Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Jamoche]

Having finally seen "this is my friend Josh" once too often, I decided to actually pay attention to it so I could rant properly. Annoying as it is - the narrator is no friend to Josh, and imagines slowly erasing the parts of him that other people like - the tie-in at the end to anti-bullying makes no sense. Nobody's getting bullied, not even in fantasyland. Wishing your "friend" didn't exist just means you're not really his friend. Plus the tone seems to be on the narrator's side in a "woe is me, my life sucks" way; assuming he's the bully, that's a fail, since it's aimed at kids who won't get the idea of unreliable narrator.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Ayg3/frixion-erasable-pen-disney-xd-josh

[AuntiePam]

I've only seen that #1 and #2 ad once -- I was okay with it, due to 60 years of shampoo first, condition second (which started with Prell and then Tame).  If nothing else, it made me think that this was a unique product and that it might actually improve my hair. 

No ads annoy me lately, except for Trivago -- the ads aren't bad but they're on all the time.  That website must be raking it in.

[Brattinella]

4 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I've only seen that #1 and #2 ad once -- I was okay with it, due to 60 years of shampoo first, condition second (which started with Prell and then Tame).  If nothing else, it made me think that this was a unique product and that it might actually improve my hair. 

No ads annoy me lately, except for Trivago -- the ads aren't bad but they're on all the time.  That website must be raking it in.

Prell!  I used to love the smell of it!  The #'s 1 and 2 leave me cold; I think it is a way to use up your expensive conditioner faster.

[Sandman87]

23 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Zathras likes this reference.

But at least there is symmetry.

[MaryMitch]

Actually, when I have shampoo in my eyes, I wouldn't mind large lettering on the bottles. I see why others might think it's demeaning, but I really don't think the shampoo manufacturers really think women don't understand which order to use the products.

But speaking of demeaning commercials - who remembers the commercial with the tag line "My wife - I think I'll keep her."  I think it was for Geritol, and iron and vitamin supplement.  Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote a song with that as the title.

Edited August 21, 2016 by MaryMitch

[chessiegal]

3 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Prell!  I used to love the smell of it!  The #'s 1 and 2 leave me cold; I think it is a way to use up your expensive conditioner faster.

Do you remember the Prell girls in the magazines with their perfect hair, skin, and generally being beautiful? Wash your hair with Prell and you will be this perfect!

[riley702]

7 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Wow did I get spanked.  And I still don't give a shit.  I have cats, I use clay litter, and plastic bags to collect it.  I (and you) are not saving the earth by not using these products.  And just how long do you think people will still be on this earth?

Thanks for taking the hit, because I didn't know, either, but was afraid to ask.

Also? You can still buy Prell. I'm halfway through a bottle of it now.

[Brattinella]

GAH!  Affront to my senses, DEAL DASH dot com!  Stupid one-finger piano doo-doo-da-doo deedle and those IDIOTIC people and the DealDash Shill-Guy??  "Everyone says it is too good to be true! But IT'S TRUE!"

Edited August 21, 2016 by Brattinella
exact quote

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Do you remember the Prell girls in the magazines with their perfect hair, skin, and generally being beautiful? Wash your hair with Prell and you will be this perfect!

Yes, and Halo girls.  The Halo girls weren't real though -- they were drawn.  "Halo everybody, Halo!" 

Was Tame the first creme rinse?  I remember tangles after shampooing, and then came Tame.  Halo, Prell, White Rain -- I don't think they were pH balanced.  You could set your hair after shampooing with one of those, and the set would stay for days, even without spray.  Yes, days.  In the 50's, we didn't wash our hair every day, or even every other day. 

I knew a gal who said she gave herself perms using Tide.

[TattleTeeny]

10 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Wow did I get spanked.  And I still don't give a shit.  I have cats, I use clay litter, and plastic bags to collect it.  I (and you) are not saving the earth by not using these products.  And just how long do you think people will still be on this earth?

Be careful about the clay, Brattinella; sometimes it can cause respiratory issues later for some cats. I used to use it too, and I don't think it was an issue for my past feline babies, but after my last one passed away and I adopted two kittens (after I made a big old fuss about never having pets again because it was just too devastating), I went a little "overprotective mom" and decided to do all the "right" (and pricier!) things (who knows--it could be all nonsense, but I never actually had baby cats before and figured why not, now that I can afford it).

[bilgistic]

I wash my hair once a week. (It's good enough for my grandmother--she's had her weekly wash and set for as long as I can remember!) I know people think that's so gross, but I use dry shampoo between washes. (I do shower more often than than weekly, rest assured.)

Oil production normalizes after a while, and you find you don't need to wash every day or every other day. Every day in middle and high school, I washed, blowdried and curled my permed hair, and it's a miracle I still have hair.

My hair now (for years) is dyed/highlighted and overwashing is the surest way to fade the color (or turn the blonde "brassy" from minerals in water). I also don't blowdry, and haven't in years. I'm lazy, really, but it all makes for healthier hair. I've also never skimped on quality shampoo and conditioner/treatment.

Edited August 21, 2016 by bilgistic

[Haleth]

9 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The #'s 1 and 2 leave me cold; I think it is a way to use up your expensive conditioner faster.

Think of all those plastic bottles that end up in landfills next to kitty litter bags!

Since I can't read anything that close I wouldn't mind enormous numbers on the bottles to tell them apart.  Fortunately my products come in different shaped bottles/tubes so there is no confusion, but if I take (same shaped) travel bottles of shampoo and conditioner with me I need to put a dot of nail polish on one so I know which is which in the shower.

Mmm, Prell smell.  Those were the days when everyone in the family used the same product.  One bottle of shampoo.  Period.

[TattleTeeny]

I don't wash mine everyday either; I follow and "as needed" system. I'll know by look and by feel if it needs it. And, if you see me with a bun or that poof-knot more than a day or two in a row, it probably needs it and I haven't gotten around to it (sometimes not wanting to blow-dry it keeps me from washing it, haha!). I will say this: man, does it stay up in a bun/knot really well when it's dirty!

[Brattinella]

8 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Be careful about the clay, Brattinella; sometimes it can cause respiratory issues later for some cats. I used to use it too, and I don't think it was an issue for my past feline babies, but after my last one passed away and I adopted two kittens (after I made a big old fuss about never having pets again because it was just too devastating), I went a little "overprotective mom" and decided to do all the "right" (and pricier!) things (who knows--it could be all nonsense, but I never actually had baby cats before and figured why not, now that I can afford it).

Thank you, Teeny.  I am sorry about your cat, glad you decided to get some kittens.  I think every pet owner feels like that when one of their babies dies.  Hubby just informed me that we no longer use clay-based litter, we use Clump and Seal (no dust!).  I'll probably get harangued for that now, too.

[bilgistic]

I still use clay litter. Furthermore, I use the new "light" (less heavy) kind. I look at it this way: what gets me to clean and change the litter more often is better for everyone (read: the cat, me and whoever comes to my place), and the lighter stuff does it. Regular clumping litter is heavy as hell.

Edited August 21, 2016 by bilgistic

[cynicat]

I was waiting for someone to post about this one for Swiffer but haven't seen it unless I missed something.  The mom seems like a major OCD clean freak bitch.  You have 2 little girls having fun baking in the kitchen and the first reaction that the mom has is that they made a mess.  "What does that make mommy do?"   Evidently mom turns into the incredible hulk. And you don't want to see mommy angry.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, cynicat said:

I was waiting for someone to post about this one for Swiffer but haven't seen it unless I missed something.  The mom seems like a major OCD clean freak bitch.  You have 2 little girls having fun baking in the kitchen and the first reaction that the mom has is that they made a mess.  "What does that make mommy do?"   Evidently mom turns into the incredible hulk. And you don't want to see mommy angry.

 

Ha! I had the same reaction. Mommy Dearest sure is protective of her microscopic kitchen.

[Brattinella]

I love watching Mommy using the "old-fashioned" flat type mop on the wet/chocolate/grungy floor, grinding that mess deeper under the seam of the linoleum!  Hee!

[TattleTeeny]

Oooh, I disagree. I think the fact that she lets this go on at all, clenches her fists/makes a face without stopping the kids, and then cleans it up herself says she's pretty chill. Chiller than I am, at least. I remember the scene in The Office when Kevin spilled a huge pot of chili on the carpet and it still makes me tense up today!

[meep.meep]

The Olympic commercial with Maya Angelou's voice over makes me stabby.  I can't stand her voice.  Off to hell for desecrating an American saint! 

[AuntiePam]

12 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

The Olympic commercial with Maya Angelou's voice over makes me stabby.  I can't stand her voice.  Off to hell for desecrating an American saint! 

I don't know if I've heard that one, but I've heard her speak and it's annoying.  A lot of famous people -- especially writers and poets -- speak very slowly, with pauses, like we should be holding our breath to see what words of wisdom are coming next.  Pretentious.

[friendperidot]

forumfish, are they back? My nephew tried to get me one less than a month ago and the local Wendy's didn't have vanilla. I don't get lots of them, I've lost 25 lbs in just over a year, but I do eat what I want when I want, or at least sometimes, and I could go for one right now! I find depriving myself all the time creates binges, better to have a small taste to satisfy that want than go on a week long binge.

[theatremouse]

10 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

forumfish, are they back? My nephew tried to get me one less than a month ago and the local Wendy's didn't have vanilla. I don't get lots of them, I've lost 25 lbs in just over a year, but I do eat what I want when I want, or at least sometimes, and I could go for one right now! I find depriving myself all the time creates binges, better to have a small taste to satisfy that want than go on a week long binge.

I heard a radio ad today for Frosties that specifically mentioned chocolate and vanilla (but didn't seem to be indicating the latter as new or anything), so it may be a depends-on-the-specific-Wendy's type thing.

[Brattinella]

We don't have a Wendy's anymore.  Or KFC. Or Denny's.  Or Jack in the Box.  Or Grandy's.  Or Carl's Junior.  Etc, etc, etc. :(

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, friendperidot said:

forumfish, are they back? My nephew tried to get me one less than a month ago and the local Wendy's didn't have vanilla. I don't get lots of them, I've lost 25 lbs in just over a year, but I do eat what I want when I want, or at least sometimes, and I could go for one right now! I find depriving myself all the time creates binges, better to have a small taste to satisfy that want than go on a week long binge.

Way to go! That's excellent. And you're right. Depriving yourself all the time doesn't work.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 8/19/2016 at 5:11 PM, bilgistic said:

Why are there always holes in the bags when I go to scoop the cat box?

You need to pay attention to which store's bag it is. Some stores use bags with deliberate gaps in the seams (not sure why they're made that way). Others just use cheap thin ones that rip easily. Good bags can be reused quite a few times before being consigned to a final end.

[Prevailing Wind]

We can't use clumping litter in our house because Stella is an exuberant coverer-upper, i.e., a litter-flinger.  She's so energetic about it, she breaks up the clumps, rendering its major feature null and void.

[Brattinella]

6 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

We can't use clumping litter in our house because Stella is an exuberant coverer-upper, i.e., a litter-flinger.  She's so energetic about it, she breaks up the clumps, rendering its major feature null and void.

Oh, dear!  Our younger kitty does the same thing!  She will transfer the entire contents of the box from one end to the other, to the bottom of the litter!

[bilgistic]

After all this talk of litter and bags, I went to Target today and got bilgisticat a fresh new cat box, but it's smaller than his old one. I usually get the cheap boxes at PetSmart, but there wasn't a store on my way. I change out the box entirely about every six months or so. I'm not one of those people who actually clean the box with cleanser/bleach/whatever. God bless those who do, but I am not them.

I also got some small trash bags because I'm tired of scrounging for plastic bags, and someone here gave me the idea. I use cloth bags to carry my groceries, so I don't have many plastic bags.

So, yes, I just contributed a bunch of waste to the earth, but bilgisticat should be a little happier with a fresh box, even though it's small. I may have to get a bigger one and create more waste. Or maybe he can have two and poop in one and pee in the other. That's what he and my late kitty girl did when I had two boxes for them--like they had a meeting and decided which box would be for what waste.

I also got a new hairbrush. It was a big day.

[Brattinella]

I actually went to Walmart and looked at litter boxes when we got our little cat.  None of them were big enough to my liking, so I bought a very large rubbermaid storage bin that was shallow enough for the cats to jump into.  Not sure how big it is, 10 gallon maybe.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Brattinella

[Jamoche]

I went to Tap Plastics and had them make an enclosure for the litter box - 2' high on 3 sides, just a bit taller than the litter box in front. I had a boy cat and that saved me *so* much cleanup.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Jamoche

[AuntiePam]

I don't have cats anymore but when I did, both cats were too large for what is marketed as a litter box.  So I used a storage box, one with low sides.  It took more litter to fill to a good depth, but there was less litter outside the box, and their butts didn't hang over the side.  And the storage box was cheaper than a standard litter box.

And toward the end, I used corn-based litter.  It clumped nicely, no dust, no clay, no scent added, and it was light weight.  But pricey. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

6 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

You need to pay attention to which store's bag it is. Some stores use bags with deliberate gaps in the seams (not sure why they're made that way). Others just use cheap thin ones that rip easily. Good bags can be reused quite a few times before being consigned to a final end.

I can't have cats because of allergy issues, but my mom has an indoor cat, and she uses bags from Target for the litter box because they're more durable than the ones she gets from the grocery store, which eight times out of ten have holes in them when she gets them out of the ccar.

[Brattinella]

Tap Plastics.  I know JUST where that is!

[janie jones]

13 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

I don't wash mine everyday either; I follow and "as needed" system. I'll know by look and by feel if it needs it. And, if you see me with a bun or that poof-knot more than a day or two in a row, it probably needs it and I haven't gotten around to it (sometimes not wanting to blow-dry it keeps me from washing it, haha!). I will say this: man, does it stay up in a bun/knot really well when it's dirty!

I've been shampooing once a week-ish lately, and periodically using cleansing conditioner in between.  I agree that braids/buns stay together better.  Also, every time I've had an updo done by a professional (not that it's a lot), I've been instructed to come in with unwashed hair so that it stays together.

[TattleTeeny]

Yup; I try to make a bun with clean, straightened hair and it's a catastrophe.

[millennium]

The Outback Steak House commercials, with the dubious Australian chef who speaks through his nose.

I want to slap his fat face.

[Haleth]

16 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

I don't know if I've heard that one, but I've heard her speak and it's annoying.  A lot of famous people -- especially writers and poets -- speak very slowly, with pauses, like we should be holding our breath to see what words of wisdom are coming next.  Pretentious.

There are two Maya Angelou commercials in rotation now with her reciting a poem, so the slow cadence is fitting.  I think the one about humanity being more alike than not is beautiful, both the poem and the photos.  (I couldn't tell you what it is for though.  A phone maybe?)

Speaking of annoying commercials during the Olympics, in this one from Chevy they've assembled the dumbest group of millennials in the country.  I know real folks are directed to be enthusiastic about the product, but these dolts come up with ridiculous over the top outbursts and facial expressions: "OMG!  It's going up!" Squee!  "It's mind blowing!"  No, it's a bunch of vehicles on a raised platform.  Go back to your imojis, Chevy people.

[frenchtoast]

Just a quick, friendly, reminder--when the topic starts to stray into more personal story stuff and away from actual commercials, feel free to mention that you're going to post further in the Small Talk area. When an off topic discussion goes on for a bit, sometimes it feels like interrupting to actually discuss commercials. 

Thanks and carry on!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Topic. Right. :-)

Y'know, I get that nothing is sacred anymore and that ad people will use any song just as long as it purports to be relevant to the product, but every time I hear this commercial start up it hurts my soul. Joe Strummer did not write that song so ya'll could shill your chain of hotels, Choice.

And get off my lawn.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Cobalt Stargazer

[DeLurker]

I hate the Corona ads, all of them, but the stupid one with the couple dancing and the girl awkwardly grinding into the guy?  That one I hate the most.  Plus, one of the final shots is two couples drinking their Corona's on the beach and the woman on the far right looks fat and/or pregnant.  I'm sure she is neither, but the angle at which it is shot makes her look like she has a stomach pooch.

[iMonrey]

Quote

The Olympic commercial with Maya Angelou's voice over makes me stabby.  I can't stand her voice.  Off to hell for desecrating an American saint! 

I'm OK with her voice but she's shilling for iPhones and the University of Phoenix, so her poetry seems extremely pretentious in that context.

[chessiegal]

How can someone who is dead be shilling for anyone/anything?

[Brattinella]

19 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

How can someone who is dead be shilling for anyone/anything?

Money, money, money, money.

[Jobiska]

I'm in the minority on the Liberty Mutual ads--no, not on disliking them, I can't stand them--but the clipped-a-food-truck couple is the second worst to me, after the 3/4 of a car lady (no, of course the company doesn't think that!  Argh!)  Partly it's that the couple is obviously intended to be a couple, but they look like brother and sister to me--same runner's build, same long skinny faces and big eyes that are set sort of the same--so it unnerves me.  And then it's so obvious to me that she's harangued him over and over about the "clipping" and he is all cowed and sheepish about it.  Not the kind of relationship (sibling or marital!) that I like to see!

And I kind of like how the girl in the Brad one suddenly goes from happy-go-lucky to thundering brow accusing with "and then you totalled him!"  So she's the least bad to me.

[LilWharveyGal]

4 minutes ago, Jobiska said:

And I kind of like how the girl in the Brad one suddenly goes from happy-go-lucky to thundering brow accusing with "and then you totalled him!"  So she's the least bad to me.

See, that's exactly why I don't like her.  It's like she's trying to cram all of the emotions she learned in Acting 101 into 15 seconds of film.  But she is certainly less annoying than the folks in the commercials that followed.  Somehow Liberty keeps lowering their bar.

[3pwood]

1 hour ago, Jobiska said:

... And I kind of like how the girl in the Brad one suddenly goes from happy-go-lucky to thundering brow accusing with "and then you totalled him!"  So she's the least bad to me.

I also kind of like her displaying the range she's learned in Acting Class -- as if she's doing a parody in a "mockumentary" by Christopher Guest.  I just cannot abide the phrase "happy dance", which is what kills the whole thing for me.

[Jamoche]

2 hours ago, Jobiska said:

Partly it's that the couple is obviously intended to be a couple, but they look like brother and sister to me--same runner's build, same long skinny faces and big eyes that are set sort of the same--so it unnerves me. 

Maybe they met  on eHarmony?

[AuntiePam]

3 hours ago, Jobiska said:

And I kind of like how the girl in the Brad one suddenly goes from happy-go-lucky to thundering brow accusing with "and then you totalled him!"  So she's the least bad to me.

That's the only one I can stand to watch.  The one that bugs me the most is the 3/4 of a car woman, but I do like laughing at her trying to walk on grass in heels.  Her feet just sink right into the dirt.  I would have asked for a re-take, wearing flats.  

I've never had an accident in 50+ years of driving (knock wood) and don't have a lot of sympathy for drivers whose accidents are their fault -- and isn't that why your insurance company will raise your rates?  Because it was your fault? 

[Ohwell]

On 8/21/2016 at 3:05 PM, meep.meep said:

The Olympic commercial with Maya Angelou's voice over makes me stabby.  I can't stand her voice.  Off to hell for desecrating an American saint! 

Funny, because I said something similar in the Olympic commercials thread.  I just can't stand it.