Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Bastet]

Me too, but I hate commercials that expect me to go to a website in order to receive the fundamental pitch of the ad, so it's a fail for me; I think it should be self contained.  If they want me to know how they can help me avoid accidents, then they need to show or tell me that in the ad.  Not spend the whole time on a dead kid and then quickly flash a stupidly-named website at the end.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Bastet

[Jamoche]

I missed the commercial. The company is got a lot of backlash over it.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/super-bowl-xlix/nationwide-explains-depressing-super-bowl-ad-n298181

Nationwide's defense: "In fact, thousands of people visited MakeSafeHappen.com"

 

Oooh, *thousands*? When millions of people watched? The mocking retweets alone have passed that already.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Jamoche

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I notice she very quickly and in a somewhat lower voice says the words "fracturing technology". Maybe hoping no one will notice? Especially if it is not referred to by the more common "fracking".

The latter is a substitute tor an f-bomb, introduced by Battlestar Galactica, but becoming fairly common; they didn't want to be heard as cursing.

[friendperidot]

new pickup truck commercial shows people 2 pictures of the same guy with and without their pickup. All I get out of it is that guys that drive pickups are bigger a**holes.

[ethalfrida]

OMG, I saw the ad with the screaming goat!!!!! I don't know whether to be annoyed or to fall out laughing....

[Prevailing Wind]

 

The latter is a substitute tor an f-bomb, introduced by Battlestar Galactica, but becoming fairly common; they didn't want to be heard as cursing.

They use it a lot in Caprica, too, which is allegedly 58 years before BG.  Don't ask me how they arrived at that precise year. I never watched BG & watched Caprica for Sasha Roiz.  hahahaha.

[Muffyn]

Le Vian is some seriously tacky, ugly jewelry.  The thought of a show of that crap is ridiculous. Why are they using "chocolate" diamonds?  Because they found a way to market industrial grade diamonds as something special.  The fact that they offer them at Jared only makes them that much worse.   

[CherZ]

Ugh - I can't stand that commercial where they show ladies a picture of the same guy - one standing in front of a red truck, the other in front of a gray sedan and they all think the red truck guy is sexier.

 

First of all, if you really wanted to make that commercial work, make both the vehicles gray, of COURSE red is going to look sexier. Second, what does this commercial do? Tell guys to spend thousands of dollars on a truck because random ladies they don't know in a focus group will think it's hot?

[Janet Snakehole]

When I think of a guy who drives a giant truck, my first horrible thought is that they are overcompsenating for something.

So yeah, give me a dude who drives a sedan and doesn't have to show off any day.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[Prevailing Wind]

I'll take a guy in a Honda Fit.

[friendperidot]

 

When I think of a guy who drives a giant truck, my first horrible thought is that they are overcompsenating for something.

I was trying to say that without saying that!

[LoneHaranguer]

 

When I think of a guy who drives a giant truck, my first horrible thought is that they are overcompsenating for something.

Or he's just tall. Most cars these days are designed for drivers between 5' 4" and 5' 8".

[friendperidot]

 

Or he's just tall. Most cars these days are designed for drivers between 5' 4" and 5' 8".

There's a car for big guys, I've seen the ad. There's a football/basketball player or maybe he's a boxer, I don't know. But I've seen the ad.

[mojoween]

I saw a Liberty Mutual ad that I had not seen previously and I hate it more than the other three combined.

This dipshit is complaining about all of the questions (the horror!) the insurance company asks when he wasn't even in the car. *Gasp*

Here's the thing, moron. Let's say your dog WAS in the car and the agent didn't ask that question and you didn't think to disclose it. What happens when you find out that Fido has an irreversible spine injury that happened when the car was jolted forward? YOU are going to be paying for it, not the insurance company, because they didn't know about it when you reported the accident.

You think these questions are stupid and a waste of time until you're suddenly paying $3000 out of pocket.

Sorry, Liberty Mutual, but I hate those ads SO MUCH that I'll just stick to my company that helps me after I drown my kid in the bathtub.

[janie jones]

When I think of a guy who drives a giant truck, my first horrible thought is that they are overcompsenating for something.

So yeah, give me a dude who drives a sedan and doesn't have to show off any day.

Pretty much what I was thinking also.  I mean, does he need the truck?  Then if he's just driving that beast just to be manly, then that's the opposite of sexy.

[captain1]

Uhhh, Progressive Insurance - you MIGHT want to pull the ad showing Flo getting burned at the stake.

[riley702]

Nah. I saw it as a wink to the folks who'd like to burn her at the stake. Plus, we would have missed the daughter who looks like an outraged chicken, right down to those jerky head movements.

[captain1]

I just think it might touch a raw nerve in light of the recent horrific burning alive of the Jordanian pilot by ISIS.

[Stella MD]

I HATE the truck commercial. First of all, while I understand that most vehicle ads are predicated on a "buy this car so that random people will think you're cool" subtext, somehow bringing this to the forefront makes my blood boil. Or maybe it's because I already see enough pickup trucks in the freaking major metropolitan city where I live, in which no one is transporting livestock or whatever you would actually need a truck for. When I see a non-commercial truck in an urban environment, my first impression is that it's being driven by a jerk. Chew on that, focus group.

 

Second of all, if we're just going to be dealing with stereotypes (and what else is the focus group supposed to be doing, if the only information they have is a series of pictures), then I would personally guess that in addition to his insecure need to overcompensate, truck dude is less educated, has a crappier job, doesn't give two shits about the environment or anything else that doesn't personally affect him, and likely holds political/social beliefs that would make me want to punch something.

 

Good thing they didn't include me in their idiotic focus group.

[Janet Snakehole]

The same goes for the Chevy Back in Black douche. I always roll my eyes at the end of the commercial when he is driving his huge truck down some city street hitting every green light.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I saw a Liberty Mutual ad that I had not seen previously and I hate it more than the other three combined.

This dipshit is complaining about all of the questions (the horror!) the insurance company asks when he wasn't even in the car. *Gasp*

It's a general rule that it's the other guy's fault if they hit your parked car, but the insurance company needs to know if there are extenuating circumstances. Maybe you swooped in and illegally parked behind that big truck when it would have been tough for the driver to see you just did that (rainy night?). Maybe your dog knocked off the brake and the car rolled in front of the truck. The people in the Liberty Mutual ads make the morons in the Sonic ads look like geniuses.

 

 

There's a car for big guys, I've seen the ad.

Can't say I've seen the ad, but I doubt it's easy to get. Last time I went car shopping, I found a model like that. It belonged to a car salesman, and if I had been willing to lay down a sizable deposit, he could have gotten me a brand new, fully-loaded version at (a high) list price in a couple of months. The alternatives are to drive something really old, or a truck. Or, have someone shorter drive you everywhere; that's what a 6' 4" guy I used to know did.

[bilgistic]

What I thought when I saw the red truck vs. gray sedan commercial is that they showed only the positive reactions to the red truck guy. I would much rather have the sedan guy. He would in my opinion be less pretentious and more environmentally conscious, which appeals to me. Also, you can fold the back seats down in most sedans and take home your IKEA purchases in the city. I did in my 2004 Honda Civic. No truck needed.

[Jamoche]

What I thought when I saw the red truck vs. gray sedan commercial is that they showed only the positive reactions to the red truck guy. I would much rather have the sedan guy. 

Also sedans do actually come in red - amazing, I know! - and then they look even cooler than a truck, because really - it's a truck. Or you could carry a dog in your car, then you'd look like a cool guy too - they said it on Car Talk so it must be true.

[smittykins]

I saw a Liberty Mutual ad that I had not seen previously and I hate it more than the other three combined.

This dipshit is complaining about all of the questions (the horror!) the insurance company asks when he wasn't even in the car. *Gasp*

Here's the thing, moron. Let's say your dog WAS in the car and the agent didn't ask that question and you didn't think to disclose it. What happens when you find out that Fido has an irreversible spine injury that happened when the car was jolted forward? YOU are going to be paying for it, not the insurance company, because they didn't know about it when you reported the accident.

You think these questions are stupid and a waste of time until you're suddenly paying $3000 out of pocket.

Sorry, Liberty Mutual, but I hate those ads SO MUCH that I'll just stick to my company that helps me after I drown my kid in the bathtub.

"How can my car depreciate before it's had its first oil change?" Uh, have you ever heard the saying "a car begins to depreciate the minute you drive it off the lot"? Edited February 5, 2015 by smittykins

[Brattinella]

The worst one of that bunch, in my opinion, is the snotty teenager scolding us (adults) because nobody's perfect *sniff*.

[Bastet]

I think I hate them all equally; everything they're complaining about is just the way insurance works, and there's a valid reason for every one of the policies they're so appalled by. 

[smittykins]

There's a Time Warner commercial with a mother and young daughter at a fountain. Daughter wishes for a puppy, and Mom wants affordable home Internet. When a bystander informs her that Time Warner can provide said Internet, she thanks him and calls after him, "Do you know where the nearest pet store is?"

All I can think is, "You do know many pet stores deal with puppy mills, right?"

Edited because I misquoted the ad.

Edited February 6, 2015 by smittykins

[LoneHaranguer]

 

The worst one of that bunch, in my opinion, is the snotty teenager scolding us (adults) because nobody's perfect *sniff*.

And making it sound like she deserves special treatment for actually paying her bills on time. ITA. Is she supposed to be a teenager? She looks like she's in her 20's, but they cast people that age as high school students so you might be right. Maybe she should switch to Allstate, where they'll charge more for not being perfect, but send her a check whenever she doesn't "tap" (bash in) somebody's bumper.

[Brattinella]

Oh God don't get me started on "tapping" a bumper!

[riley702]

I just think it might touch a raw nerve in light of the recent horrific burning alive of the Jordanian pilot by ISIS.

Shit, I've missed the news in the last day.

[Bastet]

Okay, I take it back - there is one of those Liberty Mutual ads I hate slightly more than the others.  The one where those who can't parallel park and will thus inevitably ("it's just a matter of time") tear the bumper off someone's car are encouraged not to learn how to parallel park, but to buy Liberty Mutual insurance.  Because the only other option is to take the bus.  Learning how, parking in lots or spots that don't require parallel parking ... nope.  Take the bus or buy LM insurance.  So they're encouraging people to go around town ripping the bumpers off other people's cars because, eh, no big deal, LM will pay for it. 

Edited February 6, 2015 by Bastet

[bilgistic]

Also sedans do actually come in red - amazing, I know! - and then they look even cooler than a truck, because really - it's a truck. Or you could carry a dog in your car, then you'd look like a cool guy too - they said it on Car Talk so it must be true.

My Civic is red. It's what the dealership had when I bought it. ::shrugs::

[CarpeDiem54]

Oh God don't get me started on "tapping" a bumper!

No shit! I haven't had a claim for 30 years when some asshat ran into my car in a parking lot. Recently, my foot slipped off the brake and I literally tapped the bumper of some douchebag who was on her way to file a claim for hail damage. Her car was a dinged up mess. I saw no damage to her bumper and it didn't even disturb the dirt on my bumper. I documented all of this by taking photos with my smartphone. Guess whose insurance premium just went up $100 dollars a month? I'm livid! This is State Farm btw.

[janie jones]

The ones where people don't understand depreciation annoy me the most of all of them.

 

And making it sound like she deserves special treatment for actually paying her bills on time. ITA. Is she supposed to be a teenager? She looks like she's in her 20's, but they cast people that age as high school students so you might be right. Maybe she should switch to Allstate, where they'll charge more for not being perfect, but send her a check whenever she doesn't "tap" (bash in) somebody's bumper.

I haven't seen this ad, but my guess is it's supposed to be an adult, because what teenager has bills to pay?

Edited February 6, 2015 by janie jones

[Stella MD]

 

The ones where people don't understand depreciation annoy me the most of all of them.

Me too, especially since the dude in that one most decidedly isn't a teenager. He's well past the age where he should have any excuse to be that clueless and entitled. 

[xls]

Ugh - I can't stand that commercial where they show ladies a picture of the same guy - one standing in front of a red truck, the other in front of a gray sedan and they all think the red truck guy is sexier.

 

First of all, if you really wanted to make that commercial work, make both the vehicles gray, of COURSE red is going to look sexier. Second, what does this commercial do? Tell guys to spend thousands of dollars on a truck because random ladies they don't know in a focus group will think it's hot?

I totally agree! The truck is RED that's what makes more attractive. How dumb do they think the audience is?

[erikdepressant]

How dumb do they think the audience is?

I think the majority of people out there are dumb.  And, full disclosure... I'm incapable of going 24 hours without doing something regrettably dumb.  I can take comfort in being on the winning team, I guess.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I haven't seen this ad, but my guess is it's supposed to be an adult, because what teenager has bills to pay?

College kids with broke parents. Also, some parents will make their kid pay the insurance as a condition of having a car.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

the hell of it is that *whispers* the Colorado is a pretty nice truck. And the pre-Super Bowl "blackout" ad was pretty clever. Too bad they can't get their regular ads to be a little less annoying

[legaleagle53]

Nah. I saw it as a wink to the folks who'd like to burn her at the stake. Plus, we would have missed the daughter who looks like an outraged chicken, right down to those jerky head movements.

 

Exactly.  Who wouldn't like to send Flo off to be executed on sight?  

 

Never mind that in the US and England, suspected witches were never burned at the stake, contrary to popular belief.  They were hanged. Burning suspected witches at the stake was a strictly continental European practice.

Edited February 6, 2015 by legaleagle53

[bilgistic]

College kids with broke parents. Also, some parents will make their kid pay the insurance as a condition of having a car.

::clearing throat to yell at kids on my lawn as I sit in my front-porch rocking chair::

I worked from age 15 to buy a car ('77 Beetle for $750), pay for the insurance and put gas in the car, and pay for parts when my dad inevitably had to repair the car on our carport. I paid for repairs if they had to be "outsourced", too.

[wovenloaf]

Yeah I think that girl is supposed to be like 26-ish. I don't feel that we are supposed to think she's a teenager. She clearly doesn't understand how insurance works, but those commercials are geared towards people who don't understand how insurance works. This isn't even the one that bothers me the most. Like someone said above, the one with the guy who can't comprehend that the car he's been barging around town in for however long is now worth less than when he bought it bothers me most. 

[pandora spocks]

Thoroughly loathe the Progressive ad with the lipstick-wearing, wigged hand saying, "Nailed it!" It's the punchline of every Peewee Herman joke.

[photo fox]

I haven't seen the truck ad, but I'll admit I think trucks are sexier than sedans. Granted, I would find it a little ridiculous in a suburban area, but where I live people drive trucks because they really use them. And a hot guy in a dirty truck is hot. /shallow

Anyway, I don't think it's fair to make generalizations about personal politics and environmental awareness based simply on vehicles. People have a lot of reasons for driving what they do.

[90PercentGravity]

Watch these total unknown losers who we aren't going to tell you anything about get upstaged by Jennifer Hudson, because... insurance.

[CarpeDiem54]

Watch these total unknown losers who we aren't going to tell you anything about get upstaged by Jennifer Hudson, because... insurance.

Exactly! If they were so interested in promoting these people's careers they'd at least tell their names.

[janie jones]

I showed that red truck ad to one of my classes.  All but one woman was uninterested in the guy in the truck, but all of the men wanted to buy the truck despite what their classmates said.  So I guess it's hitting its target.

[backformore]

The worst one of that bunch, in my opinion, is the snotty teenager scolding us (adults) because nobody's perfect *sniff*.

Yes! When that commercial comes on I want to yell at her - yeah I go 30 years without an accident and you got into a crash after driving how long? Damn right you should pay more for insurance!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Watch these total unknown losers who we aren't going to tell you anything about get upstaged by Jennifer Hudson, because... insurance.

 

I don't know what this means, but I'm laughing at it anyway.

[merylinkid]

What annoys me about the Liberty Mutual ad with the lady who is pissed her insurance went up after an accident is that she feels she should be rewarded for paying her bills on time.   You're supposed to do that.   As Chris Rock says "What do you want a cookie?"