Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[SweetieDarling]

I just saw a commercial for the Graza olive oil where they boast that it's Michelin quality, which made me laugh because my mind immediately went to motor oil when i heard that.

[Ancaster]

Ellen deGeneres and Portia de Rossi in their ad for some kind of skin cream.  They are so unnatural, obnoxious, and unfunny.  Mind you, I always found deGeneres the same on her talk show, which is why I never watched more than a couple of minutes.  I never minded de Rossi, but together they don't work for me, and considering they're a married couple, find they have zero chemistry.

Plus the ad is way too long, so it gives me extra time to be irritated.

[dleighg]

yeah that ad annoys me as well. Who the hell talks like that: "that makeup brush you LOVE...."

[dleighg]

The "Good Good Good ... Good Morning" ad for Dulcolax.

The lady leaving her bathroom and giving a loving backward look at her toilet....

I'm happy for her, but I don't really want to think about it.

[Tom Holmberg]

Ads that bother me, such as the TuboHeat machine, is where they offer a second device "for free, just pay a separate fee." Don't they know the meaning of the word free?

[Ancaster]

There's an ad for a generic Viagra that I swear offers plans called "Fried Egg Plans."  Turns out it's (for some reason), Friday Plans, but I swear the spokesperson adds "gg".

(I'd find a link, but I really don't want to search for Viagra and be subject to the resulting ads on my laptop.)

Edited January 19 by Ancaster

[dleighg]

18 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

(I'd find a link, but I really don't want to search for Viagra and be subject to the resulting ads on my laptop.)

isn't funny how we self-censor ourselves these days?

[MissAlmond]

I want a murder mystery based on those annoying Final Expenses commercials where someone is bumped off after telling loved ones all money worries will be gone after their demise. 

[chessiegal]

5 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Ads that bother me, such as the TuboHeat machine, is where they offer a second device "for free, just pay a separate fee." Don't they know the meaning of the word free?

I've read that companies make more money from "Shipping and Handling" fees than they do from the products they are selling.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 1/18/2025 at 9:21 PM, chessiegal said:

I've read that companies make more money from "Shipping and Handling" fees than they do from the products they are selling.

They also say free shipping.  I also bugs me that some of the products are sold for a three week (or some period of time) trial for X dollars, but they never say what the actual final price is.  That's a scam if I ever saw one.

Edited January 20 by Tom Holmberg

[Red Bridey]

There are two commercials that I absolutely loathe: the Cheezit commercial where for some unknown reason a fat naked guy toboggans down a hill into a little shed for a mouthful of Cheezit (?). 

And one for something...not sure for what...where a guy gets holes blasted into him and he screams when he looks down at his chest (apparently whatever he doesn't take leaves his immune system full of holes?). The scream is awful and it always startles me and I hate it!

[fastiller]

@Ancaster - I think "Fried Egg Plans" is better than "Friday Plans".

[Ancaster]

On 1/20/2025 at 6:05 AM, Tom Holmberg said:

They also say free shipping.  I also bugs me that some of the products are sold for a three week (or some period of time) trial for X dollars, but they never say what the actual final price is.  That's a scam if I ever saw one.

What about all those commercials that run for months even though their super special offer will only last for "the next 24 hours/3 days/whatever limited time"?

[Tom Holmberg]

2 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

What about all those commercials that run for months even though their super special offer will only last for "the next 24 hours/3 days/whatever limited time"?

I like the ones with a clock as if it will really run down (I think the fake "gold" coins have one).

 

Also the ones where supposedly production (in China? Really?) has stopped.

Edited January 21 by Tom Holmberg

[andromeda331]

While it's not really annoying commercial. It's weird to have John Walsh doing commercial about joint pain. Security cameras or something sure. But a drug commercial? It's just weird.

[ebk57]

I find those "use AI" commercials with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson so incredibly annoying.  Just tell the woman at the store that those are not the clothes you want.  Just tell the restaurant that you (obviously) don't want to sit outside in the rain and eat whatever they bring you.   Use your words!

Honestly, if that's the best use of AI, we're all in for a lot of problems. 

[Ohiopirate02]

58 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

I find those "use AI" commercials with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson so incredibly annoying.  Just tell the woman at the store that those are not the clothes you want.  Just tell the restaurant that you (obviously) don't want to sit outside in the rain and eat whatever they bring you.   Use your words!

Honestly, if that's the best use of AI, we're all in for a lot of problems. 

I'm also perplexed that a person would use AI to order their food for them. I can see using AI to compile a list of restaurants to try in a new city, but ordering food is a step too far. And that plate offered to Matthew looks insanely unappetizing outside of the weather. It does not look like anything that would make a top 10 list of gotta have dishes for any major city.

[chessiegal]

When I see Matthew McConaughey getting soaking wet all I can think about is the people who work with him must be thrilled. I've read he doesn't like to bathe and stinks.

[Tom Holmberg]

2 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

While it's not really annoying commercial. It's weird to have John Walsh doing commercial about joint pain. Security cameras or something sure. But a drug commercial? It's just weird.

And his polo ponies?  I can really sympathize with him and his wife about them. :)

[Ghost of TWOP Past]

13 hours ago, Ancaster said:

What about all those commercials that run for months even though their super special offer will only last for "the next 24 hours/3 days/whatever limited time"?

"They are some of the hottest videos on social media!" No, they weren't back then and they sure as hell aren't now that this commercial has been around for 5 or so years. 

[Gharlane]

"Artificial Intelligence is Bullshit, and Now, So Are We!"

 

18 hours ago, Ancaster said:

What about all those commercials that run for months even though their super special offer will only last for "the next 24 hours/3 days/whatever limited time"?

I remember the Simpsons mocking that in their second season or so.

[Haleth]

There’s a commercial for some financial planning company that has a young couple pondering whether or not they have enough money for a vacation. They think about a safari, among other things. Then their imaginations take off and they wonder if they have enough to buy a horse ranch in Montana. If they have to wonder about a vacation?  No, no they don’t. Pretty clear. 

Edited January 22 by Haleth

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

There’s a commercial for some financial planning company that has a young couple pondering whether or not they have enough money for a vacation. They think about a safari, among other things. Then their imaginations take off and they wonder if they have enough to buy a horse ranch in Montana.

Oh I hate that ad. What a pair of idiots.

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Just tell the restaurant that you (obviously) don't want to sit outside in the rain and eat whatever they bring you. 

I mean, they have these things called "menus" so you can see what they have and tell them to bring you what you want.

I will confess, I kinda like the shirt he's wearing in the first commercial.  The rest of the outfit, though . . .

[dleighg]

probably just a NYC tristate commercial, but "Wendy from WindowRama." 

Maybe I'm just superficial, but that Wendy has TERRIBLE HAIR. I'm allowed to say this as a woman who hasn't used any kind of styling machine (blow dryer, curling iron, etc) in 40 years, and gets my hair cut cheaply every 6 weeks only if I'm paying attention.

A little fluff? A little mousse? SOMETHING?

 

[Ancaster]

Elizabeth Banks in the No. 7 ad.  Talk about a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

[Ancaster]

On 1/18/2025 at 4:25 PM, MissAlmond said:

I want a murder mystery based on those annoying Final Expenses commercials where someone is bumped off after telling loved ones all money worries will be gone after their demise. 

There'll probably be a lawsuit first from a family that claims the commercial was the cause of their "loved one's" suicide (because of the money they'd get on their death).

Edited January 24 by Ancaster

[SweetieDarling]

Every Jolie showerhead commercial

The first one was the influencer type woman sitting on a stool telling us how great the showerhead makes her hair and skin feel in her most bored, teenage "I was forced to do this" voice

Second commercial has her talking about what a great gift for HER the showerhead is; how it will make HER feel, how soft HER hair will be,...

Then there's the guy with what looks like pink lipstick on telling us what a great gift for her the showerhead is; and in keeping with manliness mentions water pressure 

The latest one has a pregnant woman in a sweater dress dancing under the showerhead as it soaks her

 I hate them all

[Gharlane]

20 minutes ago, SweetieDarling said:

Every Jolie showerhead commercial

The first one was the influencer type woman sitting on a stool telling us how great the showerhead makes her hair and skin feel in her most bored, teenage "I was forced to do this" voice

Second commercial has her talking about what a great gift for HER the showerhead is; how it will make HER feel, how soft HER hair will be,...

Then there's the guy with what looks like pink lipstick on telling us what a great gift for her the showerhead is; and in keeping with manliness mentions water pressure 

The latest one has a pregnant woman in a sweater dress dancing under the showerhead as it soaks her

 I hate them all

Is that the showerhead that claims to have vitamin C in it?

[SweetieDarling]

22 minutes ago, Gharlane said:

Is that the showerhead that claims to have vitamin C in it?

I don't think so. The big selling point is that it filters the water so your hair and skin are softer, etc.

Oddly, there's no mention of the cleaning or replacement of the filter

[proserpina65]

I guess this belongs here since it sort of annoys me: the Tide commercial where the little girl asks her mother if crabs have eyebrows.  Mostly it's inoffensive for a detergent commercial, but I always - absolutely always - have to tell the tv that no, crabs do not have eyebrows because their eyes are on stalks, and that does get to be annoying after awhile.  Especially for anyone watching tv with me.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I guess this belongs here since it sort of annoys me: the Tide commercial where the little girl asks her mother if crabs have eyebrows.

This commercial annoys me as well, but not for that reason.  It's because the whole household totally revolves around doing the laundry.  And of course I know it's a commercial for laundry detergent but even so, it's just exhausting watching her field question after question after question - and given what they are wearing this is all meant to be the same day.  Tide is my choice for laundry detergent but not based on their commercials!

[proserpina65]

Just now, Dimity said:

This commercial annoys me as well, but not for that reason.  It's because the whole household totally revolves around doing the laundry.  And of course I know it's a commercial for laundry detergent but even so, it's just exhausting watching her field question after question after question - and given what they are wearing this is all meant to be the same day.  Tide is my choice for laundry detergent but not based on their commercials!

I can see being annoyed by that.  I just keep getting so wrapped up in the crab question that the rest of the commercial kinda just blows on by.

[chessiegal]

On 1/23/2025 at 10:59 AM, Ancaster said:

Elizabeth Banks in the No. 7 ad.  Talk about a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

I have no idea who Elizabeth Banks is.

The Tide ad with the young girl asking if crabs have eyebrows cracks me up. That's something I can see the young children I know asking. I belong to a social club that has a photography group. On one of our outings, we went to a store where you pick a ceramic piece, paint it, and they fire it for you. I picked a crab. Having not a single artistic bone in my body, I was discussing what to do with it with the store manager. She said, well, if you want a happy crab, paint it blue (as in still alive) or a sad crab, paint it red (dead, if you're getting ready to eat it.) Here is the result. No eyelashes but I did decide to give it red lips. 😆 Here's the result. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I have no idea who Elizabeth Banks is.

She's an actor and director.  I've liked her in the things I've seen her in, but I have not seen that commercial.

[Ancaster]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I have no idea who Elizabeth Banks is.

I don't either but her name is shown right there on the commercial.

[Browncoat]

Dunkin' Donuts "Shake that Ess" ads.  

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I guess this belongs here since it sort of annoys me: the Tide commercial where the little girl asks her mother if crabs have eyebrows.  Mostly it's inoffensive for a detergent commercial, but I always - absolutely always - have to tell the tv that no, crabs do not have eyebrows because their eyes are on stalks, and that does get to be annoying after awhile.  Especially for anyone watching tv with me.

I keep telling the mom to just google it. It's not that hard to find out the answer if you don't know.

[millennium]

How is Burger King getting away with tormenting -- literally tormenting -- the television viewers of America?  The shitty off-key singing commercials have been going on for what, 2 or 3 years now?   Every new one is worse than the one before it.   And it's not just that.   It's the frequency of them.   Every single commercial break, sometimes twice in the same break, no matter which cable channel I watch.  The mute button isn't really an option either.  I don't care how fast on the draw you may be, it's not fast enough to avoid the initial "BK Meeeeelts ..." 

I know I come here and snark a lot and indulge in occasional hyperbole, but not this time.   These commercials are ruining watching cable TV for me.   The worst of it is that I feel powerless to stop it, like the only choice I have is to watch commercial-free paid platforms (and even those are introducing commercials now) or give up TV altogether.    All because fate brought together this one company and that smug fucker who sings the commercials.

It's relentless.   It's like having a supernatural entity in the house that is hell bent on driving me out.   It's like what's done in sleep deprivation experiments, where the subject is allowed to relax just a little bit and ... "BK Meeeelts" booms out of a speaker.

I can't understand Burger King's perverse marketing strategy in making potential customers HATE the company.  

 

[janie jones]

On 1/25/2025 at 5:28 PM, andromeda331 said:

I keep telling the mom to just google it. It's not that hard to find out the answer if you don't know.

Yeah, the mom can just google it, but why does the mom not automatically know that crustaceans don't have hair?

[Baltimore Betty]

8 minutes ago, janie jones said:

Yeah, the mom can just google it, but why does the mom not automatically know that crustaceans don't have hair?

I thought the kid was asking if cats have eyebrows.

[Gharlane]

Fuck you, FireAid. 

Seriously, watching commercials for a bunch of Hollywood stars raising money for people whose LA homes were destroyed by the recent fires while doing nothing for the people in the Appalachians who are spending winter in tents makes me very angry.

[SG429]

The Red Bull spots should be annoying for as much as they play, but the tag/jingle is so low-key they just seem to slide by, hardly noticed.

[andromeda331]

The Linzess commercials with people meeting their future self to tell them their doctor will figure out what their problem is which looks like it's at the very next appointment. What's the point then? If my future self ever comes to tell me something it better be something useful instead of something that'll be solved in a day or two. Give me lotto numbers or something. 

[Dimity]

All the life insurance commercials on right now where the person considering getting the life insurance seem absolutely giddy over the idea that they might die so that they can leave some money behind.  On the phone with the agent and their sporting a great big grin and saying "wow this will help them pay the mortgage yippee".  (well the yippee was implied).

[Prevailing Wind]

Adult daughter can't reach Mom on the phone. "Help, I've fallen and can't get up!"  Daughter's phone rings: "This is LifeAlert; your mother had an emergency and paramedics are helping her right now..."

Shouldn't LifeAlert ask if they've got the old lady's daughter?  What if it were a landline and a kid answered?  "No, she didn't. My Mom's in the kitchen, washing dishes."  Secondly, if they wait until the paramedics are already on the scene before calling me, I'm cancelling LifeAlert & going with some other company.

[paramitch]

I'm sure the Lume founder-lady is a very nice person, but I just cannot stand her commercial. She looks kind of deliberately overheated and sweaty and dirty, and then is basically showing us ON HER BODY all the places that sweat, including her crotch and butt-crack, and then as the piece de resistance, STICKING HER BARE FOOT in our faces! I mean, it's so icky to me! I don't need to see the sole of anybody's damn foot that close! Especially while she's telling us it SMELLS!

And I frankly hate this whole product type anyway -- weren't we getting away from unrealistic expectations for women? Women sweat just like men. Women can have BO just like men. It's why bathing/showers are a thing! Smell bad? Take a shower! But the idea that we are supposed to be spraying ourselves from head to toe, because God forbid one single part of our bodies smells like a human is so gross to me. It's unhealthy.

While I'm ranting, I also cannot STAND Drew Barrymore's new "fake orgasm" online Bingo commercial -- I'm actually embarrassed for her. Does she need the money THAT badly?

But it's a whole trend now -- tons of celebs selling their souls for these awful online gaming enterprises that you know are going to cost regular (poor) people way too much REAL MONEY while they make bank for being the spokespeople! Chris Pratt, Jason Momoa, Drew Barrymore, Joel McHale, Samuel Jackson... sheesh, have some dignity, people.

On 1/5/2025 at 4:48 PM, fairffaxx said:

Martha Stewart & the NY Times recommend olive oil on ice cream.  So I tried it & it's really pretty good.  

I wouldn't put oil on my ice cream even if Martha told me to, but I did have an olive oil Gelato at Batali's Otto restaurant back in 2007 or so, and it was absolutely heavenly. He had a corn gelato too that was equally lovely -- really fun. (And an assortment of delicious grappas!)

On 1/10/2025 at 5:11 AM, Ancaster said:

Please tell me that I was hallucinating and did not just see a commercial for a Lume starter pack.

AAAAAAAAGHGH. 

On 1/10/2025 at 8:08 AM, proserpina65 said:

I know a lot of people hate the guy singing in the Burger King commercials but he never bothered me.  Until they started running the new Melts commercial, that is.  Something about how he drags out the word "melt" drives me up the wall.

I was horrified by the decision to deliberately use a guy who cannot carry a tune for the song, then it seemed to be on permanent repeat, and THEN I swear, I couldn't stop it as a constant earworm for three days and it was just pure hell. 

On 1/11/2025 at 1:33 PM, marceline said:

My new most-hated commercial. It's really made a comeback since the holidays ended. How does this company have the budget for Chris Pratt, Keke Palmer, and Jason Momoa.

Just to be clear, I understand why stars are drawn to national commercials because the money is good I just wonder how much money we're talking about with this one.

 

I hate this, and I hate all these terrible online gaming commercials! It's gross to me -- I can actually see their souls floating out of their bodies for doing this. Ugh.

On 1/13/2025 at 12:19 PM, proserpina65 said:

It's Dominoes, so I'm not sure how well the commercials work, lol.

I'm just irritated at how the commercials act like a medium pizza is going to shrink or expand, feeding any necessary amount of people? So it can be "lunch" for one person, yet in the next commercial, feed a family of four? Okay.

On 1/18/2025 at 11:36 AM, Ancaster said:

Ellen deGeneres and Portia de Rossi in their ad for some kind of skin cream.  They are so unnatural, obnoxious, and unfunny.  Mind you, I always found deGeneres the same on her talk show, which is why I never watched more than a couple of minutes.  I never minded de Rossi, but together they don't work for me, and considering they're a married couple, find they have zero chemistry.

Plus the ad is way too long, so it gives me extra time to be irritated.

This commercial is so weird and uncomfortable-making. They look so stiff and uncomfortable, they actually seem grim and humorless, and -- for a beauty commercial (sorry, I'm gonna be shallow here), they both look really tired and drawn and kind of terrible (and please, Portia, stop the plastic surgery). It's like ever since the revelations that she's kind of a cold jerkwad in real life, Ellen is now free to actually BE a cold jerkwad openly. And that's how she comes off here.

On 1/21/2025 at 6:00 AM, Red Bridey said:

There are two commercials that I absolutely loathe: the Cheezit commercial where for some unknown reason a fat naked guy toboggans down a hill into a little shed for a mouthful of Cheezit (?). 

I don't know why I don't hate it, but for some reason this commercial I find kind of horrifyingly funny. I laugh every time he hits the little icehouse and the guy and his kid are ice fishing, and the dad looks alarmed and instantly covers his kid's eyes from the sight of naked Cheezit Guy!

But I'm always mystified that Cheezit guy reaches the end and grabs the Cheezits while ignoring the giant delicious cheddar wheel right there. I mean, REAL CHEESE. Sigh. (Sorry, I'm on low-sodium, low-fat, so I get very little real cheese. I would totally stick my face in that cheese wheel.)

On 1/23/2025 at 7:59 AM, Ancaster said:

Elizabeth Banks in the No. 7 ad.  Talk about a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

I feel so bad for her because I respect her as a female director and also really think she is so talented and should be a bigger star -- she's beautiful, she can do drama (The Next Three Days) or comedy ("30 Rock," etc.), and it's like she never quite hit the right notes. So I kind of feel like she's just unapologetically getting all the paychecks she can (now she's also hosting game shows! Sigh).

On 1/27/2025 at 6:35 PM, millennium said:

How is Burger King getting away with tormenting -- literally tormenting -- the television viewers of America?  The shitty off-key singing commercials have been going on for what, 2 or 3 years now?   Every new one is worse than the one before it.   And it's not just that.   It's the frequency of them.   Every single commercial break, sometimes twice in the same break, no matter which cable channel I watch.  The mute button isn't really an option either.  I don't care how fast on the draw you may be, it's not fast enough to avoid the initial "BK Meeeeelts ..." 

I know I come here and snark a lot and indulge in occasional hyperbole, but not this time.   These commercials are ruining watching cable TV for me.   The worst of it is that I feel powerless to stop it, like the only choice I have is to watch commercial-free paid platforms (and even those are introducing commercials now) or give up TV altogether.    All because fate brought together this one company and that smug fucker who sings the commercials.

It's relentless.   It's like having a supernatural entity in the house that is hell bent on driving me out.   It's like what's done in sleep deprivation experiments, where the subject is allowed to relax just a little bit and ... "BK Meeeelts" booms out of a speaker.

I can't understand Burger King's perverse marketing strategy in making potential customers HATE the company.  

Unfortunately, it looks like these commercials are a huge hit because even when people hate them, they are talking about them, so for BK, it seems that any press is good press. The huge discussions, rants, etc., across social media about these horrible commercials are still doing what Burger King wants -- keeping their brand out there. 

But I agree, they're awful.

[Gharlane]

2 hours ago, paramitch said:

While I'm ranting, I also cannot STAND Drew Barrymore's new "fake orgasm" online Bingo commercial -- I'm actually embarrassed for her. Does she need the money THAT badly?

But it's a whole trend now -- tons of celebs selling their souls for these awful online gaming enterprises that you know are going to cost regular (poor) people way too much REAL MONEY while they make bank for being the spokespeople! Chris Pratt, Jason Momoa, Drew Barrymore, Joel McHale, Samuel Jackson... sheesh, have some dignity, people.

Ditto for the celebs shilling for online betting sites.😡

[Tom Holmberg]

2 hours ago, Gharlane said:

Ditto for the celebs shilling for online betting sites.😡

And celebs selling reverse mortgages.