Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[photo fox]

Shingles are a horrible, horrible thing. My grandmother had them, and it was sheer torture for her. She had them in her hair, which made shampooing painful, and also in her eye and on her face, which meant she couldn't wear glasses and was basically rendered blind. For weeks.

Bottom line: the commercials are annoying, but nowhere as annoying as a case of shingles. Get the vaccine! [/PSA]

[Brattinella]

OH GOD!  You have WAY convinced me, photo fox!  I'm so sorry your grandma had to go through that!  I never could, I know it.  I am such a pussy when it comes to pain.  And I suspect, especially with the new drug laws, that they wouldn't give me NEAR enough pain killers.  Thanks!

[friendperidot]

I'm crabby tonight so I'm going to vent on stupid commercials. Honey Bunches of Oats has a couple of stupid ads, the one with the lady who says people in the grocery store and it's just her. Then there's the guy that says if there is a certain number in the code, he's the one responsible. Does this cereal company only make one kind of cereal at that plant? One of my go to shows for back ground noise is How It's Made, they've done cereals, but I don't think one plant only does one cereal all the time.

 

The period pads could be used as pee pads - why are there women in their 20s talking about this, why don't they take a cue from Viagra and use a sexy older woman.

 

Editing to ad Walgreen's red nose campaign is getting on my nerves, in fact all Walgreen's ad are annoying. I loved Chris in Morning, but I am tired of John Corbett's voice. I also used to love "Down On the Corner".

 

I dislike the guy who has to show how to garnish his brand beer. I hate beer, probably because I was a 2 year old drunk. Somebody wasn't paying attention & I finished off several family member's cans. 

 

The Amope (sp) pedicure bugs me because I always think she's saying "I'm ok" and I then think, I'm ok, you're ok, so since when does a pedicure do transactional analysis. 

 

And, the acne medication that has side effects like abdominal cramps and diarrhea that can lead to death. Great choice, acne or death.

 

Hate the people bopping around because they are up with whatever drug (drawing a blank on the name - very effective ad).Just remembered - Crestor.

 

As for people asking their doctors about certain meds. When my youngest niece lived with me,she was was 8 or 9. She would see those ads and she kept saying things like, "I'm going to do that. I'm going to ask my doctor." I would tell her she didn't this or that medication, but she wouldn't listen. Finally I told her to make a list. When we went to the pediatrician, she took her list and handed it to the Doctor. Dr. Connie went down the list saying, "I don't prescribe this for children. You don't need this." Then she got to one medication and she said, "And I am not going to even talk to you about Viagra!"

Edited May 23, 2015 by friendperidot

[janie jones]

Then there's the guy that says if there is a certain number in the code, he's the one responsible. Does this cereal company only make one kind of cereal at that plant?

Why do they only have to make one kind of cereal in order for each quality control inspector to have their own code?  Wouldn't it be the same code no matter what kind of cereal it was?

[Katmai]

I try to avoid commercials, but if I'm doing something else and can't mute them or change the channel, one will sneak by me like the current VW one using "Momma don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" song. What does the song have anything to do with the 3 little heathens trashing the store while Momma puts gas in her (I guess) VW, then we are shown another Momma driving 3 little angels (aren't they the same boys?) down the street? Wth?

[Brattinella]

In my worldly observations, "cowboys" rarely suck soft-serve directly from the machine. I wish they would put together another visual without demon children.

[backformore]

I've been seeing a bank commercial, where an older guy is giving a speech at a graduation. He claims that more than 50% of "recent graduates" don't have a full time job.

In my area, this ad started airing VERY recently. Just after the state colleges had graduation. SO - saying that half the people who graduated, like LAST WEEKEND don't yet have jobs means anything? give them a few weeks to finish writing their resumes!

[CarpeDiem54]

friendperidot - Loved your rant!

My current most hated commercial is for Sam Adams beer. First of all, any ad that has a voiceover by some vocal fry douchebag instantly goes on my "never buy this shit" list. Now I know their target audience is young hipsters who think they're sophisticated yet fun loving and not old bags like me. I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm consuming a product where dogs are running around in the actual brewing area (and I love animals), where guys with long pubic hair looking beards (with what appears to be a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth) are sticking their face, including said beard, into a batch of beer to check it out and where there are shennanigans like spraying your co-workers with beer.

I've been on brewery tours, both large (Coors) and small (micro-breweries) and these places are immaculate and look like science labs, not a barn with a bunch of cool, with it hooligans running amok swilling beer on their breaks.

[CarpeDiem54]

In my worldly observations, "cowboys" rarely suck soft-serve directly from the machine. I wish they would put together another visual without demon children.

I wish they'd let me film a demon children ad. After I forced the little bastards to clean up their hideous mess, I'd include an extra ad for very large wooden spoons showing the most excellent use for them of giving said demons a damn good licking. That goes for the hellions destroying the convenience store as well as the brat jumping on the dishwasher door.

[bilgistic]

Editing to ad Walgreen's red nose campaign is getting on my nerves, in fact all Walgreen's ad are annoying. I loved Chris in Morning, but I am tired of John Corbett's voice. I also used to love "Down On the Corner".

That red nose thing was apparently a Big Deal, because it was all over NBC and there was an ad in one of my magazines. I had no idea what it was for--even the magazine didn't say--until someone on TV, maybe Seth Meyers, said something about "childhood poverty".

OK, I get what they're saying as a general concept and I know I'm splitting hairs here, but unless a CHILD has a job (which isn't legal under age 14 or so in the U.S.), they don't have any money and are therefore...impoverished. Their PARENT or guardian has money used for their care. The caregiver may or may not give the child an allowance, but again, that's not inherently the child's money--it hinges directly upon the caregiver. So call it "family poverty".

Furthermore, "Red Nose" falls completely flat for me. It makes me think of clowns and old-timey drunks. As everyone knows, clowns are terrifying. Full stop. Red-nosed drunks like W.C. Fields are caricatures and not given to philanthropy. The town drunk spends his or her paycheck at the bar, not on literal poor children. They have them at home.

[bilgistic]

I wish they'd let me film a demon children ad. After I forced the little bastards to clean up their hideous mess, I'd include an extra ad for very large wooden spoons showing the most excellent use for them of giving said demons a damn good licking. That goes for the hellions destroying the convenience store as well as the brat jumping on the dishwasher door.

Over the past few days, I have seen a Memorial Day sale version of the Dishwasher Door Demon commercial. The hellspawn is not shown jumping on the door, but is shown running through the group of his parents and salesman in the store--and the mom looks at the salesman shruggingly, like she has no control over the situation. I thought my head might spin off my neck if I saw that kid in a second commercial jumping on the door.

[CarpeDiem54]

Over the past few days, I have seen a Memorial Day sale version of the Dishwasher Door Demon commercial. The hellspawn is not shown jumping on the door, but is shown running through the group of his parents and salesman in the store--and the mom looks at the salesman shruggingly, like she has no control over the situation. I thought my head might spin off my neck if I saw that kid in a second commercial jumping on the door.

Does the little son of a bitch have on his damned cape? Mom could always grab it as he's running by and choke him into unconsciousness.

[bilgistic]

Yes, the Memorial Day commercial uses clips from the terrible standard-issue commercial, complete with cape. I would burn that thing in the front yard for all the neighborhood kids to see. Then they would know that little Billy's Aunt Bilgistic is crazy, and a witch (that's why she has cats), and she'll turn you into a frog if you so much as walk in front of her house. Don't even look in her direction!

[pandora spocks]

"Hate the people bopping around because they are up with whatever drug (drawing a blank on the name - very effective ad).Just remembered - Crestor."

What's worse is that she's giving high fives.

Edited May 23, 2015 by pandora spocks

[CarpeDiem54]

Yes, the Memorial Day commercial uses clips from the terrible standard-issue commercial, complete with cape. I would burn that thing in the front yard for all the neighborhood kids to see. Then they would know that little Billy's Aunt Bilgistic is crazy, and a witch (that's why she has cats), and she'll turn you into a frog if you so much as walk in front of her house. Don't even look in her direction!

Bawahahaha! You're my kind of people!

[MaryPatShelby]

.

 

Editing to ad Walgreen's red nose campaign is getting on my nerves.

 

 

 

 

I was going to pick up a few things at Walgreens during my lunch hour, then remembered it was red nose day.  Nope, not going there and listening to some spiel about purchasing a red nose; the lines are long enough without that.  I probably misunderstood the point completely, but all the commercials with people roving through the city wearing red noses annoyed me.

[Aquarius]

Yes, the Memorial Day commercial uses clips from the terrible standard-issue commercial, complete with cape. I would burn that thing in the front yard for all the neighborhood kids to see. Then they would know that little Billy's Aunt Bilgistic is crazy, and a witch (that's why she has cats), and she'll turn you into a frog if you so much as walk in front of her house. Don't even look in her direction!

 

And for heaven's sake, STAY OFF HER LAWN!

[BW Manilowe]

That red nose thing was apparently a Big Deal, because it was all over NBC and there was an ad in one of my magazines. I had no idea what it was for--even the magazine didn't say--until someone on TV, maybe Seth Meyers, said something about "childhood poverty".

OK, I get what they're saying as a general concept and I know I'm splitting hairs here, but unless a CHILD has a job (which isn't legal under age 14 or so in the U.S.), they don't have any money and are therefore...impoverished. Their PARENT or guardian has money used for their care. The caregiver may or may not give the child an allowance, but again, that's not inherently the child's money--it hinges directly upon the caregiver. So call it "family poverty".

Furthermore, "Red Nose" falls completely flat for me. It makes me think of clowns and old-timey drunks. As everyone knows, clowns are terrifying. Full stop. Red-nosed drunks like W.C. Fields are caricatures and not given to philanthropy. The town drunk spends his or her paycheck at the bar, not on literal poor children. They have them at home.

Red Nose Day is a fundraiser which was originated by the UK version of the Comic Relief charity (Remember all those multi-hour comedy specials, years ago, on HBO hosted by Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, & the late Robin Williams? Those were all benefits put on by the original US version of Comic Relief for various causes, like homelessness & Hurricane Katrina relief.).

Here are links to 4 Wikipedia pages which might help you understand the fundraiser better, if you care to read them:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Nose_Day#The_Red_Nose (UK Comic Relief)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_Relief,_Inc. (Current US Comic Relief--NOT the same as Billy, Whoopi & Robin were involved with, apparently)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Nose_Day_2015 (UK Event)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Nose_Day_2015_(U.S.) (US Event)

Edited May 24, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[bilgistic]

I heard of Comic Relief in the 1980s, but I swear I never heard of Red Nose Day until the past month.

[Brattinella]

It's a pretty big deal in the UK, apparently.  They've been talking about it for months, it seems.  I think most of the money collected goes to Africa.

[friendperidot]

I'm not bothered by there being a Red Nose Day, I'm annoyed with Walgreen commercials about it.

[Brattinella]

I'm not bothered by there being a Red Nose Day, I'm annoyed with Walgreen commercials about it.

 

Exactly.

[BW Manilowe]

I'm not bothered by there being a Red Nose Day, I'm annoyed with Walgreen commercials about it.

Well, I think they should be over reasonably soon. As of Saturday night (& probably actually as of Friday sometime, seeing as the fundraiser aired on NBC Thursday night), they've started airing Walgreen's ads thanking their customers for contributing to the cause through them, by buying the red noses & whatever. "Thank you for contributing" type ads tend to have a short "shelf life", if you will.

[janie jones]

There was a Red Nose Day ad repeatedly the other day that didn't even say when Red Nose Day was. I thought that was pretty stupid.  Did they want me to go look it up?  Well, I didn't.

[theatremouse]

I didn't know what it was, stopped on it and left the actual program on for 10 minutes (somewhere in the middle) and still had no idea what it was for. Clearly some form of charity, but never mentioned. It almost felt fake. Only ever using the word "help" but never specifying what for. So I'd say probably both the ads and the show itself either assume it's so ubiquitous everyone knows what it's for, or they were expecting us to go look it up. Which I refused to do. Several hours long fundraising program with a ton of Hollywood types and they don't tell you what they're asking for money for? No thank you.

Edited May 24, 2015 by theatremouse

[bilgistic]

I didn't know what it was, stopped on it and left the actual program on for 10 minutes (somewhere in the middle) and still had no idea what it was for. Clearly some form of charity, but never mentioned. It almost felt fake. Only ever using the word "help" but never specifying what for. So I'd say probably both the ads and the show itself either assume it's so ubiquitous everyone knows what it's for, or they were expecting us to go look it up. Which I refused to do. Several hours long fundraising program with a ton of Hollywood types and they don't tell you what they're asking for money for? No thank you.

THIS, exactly. I guess they were going for "viral marketing", but I'm not a 14-year-old boy and they're not selling me amped-up Mountain Dew. The campaign did not work. Yes, we are talking about it, but it was because it was annoying, repetitive and uninformative. Message not received.

[merylinkid]

There's a new Liberty Mutual commercial.   The lady talks about buying a new car after doing tons of research, then runs it right into a tree -- and her horrible insurance company raises her rates.  She says she should have researched her insurance company better.   I got an idea, research driving schools - and take a course on how to drive.   It's your fault you ran into a tree, not your insurance company's.   Of course they have a higher "you're an idiot" rate.

 

I think that is what annoys me the most about the LM commercials.   They want others to pay for their mistakes.   Rip a bumper off a car, tap a bumper.  Hey you shouldn't have to pay for it.  That means someone else does.   Like the guy whose bumper you just ripped off.   Why should that person have to pay for your bad driving?   Or, if they don't raise your rates, then everyone has to pay generally higher rates to cover the costs of YOU being a moron.   Again, why should I pay higher rates because YOU ran into a tree?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I think that is what annoys me the most about the LM commercials.   They want others to pay for their mistakes.   Rip a bumper off a car, tap a bumper.  Hey you shouldn't have to pay for it.  That means someone else does.   Like the guy whose bumper you just ripped off.   Why should that person have to pay for your bad driving?   Or, if they don't raise your rates, then everyone has to pay generally higher rates to cover the costs of YOU being a moron.   Again, why should I pay higher rates because YOU ran into a tree?

 

The irony is, there's another set of ads for some other insurance company talking about that very thing. They'll show someone driving down the street minding their own business, and then these people leap out of nowhere and attach themselves to the car like leeches, with their mouths pressed to the windshields. Then the voiceover comes on saying something like, "Are you having to deal with rate suckers, people whose bad driving you end up having to pay for?"

 

To a point, I agree with the people shilling for Liberty Mutual. They're called "accidents" for a reason, and if you're legitimately paying attention and not texting or drinking coffee or driving with a paper sack over your head, you should be able to get from Point A to Point B without incident. With that said, the people who are doing those things are usually the ones causing the accidents, and if its your car that gets fucked up because of it, you can expect that your rates will likely go up.

[riley702]

I saw those two ads back to back the other day, which made me laugh and laugh visualizing little Miss Poster Child for Paying on Time attached to someone else's windshield like a remora.

[Brattinella]

<== Dying here!  HUGS all around!

[Stella MD]

Is the Experian commercial somehow hoping that I'm going to identify with this horribly bratty bitch? Because I really just want to smack her. Hooray, honey, you joined the world of responsible adults and paid your bills on time. None of that allows you to behave like Veruca Salt with your feet on other people's furniture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMtafFoJNBk

Edited May 25, 2015 by Stella MD

[CarpeDiem54]

Is the Experian commercial somehow hoping that I'm going to identify with this horribly bratty bitch? Because I really just want to smack her. Hooray, honey, you joined the world of responsible adults and paid your bills on time. None of that allows you to behave like Veruca Salt with your feet on other people's furniture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMtafFoJNBk

I hate all of those Experian assholes. And did you notice the voiceover guy says "Fical" instead of FICO? Drives me nuts.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I hate their stupid power walks when they're leaving, like they just won the Superbowl or something. You took out a loan, you didn't win a gold medal. Get a grip.

[Amethyst]

I can't stand that entitled bitch in the Experian commercial.  I would have shoved her feet off the desk and told them to leave.  I don't care how good your credit score is; have some manners.

[Sandman87]

I hate all of those Experian assholes. And did you notice the voiceover guy says "Fical" instead of FICO? Drives me nuts.

Maybe he's saying "fecal."

[CarpeDiem54]

Maybe he's saying "fecal."

Great! Now I'm going to hear Fecal Score to even further annoy me.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Sounds like something an Incontinence Specialist would keep track of.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Lmao XD you guys!

[bigskygirl]

Sounds like something an Incontinence Specialist would keep track of.

Is the Incontinence Specialist related to the irritating woman who goes around asking people if they are gassy or bloated.

[Ubiquitous]

I saw a Chevy ad where kids get to use their WiFi gadgets in a--wait for it--Chevy. The same kids were less than thrilled when there was no WiFi in the other vehicle. Yeah, we should base our big ticket purchases on what our kids want.

I saw this ad with the brats and wondered why the parents would care about their children's precious mobile devices working?

 

I assumed the Red Nose campaign was somehow related to "Patch Adams", which I hate.

[DeLurker]

Is the Incontinence Specialist related to the irritating woman who goes around asking people if they are gassy or bloated.

She's a hybrid of Activia bitch and Tena wench.

[pandora spocks]

"I assumed the Red Nose campaign was somehow related to "Patch Adams", which I hate."

Could the producers of Patch Adams sue Walgreens for copyright infringement?

[theatremouse]

Patch Adams is a real person, so unless he's got a trademark or service mark on the classic red clown nose for some specific purpose, I imagine there's little for anyone else to sue about by using them to promote an anti-child-poverty charity. (Unless the film invented the bit with the nose, but still, they have little grounds.)

As far as I'm aware, Walgreens is just a corporate sponsor for said charity event/organization/whatever it was.

Edited May 26, 2015 by theatremouse

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Patch Adams is a real person, so unless he's got a trademark or service mark on the classic red clown nose for some specific purpose, I imagine there's little for anyone else to sue about by using them to promote an anti-child-poverty charity.

 

Maybe he should contact DC Comics' lawyers.

[Prevailing Wind]

Those "rate-sucker" ads are non-Flo Progressive ads for their Snapshot plug-in thingie that monitors your driving habits. It plugs into the same port the "Emissions Inspection" dude plugs his computer into.  I never even knew there was a port half-way under the dash.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Patch Adams is a real person, so unless he's got a trademark or service mark on the classic red clown nose for some specific purpose, I imagine there's little for anyone else to sue about by using them to promote an anti-child-poverty charity. (Unless the film invented the bit with the nose, but still, they have little grounds.)

As far as I'm aware, Walgreens is just a corporate sponsor for said charity event/organization/whatever it was.

 

Exactly. And tbh there wouldn't be that much of a case. Since most clowns wear those kinds of noses.

[friendperidot]

I admire PetSmart for donating money and supplies to build places for pets to stay while their families are in Women's shelters, that is a cause I can get behind. But if that one overprotective dog parent doesn't stop talking about flea babies eating their mother's poop, I may have to change my mind.

 

And then there's one of the products for removing hair from people that talks about removing toe hair. Toe hair! Since when is toe hair a problem. I have never paid attention to whether anyone has toe hair or not! I guess toe hair is the next arm pit body shaming thing.

[Prevailing Wind]

 

Since when is toe hair a problem

I suppose if you're a Hobbit, it is.

[Brattinella]

A side effect of peripheral neuropathy is no toe hair.

[CarpeDiem54]

A side effect of peripheral neuropathy is no toe hair.

So, can you take Lyrica for moderate to severe toe hair loss?