There are a lot of really bad commercials out right now, and in the last few years as well. I'm not sure why, but it seems like commercials lost the funny. What happened to all the funny commercials?
Best Commercials I've seen recently:
The Volvo commercials where the car gets smashed out of nowhere. The first time I saw one of these, it scared the **** out of me.
Miller Lite - the Man Laws. Speaking as the target demo, I love these.
Citibank identity theft commercials. I don't like all of them, and admittedly the premise is a little played at this point, but the most recent one featuring a middle-aged black man talking about headshots and singing Toni Braxton made me laugh out loud.
Fed-Ex/Kinkos. The office setting where each employee lists their responsibilities. Holy crap, that's funny.
Sportscenter commercial with the Crocodile Hunter. And the Florida Gator mascot.
Worst Commercials I've seen recently:
Any Fanta commercial. Hands down. Those commercials are so annoying that I've decided I'll never again knowingly ingest a Fanta.
McDonalds' entire "I'm lovin it" campaign, especially the latest installments featuring young black men and hip-hop lingo (neither of which, I should mention, I have a problem with in any other context). "Yo, Mickey's D's is hip, yo! Hip-hop is mainstream, yo, and our huge corporation (run by rich white guys who couldn't distinguish Big Pun from Big Bird) can't wait to get in on that action. Word." Bah-da-ba-ba-bah, I'm lovin it! It's insulting, and really freaking annoying.
Most of the feminine product commercials. They just make me uncomfortable, which is no surprise.
Pepsi commercial with Mariah Carey. Please, someone tell Mariah that she's middle aged, and she should stop dressing like a 15 year old.
I know there are a ton more, but just to start it off I thought I'd give a few.
What are the best and worst you've seen?
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Best: anything with a clydesdale baby that plays during sporting events.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Two good ones:
Why so blue, panda bear?/Comfort in every bite
It's only satisfying if you eat it.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
My favorite commercials somewhat recently are those "Unpimp Zee Auto" Volkswagen ones.
-pH
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Eww Porter, that one creeps me out.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:Please, someone tell Mariah that she's middle aged, and she should stop dressing like a 15 year old.
Someone please tell fifteen year-olds that Mariah is middle aged, and they should stop dressing like her...
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
If she dressed her age, she'd be a great one to imitate. As it is, I think she needs a busful of therapists.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Right now, I'm really hating the Omen trailer. I'm really glad that they seem to have edited it to eliminate some of the parts that disturb me the most, but I still have to do stuff when it comes on.
-pH
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I'm currently annoyed with the Nissan "What if we took a trip and only made left turns?" commercials. Yeah, what if you did that? What the heck does that have to do with the car they're selling? It's trying to sound deep, but it's just stupid and meaningless.
The people in them are annoying, too. "All of these cars are facing left!" "Think they can smell the licorice?" Yeah, 'cause everyone knows that buffalo will stampede if they smell licorice.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I hate that one, too. Never mind the fact that a trip like that is totally idiotic, there's also the fact that 3 left turns == a right turn, so you don't actually limit yourself that much with such a trip. It's just a massive inconvenience.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Next time we take Thomas to the zoo, we'll test out this licorice premise.
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
El JT: Oh I abhor the man laws! Females drink Miller Lite too. It's a cool concept but should be 'Beer laws'. But it's not nearly as bad as the Burger King man burger one. A bunch of men marching with cheerleaders and girls in bikinis in the background? I cringe every time.
I think the unintentionally funniest commercials are the ones from Olive Garden: "We have exotic sauces like alfredo and marinara!" ; or, the ones from Applebee "Coach can you help me put this up?", but then again, I'm really cynical like that.
Oh! I love the Mac vs. PC commercals. Of course, I am a Mac user Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I hate that Burger King commercial!
Oh, how I hate it. "I admit that I've been fed chick food"...WTF?!
-pH
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Oh, how I hate it. "I admit that I've been fed chick food"...WTF?!
You are obviously not the target audience.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
How dare you say that?! You don't know. Maybe I AM MAN!
-pH
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: I'm currently annoyed with the Nissan "What if we took a trip and only made left turns?" commercials. Yeah, what if you did that? What the heck does that have to do with the car they're selling? It's trying to sound deep, but it's just stupid and meaningless.
The people in them are annoying, too. "All of these cars are facing left!" "Think they can smell the licorice?" Yeah, 'cause everyone knows that buffalo will stampede if they smell licorice.
I dunno if you drove forward for a good amount of time after every left turn and varried the left turns by a few hours, I think you could still go on an interesting trip.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
But you could also go on an interesting trip turning randomly. Or flipping a coin at each intersection. Or throwing a dart at a map and driving there.
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
Oh how I miss foreign commercials. Apparently the need to make sense and/or be funny isn't as important, so, of course, they are absolutely hilarious.
I still remember seeing one in Italy which involved a man running, stealing a tomato, running again for like 2 minutes and then, with no explanation, a beer logo appeared. It was awesome.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote: Most of the feminine product commercials. They just make me uncomfortable, which is no surprise.
How do you think we feel about all the Viagra/Cialis commercials?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by Farmgirl:
quote: Most of the feminine product commercials. They just make me uncomfortable, which is no surprise.
How do you think we feel about all the Viagra/Cialis commercials?
You hate them as much as we do?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Yeah, those make me uncomfortable too.
Hey, a guy throws a football through a tire swing! I guess his junk is working again.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: Hey, a guy throws a football through a tire swing! I guess his junk is working again.
That's awesome. And who sits in bathtubs outside?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You know, I don't think that I've felt uncomfortable watching a commercial as an adult. Bored? Yes. Amused? Sure. Incredulous? Occasionally. Angry? Once in a while. Uncomfortable? No.
Posted by Coatesie (Member # 9202) on :
The greatest commercials in recent memory are the ones for Geico, of course. Especially the parodies of soap operas and Gap ads:
"Besides, I've got great news." "You're leaving Jessica?" "No. I just saved a load of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. I saved. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
AND
"New clothes are fun!" "But they won't save you money on your car insurance!"
I also like some of the AFLAC commercials, particularly the one featuring Yogi Berra:
"If you get hurt and miss work, it won't hurt to miss work, and they pay you in cash, which is just as good as money."
But it's a sad world in which insurance companies are the first things that come to mind when talking about good commercials. Many companies, especially those trying to aim at a yonger male demographic, apparently take the tack that being annoying is a great way to sell a product, and therefore I nominate the following as the worst commercials of the past year:
--Skechers. Yeah, I suppose that doing a parody of "The Real World" could be funny, but listening to a bunch of people screech "Who trashed my Skechers?" in high-pitched voices doesn't make me want to run to the shoe store.
--Subway. Particularly the "Subway Dinner Theater" ads with Jon Lovitz. Why would he agree to play an annoying, loud-mouthed character like that, and who thinks that "Three new taste creations from that country that looks like a boot" is an effective slogan?
--White Castle. I know that their selling point has always been that they're quirky, because let's face it--the food there is wretched. Still, the "True Stories" campaign makes no sense and tries to make use of truly pathetic characters to sell their cases of grease. I don't know which commercial is worse--the one in which some pathetic loser got "kissed on the lips" by "four girls" because he brought a "Crave Case" to the New Year's party and how he keeps his music collection ("I tape them off the radio"), light bulbs, and firewood in empty White Castle boxes, or the one in which someone playing an oversexed sixty-something good time girl tells us how she likes to make "Slider casserole" for the "hot boys at the firehouse," and then in her best come-hither impression says, "Slider casserole. Come and get it, boys." Ugh. The whole "What You Crave" nonsense has been going on long enough, but with this, it's reached its absolute nadir.
--McDonald's. I think this campaign airs only in the Chicago area, but the "McWakeupCall" ads, in which fans of Chicago baseball teams get their favorite players to come and wake up their roommates with a "hot and tasty McGriddle" make no sense and are annoying as all hell. If you're trying to torment your roommate by waking him at some ungodly hour, why would you go out and buy him breakfast first? And why would having White Sox closer Bobby Jenks throw laundry at someone while you scream "Cock-a-doodle-doo! It's your McWakeupCall!" be the preferred method? The only redeeming aspect of these commercials is the hilarious disclaimer: "Delivery service not available."
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by TheTick:
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: Hey, a guy throws a football through a tire swing! I guess his junk is working again.
That's awesome. And who sits in bathtubs outside?
Um, like, EVERY red-blooded American.
When you don't sit in bathtubs outside, the terrorists win.
-pH
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
The erectile disfunction drug commercials bother me about as much as all drug company commericals do. But I'm sure we've bashed that Valtrex one enough too.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The Intuition ads kind of make me giggle.
"Some things are just too small..."
-pH
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: When you don't sit in bathtubs outside, the terrorists win.
-pH
Hmm, that widespread? Where's my telescope...
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
quote:The greatest commercials in recent memory are the ones for Geico, of course. Especially the parodies of soap operas and Gap ads:
No way; good but not the best: "Mr. Jiggyfly, I've got good news." "You're going to hire me?"
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
If you mention the Geico ads, you cannot leave out Tiny House.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I love Tiny House. I can't believe I forgot that one.
I really want someone to make that show. I'd watch it.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
That one was AWESOME!
Oh, and does anyone else wonder why the Geiko Gekko suddenly turned from British to Australian?
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Maybe that should be the next version of 'Big Brother'.
edit: Living in a Tiny House like that would be a nightmare for me, right up there with working in an office... ( to those who get the reference).
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
Slate runs a regular column called Ad Report Card. Here's an archive of past reviews.
My favorite installment is this one for a NYC local Gap ad. *Note; I can't get the movie to play and don't know if it's because the link is defunct (it is several months old) or because my work firewall is causing problems.
<edit>Here's a link to a currently working link for the movie.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Oh, and does anyone else wonder why the Geiko Gekko suddenly turned from British to Australian?
I'm such an ignorant American that I never noticed.
Or, as House said, "If you have the queen on your money, you're British."
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH:
quote:Originally posted by TheTick:
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: Hey, a guy throws a football through a tire swing! I guess his junk is working again.
That's awesome. And who sits in bathtubs outside?
Um, like, EVERY red-blooded American.
When you don't sit in bathtubs outside, the terrorists win.
Every time you don't sit in a bathtub outside, a fairy dies.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
But the only time seniors get to have sex is when they're sitting in SEPARATE BATHTUBS outside. Think of the seniors.
-pH
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
If I can specifically target the fairy in that 'silly little fairy' commercial, I'm totally not outdoor bathtub-sitting.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
quote: Every time you don't sit in a bathtub outside, a fairy dies.
<_< >_> ....
GET IN THOSE OUTSIDE BATHTUBS PEOPLE!!!!!!
Posted by Nato (Member # 1448) on :
The worst commercials are the most recent set for Kraft Easy Mac. They're aimed at the college set, so they show up on The Daily Show etc.
They feature several situations with roommates, and they're so disgusting:
One has a disgusting guy in a recliner with a microphone to his belly blaring out his gurgles and growls, apparently demanding that his roommates cook him a bowl of mac.
Another features a guy eating cottage cheese from a milk jug. His roommate informs him that it's really just old curdled and solidified milk, but he shrugs and continues eating.
Never have these commercials made me move a hair closer to wanting to satisfy my cravings with a steaming bowl of rubbery noodles. Usually everybody in the room with me groans and somebody goes for the mute button. Which is too bad, because then we miss out on some of the cool commercials people mentioned in this thread.
quote:The erectile disfunction drug commercials bother me about as much as all drug company commericals do.
The commercial with Dr. Drew Pinsky where he says that the number of men with ED in the US could fill this gigantic stadium suggests an interesting image. That's a sad stadium to be in.
I also hate commercials for fast food that suggest that people should eat there because they're too stupid to make their own food. I think Carls Jr. features several guys peering into refridgerators as if they're scared.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
I was looking for a newer Sony Cybershot commercial involving a fairy and a jealous coworker,
"My camera came with a wizard." "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."
quote:I also hate commercials for fast food that suggest that people should eat there because they're too stupid to make their own food. I think Carls Jr. features several guys peering into refridgerators as if they're scared.
I like those commercials. They make me laugh. "Without us, some guys would starve."
quote:The worst commercials are the most recent set for Kraft Easy Mac.
I like these as well. It's macaroni and cheese that I hate.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I couldn't figure out what the Easy Mac commercials were saying at first. I thought "Mic some Mac" was "Make some Mac" with an Australian accent, and I was trying to figure out why they had an Australian announcer.
-pH
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I hate pretty much every Old Navy commercial ever made.
OK, I exaggerate. But they do consistently annoy me.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
What is that one with the people dancing on top of a roof?
OLD NAVY NATURALS...or something.
It reminded me of a professor who once said that when he ran a label, if he ever got a picture of a band on a roof, it automatically went in the trash.
-pH
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Why would he say that?
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
[ May 22, 2006, 07:06 PM: Message edited by: Narnia ]
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Why would he say that?
Because "band on a roof" is apparently the most common group band photo known to man.
Oooh, we're bad. We're standing on a ROOF! Damn the man!
-pH (who was, at one time, part of a "band on top of a parking garage" set of photos)
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: I hate that Burger King commercial!
Oh, how I hate it. "I admit that I've been fed chick food"...WTF?!
-pH
ARG! I despise that ad! I want to STRANGLE the people responsible for that stupid commercial or at least cover them in honey and leave them with bees. I saw some comercial the other day that had me cracking up, and I can't remember what it was... It was so darn funny. That German unpimp my car ad makes me laugh. Just thought of the ad, it's some cell phone ad with all these creepy looking kids going, "We want a cell phone." That commercial is so funny! I hate McDonald's ads and truck ads with lunky annoying men
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Yet again, I don't think that you're part of the target audience of the "I am man" commercials, Syn.
Posted by Luet13 (Member # 9274) on :
Ugh, Old Navy commercials are terrible.
I get a kick out of the new Toyota Yaris commercials. Especially the one with the spider/gas pump handle thingie.
The VW ads with the trebuchet flinging the cars are hilarious. (Though, I think I just like them because of the trebuchet.)
All Burger King commercials with "The King", particularly when sports related, annoy the living heck out of me.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
mph, it's one thing for a commercial to have a target audience It's another entirely for a commercial to alienate a large chuck of the market outside of their target audience. There's one place I decided to never patronize again over ten years ago because their commercials were so insulting towards women. I haven't been back, and I won't be. I haven't seen the Burger King commercials in question, as I don't watch TV, but if a large percentage of women have the same reaction to them that these Hatrack women to, guys by themselves or with groups of other guys had better be the majority of their customers.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Yet again, I don't think that you're part of the target audience of the "I am man" commercials, Syn.
Even if I was a man, I'd still think it's stupid... A bunch of guys screaming over hamburgers.. With Jalapeno so we all know what that leads to >.<
Also the ones with the King are stupid too... Good thing I am off fast food and will just make my own burgers. Unless a Friendly's appears near me...
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
My boyfriend finds them equally as insulting.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Even if I was a man, I'd still think it's stupid..
*unconvinced*
quote: A bunch of guys screaming over hamburgers..
I agree, this is stupid
quote:With Jalapeno so we all know what that leads to >.<
Deliciousness!
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Truth to tell, I find them insulting as well.
But, I do undestand their appeal.
I'm now trying to figure out why I halfway defended those commercials even though they've always annoyed me.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I was starting to get really annoyed with the "priceless" Mastercard commercials. But then they made the MacGyver one with Richard Dean Anderson, and I think I forgave them all that came before...
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
That ad is so amusing.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I'm tired of the priceless commercials. Enough is enough!
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
I also dislike the ipod commercials. They just rub me the wrong way. Too slick?
(maybe it's because they used Bono and I hate Bono and my brain engaged in permanent semantic mapping: bono=bad, ipod commercial=bono, ipod commercial=bad)
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
But I like They Might Be Giants.
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
Consistency check: Do commercials that portray men as buffons and women as savvy tick (general) you off?
I remember laughing out loud in one of my sociology classes when a student who had been (correctly) ranting about negative female stereotypes in advertising appreciated the male stereotypes.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I hate when commercials and shows make men look stupid. It's so sexist because if they made a show with a tough bossy man then lots of people would gripe and complain, where as if it is a woman, it's ok... Arg. How the heck can the sexes get along if they think the other sex is just a child? drives me nuts... but it has nothing to do with ads that annoy me...
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by Swampjedi: Consistency check: Do commercials that portray men as buffons and women as savvy tick (general) you off?
I remember laughing out loud in one of my sociology classes when a student who had been (correctly) ranting about negative female stereotypes in advertising appreciated the male stereotypes.
Like which ones? I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I pay a lot more attention to the fact that there are so many fat guy/hot wife commercials.
BUY THIS, AND YOU WILL GET A HOT MODEL WIFE.
-pH
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
Sorry Syn, I was replying to posts a little farther up.
Sexist commercials of any kind annoy me. Then again, most commmercials annoy me, because they make me feel so manipulated.
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
Swamp: I call it the 'bumbling dad' genre and those annoy me too. Card wrote a few good rants about them, actually.
Just once I would like to see a food commercial where the man makes the supper and no one marvels "wow Dad you got something right!" or his wife tells him how awesome it is and he winks and it's Easy Something. He makes dinner, people eat it and compliment whatever the product is and that's that. How hard is that to accomplish?
EDIT: pH, right on! I don't know if you've seen Family Guy but "Buy this and hot women will have sex in your backyard."
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
pH, I can think of one immediately, and I never watch TV. Of course it's a bit generic, but I can see little images of it in my head.
The scene: A man spends hours working on a financial problem, and can't seem to understand what's going on. His wife, the savvy internet user, has used Company A's widget banking service to accomplish the same task in two clicks. She smirks at him as he sits there surrounded by paperwork, and prints out her nice neat results from Company A's widget.
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
Thanks, Kristen.
On a related note, I'd love it if women would quit being amazed when learning that I love to cook and am quite competent.
Then again, if that's attractive, by all means be amazed! Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:EDIT: pH, right on! I don't know if you've seen Family Guy but "Buy this and hot women will have sex in your backyard."
Exactly!
Actually, the only guys-look-like-idiots one I can think of is that one where all the guys are eating chips watching the construction guys, where one is working and the rest are goofing off, and it cuts to a shot of the office, where all the dudes are at the window, and the woman is solving some problem on the computer.
-pH
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by Swampjedi: Thanks, Kristen.
On a related note, I'd love it if women would quit being amazed when learning that I love to cook and am quite competent.
Then again, if that's attractive, by all means be amazed!
I think it's attractive because...um....I don't do it.
I also find it attractive that my boyfriend occasionally takes out my trash and locks both of the locks on my door if I fall asleep and he has to leave.
-pH
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
So responsibility is attractive? Heaven help us, are men that bad?
</semi-serious>
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by Swampjedi: So responsibility is attractive? Heaven help us, are men that bad?
</semi-serious>
I just think it's really cute. It's like, "Aww, he's concerned. He wants to help."
-pH
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:Because "band on a roof" is apparently the most common group band photo known to man.
See also: Band in a field; Band on a bus.
I'm sick of the the hot girl/fat guy stereotype, but in sitcoms, not commercials. Every season it seems like I see 3 new 'fat guy with a hot wife' sitcoms, and two 'Charlie Sheen smirks' sitcoms.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I don't understand why King of Queens is still on... I hate that show so much. It just annoys me... Hence why I have stopped watching it. Also it has that chick with a bad attitude whose personality sucks so much and the fat guy is really a nice guy but rather... stupid.....
I also hate irratating marriage sitcoms where the guys whine about how they hate being married because their wives tell the what to do... Oddly it makes marriage a bit unappealing to me... If they hate being married so much, why don't they stay wild playboys?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
It's not as though you are a stranger to pointless complaining yourself, Syn. Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Well, judging from the physical appearance of most of those guys, they couldn't cut it as wild playboys.
-pH
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
This goes back a long way, and involves a political campaign commercial, but the best political campaign commercial in history was the "Morning in America" commercials of the Ronald Reagan presidential re-election campaign for his second term. Even jaded liberal democrats got lumps in their throats watching the commercial.
The worst commercial I ever saw was the Quizno's commercials from about two years ago, where the characters touting the toasted subs looked like road kill. Honestly. Flattened, teeth awry--truly disgusting. It took the company several months to realize what a terrible commercial campaign it was, and finally yanked them. Their current commercials are OK. But those earlier ones could not have been worse if their competitors designed them, deliberately intending to put people off and sabotage Quizno's marketing effort.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I LOVED those Quiznos commercials!
We love the subs! 'cause they're a dollar off When you bring in a coupon For things to eat or oil changes! Or pony rides or for hair plugs!
-pH
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:The worst commercial I ever saw was the Quizno's commercials from about two years ago, where the characters touting the toasted subs looked like road kill. Honestly. Flattened, teeth awry--truly disgusting. It took the company several months to realize what a terrible commercial campaign it was, and finally yanked them. Their current commercials are OK. But those earlier ones could not have been worse if their competitors designed them, deliberately intending to put people off and sabotage Quizno's marketing effort.
You're KIDDING, right?
Seriously, that was the most effective ad campaign I've seen in YEARS. *EVERYONE* was talking about it. College-age kids LOVED it, and that was who Quizno's was targetting (given that the inspiration for the commercial was a flash animation).
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
I also hated the Quizno's commercials. It seems to be a love it or hate it thing. We are still talking about it years later. I can honestly say I haven't eaten at a Quizno's in years, although I don't think it had anything to do with the commercial.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I remember getting one of those coupons off the Quiznos website...
It said, "Half off your next purchase of a private jet."
Awesome.
-pH
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I hate all of those Sierra Mist ads. The soda tastes good, I'd drink it if I wasn't swearing off of soft drinks, but those ads. I don't want to encourage them.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Actually, the only guys-look-like-idiots one I can think of is that one where all the guys are eating chips watching the construction guys, where one is working and the rest are goofing off, and it cuts to a shot of the office, where all the dudes are at the window, and the woman is solving some problem on the computer.
DiGiorno Pizzas have a lovely line of "men are idiots/lazy/jerks" commercials. Like the one where the woman comes in and asks who delivered, he says it's DiGiorno, whatever, and she goes, "You fixed the oven? You fixed the oven!" but the oven isn't fixed, it's new microwave DiGiorno, or the supremely annoying commercial when he calls his wife and barks at her to bring them a pizza and "make it snappy", and then she comes out and turns the sprinklers on them (although to be fair I think she's an idiot for apparently making a habit of bringing him pizza when he acts like that), and there are others, too... And those are just the first ones that came to mind, there are lots more from other companies.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I'd like to add the espn mobile commercials to the list of crappy commercials. I watch sportscenter every day, and these commercials are beyond annoying. The premise is stupid, the actor is infuriatingly aggravating, and the product is something no one wants.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by Synesthesia: I hate all of those Sierra Mist ads. The soda tastes good, I'd drink it if I wasn't swearing off of soft drinks, but those ads. I don't want to encourage them.
In general, I get annoyed with "Our product will make you act crazy/irresoponsible" ads.
In general. Some are acceptable, because funny covereth a multitude of sins.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
The commercial I hated most in my life was the movietickets.com commercial that played before every movie I saw for about six months.
A couple shows up at a cinema center, talking about how great it was that they could by movie tickets online. Then the female reveals that she's in one theater, while he is in a different one. He asks which one, and she while going up an escalator tells him to check his ticket. He says something to the effect of: "Are we still on for dinner later, you know, at the same restaurant?".
Every time it annoyed the hell out of me. Perhaps someone can explain to me the joke of this commercial. That the woman is a jerk, and that their relationship clearly has issues? If I were that guy, I would probably leave her butt at the theater, and then go home and start packing up her stuff .
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by SC Carver: I also hated the Quizno's commercials. It seems to be a love it or hate it thing. We are still talking about it years later. I can honestly say I haven't eaten at a Quizno's in years, although I don't think it had anything to do with the commercial.
I'm solidly in the "loved them" camp, but I haven't eaten Quiznos in probably a year and a half either. They're significantly more expensive than their competition, and not significantly tastier. If I have coupons or someone else is buying I'll eat there, but that's about it.
Ron, I can remember my parents rolling their eyes at those "Morning in America" commercials. I think I remember my father saying "more like 'mourning for America'".
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
I have to say that McDonalds makes particularly horrible ads. Their entire advertising philosophy seems to revolve around trying to convince people that McDonalds is something that it isn't by putting it around things that it has no place with. As if showing some bicyclists eating McDonalds food will make us all believe that it is a healthy place now.
On the flip side of the fast food market, the ads with that Burger King guy are awesome. He's the best fast food mascot yet!
Overall, though, I think the least effective ads are ANY car ads. I don't think I've ever seen a car ad that made me remember the car for more than 10 seconds....
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:I'm solidly in the "loved them" camp, but I haven't eaten Quiznos in probably a year and a half either. They're significantly more expensive than their competition, and not significantly tastier. If I have coupons or someone else is buying I'll eat there, but that's about it.
Around here, we only have Subway as a comparison for chain subs, and Quizno's is entire universes better than they are. Not because the subs are necessarily made with better ingredients, but because their employees actually give a damn about making the sandwich edible looking, easy to hold without dripping crap all over the place, they don't squish your bread while cutting it, etc. etc. I can barely eat at Subway anymore; if they didn't have $2.99 foot long specials, I never would.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tresopax: I have to say that McDonalds makes particularly horrible ads. Their entire advertising philosophy seems to revolve around trying to convince people that McDonalds is something that it isn't by putting it around things that it has no place with. As if showing some bicyclists eating McDonalds food will make us all believe that it is a healthy place now.
On the flip side of the fast food market, the ads with that Burger King guy are awesome. He's the best fast food mascot yet!
Overall, though, I think the least effective ads are ANY car ads. I don't think I've ever seen a car ad that made me remember the car for more than 10 seconds....
Or soccer players! Soccer players eat McDonald's every day, and so should you!
I hate the Burger King guy though. He freaks me out really bad. Ugh.
As for car ads...hm. I can remember some of the Volvo ads. I remember pretty much all the new Volkswagen ads, but that's could be more just my selective attention. And I remember the Dodge Charger ads, and they piss me off...or is that the Calibur? The one with the fairy, and the other one with the dog sticking his butt out the window.
-pH
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
The other commercials I hate are any featuring Michael McDonald. Can someone teach that guy diction? His voice makes me wanna yamma-burn-this-place-to-the-ground.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Jared ads for Subway... >.< irratating
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
My favorite commercials are the CitiBank (?) ads about identity theft, where they have the people with the wrong voices. The latest one had a big burly guy lifting waits and then he starts singing some pop song in a girls voice. Hilarious. I love those.
Also, the MacGyver commercial is the best commercial of all time and everyone should kiss the TV when they see it. MacGyver is god.
Worst commercials of all time.... the light beer commercials where they talk about all the great taste. uh, no. They all taste exactly the same, and that taste is urine.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
quote:I hate the Burger King guy though. He freaks me out really bad. Ugh.
I like those. Not my favorites, but above par. I really like the one with the King and the construction worker working on a skyscraper. At the end the king does a playful shove, almost knocking the worker off. Then they both start laughing. I found it incredibly silly.
I hated the "McDonald's is going gourmet" commercials for their new chicken sandwiches that showed a bunch of hot twenty-somethings walking around with their pinkies in the air. They made me want to go on a finger-breaking spree.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I don't understand the pinky thing.
-pH
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
Thanks to you all for reminding me why I don't have a Television. (The machine is hooked up to VHS-DVD but no antenna.)
Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
The best commercial right now is the Volkswagon Passat one. That's probably the only car commercial that's ever actually made me interested in the car being advertised (though I'm not in any position to buy it, though maybe in the future). All of the other car commercials are so unoriginal. They're basically a car going really, really fast and then a funny joke about how fast the car went (e.g. a mime saying "whoa" or the car stops and you hear the noise a couple seconds after). The Passat had a really great, original commercial, though.
edit: by the way I'm talking about the one where all of the other car drivers are yelling things about of a megaphone.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I haven't seen that one! The newest VW commercial I've seen is the Jetta one...
Guy's Girlfriend's Dad: Well, it's a nice day...why don't you take a hike? Guy: ....why don't YOU take a hike?!
-pH
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: You know, I don't think that I've felt uncomfortable watching a commercial as an adult. Bored? Yes. Amused? Sure. Incredulous? Occasionally. Angry? Once in a while. Uncomfortable? No.
How about those new Sprite ones. Sublymonal advertising? I have to look away and do something else.
I hate all Old Navy ads.
There have been good car ads over the years. One in particular that stands out to me is Isuzu's "Go Farther" ads. The first one was this guy hearing a whispered voice, Field of Dreams style, saying "Go farther." He jumps in his Isuzu SUV and goes to increasingly remote, hard to reach spots, and keeps on hearing the voice, until the point where he is poling his SUV down a river on a raft, right toward a waterfall, at which point the voice whispers, "Too far." (The only problem with this ad campaign was the way the slogan "Go Farther" would appear on the screen, quickly falling in one letter at a time. I'm a quick reader, and so I would invariably parse the letters as they were falling, instead of after they were on the screen, and so "Go fart her" seemed like a truly odd slogan to me.)
quote:Originally posted by Juxtapose: I was looking for a newer Sony Cybershot commercial involving a fairy and a jealous coworker,
"My camera came with a wizard." "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."
FYI, that's not a real ad. That's a clip from the hilarious Dudley Moore movie Crazy People.
I hate those Dodge ads about how, no matter what the car is, it's *not* cute. Um, huh? Who the hell cares?!
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
All Old Navy ads must be destroyed.
The new VW Rabbit one is somewhat amusing, once you remember that they're rabbits.
--j_k
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Guy's Girlfriend's Dad: Well, it's a nice day...why don't you take a hike? Guy: ....why don't YOU take a hike?!
The lines don't go like that in the commercial I've seen. The guy just looks kind of hurt and returns to his sparkly white Jetta while the girlfriend grabs his arm ineffectually.
What I dislike about that ad is this: It's supposed to be the literal meaning of the "take a hike", not the "go away", but it sounds like the guy is insulted because he interpreted the girlfriend's dad's comment as "go away".
However, this isn't the case, he actually interpreted it correctly and is insulted not because he thought that the girlfriend's dad was telling him to "go away" but literally to "take a hike" something Jetta owners are supposedly stereotypically prone to do.
Now, I think this is supposed to be happening. We're supposed to think that he is leaving because of the "take a hike" comment interpreted wrongly as "go away". But it's not.
However, this is then explained by a guy inexplicably wearing lederhosen (something to do with hiking? Some other stereotype? Someone's lederhosen is hilariously funny no matter if it's random?). Now, when I first watched this commercial I spent all the time during the explanation staring at the guy in his lederhosen going "what?". I didn't get this whole mis-interpreted double meaning thing.
Now, I don't know if that's just me, but this to me just typifies a bad commercial:
1. It's confusing 2. It contains weird non-sequiturs (the double meaning and the lederhosen) that are seemingly unconnected to the general 3. The message is... what? Jettas aren't just for hikers? Is this... groundbreaking? Was there an overly successful campaign that marketed Jettas specifically to hikers.
And I think the Geico Gekko has a cockney accent, not Australian, but I can't be sure without hearing it again.
Most commercials (including the Jetta one) fail for me because I cannot remember on a day-to-day basis exactly what is being advertised. A car, sure, but what kind?
My brother asked me the other day if I knew what the zoom-zoom commercials advertised. No idea. It turned out to be Mazda- and I quite liked those commercials.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I don't like those zoom-zoom commercials, just because that little freckle-faced kid strikes me as creepy. If I were a kid I would kick his ass.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I don't like that zoom-zoom song. It annoys me.
Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
I still think the Passat commercial is the only good car commercial I ever saw. Though now that I think about it a little more it's not as good as when I first saw it on TV.
This one. Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I am particularly fond of the ads for prescription drugs. Sometimes they don't even tell you what the drug is for, you are just supposed to go ask your doctor if <insert drug name> is right for you because you want to go horseback riding along the beach, too.
And the people in those commercials have more fun than anyone (except maybe those guys in the old Mountain Dew commercials), even though they are sick enough to need to go to a doctor and get medicine.
I love the Singulair commercial where the woman with allergies goes out on hayrides, juggles kittens in a barn and shoves her head deep into a mound of ragweed, with a radiant smile the whole time, because she has Singulair. I don't even have allergies, and I want some of that stuff. Who wouldn't want to be able to juggle kittens?
The Valtrex commercial (for herpes) features a woman on a galloping horse. So we are to conclude, I suppose, that before she had the medicine, her crotch hurt too much for her to have much fun, but now that she has Valtrex, anything goes!
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
It isn't really difficult for me to remember the brand of a particular car in a given commercial. Every company seems to have its own style.
Geico seems to lack a single message -- they've had the gecko, the cavemen, the "good news," and the "people do dumb things" spots in the past few years. I will say they advertise more than any other insurence company I can think of.
*
My favorite World Cup commercial is the Travelers one: (the one with the guy with the wings? watch the video)
quote:I am particularly fond of the ads for prescription drugs. Sometimes they don't even tell you what the drug is for, you are just supposed to go ask your doctor if <insert drug name> is right for you because you want to go horseback riding along the beach, too.
Mmm, the joys of self-diagnosis...
--j_k
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I am enjoying the current crop of Klondike Bar commercials.
"[insert_name] brought his glass back into the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher."
"Give that man a Klondike Bar.
---
"[insert_name] listened to his wife's entire story."
"Give that man a Klondike Bar."
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
Saw this one a few days ago. It doesn't make me want to eat at Burger King, but it did make me laugh my ass off.
*ps - bump*
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
That snake commercial made me feel kind of like barfing. It's one of those commercials that make me temporarily boycott a place (even though I almost never eat at Burger King anyway), simply because the commercial is so dumb and disturbing.
I wrote K-Mart a nasty letter a few years back when they had a commercial with Martha Stewart in the bath tub. I had to scratch my corneas with a key to make sure I didn't see that ad again.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
The new Gap commercial with an Audrey Hepburn and AC/DC mix, is the most annoying commercial in recent memory. Can't hey just let her rest in peace. Every time I see I think of the greedy little grandkids, or who ever is controlling Hepburns estate right now, and there not giving a darn about how that great lady should be remembered.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I personally did not find it all that bad Mig. There are lots of clothes that women for some reason today just won't wear. Audrey pulls pretty much everything off and people think she is beautiful, its a tried and true way to get people to think about why they don't wear certain styles anymore.
As for commercials, gotta love Geico for not sticking with one sales pitch, they've got a multi pronged approach that I think works pretty well.
I laughed at some of their "a real customer" and "a real celebrity to tell their story" commercials.
My 2 favorites are Don LaFontaine and Charo, but if they could have had Phil Hartman channeling Peter Graves (Instead of Graves himself) I would have liked that the most I am sure Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
I abhor the Gap Audrey Hepburn commercial. Thank goodness for DVR. Every Burger King commercial in the past 5 years has creeped me out. Andrew summarized the Hardee's commercials thusly, "You're a scumbag. Eat at Hardee's."
I love the Nextel one with the dots. "Who's agitating my dots? You agitating my dots?"
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Do political ads count? I hate them all. Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
I like those Mac commercials with the young guy and they pudgy middle aged guy. They only show a couple of them on TV, but they have a lot more that they show online. They are not going to make me change over to a Mac, but I do watch them when I see them.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Those Mac ads just make me dislike Apple as a company. They make them seem cocky and petty.
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