. We used to mercilessly mock his first show, in which he "cooked" and made sugary boozy drinks in his mother's basement with his loser friends, on TVwoP. If memory serves, he says he makes things like meat lasagna with pepperoni b/c his parents were health nuts.whoah, what a rebel!

At the time Guy won, the show was actually just called The Next Food Network Star; in it's most recent seasons, including this season, it's just been called Food Network Star. Guy hasn't disappeared because Food Network keeps giving him new shows to do. Whether the Hearty Boys (& other FNS winners, except Amy Finley, who did leave of her own accord) disappeared by their choice or because Food Network didn't give them new opportunities beyond their FNS Winner's show, who knows?

Edited August 30, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[CarpeDiem54]

It really bugs me that this woman sounds like she's trying to swallow her own tongue when she says the /r/ sound.  Is it a regional thing? A speech therapy overcorrection? Mute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHnDHMOuV5w

I absolutely cannot stand that AutoNation bitch. Her speech patterns drive me insane and are an instant mute on the remote. I think she thinks she sounds cute or enthusiastic or sophisticated. I'll never buy a car from them because of her.

[Prevailing Wind]

I just recognized who played the whiny nag of a wife in the State Farm 'Jake' commercials. It's Jane Curtin! My god, I didn't even recognize her XD. And Dan Aykroyd was in it too. I just recognized them in the latter 'Conehead' version thanks to an article about them.

 

Here's the article.

 

Source: brandchannel.com

Well, that just refers to the Conehead versions. The original "State of Unrest" was Justin Campbell as the husband, Caryne Shea as the harpy and Jake Stone as Jake.  Makes me wonder if they originally had another name, but just went with the actor's own name when they realized "Jake from State Farm" sounded pretty good.

[JudyObscure]

It really bugs me that this woman sounds like she's trying to swallow her own tongue when she says the /r/ sound.  Is it a regional thing? A speech therapy overcorrection? Mute.
https://www.youtube....h?v=CHnDHMOuV5w

 

I thought maybe she was a pirate.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Well, that just refers to the Conehead versions. The original "State of Unrest" was Justin Campbell as the husband, Caryne Shea as the harpy and Jake Stone as Jake.  Makes me wonder if they originally had another name, but just went with the actor's own name when they realized "Jake from State Farm" sounded pretty good.

 

Ah I see. Didn't know that.

[bilgistic]

Most commercials wouldn't be so bad if they weren't repeated at every single break when I watch streaming content. I now want to murder the Belvita guy, whoever made up Arby's "we have the meats" slogan and the woman on the Honda commercial who says, "You'll see why we call it 'Clearance'!", as she looks goofily to the cars being driven off the lot.

[riley702]

I hear my upstairs neighbor's radio, TV, alarm clock, and his big ol' thunderfeet. 

That's funny. When I moved to my current apartment, I dubbed my then unseen upstairs neighbor "Thunder Lizard" because I figured it had to be some monstrously big person to hear EVERY step they took across the floor, especially since I don't hear much else from them. In fact, they scared the shit out of me that first night when I was awakened at 3 am by what sounded like someone coming down MY hall to MY bedroom. Nope, just TL coming in late. I've since met her, and she's a very nice, very normal-sized person. We just have a very shitty floor/ceiling separating us.

Edited August 31, 2015 by riley702

[peacheslatour]

O.k., I just saw one for Tide with "Amber".  Jebus, her halting speech, constant "uh's" and worst of all, she names her baby "Paxton".

WTF?

[Maharincess]

GMTA!! I was just about to post this very THING! Who the hell is Brooke Burke? Just a made-up celebrity. Like the Kardashians.

I agree that 'emoji' IS a cutesy-poo word, and I'm glad I don't have to deal with them. I have a dinosaur phone, and am PROUD of it!

What does GMTA mean?

And just a few years ago there were workout pants, knit pants, jogging suits, and before that, sweatpants. Each version is comfortable, and ok for some settings, but not others. What makes me crazy is that even for exercise clothes, women are supposed to keep up with trends.

I don't own yoga pants because, even though I go to the gym, my ass looks better in pants that are not quite as form-fitting.

I think people should be able to wear anything they want and not have to worry about what anybody else thinks. I don't understand why anybody cares about what somebody else wears.

I don't mean you backformore, just people in general. If I'm out shopping I never pay attention to what anybody else is wearing, its their business what they want to wear.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Maharincess

[Brattinella]

Great Minds Think Alike.

[mojoween]

DirecTV NO. Andrew Luck is not half charismatic enough to be an ad man. He can't follow Peyton's footsteps in everything for cod's sack.

When I listened to that wretched Domino's commercial earlier, I started to hear her say "pizz emoji." Either way, girl cannot enunciate.

[ennui]

Getting back to receptionist Jan at Toyota (?), the last time I was at my dealership, I asked the receptionist about the two cars in the showroom. She had no clue. The cars are right in front of her, like five feet away. But, she did offer to find a salesperson, which makes sense. Salespeople work on commission, the receptionist does not, and I'm sure there are job boundaries.

Edited September 1, 2015 by ennui

[merylinkid]

 

DirecTV NO. Andrew Luck is not half charismatic enough to be an ad man. He can't follow Peyton's footsteps in everything for cod's sack.

 

I don't get the uncontrolled beard Luck.    I mean besides the fact Luck looks like a really tall leprechaun.    What the hell does not have DirectTv have to do with whether or not you have a long beard?   It was like overly hairy Rob Lowe, one had nothing to do with the other.   

 

Now, even though Petite Randy Moss has nothing to do with not having DirectTv, I do find it funny.  I'm short so getting stuff off the top shelf at the grocery store is a challenge.   I've been know to ask random strangers to help me.   

[Prevailing Wind]

 

If I'm out shopping I never pay attention to what anybody else is wearing, its their business what they want to wear.

And thus we have http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

 

You might want some eye bleach before you open that link.

[Maharincess]

Thank you Bratinella.

That website is so mean. Who gives a crap what anybody wants to wear? More power to them for not caring what anybody thinks and wearing what they want to wear.

I think that's a lot better than conforming to the latest styles and caring what strangers think of you.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Maharincess

[Bastet]

Wow.  That site is horrible!  Even where faces aren't shown, I find it shameful to post that stuff for the world to see.  Yeah, they're out in public.   Yeah, they know there are security cameras - and people with camera phones who get a kick out of tearing others down - but, come on. 

 

While I'll certainly grant there are a number of "Really, someone wore that into a store?" photos, in the pages I looked at there were even more photos/comments that were simply weight shaming and chastising people for not conforming to gender stereotypes.  I won't give a dime to Wal-Mart, but of my myriad objections to it, the clothing - and especially the body types - of its customers don't make the list. 

 

Back to commercials, I, too, could do without the Andrew Luck commercial ... because Andrew Luck bugs the crap out of me, for some reasons I can articulate and many I can't.  I just have a visceral dislike for the guy. 

Edited September 1, 2015 by Bastet

[bubbls]

That's funny. When I moved to my current apartment, I dubbed my then unseen upstairs neighbor "Thunder Lizard" because I figured it had to be some monstrously big person to hear EVERY step they took across the floor, especially since I don't hear much else from them. In fact, they scared the shit out of me that first night when I was awakened at 3 am by what sounded like someone coming down MY hall to MY bedroom. Nope, just TL coming in late. I've since met her, and she's a very nice, very normal-sized person. We just have a very shitty floor/ceiling separating us.

 

 

I'm going to be laughing about this for a week. Did you tell her you'd nicknamed her Thunder Lizard?

[photo fox]

Okay, guys, I need everyone to get this train back on the right track, which is commercials.

If you want to talk about why you hate/love yoga pants, or why you hate/love your insurance company, etc., feel free to head over to the Small Talk thread that's pinned at the top of the Commercials forum.

As for SNAP, that's veering into political discussion. And I'm less-than-comfortable with some of the posts that were hidden in general. Let's steer clear of making assumptions about people - good or bad - based on their economic status.

[FortKnox]

Remember that Wa-Mart ad that talked about how they're paying the workers? Well to the shock of no one a report came out that they're cutting hours.

[peacheslatour]

I wouldn't set foot in a Wal-Mart if you paid me.  The Waltons are vile, evil people.

 

Just saw a Cascade ad where the idiot husband buys the wrong kind of dishwasher detergent and his bitch wife snots about it and he says "looks like I'm going back to the store" and she's like "you are going back to the store".  Good god, why are they so intent on making men and women so stupid (men) and mean.(women).

[riley702]

I'm going to be laughing about this for a week. Did you tell her you'd nicknamed her Thunder Lizard?

Oh, gosh, no!

[iMonrey]

 

Implying that an entire gender can't handle basic tasks like shopping and housecleaning? Blah-blah, gender roles, its the lack of intelligence that stands out to me, not the antiquated idea that only women are "supposed" to handle domestic issues.

 

Even now in the 21st century, the prevailing belief at ad agencies is that women do the shopping and/or make the purchasing decisions in a family. So all those ads where the husband is a useless man-child and the woman has to play mommy to his adolescent behavior - those ads are actually geared towards women. Apparently ad agencies think making fun of how stupid and useless husbands are will appeal to women shoppers. Like they'll be able to relate to this.

 

It's funny because in jewelry ads the men are always so suave and handsome and romantic and all the women swoon over the man "going to Jared" or wherever the hell he goes to buy the expensive jewelry or engagement rings. Then once they get married suddenly the man is a useless tool who doesn't even know how to put the toilet paper on the roll. Funny how quickly men de-volve into cavemen once they get married huh?

[CherZ]

I saw it mentioned a few pages back along with the other Liberty Mutual ads but damn that "Brad" car chick has got to GO!

 

Her community theater style acting along with the stupid scripted lines make me want to punch somebody hard. And I'm a pacifist!

[mojoween]

The dearly departed Brad's owners facial expressions make me think she can go from happy to bunny boiler in 2 seconds.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

Here's a critique of another car ad with good reasons to hate it

http://jalopnik.com/this-acura-ad-is-so-crammed-full-of-horseshit-i-cant-ev-1728207433

[TattleTeeny]

HATE HATE HATE the way he has to look at his hand before he punches his fist into it...as if worried he he might miss!

"Depreciation they claim" AS IF THEY ARE LYING ABOUT IT.

And that last stupid line, which he totally blows: "Ask yourself why you HAVE that INSURANCE company" Just the most feeble acting ever.

 

And why does he suddenly get a slight Scottish accent when he says, "...before the first oil change, ya ask?"

 

I saw it mentioned a few pages back along with the other Liberty Mutual ads but damn that "Brad" car chick has got to GO!

 

And look at her when she says, "You loved Brad. And then you totaled him." It's the eyes of the devil, I tell you.

 

The dearly departed Brad's owners facial expressions make me think she can go from happy to bunny boiler in 2 seconds.

 

Haha! I typed before seeing this; we are very much in agreement on this because yikes.

Edited September 2, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[proserpina65]

Emoji are actual pictures, created in Japan originally, hence the Japanese name. It's not cutesy; it's a hybrid from another language.

 

I find them annoyingly cutesy.

 

And pizza commercial bitch?  You have a phone, call and order a pizza.  It probably takes half the time of playing with your stupid emojis.  And yes, get off my lawn.

Edited September 2, 2015 by proserpina65

[riley702]

The dearly departed Brad's owners facial expressions make me think she can go from happy to bunny boiler in 2 seconds.

She's not Brad's owner - she's chastising Brad's owner for totalling him. But she's apparently fine with Brad's owner being a hypocrite and doing the happy dance when LM came calling.

[bigskygirl]

The one commercial for the treadmill where people lose weight while walking on the blasted thing drives me crazy. The one woman with the long dark hair needs a haircut. Her hair makes her look older. Every time I see the commercial I want to tell her to cut the hair and get a new hair color.

[Muffyn]

There is another Eggo commercial where the toaster is broken and some random Asian kid walks in and nukes an Eggo breakfast sandwich, which is perplexing to the confused white family who apparently didn't know they bought Eggo sandwiches?

 

I keep seeing this ad.  When I do, I now immediately think, "Hey, there's that random Asian kid."   Makes me laugh every time.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Muffyn

[LoneHaranguer]

 

And pizza commercial bitch?  You have a phone, call and order a pizza.  It probably takes half the time of playing with your stupid emojis.

The emoji lets her do it in secret, so nobody at the store can object to possibly getting tomato sauce on their white furniture until it's too late.

[bubbls]

I always think the Mutual Liberty girl named her car after Brad Pitt, which makes it even more annoying for some reason I don't understand. I'm neutral towards Brad Pitt.

[ennui]

I always think the Mutual Liberty girl named her car after Brad Pitt, which makes it even more annoying for some reason I don't understand. I'm neutral towards Brad Pitt.

I don't understand people who name their cars, although I do realize it's a common thing to do. Anyway, I agree with everyone else about depreciation and deductibles. I feel sorry for the people who work in the Liberty Mutual call centers, because I'm sure people call and say "but the commercial says...".  And those fancy features in the commercials are probably kind of pricey.

Edited September 3, 2015 by ennui

[TattleTeeny]

She's not Brad's owner - she's chastising Brad's owner for totalling him. But she's apparently fine with Brad's owner being a hypocrite and doing the happy dance when LM came calling.

I don't think so; she is likely Brad's owner, telling her story in the often-annoying second-person narrative. Doesn't make sense otherwise; "you" (meaning me and everyone else watching) didn't necessarily have all the extremely detailed specifics she names, and why on earth would she be telling the story of someone else's crash, especially since all the other LM commercials feature people telling their own personal

situations?

Edit: I'm wrong; the others are in second-person too. I stand by the rest though; devil-eyed Brad girl is talking about her own car wreck.

Edited September 3, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[theatremouse]

Although I can't tell if the Domino's ad means literally you can actually order with emoji. Is it a real feature? It seems so unspecific. The little pizza character in the ad has pepperoni on it. What's a vegetarian supposed to do? So is it tongue in cheek? Or is this really where our communications are headed, back to pictographs?

Edited September 3, 2015 by photo fox
quoted post was deleted

[theatremouse]

I'm going to take this to the Small Talk thread since we're getting away from the ad...

[TattleTeeny]

Although I can't tell if the Domino's ad means literally you can actually order with emoji. Is it a real feature? It seems so unspecific. The little pizza character in the ad has pepperoni on it. What's a vegetarian supposed to do? So is it tongue in cheek? Or is this really where our communications are headed, back to pictographs?

You probably have to set up an account online beforehand maybe? She says something about her favorite pizza, so maybe you decide on that in your account, which would have to have your address and phone number in it for this to work, and then you always get the same order when you send the emoji. Edited September 3, 2015 by photo fox
quoted post was deleted

[janie jones]

Even now in the 21st century, the prevailing belief at ad agencies is that women do the shopping and/or make the purchasing decisions in a family. So all those ads where the husband is a useless man-child and the woman has to play mommy to his adolescent behavior - those ads are actually geared towards women. Apparently ad agencies think making fun of how stupid and useless husbands are will appeal to women shoppers. Like they'll be able to relate to this.

 

It's funny because in jewelry ads the men are always so suave and handsome and romantic and all the women swoon over the man "going to Jared" or wherever the hell he goes to buy the expensive jewelry or engagement rings. Then once they get married suddenly the man is a useless tool who doesn't even know how to put the toilet paper on the roll. Funny how quickly men de-volve into cavemen once they get married huh?

It's so dumb because I do most of the shopping in my house, and if my husband were a stupid, lazy moron, I wouldn't be married to him.  Why do they act like women would want to be married to stupid, lazy morons?

 

I keep seeing this ad.  When I do, I now immediately think, "Hey, there's that random Asian kid."   Makes me laugh every time.

Is this commercial saying that Asian people are smarter than white people?

[CarpeDiem54]

I scrolled back, and I cannot find anyone calling the actual WORD anything offensive.

It was me. I was ranting about that stupid Dominos girl who pronounces it "moe-ji". I said the word "emoji" sounds like it was made up by a hipster douchebag. I was informed it's a Japanese word. Sorry if I offended any Japanese people. I didn't mean to start a firestorm with my "ethnically insensitive" comment. Sheesh!

[Bastet]

I was ranting about that stupid Dominos girl who pronounces it "moe-ji".

 

The one with the oldest daughter from Modern Family?  Maybe my brain is just filling it in, but I hear the first syllable in emoji.  She barely pauses between "pizza" and "emoji" so the a in pizza is followed almost immediately by the e in emoji, but I hear them both.

 

I still find the commercial annoying, though, because just order a damn pizza and shut up about how. 

[CarpeDiem54]

The one with the oldest daughter from Modern Family?  Maybe my brain is just filling it in, but I hear the first syllable in emoji.  She barely pauses between "pizza" and "emoji" so the a in pizza is followed almost immediately by the e in emoji, but I hear them both.

 

I still find the commercial annoying, though, because just order a damn pizza and shut up about how.

I've never watched Modern Family, but apparently this annoying girl is an actress in that show.

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/79Zv/dominos-sarah-loves-emoji-featuring-sarah-hyland

[TattleTeeny]

She was also Howard's daughter in Private Parts way back when she was a wee thing.