Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Jamoche]

The first horrible thing I noticed about the UoP ad was the singing. Then the dissing of the security guard, then the illogical words (I usually mute it because of the singing). I don't think I noticed who it was for until I came here, so that's just frosting.

[RCharter]

The first horrible thing I noticed about the UoP ad was the singing. Then the dissing of the security guard, then the illogical words (I usually mute it because of the singing). I don't think I noticed who it was for until I came here, so that's just frosting.

The first time I saw the commercial, I had no idea who the sponsor was, but I knew I would going to hate them for the security guard/finger thing.  I can forgive a shitty song, but I can't forgive asshole douchebaggery condescension from anyone.  I think it was right after that that the UoP logo flashed, and it was perfect because I think that school is a giant ridiculous scam.

[bmoore4026]

scrb, on 17 Apr 2016 - 12:40 AM, said:scrb, on 17 Apr 2016 - 12:40 AM, said:

I loathe everything that the University of Phoenix is about.

 

But is it possible that people are responding negatively because of the sponsor?

 

No, it's because of the music and the smugness of "Still don't think I gotta brain"?  (No, you got one, but it's a shit brain.)

 

Deep down, I think the general populace have a great disdain for the "If I only had" songs from The Wizard of Oz.  I'm going to commit pop culture heresy by saying that those songs suck. 

Edited April 18, 2016 by bmoore4026

[erikdepressant]

I could only find the Super Bowl version of this Rocket Mortgage commercial on YouTube, but the one that aired tonight is close enough:

It strangely has no comments despite a dislike-to-like ratio of two to one.

 

I originally hated it just because of all the assholes engrossed in their phones.  Once I got past that though, I started thinking about the message: making it easier for people to go into debt for houses they can't afford will encourage them to go further into debt to buy useless crap they can't afford, and this will stimulate economic growth.  I think that's being part of the problem, not part of the solution.

[novhappy]

The public service commercials for "love is love" and recycling need. To. Stop. Way to ubiquitous. I flip the channel way and they are on every channel!

[Prevailing Wind]

 

I originally hated it just because of all the assholes engrossed in their phones.  Once I got past that though, I started thinking about the message: making it easier for people to go into debt for houses they can't afford will encourage them to go further into debt to buy useless crap they can't afford, and this will stimulate economic growth.  I think that's being part of the problem, not part of the solution.

One of Carl Hiaasen's columns blamed the housing collapse on Cindy Crawford. (I paraphrase now...) People saw her ads for her cool furniture in Rooms To Go and they HAD to buy it.  Look!  Our house isn't big enough; let's buy a bigger house. Now we've got this big house with only Cindy Crawford stuff in it; we need to buy more crap to fill up the house...and we can't afford any of it.  But we didn't have to pay interest on the Crawford Crap for TWO YEARS!!! ...and we still can't afford it. But hey, we're cool!

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Decades ago a person could realistically work their way through college and not have crushing student load debt.  My debt was only three figures and I had it paid off by the time I was 24, when I had a job and an apartment.  Today, too many people end up with debt and a job that can't pay that debt, meaning they'll be in debt for years

Colleges don't actually cost that much more these days after you adjust for inflation. What's changed is the willingness of students to work their way through college. Work experience is important to employers when you graduate, even if you just held crummy, low-paying work-study jobs on campus that didn't make much of a dent in costs. Does UofP even have a work-study program?

[proserpina65]

Never mind.  I forgot what the commercial was about anyway.

Edited April 18, 2016 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

Deep down, I think the general populace have a great disdain for the "If I only had" songs from The Wizard of Oz.  I'm going to commit pop culture heresy by saying that those songs suck.

 

That, I can agree with 100%.

[RCharter]

Colleges don't actually cost that much more these days after you adjust for inflation. What's changed is the willingness of students to work their way through college. Work experience is important to employers when you graduate, even if you just held crummy, low-paying work-study jobs on campus that didn't make much of a dent in costs. Does UofP even have a work-study program?

I don't think a person could work their way through college at this point.   In 1974, private college was $2,000/year, and public university was about $500/year.   Now private education is about $30,000/year and public education is about $9,000.  Even after adjusting for inflation, those costs are untenable as average household income is $64,000/year. 

 

And that is only the cost for tuition, not for room and board or food, or transportation, or textbooks.  So to attend private university you would need to find a job that is paying you well over 30k in order to work your way through college, and even for a public institution you would need to find a job that is paying you at least 20k/year.  So, you're probably looking at a full time job while carrying a full load of classes.....and a job that has hours flexible enough to allow you go to go classes.  While the structure of education may be changing, many classes are still offered on campus....during the day.

 

I also don't think its reasonable to ask a student to work a full time job and attend classes full time.  Most people who "worked their way through school" back in the day maybe had a part time job somewhere, and by doing that you could work your way through college.  But trying to find a full time job, that is flexible and pays 30k a year is going to be difficult, especially since, due to the overabundance of college degrees...most employers will ask for a college degree for those jobs.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/is-college-tuition-too-high.html?_r=0

[Cobalt Stargazer]

So Dole has a new "Drain It Or Drink It" ad, only this one has two couples in it. When the woman says, "Oh....they drain it", I legit want to reach through the screen and throttle her. Look, you pretentious wench, if you're so much better than these other folks because you drink the juice your fruit is packed with, then go eat the stuff with your douche of a husband and leave them alone. I wonder if the Dole Wench hangs out with Yogurt Bitches when she's not drinking from her stupid fruit cups.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Cobalt Stargazer

[mansonlamps]

Speaking of Kelly Ripa needing another product to shill, and Yoplait, it astounds me that Lisa Kudrow did voice-overs for Yoplait commercials. The cast of Friends made $22 million dollars a season the last five years of that show, they've all got to be richer than the Sultan of Brunei - why in the hell would any of them need to do yogurt commercials? Bad investments?

What's with the commercial with athletes going through training and playing games to the soundtrack of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo from Disney's Cinderella? I think it's for Gatorade. I. Don't. Get it.

Because the rich get richer? Frankly it's always pissed me off that animated movies use richer than God name actors instead of floating some of the work to voice actors who don't have the right "look" for regular feature films.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Frankly it's always pissed me off that animated movies use richer than God name actors instead of floating some of the work to voice actors who don't have the right "look" for regular feature films

You're being mislead by the ads, Most of the cast in animated movies, even leading roles, are voice actors most people have never heard of. They'll hire token "names" with the talent to do voice work for marketing reasons, although if the voice they want happens to lead them to a big name actor (e.g. James Earl Jones), all the better.

[mansonlamps]

You're being mislead by the ads, Most of the cast in animated movies, even leading roles, are voice actors most people have never heard of. They'll hire token "names" with the talent to do voice work for marketing reasons, although if the voice they want happens to lead them to a big name actor (e.g. James Earl Jones), all the better.

You probably know better than I do since I don't even go to see animated films, but it seems to me the top roles of nearly every pixel/animation or whatever movie has top name actors.  I guess the ads are doing their job!

[Ohwell]

I hate those Fitbit commercials, with all these people running, lifting crap, doing backflips and shit, and just generally looking and acting like manic douches.  I'm not jealous, just annoyed.

[Moose135]

I hate those Fitbit commercials, with all these people running, lifting crap, doing backflips and shit, and just generally looking and acting like manic douches.  I'm not jealous, just annoyed.

 

I have a Fitbit, but I don't do any of those things.  Maybe I'm not using it right...

[Ohwell]

I have a Fitbit, but I don't do any of those things.  Maybe I'm not using it right...

Yeah, you're probably not manic enough.  

 

Oops, and I forgot one other thing:  Just be sure the FBI or some other agency isn't tracking you. : )  I saw a segment on the Today show about that.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Ohwell

[RCharter]

I have a Fitbit, but I don't do any of those things.  Maybe I'm not using it right...

The Fitbit is just another device that is going to turn on you in the robot revolution.

 

It will probably make you flip yourself right off a cliff.

[erikdepressant]

I drop what I'm doing whenever the "Fitbit Blaze" commercial comes on, though:

The opening horns from "Little Demon" instantly cheer me up and make me want weed.

[mansonlamps]

The latest Panera commercial makes me want to kill myself. Soup and sandwich and salad and soup and clean and fresh and blah blah blah. It's the woman's voice, it's got to be that same one that does the cinnamon rolls, gah! I hate it so much that I actually almost went to the website to let them know that I was no longer eating at Panera just because I hate their commercials so much but I figured it wasn't worth it.

Edited April 20, 2016 by mansonlamps

[Ohwell]

The latest Panera commercial makes me want to kill myself. 

Oh no, don't kill yourself.  I want you to hunt her down, find her, and kill her.  But make her eat some dirty, stale, additive-laden soup and sandwich before you do.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

You probably know better than I do since I don't even go to see animated films, but it seems to me the top roles of nearly every pixel/animation or whatever movie has top name actors.  I guess the ads are doing their job!

The ads will sometimes cheat by saying "with..." and not tell you that those actors just have small parts. Mostly, though, you don't notice the no-names leading most animated movies because they'll find something else to push, like the director, writer, or what company is releasing it. When nobody mentions who's voicing the title characters of Wall-E or Pocahontas you don't think about it or remember. When they say "Toy Story 3 starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen", you notice, and it's what you notice that builds a perception.

[janie jones]

I think the ones that are predominantly famous people  also skew the casts of these movies in people's memories.  In the Lion King, which I realize is old but whose characters I can name off the top of my head, had non-voice actors doing Simba (both as a kid and as an adult), Mufasa, Timon, Rafiki, Banzai, Shenzi, Scar, Zazu, and adult Nala, but voice actors doing Sarabi, Ed, Pumbaa, kid Nala, and then whatever singers did kid Nala and Simba's singing. 

[Joe Blow]

I *only* ever give that University of Phoenix commercial single-finger "One moment, I'm in the middle of something" finger to people I truly intend to get back to in one moment....like, I'm on the phone and will be done quickly, I'm listening to a message I need to listen to but hold on a second...things like that.  But I try to be nice about, not, "Go away, I'm busy." 

[ennui]

The ads will sometimes cheat by saying "with..." and not tell you that those actors just have small parts. Mostly, though, you don't notice the no-names leading most animated movies because they'll find something else to push, like the director, writer, or what company is releasing it. When nobody mentions who's voicing the title characters of Wall-E or Pocahontas you don't think about it or remember. When they say "Toy Story 3 starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen", you notice, and it's what you notice that builds a perception.

I can't imagine Toy Story with anyone else. Also, I thought Owen Wilson and Paul Newman were perfect for Cars.

 

Ummm, topic. I saw a commercial for some incontinence drug that claimed to use 'natural pumpkin seed.' Are there synthetic pumpkins now?

Edited April 20, 2016 by ennui

[RCharter]

I can't imagine Toy Story with anyone else. Also, I thought Owen Wilson and Paul Newman were perfect for Cars.

 

Ummm, topic. I saw a commercial for some incontinence drug that claimed to use 'natural pumpkin seed.' Are there synthetic pumpkins now?

And where do you put these natural pumpkin seeds?

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Are there synthetic pumpkins now?

Depends on whether you consider GMO or the results of crossbreeding synthetic. According to Monsanto's web site they're not actually selling their GMO pumpkin seeds yet.

[erikdepressant]

Ummm, topic. I saw a commercial for some incontinence drug that claimed to use 'natural pumpkin seed.' Are there synthetic pumpkins now?

Yes... what else do you use to grow plastic jack-o-lanterns treat pails?

[KLovestoShop]

Just saw an ad for Chase money back card, and the young woman who's talking has THE most obnoxious vocal fry. I know that's the new cool for the 20-somethings, but I can't believe a supposedly intelligent ad exec would hire someone with the most awful voice to rep their product?

There is a new commercial that I find cute, but I suspect most might dislike it. It's a commercial for a bank where a couple of aging hippie-types are walking a baby pig to a bank. I know it doesn't make sense, but the tiny piggy is so adorable.

[Rick Kitchen]

I saw that pig ad, it was really cute.

[Prevailing Wind]

I do paid surveys online and was doing one for some commercial.  When I was asked what I disliked most about it, I mentioned the narrator's vocal fry as being MOST annoying.  I wish more focus groups/surveys would respond like that.  I'd love to never hear another vocal fry in my lifetime.

[Joe Blow]

I never even noticed vocal fry until people started complaining about it (and then I had to look it up to even see what it was).  And I still barely notice it..

[Haleth]

Doesn't Julianna Margulies do the voice over for Chase commercials?

 

The little pig is adorable.

[janie jones]

I get annoyed every time they have men saw wood in that dumb truck commercial.

[NewDigs]

I look forward to the pig ad.

I do paid surveys online and was doing one for some commercial.  When I was asked what I disliked most about it, I mentioned the narrator's vocal fry as being MOST annoying.  I wish more focus groups/surveys would respond like that.  I'd love to never hear another vocal fry in my lifetime.

Vocal fry? That? I can think that maybe? it's medical?

But uptalk makes me freaking nuts.

[mojoween]

You tell me right now that I did NOT see oily, smarmy Constantine Maroulis eye-fucking his way around a commercial for...something...that includes Brooke Shields.

I seriously could not even focus on the product because I was like "is that? noooo, it can't be...ew I think it is!"

[NikSac]

I never even noticed vocal fry until people started complaining about it (and then I had to look it up to even see what it was). And I still barely notice it..

Same here. I honestly don't understand why it's turned into such a huge thing.

[Aquarius]

There is a new commercial that I find cute, but I suspect most might dislike it. It's a commercial for a bank where a couple of aging hippie-types are walking a baby pig to a bank. I know it doesn't make sense, but the tiny piggy is so adorable.

 

I know!  I love how it settles into the woman's lap when they're sitting at the desk.

[callmebetty]

If I have to hear that fake f'n Meghan Trainor crap song on that annoying Ross commercial one more time I might have to go Elvis on my TV. Can you tell I hate it?

[mansonlamps]

I never even noticed vocal fry until people started complaining about it (and then I had to look it up to even see what it was).  And I still barely notice it..

I'm jealous, I can't tune out out no matter how hard I try. I hope it's one of those fads that eventually disappear.

[Brattinella]

I'm jealous, I can't tune out out no matter how hard I try. I hope it's one of those fads that eventually disappear.

 

I wish the Doctor on Demand chick would disappear.  Bobble-head and voice that makes me grit my teeth.

[theredhead77]

There is a new commercial that I find cute, but I suspect most might dislike it. It's a commercial for a bank where a couple of aging hippie-types are walking a baby pig to a bank. I know it doesn't make sense, but the tiny piggy is so adorable.

I just posted about it in the "loves" thread.

 

Still hate the UoP commercial. 

[janie jones]

I hate EVERYTHING about this commercial.  The "dancing" is weird, the kaleidoscope effect is stupid, the music is annoying, the clothes are ugly.

 

[Aquarius]

. . .  the clothes are ugly.

 

 

And how!  If that's what seeing anew means, I don't want to.

 

Last night I was tuned into MTV to watch Purple Rain.  They must have played this commercial at least once during every freaking commercial break (and it's MTV, so there are a LOT of them).  By the end of the night I was ready to hunt these idiots down and kill them each TWOOOOO TIMES!!!!!!!  TWOOOO TIMES!!!!!!

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by Aquarius

[Moose135]

Last night I was tuned into MTV to watch Purple Rain.  They must have played this commercial at least once during every freaking commercial break (and it's MTV, so there are a LOT of them).  By the end of the night I was ready to hunt these idiots down and kill them each TWOOOOO TIMES!!!!!!!  TWOOOO TIMES!!!!!!

I only saw that commercial one time last night, and that was one time too many!

[RCharter]

I hate EVERYTHING about this commercial.  The "dancing" is weird, the kaleidoscope effect is stupid, the music is annoying, the clothes are ugly.

 

I feel like this is some sociological experiment to see exactly what you convince people is fashionable by simply putting it on skinny women dancing to strange music.

 

If people buy this, the next step is simply to throw bedsheets over skinny women like Casper, have them dance to experimental jazz and see if people will buy it.

[zentropa]

nothing to see here folks

Edited April 22, 2016 by zentropa

[proserpina65]

I hate EVERYTHING about this commercial.  The "dancing" is weird, the kaleidoscope effect is stupid, the music is annoying, the clothes are ugly.

 

I can't comment on the music because this computer doesn't have speakers, but I found this commercial visually interesting at least, and I kind of liked the first outfit and the pinky-purple floral dress at the end.  Could never wear them myself, of course.

[Ubiquitous]

I get annoyed every time they have men saw wood in that dumb truck commercial.

So do I. Choosing a power tool instead of a hand tool doesn't really mean you "chose the most powerful tool for the job", whatever that means, but I never liked the ad campaign with the sly tool.

[Sun-Bun]

I'm jealous, I can't tune out out no matter how hard I try. I hope it's one of those fads that eventually disappear.

Lord, I feel your pain---I'm an unwillingly vocal fry-focused listener too, and I immediately cringe the minute I hear that scratchy stupidity hit my ears. But then again, I'm a high school teacher, so I get to hear all the ridiculous slang/upspeak/vocal fry on a frightening daily basis; it's like this generation's own lame spin on the Valley Girl epidemic of the 80's.

Upspeak seems to have dwindled a bit, but it's nowhere near as widespread still as vocal fry. The thing that irks me is when I hear fellow teachers vocal frying it up in staff meetings---lots of teachers on my faculty here are white gals under 30, and I literally want to throat punch them when they start croaking out that unprofessional mess.

I'm blaming the Kardashians, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, since they really brought the intentional vocal fry on out into the national spotlight, trying to seem so sexy and world-weary.

Now we get to hear idiot scratchy-voiced young women on commercials croaking themselves silly. Ugh...please stop already---you don't sound cute or sexy, you sound like a dumbass.