Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Brattinella]

The LG-V20 ad.  With Gordon-Leavitt playing various instruments very loudly, and dancers, and is this song supposed to be something AMAZING?  It really isn't.  It is annoying as hell, and the actors in it act like it is the zenith of their lives.

Edited November 27, 2016 by Brattinella

[Mittengirl]

That Julia Roberts commercial both annoys and confuses me.  What exactly is she supposed to be doing?

[bilgistic]

Breaking the diamond chains that bind her, poor thing. I don't know.

[mojoween]

My parents house has terrible reception and she doesn't even own a computer so wifi is not an option.  We were there all day on Thanksgiving and you know what happened?  

We had a great time, played games and no one died.  And hey, snowflake....you can always watch your shows when you get back home.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎11‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 1:26 AM, forumfish said:

I have found my first stabby holiday commercial -- the one where Grandma is reading her granddaughter's social media post, and the little ingrate is comparing Grandma's house to the "gates of hell" because of lack of wifi. So Grandma and Grandpa go shopping and tech-up the place, so their precious selfish grandchild will have fun while she's there for the holidays.

Oh, I hate that one too! What's even worse is the long version with several whining children getting pampered. I think I'd get the wifi but not tell them the password.

[Bastet]

Quote

I have found my first stabby holiday commercial -- the one where Grandma is reading her granddaughter's social media post, and the little ingrate is comparing Grandma's house to the "gates of hell" because of lack of wifi.

I had already read about that one here before I first saw it, so I knew she was picking up the phone to order whatever is being advertised, but otherwise I'd have assumed she was going to call the brat to say, "You can just stay home with your technology, then; more food for the rest of us."  Complain to your friends about the fact you have to be away from your precious internet connection and may have to put your phone down to interact with human beings, fine, but do not post on something your grandparents have access to that going to their house is hell.

Edited November 27, 2016 by Bastet

[Silver Raven]

My niece once posted on facebook about having to be here for Christmas and hating it, and I told her mother, "Next time, don't bring her," So her mother got mad at me and my niece blocked me on facebook.

[Moose135]

It's a Festivus Miracle, @Silver Raven!

[SoSueMe]

On 11/23/2016 at 0:40 AM, Brattinella said:

You betcha!  This ad doesn't.  It is people shouting at me to ignore their psoriasis.

And that's another thing: I know that it is harmless, but I don't want crusty stuff hanging over the salad bar!

I posted about that one before. It seems to be not directed at actual psoriasis sufferers, instead at those in their orbits. I sympathize, really, but I hate  being lectured when the commercial isn't even trying to sell to me.

[tanyak]

On 11/26/2016 at 7:02 PM, Ohwell said:

I understand there are some sulky teenagers who don't want to go to their grandparents' house, but what got me was the brat putting the grandparents on blast on facebook.

This. That is totally tacky and bratty.

That said, I kind of see her point. *ducks* Up until a few years ago, my parents had some weirdness going on with their TVs. They had DirectTV, but for whatever reason it didn't work in the living room, but did work in their bedroom. Look, I love my family, but sometimes there's in only so much talking and game playing to be done. And my hubby--he loves my family dearly, but sometimes he wants to watch some football, especially on Thanksgiving (this was back before it was easy to stream games on your phone). One memorable Thanksgiving, half the family crowded into my parents' bedroom to catch the late game on NFL Network. LOL So yeah, we all had a good time, but them finally getting cable on all the TVs has made the visits a little more enjoyable. 

ETA: I also like that grammy and poppy seem to live in a rather small house. Most holiday commercials would have you believe that everyone is living in a mini mansion, so I like that you just open the door and step right into the smallish living room. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by tanyak

[janie jones]

On 11/26/2016 at 0:47 PM, peacheslatour said:

 My grandparents had horses. They made sure that I had my own saddle and let me name some of the colts. It made me feel welcome and wanted.

I think the equivalent there, though, would have been if your grandparents went out and got horses because you wanted to be around horses.  The grandparents in the commercial went out and got bells and whistles on their regular internet/cable just for one little turd who doesn't have the sense to not criticize her grandparents openly where they can see it.

[St. Claire]

21 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

Oh, I hate that one too! What's even worse is the long version with several whining children getting pampered. I think I'd get the wifi but not tell them the password.

That's totally what I was thinking- get the WiFi, but only give the password to the people who act like decent human beings. My son's timeouts used to consist of "don't come back until you are ready to act like you can be with people," and the alone time would NOT include him having any electronic devices. My kids are fairly introverted and are very attached to their devices, but they've learned the basics of how to politely interact with extended family (especially those of the less tech-savvy generation) without being little jackholes.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I have found my first stabby holiday commercial -- the one where Grandma is reading her granddaughter's social media post, and the little ingrate is comparing Grandma's house to the "gates of hell" because of lack of wifi. So Grandma and Grandpa go shopping and tech-up the place, so their precious selfish grandchild will have fun while she's there for the holidays.

The sad thing is that the kids are supposed to be visiting with their grandparents, not spending all day on their damn phones. And believe me, I know - a lot of teens these days never put their phones down from dawn 'til dusk. It's like another appendage and they spend all day texting and Snap-chatting and Instagramming, etc. 

Now, if the kids want to go watch a movie or something for a couple of hours while the "grown ups" are having a conversation, that's one thing. But knowing (some) teens as I do, it galls me to think of these kids on their phones all day ignoring their grandparents, who they're supposed to be spending time with. You know . . . while they're still alive.

I know a lot of kids think no WiFi = hell on earth, but isn't that an impression we should be correcting instead of indulging? There are other things to do, in life. And if you can't get by without WiFi for one day, I think there's something seriously wrong with you. These are kids. They don't have jobs that depend on WiFi, they are just going to visit their grandparents. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by iMonrey

[beadgirl]

Well yeah; is it really so horrible to not have internet access for a few hours, or even a day?  Moreover, it's an awful attitude to have -- imagine how much better the commercial would have been if the teenager, as an act of love for her grandparents, helped them get all the gizmos and connections to wire their house for their sake.

Beadboy2 is ten, not a teenager, but when we went to my mom's house for a week-long stay I explained to him that because she is on a fixed income and is not a big computer user, she has not-great wifi and his games wouldn't run as well; he was cool with it, because he's not (so far) an entitled brat.  Of course, I also limit how much screen time he's allowed each day, so he knows how to do things like read, draw, and talk to people.

[mmecorday]

Oh, if only I could visit my grandparents. I miss them all the time, but especially at this time of year. When I was helping my grandmother sort through my grandfather's things after he died, I saw that he had ABBA's Greatest Hits in his record collection. I said to my grandmother, "I don't recall Pap being an ABBA fan." She kind of sadly shook her head and said, "He wasn't. He just bought it so you kids might come over and listen to it with him." Damn, if that didn't make me feel like the shittiest person who ever drew breath.

Quote

The LG-V20 ad.  With Gordon-Leavitt playing various instruments very loudly, and dancers, and is this song supposed to be something AMAZING?  It really isn't.  It is annoying as hell, and the actors in it act like it is the zenith of their lives.

ARGH! I was watching "Search Party" On Demand over the weekend and this was on during every single break! And I didn't have the option of fast forwarding! Believe me, I tried!

[beadgirl]

Quote

Oh, if only I could visit my grandparents. I miss them all the time, but especially at this time of year. When I was helping my grandmother sort through my grandfather's things after he died, I saw that he had ABBA's Greatest Hits in his record collection. I said to my grandmother, "I don't recall Pap being an ABBA fan." She kind of sadly shook her head and said, "He wasn't. He just bought it so you kids might come over and listen to it with him." Damn, if that didn't make me feel like the shittiest person who ever drew breath.

Gah, you're gonna make me cry, now.  I miss my grandparents, and while visiting their house wasn't the most exciting thing ever, I did enjoy seeing them.

Quote

The LG-V20 ad.  With Gordon-Leavitt playing various instruments very loudly, and dancers, and is this song supposed to be something AMAZING?  It really isn't.  It is annoying as hell, and the actors in it act like it is the zenith of their lives.

I have a lot of good will towards him, but this commercial is a whole lot of nothing.

[AuntiePam]

Another special snowflake/spoiled children ad is one for a car -- the one where the boy has a movie date but it's snowing and blowing.  Of course his dad braves the weather and the bad roads to take the boy to the theater, and then the girl's dad shows up too. 

For pete's sake, just call and reschedule the damn movie date!  It's not worth risking your life.

On a personal note, a friend's father was killed in a car accident.  He wouldn't have been on the road but for the friend,'s sister, who had insisted that her dad take her to the airport so she could see her boyfriend off on a trip.  The sister survived, but says some days, she wished she hadn't. 

[Haleth]

I so agree about the brat in the Xfinity commercial. No wonder everyone hates teenagers.

Another that is annoying me is the series of GM commercials with smug assholes bragging about the thousands they saved on Black Friday... buying cars for themselves* instead of gifts for others.

*Unless of course the cars are for their significant others.  But with no big red bows in sight I think they are buying for themselves.

[mojoween]

And really, buying yourself a damn car is so not the same as buying gifts.

No one saves anything, by the way.  You're all spending money on SOMETHING regardless how it is allocated.

[merylinkid]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Another special snowflake/spoiled children ad is one for a car -- the one where the boy has a movie date but it's snowing and blowing.  Of course his dad braves the weather and the bad roads to take the boy to the theater, and then the girl's dad shows up too. 

For pete's sake, just call and reschedule the damn movie date!  It's not worth risking your life.

On a personal note, a friend's father was killed in a car accident.  He wouldn't have been on the road but for the friend,'s sister, who had insisted that her dad take her to the airport so she could see her boyfriend off on a trip.  The sister survived, but says some days, she wished she hadn't. 

I know.   As we noted, kids these days are perma-attached to their phones.   No one could text each other and reschedule?    But that's my own nitpick.   Other than that, I find it a kinda cute commercial.   You feel for the boy who was all set for his big date with the girl of his dreams and the damn weather interfered.   

 

Also I greatly miss my grandparents to this day.   Even after I grew up and didn't go on the family trip to visit, I would still call just to chat with them.   I remember discussing Presidents and mistresses with my grandmother during the Bill Clinton Scandal.   That good Republican could not figure out what the big deal was, she thought it was fine he had a mistress.   

Edited November 29, 2016 by merylinkid

[bkathi]

On ‎11‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 7:55 AM, Ubiquitous said:

Since it's Xmas season, it's time for a bunch of new car ads, but there's this one in particular that annoys the crap out of me which features a douchbag euro-Santa with a couple elf babes at his side making lame puns and catch phrases in response to the car salesman like "pimp my sleigh" and "add some pifizzle to my sleigh" and "are you jingling my bells?"! I can feel my blood pressure spiking whenever I see it.

I think earwig that is "My Hero Zero" from the VW commercial should crawl in hipster Santa's ear and have a feast.  Not usually so violent but those two commercials make me want shoot my tv.

[friendperidot]

Quote

The sad thing is that the kids are supposed to be visiting with their grandparents, not spending all day on their damn phones. And believe me, I know - a lot of teens these days never put their phones down from dawn 'til dusk. It's like another appendage and they spend all day texting and Snap-chatting and Instagramming, etc. 

Back in the ancient 70s, before every desk in every office had a computer, there were computers, but they were in a large, very cold room in the basement and you had to get special access to talk to the people who worked with them. But back in those awful days, there were things called typewriters. I had a co-worker who did not type and would complain long and loud that she wasn't born with a typewriter on the ends of both hands just because she was female.

[tanyak]

16 hours ago, mojoween said:

And really, buying yourself a damn car is so not the same as buying gifts.

No one saves anything, by the way.  You're all spending money on SOMETHING regardless how it is allocated.

Exactly. It's so not the same thing--I guess the car buyer is supposed to have the "clever" comeback, but it's apples and oranges.

Speaking of annoying car commercials. I get that Black Friday shopping isn't for everyone, but i seriously want to slap the hell out of the girl in the Chevy commercial with her "That's insane. I would neeeever do that." In the snootiest voice you could ever have. Even Mr. Tanyak, who hates crowds and shopping, side-eyes her stuck-up behind.

[Brattinella]

ALL the Chevy commercials drive me bonkers.  It is either hipsters saying things NO ONE would EVER SAY about a Chevy, or dropping a toolbox into a Chevy truck bed (un-buh-weeb-a-bull).  Chevy, get some better ad-writers, please!

[smittykins]

Along the same lines as the Xfinity brat, there's the Time Warner douchenozzle who complains about how satellite goes out in a storm, and what's the first thing you want to do in bad weather?  Watch TV.  Well, I have Time Warner(my apartment complex doesn't allow satellite dishes), and I can think of plenty of things to do should my cable go out--reading, writing, even play a video game as long as the power is still on.

[Dirtybubble]

22 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I have found my first stabby holiday commercial -- the one where Grandma is reading her granddaughter's social media post, and the little ingrate is comparing Grandma's house to the "gates of hell" because of lack of wifi. So Grandma and Grandpa go shopping and tech-up the place, so their precious selfish grandchild will have fun while she's there for the holidays.

If you are spending a week over there then yeah some decent wifi would be nice but a day, 2 days tops, ITA with previous posters let the brats suffer or better yet just leave them somewhere else.

 

2 hours ago, tanyak said:

And really, buying yourself a damn car is so not the same as buying gifts.

No one saves anything, by the way.  You're all spending money on SOMETHING regardless how it is allocated.

This commercial drives me crazy as well.  "I saved thousands..." yeah but you spent tens of thousands to get the savings.  Gah!

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

It is, but it doesn't, IMO, translate to a car scenario because of said implications of what a party in the backseat of a car entails. Also, the mullet is SO over and please God never comes back again, so the comment is at best very dated. Kinda hard to take you seriously when you're apparently still pining for your mullet days.

It's a dated reference deliberately though; no one is saying, "This car is cool like today's hottest hairstyle, the mullet!" I really don't suspect that mullets are ever referenced seriously or as if they're still a thing. 

Quote

Now on to something we can all agree on; that stupid fucking, condescending "just a sandwich" commercial. Really? You're comparing a medical degree to a sandwich?

And the baby-voice asshole's explanation of why "or something" is bad makes no sense! "Or something" does not negate the quality of whatever it is that came before it! Furthermore, she's not even singling out Panera's sandwiches in the sample sentence that gets her all fired up ("Let's get a sandwich or something.") Wouldn't the company be fine with their competitors being linked to the so-called dubious nature of "or something"? 

Edited November 29, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[Neurochick]

What is the deal with the new MacBook Pro commercial?  I guess it's supposed to be about how we've advanced and all and then at the end you realize it's for a MacBook Pro.  But what's with the light bulbs and the paper clip and the toilet paper roll?

 

Edited November 29, 2016 by Neurochick

[Brattinella]

Do you want to know how those endless prescription-drug commercials affect me, a prospective consumer? 

They make me absolutely SWEAR I will never ask my doctor for your crap drugs!  I will ask for generic, old-fashioned medicines and will not put a PENNY in your pockets!

[ennui]

I'm getting the Xfinity ad in heavy rotation. The kid says grandma's house is the gates of hell? "Merry Christmas you filthy animal" is right.

[Brattinella]

...

Edited November 30, 2016 by Brattinella

[crazycatlady58]

Would someone  please tell me what " Merry Christmas  you filthy  animal  " refers to? 

[theatremouse]

1 minute ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Would someone  please tell me what " Merry Christmas  you filthy  animal  " refers to? 

I believe it's a reference to a line in Home Alone.

[crazycatlady58]

Thank you, I do not watch many movies,  although  I have seen that one  , I thought  he was asking for a movie  by that name but that did not make  sense  because  even I would  have remembered  that  title. 

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 5:38 PM, Silver Raven said:

My niece once posted on facebook about having to be here for Christmas and hating it, and I told her mother, "Next time, don't bring her," So her mother got mad at me and my niece blocked me on facebook.

Is that a good thing or bad thing? ha ha

 

On ‎11‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 9:58 AM, janie jones said:

I think the equivalent there, though, would have been if your grandparents went out and got horses because you wanted to be around horses. 

That reminds me of the ad in which the parents buy their little all sorts of Hippo X-mas gifts after she sees one at the zoo, only for her to see a deer outside in the yard.

 

14 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I believe it's a reference to a line in Home Alone.

Ohhhh...! I thought he was calling the brats "filthy animals" and the voice remote gave its best attempt at responding.

[ennui]

16 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I believe it's a reference to a line in Home Alone.

I've never seen that. Many pop cultural references are lost on me.

Edited November 30, 2016 by ennui
Lost on? Lost to?

[Silver Raven]

Apparently the voice remote can pick movies based on quotes from the movie, and that was what the ad was referencing.

[SoSueMe]

On 11/26/2016 at 1:26 AM, forumfish said:

I have found my first stabby holiday commercial -- the one where Grandma is reading her granddaughter's social media post, and the little ingrate is comparing Grandma's house to the "gates of hell" because of lack of wifi. So Grandma and Grandpa go shopping and tech-up the place, so their precious selfish grandchild will have fun while she's there for the holidays.

If I was that grandma, I'd open the door and tell the brat, "welcome to the gates of hell, dear. Here's a toothbrush -- scrub all the floors."

The thing I don't quite understand is, who is grandpa calling a "filthy animal" as he's wishing a Merry Christmas?  Wow, pandering to special snowflake grandchildren and presenting an absolutely nasty example, all in the same 60 second commercial. 

Oops, I just read ahead and saw the filthy animal explanation. Sorry but it's still pretty nasty, imo.

Edited November 30, 2016 by SoSueMe

[Brattinella]

It is time already to get this POS McDonald's commercial with hipster man-bun breaking out into a JINGLE for no reason!  And it isn't even the SAME jingle that they've always had! It is the Mick pick 2 commercial.  Seriously, this is NOT appealing, McDonalds!  Get off my TV!

[bitchin camaro]

On 11/29/2016 at 2:43 PM, Dirtybubble said:

This commercial drives me crazy as well.  "I saved thousands..." yeah but you spent tens of thousands to get the savings.  Gah!

That's how I feel about Ebates ads. "I got $700 back!" Jesus, lady - how much did you actually spend? I buy a shitton of stuff online and I think I get maybe 30 bucks a quarter back, and even that seems excessive.

[peacheslatour]

15 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

The thing I don't quite understand is, who is grandpa calling a "filthy animal" as he's wishing a Merry Christmas?  Wow, pandering to special snowflake grandchildren and presenting an absolutely nasty example, all in the same 60 second commercial. 

Oops, I just read ahead and saw the filthy animal explanation. Sorry but it's still pretty nasty, imo.

He's using a quote from a movie that kids like to select a viewing option. It's a joke.

[LilWharveyGal]

Nitpick:  Except the quote isn't, "Merry Christmas, you filthy animal," it's, "Keep the change, you filthy animal."  I guess it's cool that their software is sophisticated enough to pick out the part that's the quote and match it to a movie, but to me the inaccuracy is just another reason to loathe that commercial.

ETA:  Mea culpa, I'm not familiar with Home Alone 2 so assumed they were referencing the original.  I still hate the commercial, though. :) 

Edited December 1, 2016 by LilWharveyGal
I don't know what I'm talking about.

[InDueTime]

28 minutes ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Nitpick:  Except the quote isn't, "Merry Christmas, you filthy animal," it's, "Keep the change, you filthy animal."  I guess it's cool that their software is sophisticated enough to pick out the part that's the quote and match it to a movie, but to me the inaccuracy is just another reason to loathe that commercial.

Home Alone 2 has the "Merry Christmas, you filthy animal" quote.  

Edited December 1, 2016 by InDueTime

[Drogo]

Home Alone had "Angels with Filthy Souls" and Home Alone 2 had its VHS sequel, "Angels with Even Filthier Souls." 

(Both films had variations of the filthy animal line and dialogue surprisingly appropriate for whatever circumstance Kevin needed them for, ex: keep the change for a pizza delivery boy.)

[peacheslatour]

21 minutes ago, Drogo said:

Home Alone had "Angels with Filthy Souls" and Home Alone 2 had its VHS sequel, "Angels with Even Filthier Souls." 

(Both films had variations of the filthy animal line and dialogue surprisingly appropriate for whatever circumstance Kevin needed them for, ex: keep the change for a pizza delivery boy.)

*squints at avatar* Is that really what Frodo's dad looked like?

[Dirtybubble]

Ok so I finally saw the Xfinity commercial--GAH!  It bugs me to no end.  First the snot nose brats tweeting about how terrible to be at their grandparents house then Xfinity sending the message that the only way you will have fun this holiday or experience any kind of love is to  buy all this expensive equipment and technology.  Grams gets Netflix and On-Demand and all of a sudden everyone is laughing, eating gingerbread, and snot nose teenager finds the time to look at a pic of her grandmother when she was young & post it on Instagram.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Dirtybubble
Garmmer

[Dirtybubble]

Ladies and Gentleman I present the world's most hated commercial:  (all though I must say I like the grandparents saying pound sign instead of hashtag)

[Bastet]

I had never seen that longer version.  I must admit the overall feel is more palatable than the shorter version, but I still think those brats a) shouldn't be posting trash talk about having to go to their grandparents' house where said grandparents can see it, and b) should be able to put their damn phones down for one measly evening.

And how off the grid can these homes be, anyway, if the people who live in them are accessing the internet to read these bratty posts in the first place?

But, yes, I do love "pound sign" instead of "hashtag."

[ennui]

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

He's using a quote from a movie that kids like to select a viewing option. It's a joke.

Poor grandparents; they spend all this time and energy on technical upgrades, and I still don't get the joke. 

My grandma and I used to play cribbage. Can you imagine the horror on those kids faces if I got out a deck of cards? 

[LoneHaranguer]

14 minutes ago, Bastet said:

But, yes, I do love "pound sign" instead of "hashtag."

ITA. I hate that "hashtag" has become another name for a '#' since it can be ambiguous whether someone is talking about a message tag that starts with the hash character (aka "pound sign" among many others) and the character itself. It's clear what this guy is doing, even though it doesn't matter in this context.