Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[HurricaneVal]

I have to say, I did literally laugh out loud the first time I saw the actor calmly sitting there riding the Roomba during the Mayhem cat commercial.  I just love his deadpan demeanor.

[Aryanna]

I don't even know what the commercial is for but I hate the one with the husband and wife whispering free phone football over and over and over and over to each other. HATE IT!!! Their whispery voices are soooooo annoying.

[TattleTeeny]

On 10/4/2019 at 11:23 AM, proserpina65 said:

Have you had one?  I wondered about it, but didn't want to spend the money in case it sucked.

I've had it a couple of times and it's good (and thumbs-up to finally something convenient when fast food is the only option). I'm vegan,* so unfortunately I have to tell them to keep the cheese and the mayo (and onions, but that's just because I hate them).

And, yes, it tastes like a real burger; before I was vegan, fast food--Wendy's, BK, and Smashburger especially--were really the only meats I ate (even when I was in Buenos Aires, which is apparently a place for good meat?).

* And maybe a sucky one at that, because I don't really get too worried about about the grill part; if I did, I'd have to think about that every time I eat food from somewhere that isn't my house.

Edited October 16, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[TattleTeeny]

Oops! Carry on!

Edited October 16, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[andromeda331]

15 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

I think Janice always acts self-absorbed and rude. I'm not sure if he knew Janice is Flo's sister or not. He seemed taken aback to see her there.

Until that moment I thought he was trying to date Janice to get to Flo or to get the name your price tool or both. After he asked her what she did for fun and she made her snide remark he immediately starts talking about the tool and has a picture of Flo on his phone. But then he's surprised to see Flo there and she's Janice's ride.

[littlebennysmom]

14 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Is it necessary for the Walking Dead commercial to be run twice during every commercial break on every channel that I watch?

It's enough to drive a gal to Netflix.

Between Samantha Morton's disturbing bald head and the cheesy slow motion shots of individual cast members holding weapons while gazing thoughtfully into the distance, it makes me glad I no longer watch this clusterf&*k show.

[Haleth]

Dear Ad Execs,

Making your commercials louder than the shows they interrupt does get my attention.  However they make me reach for the mute button which defeats the purpose of making your commercials louder.  Try clever ideas and humor over volume.  TYVM.

Love, Haleth

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Dear Ad Execs,

Making your commercials louder than the shows they interrupt does get my attention.  However they make me reach for the mute button which defeats the purpose of making your commercials louder.  Try clever ideas and humor over volume.  TYVM.

Love, Haleth

I used to keep the tv on while I went to sleep and the blaring volume of the commercials actually kept me awake. So I switched to Hulu (I have a no-ads subscription). So way to go, advertisers, you could have been in my ear at my most suggestible moment, but you blew it.

Now I don't have any media on when I go to bed unless it's a meditation (YouTube has many that are great).

[Jynnan tonnix]

On 9/17/2019 at 1:35 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

Try muskmelon. (there's actually cats going crazy for muskmelon/cantaloupe videos on Youtube.  So I guess it's a thing.)

When I was a kid we had a cat that loved cantaloupe. He also loved mushrooms, which I have since read are toxic to cats. He didn't get them often, but they never seemed to hurt him. We had a dog around the same time that ate pretty much anything, so he ended up having his fair share of things which we have since learned are harmful. He loved grapes, for example, and once at the better part of a 2 lb box of chocolates which had accidentally been left open on Christmas Eve while we went to midnight mass. He never seemed to have any ill effects.

[Suzn]

16 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

I've had it a couple of times and it's good (and thumbs-up to finally something convenient when fast food is the only option). I'm vegan,* so unfortunately I have to tell them to keep the cheese and the mayo (and onions, but that's just because I hate them).

And, yes, it tastes like a real burger; before I was vegan, fast food--Wendy's, BK, and Smashburger especially--were really the only meats I ate (even when I was in Buenos Aires, which is apparently a place for good meat?).

* And maybe a sucky one at that, because I don't really get too worried about about the grill part; if I did, I'd have to think about that every time I eat food from somewhere that isn't my house.

I like the Impossible Whopper.  As a vegetarian, I'm really glad to have a fast food option because there are so few.  I do what I can to avoid meat, but there is a limit to how fussy I'm willing to be so I can't be worried about the grill either.  The world is not set up for my convenience, so I'm glad to have something I can enjoy eating.

[Emma9]

7 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Given the massive numbers (millions) of  healthy cats and also dogs of all ages that get put down each year and never find a loving home, I would be pissed too.    I have no reason to believe that the cat advocate group would lie. 

Cats (as well as dogs) can be destructive if they aren't trained properly.   There are a lot of people that bring home a pet or pets and then assume a pet will train itself.  And then when the pet or pets don't arrive pre-trained, back to the animal shelter they go.  Or even worse, people just dump them somewhere and let the animals fend for themselves.   If those animals are lucky, some caring soul will find them and save them.   Unfortunately, most of those animals most likely aren't that lucky.

So yeah, I can believe that a commercial would cause people who have never had a kitten or a cat to think twice about adopting one, and as a result not adopt one at all.

As another poster above put it:

On 10/15/2019 at 8:38 AM, Blergh said:

I imagine that anyone who'd avoid taking in a cat JUST because they saw the Mayhem Cat Commercial would   more likely drown a cat after after the first furball than the average person. IOW this ad may actually be sparing cats from getting adopted by antsy if not abusive humans.

Some people should just not have pets. Any animal you bring into your home, even if it's well-trained or supposedly low-maintenance, is going to create some mess and inconvenience, almost certainly in ways you didn't expect beforehand. If you can't roll with that, the pet is usually the one who suffers.

[Katy M]

5 minutes ago, Emma9 said:

Some people should just not have pets. Any animal you bring into your home, even if it's well-trained or supposedly low-maintenance, is going to create some mess and inconvenience, almost certainly in ways you didn't expect beforehand. If you can't roll with that, the pet is usually the one who suffers.

Yep.  My last cat got a non-cancerous tumor on her liver when she was 10.  So for the last 5 years of her life, she threw up several times a week.   I had to pay $2,000 for an unsuccessful surgery to remove it.  I had to get appetite stimulants into a very wiry, sharp clawed cat.  I mean, seriously, even the vet commented on how sharp her claws were.  I think she had a sharpener that she used while I was at work.  Which, having nothing to do with her tumor, she used to destroy every piece of furniture I have.   

So, yeah, anyone who is going to be turned off by that commercial probably can't hack a real life pet anyway.  

My current cat shreds paper.  If you leave any piece of paper out, she will shred it.  Into oblivion.  

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, Ashforth said:

I used to keep the tv on while I went to sleep and the blaring volume of the commercials actually kept me awake. So I switched to Hulu (I have a no-ads subscription). So way to go, advertisers, you could have been in my ear at my most suggestible moment, but you blew it.

Now I don't have any media on when I go to bed unless it's a meditation (YouTube has many that are great).

I switch to Prime Video for the same reason. To avoid any annoying commercial until I fall asleep. Some channels like IonL or IonLive or WGN at night not only has annoy commercials they repeated them so many times that any time I want to watch White Collar or Elementary which comes on at one am, I'll record the episodes just so I can fast forward through the commercials. 

[chessiegal]

I thought it was against FCC regs to raise the volume when commercials come on. I wrote down a site some years ago where you could file a complaint. I don't notice a volume change on any channels I watch.

[Maximoose]

Here's one that's been making the rounds lately.

Wait for it...

USE THE COCKTAIL STICK

[Gramto6]

Link didn't work for me.  😞

[janie jones]

On 10/15/2019 at 4:24 AM, Haleth said:

It took me a while to figure out that the guy Janice was dating was the Other Insurance Company guy.  I don't hate the Flo commercials like some do and I think Stephanie Courtney is very talented to be playing all the family characters.  The thing that bugs me about this commercial is how rude Janice is to OIC guy.  If she thinks he's boring why did she agree to go on a date?  He's trying to be nice... unless he's trying to get to Flo through her sister. 😲

Maybe she agreed to go on the date because she wanted a free meal.  I think the reason it took so long for me to figure out that he was from the other insurance company was because he wasn't with the other guy.  Aren't there normally two of them? 

[Ashforth]

@Gramto6 here ya go! Very funny ad, imo.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/oJcT/at-and-t-wireless-get-the-most-of-your-iphone-11-pro-featuring-gordon-ramsay

[TattleTeeny]

10 hours ago, Maximoose said:

Here's one that's been making the rounds lately.

Wait for it...

USE THE COCKTAIL STICK

I laugh at that one. 

[Gramto6]

12 hours ago, Ashforth said:

@Gramto6 here ya go! Very funny ad, imo.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/oJcT/at-and-t-wireless-get-the-most-of-your-iphone-11-pro-featuring-gordon-ramsay

Thank you!

[Was-MArsenault]

So on TV just recently, I saw none other than the She-Shed commercial.

[friendperidot]

I don't mind most of the Flo commercials, I think the actress is pretty talented too, to be able to create so many characters in her family. I wondered a couple of months ago if Janice's date was one of the OIGs, so I'm happy that you all confirmed it. Now, we need to have a double date with him and Janice (or Flo) and the other guy with Flo or Jaime.  

[funky-rat]

14 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

So on TV just recently, I saw none other than the She-Shed commercial.

Sadly, it's back making the rounds.....again.

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

The most disturbing commercial I have seen lately is the one with a giraffe.

The giraffe is eating a rainbow while some dude is under the giraffe milking Skittles out of it.

Yeah, does the company think anyone dumb enough to believe that THAT is how they are made  would actually want to keep  eating them after that?

[chessiegal]

7 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Yeah, does the company think anyone dumb enough to believe that THAT is how they are made  would actually want to keep  eating them after that?

It's a joke!

[Blergh]

25 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

It's a joke!

Granted. However, IMO, a LAME one! 

Edited October 18, 2019 by Blergh
clarity

[chessiegal]

I'm guessing the Skittles commercials are aimed at 12 yrs and under.

[Ubiquitous]

On 10/15/2019 at 6:24 PM, Aryanna said:

I don't even know what the commercial is for but I hate the one with the husband and wife whispering free phone football over and over and over and over to each other. HATE IT!!! Their whispery voices are soooooo annoying.

Sports Illustrated is still giving phone footballs with every subscription? 

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 8:31 PM, chessiegal said:

I thought it was against FCC regs to raise the volume when commercials come on. I wrote down a site some years ago where you could file a complaint. I don't notice a volume change on any channels I watch.

I do all the time.  The commercials are definitely louder than most shows.

[chessiegal]

I’ve been paying special attention both on our TVs and now we’re in a hotel, and there is no volume change with commercials. 

[mojoween]

Ok ad companies, this Gen X-er feels that you have finally gone TOO FAR.

Stone Temple Pilots for Dodge Ram?  Fuck on outta here with that shit.

[xls]

I HATE THIS !

[slensam]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

Ok ad companies, this Gen X-er feels that you have finally gone TOO FAR.

Stone Temple Pilots for Dodge Ram?  Fuck on outta here with that shit.

This, along with other commercials that use songs from the 90's are getting it from songwriters that died recently. STP, Cramberries, George Michael, etc. The families and band members don't give a damn. I just wonder if this stuff would've been used if they were still alive. Anything with Petty or Bowie yet?

[janie jones]

2 hours ago, xls said:

I HATE THIS !

I've been seeing this one a lot.  I need more context.  I was wondering if there was a longer version.

I keep seeing Plexaderm commercials and what bothers me is seeing the one guy applying the serum to his eye bags, and it gives me the willies seeing him pushing the eye bags back and forth.

Edited October 19, 2019 by janie jones

[Mrs. Hanson]

I saw an add for UGG boots that after one viewing I lunged for my mute.  A few hip people, all under 30, talking about "I can only give you.....the best me I know." Or something similar.  Just annoying little philosophy type quips......over UGG boots?

There is another one where the dad eats an Eggo waffle in front of his twins who are eating.....Maypo?  Something NOT a waffle?

2 hours ago, slensam said:

This, along with other commercials that use songs from the 90's are getting it from songwriters that died recently. STP, Cramberries, George Michael, etc. The families and band members don't give a damn. I just wonder if this stuff would've been used if they were still alive. Anything with Petty or Bowie yet?

In all fairness (and I hate it too) they may not have the licensing rights to the songs.  It is still creepy however.  I just heard my beloved Patsy Cline shilling for something.  Really?  Patsy Cline?  For family members it is one type of rude, but for a corporate fat cat who already has a nice bank account, it is another.  "Hey let's take a song written from a place of pain to sell trucks!"  Eww.

[Haleth]

16 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I’ve been paying special attention both on our TVs and now we’re in a hotel, and there is no volume change with commercials. 

I notice it in the morning during the Today Show.  I have the volume up pretty loud while I'm on the treadmill so when the commercials come on I can definitely tell they are louder than the show.

[mojoween]

Yeah CBS and FOX are especially egregious with this, or it may only be noticeable to them because I watch most shows on those networks.    
 
But I will be watching “Young Sheldon”, say, and the volume will be up to 20 on the receiver so I can actually HEAR the dialogue, and the commercials feel like they are on 25.  “Elementary” was the WORST for this because Jonny Lee Miller speaks in a tone just above a croak.

Thankfully I mostly watch scripted shows on the DVR so I can FF, but there is no escape from it during sports.

[TattleTeeny]

18 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I’ve been paying special attention both on our TVs and now we’re in a hotel, and there is no volume change with commercials. 

There is here; it's annoying as hell! 

Quote

I don't like the Charmin commercial where Momma bear and Poppa bear refuse to pick up Baby bear's underwear off of the bathroom floor.  Baby bear has no problem picking up his underwear because he says his "hiney is clean".   Gross, just gross.  I don't need to see that (no pun intended) crap.

And they're all naked anyway! Plus, get over it, cartoon bears--you're his parents--YOU (presumably) have cleaned his hiney before!

Edited October 19, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[Colleenna]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

I notice it in the morning during the Today Show.  I have the volume up pretty loud while I'm on the treadmill so when the commercials come on I can definitely tell they are louder than the show.

I notice it only on NBC. I have to jack the volume up to 26 to hear the dialogue, and when the commercials come on, it's instamute. The only thing I watch on NBC is "This Is Us," and the occasional sports program (football or hockey).

[chessiegal]

Quote

Do television commercial advertisements sometimes seem louder than the shows they accompany? TV stations are prohibited from boosting the average volume of commercials to levels beyond the programs they accompany.

FCC rules for loud TV commercials are based on the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act.

Adjust your settings

If you are experiencing spikes in volume with both programming and commercials, you may be able to change the settings on your television or home theater system to help stabilize overall loudness. Many televisions and home theater systems have features to control loudness, such as automatic gain control, audio compression, or audio limiters, that can be turned on to provide a more consistent volume level across programs and commercials. These functions usually need to be activated through the equipment's "Set Up/Audio" menu.

Some commercials with louder and quieter moments may still seem "too loud" to some viewers, but are still in compliance because average volume is the rule.

Filing a complaint

The FCC does not monitor programming for loud commercials. We rely on people like you to let us know if they think there's a problem. If you have experienced what you believe is a violation of the rules regarding the loudness of commercial TV ads, you may file a complaint with the FCC at no cost.

What to include in your complaint:

If you watched the commercial on pay TV (cable or satellite) or if you watched it on a broadcast station

The name of the advertiser or product promoted in the commercial

The date and time you saw the commercial

The name of the TV program during which it aired

Which TV station (by call sign and/or channel number and the station's community) or pay TV provider transmitted the commercial

If you watched the commercial on pay TV, the channel number on which you saw it and the cable programmer or network

FCC regs on loud commercials

[mojoween]

The Verizon turncoat wearing a baggy coat, t-shirt and pants while Blonde Sprint girl wears a skin-tight coat and leggings is why I hate everything.

[CrystalBlue]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

The Verizon turncoat wearing a baggy coat, t-shirt and pants while Blonde Sprint girl wears a skin-tight coat and leggings is why I hate everything.

I hate this commercial too, but because it's so noisy.  To be fair, Paul didn't turncoat on Verizon; they fired him once they found he was (gasp!) gay.  Paul's back on our screen courtesy of Sprint hiring him.  I say good for Sprint and Paul, but the ads annoy me too!

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 10/14/2019 at 11:43 AM, mmecorday said:

I just can't stand the way that kid says, "Let's blow out the candles together!"

All I could think of was "Great, twice the germs and spit on the cake.  Yay."

[Moose135]

On 10/18/2019 at 7:28 AM, icemiser69 said:

The most disturbing commercial I have seen lately is the one with a giraffe.

The giraffe is eating a rainbow while some dude is under the giraffe milking Skittles out of it.

More disturbing - what if it is a male giraffe, and that's not milk...

[smittykins]

Baby bear should have to pick up his own damn underwear, it’s not his parents’ job!

[MaryPatShelby]

On 10/15/2019 at 1:07 PM, HurricaneVal said:

I have to say, I did literally laugh out loud the first time I saw the actor calmly sitting there riding the Roomba during the Mayhem cat commercial.  I just love his deadpan demeanor.

I love when he ends with "Protect yourself from mayhem, like meow." He says it so matter-of-factly but with a shit-eating grin, I crack up every time.

[Silver Raven]

On 10/14/2019 at 9:43 AM, mmecorday said:

I just can't stand the way that kid says, "Let's blow out the candles together!"

Especially since it sounds like it's a dubbed adult saying the words.

[Silver Raven]

22 hours ago, xls said:

I HATE THIS !

Here's the full version of the song.  I can't find who sings it.  I don't know if it's the guy in the ad or not.

2 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Here's the full version of the song.  I can't find who sings it.  I don't know if it's the guy in the ad or not.

OK.  There was an Austrian band called Opus which sang this song, variously said to be called "Life is Life" and "Live is Life" in 1984.

[andromeda331]

17 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I don't like the Charmin commercial where Momma bear and Poppa bear refuse to pick up Baby bear's underwear off of the bathroom floor.  Baby bear has no problem picking up his underwear because he says his "hiney is clean".   Gross, just gross.  I don't need to see that (no pun intended) crap.

I don't either nor do I why Momma and Poppa bare are so refusing to pick up their son's underwear off the bathroom floor. They are bears and parents surely they've touched more gross stuff then their son's underwear. 

[scarletine]

9 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Here's the full version of the song.  I can't find who sings it.  I don't know if it's the guy in the ad or not.

OK.  There was an Austrian band called Opus which sang this song, variously said to be called "Life is Life" and "Live is Life" in 1984.

And you can't forget Laibach's version. It's...different. But pretty epic.