Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Gramto6]

The commercial that is really annoying me right now is the one for Dog The Bounty Hunter's new show on WGN. It shows his wife leaning up against him, smiling and him saying his wife is really sick and something like he'd rather be with her instead of out hunting "you" (bad guy). He says something like he is going to show no mercy. His wife died a few weeks or a month ago. I think it is in very poor taste to keep running that ad!

[janie jones]

On 7/23/2019 at 6:20 AM, chessiegal said:

I know many people who have been on river cruises and they all love them.

Young people?

The Viking River Cruise commercials really appeal to me, but whenever I look into them, it doesn't end up sound like something I'd like.  I don't want guided tours and stuff.  I just want the boat to function as my ferry/hotel.

[chessiegal]

41 minutes ago, janie jones said:

Young people?

The Viking River Cruise commercials really appeal to me, but whenever I look into them, it doesn't end up sound like something I'd like.  I don't want guided tours and stuff.  I just want the boat to function as my ferry/hotel.

Nope. Old fogies like me. A friend who recently took a Viking cruise enjoyed a side trip to Salzburg.

[tanyak]

It seems that Peloton heard our complaints.  I just saw a new commercial. A tween boy is in his room with his dog when all of a sudden we hear some very loud, off key singing of the Fugees “Ready or Not.”  The boy looks at the dog and then leaves the room. It then cuts to the dad singing like crazy while riding. And he’s in a very normal office/bonus room with not one ceiling-to-floor window in sight.  You can see that he’s watching an instructor, but we don’t hear a word that she saying.  I think the point of the commercial is that you can stream music through the Pelaton somehow.  Which of course is silly because you can just listen to your own music and some other way. But I thought it was a nice change of pace from the instructor blabbling and the huge rooms. 

Edited July 25, 2019 by tanyak

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 6:18 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

...take a nap, read War and Peace...

Has anyone ever been on one of those European River Cruises?  Someone my SIL met on a bus tour of England told her it's not as great as the ads have you believe. Many of the riverbanks are built up, so all you see are walls and you waste a LOT of time in locks, waiting for them to either fill or empty.

A friend of a friend has been on just about every river cruise Viking offers and loved them.   I think river cruises are maybe an acquired taste.

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, janie jones said:

Young people?

The Viking River Cruise commercials really appeal to me, but whenever I look into them, it doesn't end up sound like something I'd like.  I don't want guided tours and stuff.  I just want the boat to function as my ferry/hotel.

The friend of a friend and his wife don't always do the guided tours.  It's not mandatory.

[ABay]

On 7/21/2019 at 4:31 PM, Ubiquitous said:

NIAGRA FALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to get all "That's Hedley" or anything, but it's Niagara Falls. No one ever says the middle A but it's there.

[Silver Raven]

Somebody was complaining on Reddit that this ad popped up in the middle of Toy Story 3 (I think they said it was on Hulu) and scared the heck out of their three year old.

[peacheslatour]

21 minutes ago, ABay said:

Not to get all "That's Hedley" or anything, but it's Niagara Falls. No one ever says the middle A but it's there.

"Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch...," 

[Prevailing Wind]

6 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

"Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch...," 

I seem to recall "Acapulco" was the word that triggered that...  Niagara Falls?

[Bastet]

19 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I seem to recall "Acapulco" was the word that triggered that...  Niagara Falls?

It depends on who is doing their version of the old vaudeville sketch what the trigger word is; "Niagara Falls" is often believed to be the first one, but origin of the sketch cannot be definitively traced, so who knows.

The sketches that appeared on TV shows are probably the most well known; "Niagara Falls" was used as the trigger on Abbott and Costello and The Three Stooges (I don't watch either show, but I always associated the "Slowly I Turned" routine with "Niagara Falls" so I picked it up in the pop culture ether somewhere).  On I Love Lucy, it was "Martha". 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Bastet

[BadCommercials]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

"Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch...," 

Lol! Lucy and the clown who kept clobbering her and her getting hit with a pie when she said the word Martha.....Oops!

[Automne]

This Stanley Steemer commercial with a baby puking all over its father (including in his open mouth) is fucking repulsive. And given that most of it got on the father and not the carpet, what’s the point of calling in carpet cleaners for a small spot. I would think this was an ad for laundry (and yeeting the baby).

[Tom Holmberg]

4 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I seem to recall "Acapulco" was the word that triggered that...

"Cleaning woman!"

[ams1001]

Found the culprit...

[ams1001]

Speaking of vocal fry, I give you Michelle the Wells Fargo Financial Health banker! The way she says "banker" and "solutions" makes me twitch. Mostly I see this one on youtube, and it's one of those unskippable ads and often plays twice in a row before the video starts. And I watch a lot of youtube.

But tonight I saw her in a different ad on my TV and she's wearing these ridiculously oversized glasses. (And what's wrong with leftovers, anyway?)

[catlover79]

On 7/23/2019 at 6:28 AM, Ubiquitous said:

That's how the new Trojan Man commercials make me feel. That man looks dirty, filthy, and like he uses roofies frequently.

I haven't seen those (yet), thank goodness.

[funky-rat]

20 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I seem to recall "Acapulco" was the word that triggered that...  Niagara Falls?

In the old Three Stooges skit, it was Niagara Falls that triggered it.  Maybe there was another skit by someone else with Acalpulco?

[Browncoat]

Dear Ford,  Stop telling people to run if they're chased by a bear!  Running from a bear will get you killed, and I feel certain you don't want to equate running to the local Ford dealership to buy a car with being mauled by a bear.

[biakbiak]

The Poshmark commercials where they have people talking about how they have made thousands of dollars and financed cars and fabulous vacations by doing it. It’s rare that used clothing actually increases in value so most of these people claiming to have “made” all this money are ignoring the fact that while they have recouped some of the money they initially spent on the clothing they aren’t actually profiting so could have done all these things earlier if they hadn’t overshopped on clothes in the first place! 

Edited July 26, 2019 by biakbiak

[friendperidot]

Since I don't care about name brands in clothing and most other stuff, it goes over my head about how much they make on how much they've spent on clothing. But I keep starring at Vanessa, I think she's one of the Poshmark people, she has the widest mouth! And emphasizes it with bright red lipstick. And then there's 3 dancing models on the Real Real. I don't even notice much about what they are wearing because they are awful dancers, especially when they do that "roll 'em up, roll 'em up" move. I've been playing patty cake with a toddler, so that's all I can see.

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The Poshmark commercials where they have people talking about how they have made thousands of dollars and financed cars and fabulous vacations by doing it. It’s rare that used clothing actually increases in value so most of these people claiming to have “made” all this money are ignoring the fact that while they have recouped some of the money they initially spent on the clothing they aren’t actually profiting so could have done all these things earlier if they hadn’t overshopped on clothes in the first place! 

I keep joking that they must really be selling drugs or something if their earning enough to make all that their claiming to have made and that fast. Cars, fabulous vacations, and an entire wedding. All from selling their old clothes? Yeah, that sounds legit. 

[Gramto6]

35 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

I keep joking that they must really be selling drugs or something if their earning enough to make all that their claiming to have made and that fast. Cars, fabulous vacations, and an entire wedding. All from selling their old clothes? Yeah, that sounds legit. 

Thing is, if they are making that much selling their unwanted clothes, they paid 3 or 4 times that for them in the first place. Hello, if you didn't spend that money then you would have had even more $$ for vacations, weddings, cars, etc.. It really just shows how stupid and careless they were with their money in the first place.

Edited July 27, 2019 by Gramto6

[Maverick]

 Ok, just like the skin on the people in the commercial, I'm done.  I'm sick of the Walgreen's commercial with the people who have baked themselves like a potato.   It runs all the damn time, the Melanom-A-Vision is creepy and the song is annoying as fuck.   Instant mute every time I hear that grating piano intro.

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 7/21/2019 at 4:04 PM, TheCrankyCreative said:

What's people's consensus on Schick's "trimming the bushes" ad for its Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor?

I'm about to review this commercial for my site (yes, I'm way late to the bush-trimming party), and wanted to take people's temperature on it. I know the commercial has generated a lot of complaints and even boycotts over the years, but the ad is still running. I think that's because it works.

What are some opinions here?

I hate those commercials with a passion. 

[peacheslatour]

8 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Ok, just like the skin on the people in the commercial, I'm done.  I'm sick of the Walgreen's commercial with the people who have baked themselves like a potato.   It runs all the damn time, the Melanom-A-Vision is creepy and the song is annoying as fuck.   Instant mute every time I hear that grating piano intro.

You and me both. And it's on eleventy billion times a day. Just stop.

[BigBingerBro]

8 hours ago, Maverick said:

...Walgreen's commercial with the people who have baked themselves like a potato.  ... Instant mute every time I hear that grating piano intro.

My mute button is nearly worn out because of this friggen commercial too.   It's actually sending a really good message about protecting your skin, but whoever decided to use that music needs to be locked up.

[Ubiquitous]

17 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The Poshmark commercials where they have people talking about how they have made thousands of dollars and financed cars and fabulous vacations by doing it. It’s rare that used clothing actually increases in value so most of these people claiming to have “made” all this money are ignoring the fact that while they have recouped some of the money they initially spent on the clothing they aren’t actually profiting so could have done all these things earlier if they hadn’t overshopped on clothes in the first place! 

There's this one commercial for Poshmark that bugs me b/c it seems to imply this guy is wearing the "collectable" red and black sneakers he is selling on that site.

You know what commercials are getting on my nerve? The ones for the food delivery services featuring gluttons ordering several dozen foods and putting them on display in front of him. Yeah, like you're going to eat all that nasty tempid food you bought...

[Ubiquitous]

The truth is out there!

[Archery]

There are 2 Kraft Mac 'n Cheese commercials where the parents are literally pleading with their kids to eat their veggies -- one at the table and one where the mom is chasing the kid through the house with a piece of broccoli on a fork.  Then they smash cut to the kid at the table blissfully eating a heaping bowl of Mac 'n Cheese while Enya croons "Only Time" on the soundtrack. In both spots, the veggies lie untouched on a separate plate while the parent beams.  

Wait.  You're telling me it's better for kids to eat a giant bowl of over-refined carbs covered in cheese-product than to figure out a way to cook veggies for their palate?

F that.  My mom would have said (and did say), You will not leave the table until you eat your vegetables, and if bedtime comes first, you will see them again for breakfast.  This is not a negotiation, and if you think I will chase and beg you to eat what I have bought and cooked for dinner, then you are too insane to live in my house.  My mother did not play.   

Also, thanks to my teenagers, "Only Time" is a theme song for emo tears.  

[TheCrankyCreative]

Oh, hey! Liberty Mutual is back with the next dementia-induced evolution of its "Truth Tellers" ads. Whaddyall think?

Edited July 27, 2019 by TheCrankyCreative

[chessiegal]

There is one Kraft cheese commercial where they show shredded cheese being put on broccoli. Sounds good to me.

[Bastet]

On 7/27/2019 at 11:22 AM, Archery said:

one at the table and one where the mom is chasing the kid through the house with a piece of broccoli on a fork.  Then they smash cut to the kid at the table blissfully eating a heaping bowl of Mac 'n Cheese

I think that mother is fucking nuts.  Now, the serving of mac & cheese is way too big regardless, and if the kid is going to only eat that, as opposed to having it along with what's on her plate, then hell no on every level, but the commercial isn't clear on that and I tend to interpret it as the latter - she's getting it as a (again, huge) side dish so the meal includes something she loves along with what she has to eat.  (It is definitely two different meals, though [different clothes on both], so it's not a situation where Mom got up in the middle of a refused dinner and made mac & cheese instead.) 

But chasing your child around insisting "you're having one more bite" when she says she's not hungry?  No.  That means she ate some, and what if she really is full?  Even if she's not, she just doesn't want to eat any more of her vegetable, if Mom only wants her to eat one more bite (it's not a "get back here and finish your plate" scenario; she tells her twice she needs to eat one more bite), is the difference between the kid eating x bites and x+1 bites really worth the mom ruining her own meal and chasing her kid around with a fork like a lunatic? 

Next time, just put one more bite than you want her to eat on the plate, and when she says she's full with that one bite left, excuse her from the table while you snag that bite and enjoy the rest of your meal.  Kids can't be in charge, but not every battle of wills has to be WWIII; you're the adult, so use your superior brain, lady.

Edited July 28, 2019 by Bastet

[TheCrankyCreative]

It gets worse.

[Prevailing Wind]

We were supposed to eat all the veggies, too. But my brother hated carrots, so he didn't have to eat them. I hated vegetable soup, but was still required to have at least two spoonsful...probably because the soup was the meal, whereas Joe's carrots could be replaced by another helping of peas.  And then one day I pointed out how unfair it was that Mother never prepared anything SHE didn't like. She got a bit more lenient after that, realizing we actually DID like a green salad, even though she didn't. I also recall being the only one who liked brussels sprouts - even though now I'd consider those frozen, re-heated abominations inedible. I'll only eat B'sprouts now if they're roasted - and they're delicious that way.

My brother, now that he's 75, will eat carrots if there's enough sweet sauce put on 'em. Personally, I think cheese would make almost anything edible.  Instead of mac & cheese, that mom should just drown the broccoli in cheese.

[peacheslatour]

I worked with a woman who had three daughters. They all love artichokes but she never told them about the hearts. She'd serve the artichokes and then take the plates into the kitchen to "clean up", there she would hog all the artichoke hearts to herself.

Edited July 27, 2019 by peacheslatour

[CrystalBlue]

20 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The Poshmark commercials where they have people talking about how they have made thousands of dollars and financed cars and fabulous vacations by doing it. It’s rare that used clothing actually increases in value so most of these people claiming to have “made” all this money are ignoring the fact that while they have recouped some of the money they initially spent on the clothing they aren’t actually profiting so could have done all these things earlier if they hadn’t overshopped on clothes in the first place! 

I willing to bet that anyone who makes that kind of money selling "used" clothes are professional shoplifters and stolen clothes rings who use this company.

[Sun-Bun]

On 7/25/2019 at 10:35 PM, ams1001 said:

Speaking of vocal fry, I give you Michelle the Wells Fargo Financial Health banker! The way she says "banker" and "solutions" makes me twitch.

Dear god, she sounds like she has post-nasal drip...never mind the annoying vocal-fry, what the Hell is wrong with her entire voice period?! She seriously sounds like she’s stoned on cough meds. And if she’s a “banker” then why is she styled like she’s a barista at a Portland coffee shop?  No joke, I’d seriously like to know who “Michelle” blew to get that commercial gig. 

Here’s my most hated commercial of the moment, considering it’s seemingly played every 3 minutes here:

Thanks for bastardizing a once harmlessly fun random Amy Winehouse song, kid and old dude. And why THAT particular song? Desperately trying to connect with sentimental millennials who like to sing that old shit at karaoke?? Such a random yet oddly irritating choice of a song for a kid and his grandpa to bond over; something tells me Amy never would’ve let her music make it into a cheesy commercial like that. And can we expect Amazon to use some random Nirvana tune in its commercials to hawk the dot next?

[friendperidot]

1 hour ago, Sun-Bun said:

And why THAT particular song? Desperately trying to connect with sentimental millennials who like to sing that old shit at karaoke?? Such a random yet oddly irritating choice of a song for a kid and his grandpa to bond over; 

Maybe either mom or grandma was named Valerie. If it was grandma, granddad would probably like the Monkee's version better. That's the only Valerie song I am familiar with, guess I'm closer to granddad's age. (we always called my grandfather granddad and my father refused to be called grandpa.) 

[Ubiquitous]

2 hours ago, TheCrankyCreative said:

Oh, hey! Liberty Mutual is back with the next dementia-induced evolution of its "Truth Tellers" ads. Whaddyall think?

They're better than the previous ads with people who were cluelessly bitching about their insurance, but not much.

[Prevailing Wind]

15 hours ago, friendperidot said:

(we always called my grandfather granddad and my father refused to be called grandpa.) 

I was just thinking about that this morning - how it's the person (callee) who chooses what they want to be called, not the caller.  I once read a line, and I paraphrase as I can't remember it exactly..."Show me an adult woman who calls her mom "Mother," and I'll show you a control freak."  I disagreed vehemently with that statement. My mother did NOT want to be called "Mom" and I grew up calling her "Mother" and did to her dying day...it was HER choice, not mine, what she wanted to be known as. (Except for my Beatlemania days, when I called her "Mum" and she thought it was funny, especially since I had adopted a Liverpudlian accent, as well.)

Another subject: If you wanna hear vocal fry, check out Acorn.tv's "Secret Daughter" - it's an Australian production featuring some pop singer and she's got the worst fry when she sings (which is often). I didn't notice it so much when she spoke, but it was SO apparent when she sang.

[janie jones]

6 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

."Show me an adult woman who calls her mom "Mother," and I'll show you a control freak."  I disagreed vehemently with that statement. My mother did NOT want to be called "Mom" and I grew up calling her "Mother" and did to her dying day...it was HER choice, not mine, what she wanted to be known as.

Not a comment on your mother whatsoever, but are you sure that statement wasn't referring to the "Mother" herself, not the child?  Because I feel like that's usually what people think about parents who have their children call them "mother" or "father."

[Prevailing Wind]

No, it was in the context of the adult child.

[TattleTeeny]

THIS?!

I'm sure she's a nice lady/good dentist, whatever, but is she really the best option for a commercial? The voice and the fact that she says "the 'namel," oof.

https://ispot.tv/a/I3Dx

The online gambling ads are puzzling to me in the way that the people cite that a lack of the night out/socializing aspect is a plus. But I am not interested in gambling in person or online, so maybe I just don't get it.

Edited July 28, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[andromeda331]

19 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

Dear god, she sounds like she has post-nasal drip...never mind the annoying vocal-fry, what the Hell is wrong with her entire voice period?! She seriously sounds like she’s stoned on cough meds. And if she’s a “banker” then why is she styled like she’s a barista at a Portland coffee shop?  No joke, I’d seriously like to know who “Michelle” blew to get that commercial gig. 

Here’s my most hated commercial of the moment, considering it’s seemingly played every 3 minutes here:

Thanks for bastardizing a once harmlessly fun random Amy Winehouse song, kid and old dude. And why THAT particular song? Desperately trying to connect with sentimental millennials who like to sing that old shit at karaoke?? Such a random yet oddly irritating choice of a song for a kid and his grandpa to bond over; something tells me Amy never would’ve let her music make it into a cheesy commercial like that. And can we expect Amazon to use some random Nirvana tune in its commercials to hawk the dot next?

18 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Maybe either mom or grandma was named Valerie. If it was grandma, granddad would probably like the Monkee's version better. That's the only Valerie song I am familiar with, guess I'm closer to granddad's age. (we always called my grandfather granddad and my father refused to be called grandpa.) 

See now that would make more sense. I'm disappointed that we don't really get to see Grandpa enjoying having the Alexa. He shows a little interested when he hears his grandson set the timer for favorite dessert and then it goes to the scene of him asking Alexa to play Valerie when he sees his grandson coming and giving him the look when he comes in like he now likes it. But we don't see him doing anything with it. Asking questions, playing music, or something. I like the grandpa and grandson but I really wish we got to see Grandpa enjoying it or realizing how much Alexa can do for him on his own before his grandson comes back.

[TattleTeeny]

On 7/21/2019 at 4:04 PM, TheCrankyCreative said:

What's people's consensus on Schick's "trimming the bushes" ad for its Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor?

I'm about to review this commercial for my site (yes, I'm way late to the bush-trimming party), and wanted to take people's temperature on it. I know the commercial has generated a lot of complaints and even boycotts over the years, but the ad is still running. I think that's because it works.

What are some opinions here?

Doesn't bother me, though the first time I saw it, I was kind of like, "Whoa, hey!" But I trim (just "normal," no hearts...but also no judgment; do what you want with your junk!) because I don't like hair but regular shaving upsets my skin bad. I wouldn't buy that thing though, for other reasons. 

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

THIS?!

I'm sure she's a nice lady/good dentist, whatever, but is she really the best option for a commercial? The voice and the fact that she says "the 'namel," oof.

https://ispot.tv/a/I3Dx

I don't know if I've noticed that one before but the one for sensitivity toothpaste that starts working in three days...she says "three days" so many times I want to scream. (And did you know that's, "say, over the course of a weekend"?) 

[chessiegal]

I really dislike the commercial I see on FETV when I'm watching Bewitched and Mary Tyler Moore telling me I need to send money for Holocaust survivor Jews for food otherwise they will die. I haven't investigated the organization, but my husband and I think it is bogus. One guy says this woman will die within days if you don't send food. Well, you're there shooting the commercial and surely have food services, just feed the woman. Apologies if I'm totally wrong.

[Prevailing Wind]

3 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

The voice and the fact that she says "the 'namel," oof.

I think she's saying "uh-namel"

[mmecorday]

Quote

I really dislike the commercial I see on FETV when I'm watching Bewitched and Mary Tyler Moore telling me I need to send money for Holocaust survivor Jews for food otherwise they will die. I haven't investigated the organization, but my husband and I think it is bogus. One guy says this woman will die within days if you don't send food. Well, you're there shooting the commercial and surely have food services, just feed the woman. Apologies if I'm totally wrong.

These ads have been airing for years. I think they're made by the same people who bring us those terribly depressing ASPCA commercials.