Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[bad things are bad]

This is kind of an old post, and I don't even know if this commercial still airs, but I HATE IT.  Like, the first time I saw it, I stopped what I was doing because it made me so mad.  It doesn't help that I hate "My Sharona" to begin with.

 

I actually laugh like hell at this commercial, which I see quite frequently still. 

 

I think of it more as a nod to the Weird Al parody, My Bologna (rhymed with Sharona) which featured an accordion as well. 

[Aquarius]

Are you sure about that? Companies are always fooling around with how to make their food products and coming up with name variations to tip off customers that there's a difference.

You mean like it's a "cured meat product" now, rather than a cured meat? No one can be sure, but as it is still labeled "pepperoni," I would think that's still what it is.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Aquarius

[janie jones]

I actually laugh like hell at this commercial, which I see quite frequently still. 

 

I think of it more as a nod to the Weird Al parody, My Bologna (rhymed with Sharona) which featured an accordion as well. 

Given that I'm not a Weird Al fan, this is just another mark in the "cons" column for me.

[Rick Kitchen]

I finally found the video for the annoying University of Phoenix ad.  It isn't the lead singer of Pomplemoose, it's someone called Roarke.  Equally annoying voice, though.

 

[RCharter]

I finally found the video for the annoying University of Phoenix ad.  It isn't the lead singer of Pomplemoose, it's someone called Roarke.  Equally annoying voice, though.

 

made it 12 seconds in.  This song is a big 10-no.  Where is the commercial/song about the various lawsuits they are engaged in for fraud and deceptive practices?

[Rick Kitchen]

Here's the Great Clips ad with the ventriloquist doll that creeps me out:

 

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/AtrZ/great-clips-great-haircut-sale-benny-and-lenny

[theredhead77]

made it 12 seconds in.  This song is a big 10-no.  Where is the commercial/song about the various lawsuits they are engaged in for fraud and deceptive practices?

I hate this commercial so much because I hate UoP so much. They are not a good school and got in trouble years ago for being a degree mill. They "cleaned up their act" and were supposedly a good school so I checked them out (this is when online programs at traditional Universities were brand new) and signed up. I made it through 3 classes. The 4th teacher was so  bad, didn't teach the material and a sexist douchebag who hated women on top of it. After he didn't notice me for the first half of the class (in a classroom of literally 7 people) I stood up, told him off and dropped out of school.

 

Same deceptive practices going on including deceptive financing. Most employers won't even look at people with degrees from UoP or any of the for-profit schools. Now that distance learning is an actual thing and traditional universities are offering distance programs I hope all these for-profit schools go under.

[RCharter]

I hate this commercial so much because I hate UoP so much. They are not a good school and got in trouble years ago for being a degree mill. They "cleaned up their act" and were supposedly a good school so I checked them out (this is when online programs at traditional Universities were brand new) and signed up. I made it through 3 classes. The 4th teacher was so  bad, didn't teach the material and a sexist douchebag who hated women on top of it. After he didn't notice me for the first half of the class (in a classroom of literally 7 people) I stood up, told him off and dropped out of school.

 

Same deceptive practices going on including deceptive financing. Most employers won't even look at people with degrees from UoP or any of the for-profit schools. Now that distance learning is an actual thing and traditional universities are offering distance programs I hope all these for-profit schools go under.

I understand that completely.  I actually believe that they no longer qualify for money under the GI bill, which would be a HUGE hit for them because they make a lot of their money basically defrauding soldiers that qualify for the GI bill.

 

You are lucky you dropped out when you did.  You should send that douchebag professor a thank you card, especially since he will likely be out of a job pretty soon.  I've read a few comments from people who have gone through the entire program, end up owing a shit ton of money and have these people on their backs.  And no one mentions that you can't really transfer credits to any other college so you're stuck if you stay there.  

 

And I think your instinct is dead on.  More and more traditional colleges are offering classes online, almost everyone sees how lucrative that model can be.  No need for additional classroom space, one professor can teach as many students as possible, if the homework is standardized it can be easily graded, if the homework isn't, just hire TA's at 1/4 the cost of the professor to do the grading.

[theredhead77]

You are lucky you dropped out when you did.  You should send that douchebag professor a thank you card, especially since he will likely be out of a job pretty soon.  I've read a few comments from people who have gone through the entire program, end up owing a shit ton of money and have these people on their backs.  And no one mentions that you can't really transfer credits to any other college so you're stuck if you stay there.  

 

And I think your instinct is dead on.  More and more traditional colleges are offering classes online, almost everyone sees how lucrative that model can be.  No need for additional classroom space, one professor can teach as many students as possible, if the homework is standardized it can be easily graded, if the homework isn't, just hire TA's at 1/4 the cost of the professor to do the grading.

 

After I walked out went to the "counselor" and reported the instructor for not teaching the material - our sister class was learning relevant things - and the completely inappropriate way he treated me. I was told it's his class, he can do what he wants. My friend/roommate told me the teacher went on a rant about women not belonging in college. The rest of the class reported him too but nothing was done.

 

This was in 2005ish. I ended up attending PSU's fairly new World Campus program, graduated in 2007. They tried to fit the classes in as electives and 2 of the 3 completed were accepted. My friend finished out the UoP program because he wanted a degree, he didn't need it for his career / job. He said I would have hated the rest.

 

Interviewing for jobs was touchy at first, hiring managers had a hard time wrapping their head around distance learning but I worked in IT which may have been my saving grace at the time. Now it's no big deal.

 

I tell everyone I know about my experience and managed to dissuade everyone I talk with from going to UoP. Their marketing and sales pitch is smooth, I'll give them that. 

Edited February 16, 2016 by theredhead77

[SmithW6079]

The commercial's for an online college (I think), but some woman is bastardizing "If I Only Had a Brain." The arrangement is awful -- jarring and discordant, which makes me hate the woman getting her degree.

[Rick Kitchen]

The commercial's for an online college (I think), but some woman is bastardizing "If I Only Had a Brain." The arrangement is awful -- jarring and discordant, which makes me hate the woman getting her degree.

 

Look up above to my University of Phoenix post.  :)

[janie jones]

Not only is that woman's voice annoying, but the song also doesn't really make complete sense. 

[Sandman87]

Yeah, a crappy, folksy "If I Only Had A Brain", sung at half speed in the hoarse part-caterwauling, part-almost-singing that's so popular in commercials aimed at hipsters these days...with mangled lyrics! My chamber pot runneth over.

[Rick Kitchen]

I just noticed there's a woman breastfeeding in that University of Phoenix ad.

[RCharter]

After I walked out went to the "counselor" and reported the instructor for not teaching the material - our sister class was learning relevant things - and the completely inappropriate way he treated me. I was told it's his class, he can do what he wants. My friend/roommate told me the teacher went on a rant about women not belonging in college. The rest of the class reported him too but nothing was done.

 

This was in 2005ish. I ended up attending PSU's fairly new World Campus program, graduated in 2007. They tried to fit the classes in as electives and 2 of the 3 completed were accepted. My friend finished out the UoP program because he wanted a degree, he didn't need it for his career / job. He said I would have hated the rest.

 

Interviewing for jobs was touchy at first, hiring managers had a hard time wrapping their head around distance learning but I worked in IT which may have been my saving grace at the time. Now it's no big deal.

 

I tell everyone I know about my experience and managed to dissuade everyone I talk with from going to UoP. Their marketing and sales pitch is smooth, I'll give them that. 

I watched a great documentary about these for profit colleges....I feel like it was a Frontline.  And boy, it was eye opening.  The way their staff would just pick at the weaknesses of the individual was alarming. It was worse than people who try to sell you timeshares.

 

I'm not surprised that you were told to go pound sand, I suspect that UoP doesn't pay their professors much of anything, and they don't care about you, because they already got your money and they know its hard to transfer (good on you for getting 2/3 classes accepted)....so what do they care.

 

I once dated a guy who went to ITT Tech, and I didn't even understand how that school worked.  When he was explaining it to me, they don't have semesters or quarters, they have trimesters of some sort....and the way the classes were set up, I could see how it would be hard to transfer them directly to another school.  

 

Even Harvard is doing distance learning through the EDx program, so I think its come a long, long way.

[backformore]

Ugh Panera and their good, clean food campaign makes me barf. What are all the rest of the restaurants serving, dirty food? Well, maybe Chipotle, haha. And yes I know what it means, I just really hate the term. And, by the way, isn't the mainstay of Panera's menu sandwiches? Made with bread? Which doesn't fit in the least with unprocessed "clean" food? Not to mention all the sweets and pastries. Hypocrites.

But their "clean food" means food means fruits and veggies grown without chemicals, bread without preservatives, meat without  antibiotics and hormones.  the breads and pastries fit into that concept.

[brickthru the tv]

McDonalds also has free wifi....unfortunately no one who worked there knew the password.  But still, the times, they are achanging.  And thank goodness, because every local Starbucks is a crowded mess.

Every female in there is Sexting

Has anyone had the pleasure of seeing the commercial for the doo-dad that is motion activated and lights up the toidy at night? It also has different colored lights (according to the honest commercial it give the bowl a colored UFO type glow)

 

I tell you - where do these actors in these dumb commercials get hired from? I can shake my head yes and smile

[Lexxy]

Every female in there is Sexting

 

Only the women?  I didn't know McDonald's was such a hotbed of lesbian activity. 

[InDueTime]

I finally found the video for the annoying University of Phoenix ad.  It isn't the lead singer of Pomplemoose, it's someone called Roarke.  Equally annoying voice, though.

 

This ad and the Trans Union "Getting to Know You" ads really grate my ears.

[brickthru the tv]

Only the women?  I didn't know McDonald's was such a hotbed of lesbian activity. 

Meant Starbucks

Only the women?  I didn't know McDonald's was such a hotbed of lesbian activity. 

Meant Starbucks

[mansonlamps]

So Starbucks is a hotbed of lesbian activity?

 

But their "clean food" means food means fruits and veggies grown without chemicals, bread without preservatives, meat without  antibiotics and hormones.  the breads and pastries fit into that concept.

 

 

Does Panera have a different concept of "clean food?"  I always thought clean eating included avoided processed and refined foods including white flour and sugar, both of which are abundant at Panera.  I guess there must be more than one definition, either way, I still hate the commercial!

[DeLurker]

Clearly they do since eating a sandwich off your kid's diaper is in a commercial.

[FormerMod-a1]

Does Panera have a different concept of "clean food?"  I always thought clean eating included avoided processed and refined foods including white flour and sugar, both of which are abundant at Panera.  I guess there must be more than one definition, either way, I still hate the commercial!

I thought that was eating "whole" foods - i.e. no refined flour or sugar (or anything).  You can eat whole grains like oats and barley, but not breads.  Even breads and crackers and other products that say they are made from whole grains are processed (look at a grain of wheat vs the bread and you don't see the whole grains) are not allowed.

[meep.meep]

You mean like it's a "cured meat product" now, rather than a cured meat? No one can be sure, but as it is still labeled "pepperoni," I would think that's still what it is.

 

But is it the most sensuous of the cured meat products?

[Bastet]

But is it the most sensuous of the cured meat products?

 

No, that's pastrami.

[Ohwell]

For me it's hotdogs.

[Aquarius]

Clearly they do since eating a sandwich off your kid's diaper is in a commercial.

BHWAH! I'd forgotten all about that one. But, yeah.

For me it's hotdogs.

Oh, come on now. You know I have to add, for me, it's salami. :-)

Edited February 17, 2016 by Aquarius

[Ohwell]

You win!

[KLovestoShop]

I completely hate the Fingerhut commercials. First of all, why would anyone call their company Fingerhut? And second, I just don't get any of the stupid commercials. They are so stupid, they make no sense

[Rick Kitchen]

Fingerhut was the name of the company's founding family.

 

"Fingerhut" is the German word for "thimble".

[theredhead77]

I realized the other reason I despise the University of Phoenix commercial so much. It's the line in the song that insults the hiring managers you're going to want someone like me.. but only if you have a brain.

Sure, that's a great way to help graduates of your already tarnished school get hired.

[janie jones]

And also there's the line "a degree is a degree," like they're admitting that people don't take their school seriously, and they're saying that all degrees are the same. 

[Eliot]

I am chiming in to complain AGAIN about the food-chomping, mouth-full-talking Beneful dog. He's on my TV grossing me out every two minutes and if I could call Animal Control on him I would.

 

HATE.

[Rick Kitchen]

I am chiming in to complain AGAIN about the food-chomping, mouth-full-talking Beneful dog. He's on my TV grossing me out every two minutes and if I could call Animal Control on him I would.

 

HATE.

 

aw, I love him.

[RCharter]

And also there's the line "a degree is a degree," like they're admitting that people don't take their school seriously, and they're saying that all degrees are the same. 

what an awesome ad campaign.  "a degree is a degree, but ours has the benefit of being priced MUCH higher than a comprable degree from a state institution!"

 

If you think it through, why would you go to a more expensive school if it doesn't matter where the degree comes from?

Edited February 17, 2016 by RCharter

[janie jones]

I am chiming in to complain AGAIN about the food-chomping, mouth-full-talking Beneful dog. He's on my TV grossing me out every two minutes and if I could call Animal Control on him I would.

 

HATE.

I'm not sure if this is the dog I'm thinking of, but there's one commercial lately where this dog is eating this huge bowl of food.  (Well, it's actually a lot of pet food commercials, but there's one recently that I've noticed.)  All I can think of is that the dog is way overeating, because that bowl has like six times more food than our vet wants us to give our dog, who is about the same size.

[bad things are bad]

If a degree is a degree, I'll just print one off from the University of South Eastasia. Why not? I've got life experience

[potatoradio]

 

If a degree is a degree, I'll just print one off from the University of South Eastasia. Why not? I've got life experience

 

We are currently at war with Eastasia. Eurasia, though, offers a doubleplusgood degree in six sigma blackbelt project management. Way more effective than a useless philosophy degree. We want a trained society, not an educated one.

 

Oops. My bitter is showing. Better take whatever drug will also make me prone to giving strangers flowers and jumping in pools...

 

 

Clearly they do since eating a sandwich off your kid's diaper is in a commercial.

 

Wh-wh-whhaaattt???!!! You're joking, aren't you? Please tell me you're joking...

 

[proserpina65]

This ad and the Trans Union "Getting to Know You" ads really grate my ears.

My unpopular opinion is that I don't mind this ad.  I mean, I hate University of Phoenix, but the song and its singer don't bother me at all.

Quote

Clearly they do since eating a sandwich off your kid's diaper is in a commercial.

Wh-wh-whhaaattt???!!! You're joking, aren't you? Please tell me you're joking...

Nope, they had a commercial about their sandwiches (turkey ones, I think?) featuring a man holding his baby and using the kid's diapered butt to balance his sandwich on.

 

 

[iMonrey]

 

Hey, WW is paying Oprah a lot of dough to talk about how she can eat bread!

 

You raise an interesting point. Oprah bought a huge stake in Weight Watchers, so is she doing the commercials for free? Or does she draw a salary for these ad spots from the very company she partly owns? That sounds kind of shady. Invest millions into WW then get the money back in ad spots while still maintaining the same stake.

 

What's with the guy standing in the grocery store freezer handing out frozen smoothies? Why is he inside the freezer door, and why does he remain there after handing out the smoothies? What is he supposed to be, Mr. Freeze or something? And when the lady closes the door and walks away he looks disappointed, like he can't get out by himself or something. So dumb, I don't get it.

[WescottF1]

I completely hate the Fingerhut commercials. First of all, why would anyone call their company Fingerhut? And second, I just don't get any of the stupid commercials. They are so stupid, they make no sense

 

I had never heard of Fingerhut until I briefly worked for a debt consolidation company.  Just about every application I reviewed had Fingerhut on it as an outstanding debt.

[brickthru the tv]

I completely hate the Fingerhut commercials. First of all, why would anyone call their company Fingerhut? And second, I just don't get any of the stupid commercials. They are so stupid, they make no sense

fingerhut has been around for 40+ years

Only the women?  I didn't know McDonald's was such a hotbed of lesbian activity. 

Ok then what else are those women doing sipping their $6 latte with their schnoz in their fone

[Tunia]

 

I had never heard of Fingerhut until I briefly worked for a debt consolidation company.  Just about every application I

reviewed had Fingerhut on it as an outstanding debt.

 

WescottF1~

 

You  might be interested in this article regarding Fingerhut's business practices:

https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/fingerhut-robocalling-class-action-lawsuit-telephone/fingerhut-robocalling-class-action-lawsuit-telephone-2-19546.html

 

The introductory paragraph states:

There is little doubt that Fingerhut, a mail-order distributor of products that also has a financing component under the Bluestern Brands umbrella, has its fans. However, various complaints about Fingerhut, including intrusive Fingerhut telephone calls, appear to outweigh the bouquets.

 

Their founder, Tom Petters, was also the subject of an interesting American Greed episode a while back:

http://www.cnbc.com/2012/03/07/

 

So, there's quite a history regarding this company.

[Ubiquitous]

Not to belabor the Panera ads discussion, but the most recent one has the hipster cyclist dressed in faux Lance Armstrong getup.  When I see that guy my left eye starts twitching because I see guys like that so often where I live--thinking they're Lance.  There's been an ongoing battle between cyclists who want bike lanes on existing, somewhat narrow streets, and people who don't.  The rhetoric is becoming more and more heated and that guy just reminds me of it.  

His friends are also wearing bicycling suits. Yeah, I notice those things.

 

The "pull that peach" commercial...That one annoys me just because it doesn't make sense.  If there's a specific moment to pick a peach then should there be tons of people out in that orchard waiting for the perfect time?  Because in the time they spend waiting for that one peach's optimal time, think of the thousands of other peaches just rotting away.  Or do they only need one perfect peach?

That's how much peach they put in their industrial-sized vats of "yogurt".

 

I completely hate the Fingerhut commercials. First of all, why would anyone call their company Fingerhut? And second, I just don't get any of the stupid commercials. They are so stupid, they make no sense

I hate those ads but am confused. I remember Fingerhut selling cheap and tacky nik-naks, not being another Overstock.com type place.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

The "pull that peach" commercial...That one annoys me just because it doesn't make sense.  If there's a specific moment to pick a peach then should there be tons of people out in that orchard waiting for the perfect time?  Because in the time they spend waiting for that one peach's optimal time, think of the thousands of other peaches just rotting away.  Or do they only need one perfect peach?

 

Won't someone think of the peaches?!?!

[peacheslatour]

Won't someone think of the peaches?!?!

Thank you.  *bows*

[SmithW6079]

We are currently at war with Eastasia.

We have always been at war with Eastasia.

[DeLurker]

I think it was classified as an "intervention" previously.

[NewDigs]

We have since intervened with Big Macs.

Or is that an insurgency?

[Rick Kitchen]

This guy is an asshole.