Commercials that Bug You

Joe · Jul 17, 2006

I thought I'd start a thread about TV (or other) commercials that people find annoying or disturbing. Not because they pester you to buy the product, but because they have other elements in them that have nothing to do with the product but are just annoying or offensive or make no sense. 
Here are two that most "bug" me: Dairy Queen "Blizzard" Commercial 
Man #1 gets on an airplane carring a heavy piece of luggage in one hand and a "Blizzard" (some sort of ice cream sundae) in a cup in the other. He is on the right aisle, in the aisle seat, seated next to Man # 2. Man # 1 puts the cup on the seat tray while he stands in the aisle and turns to his left to put his heavy bag in the overhead luggage rack across the aisle, below which a somewhat portly black woman is seated. While Man # 1's back is turned, Man # 2 sneakily starts eating Man # 1's "Blizzard." As Man # 1 has his bag partly loaded into the overhead rack, he turns to see Man # 2 gobbling down his Blizzard, so he lets go of the luggage, which falls and hits the black woman in the head. He yells at Man # 2, who stops eating the ice cream, and then the black woman yells at him for hitting her in the head with the luggage. Man #1 again picks up the luggage and partially puts it in the overhead rack, Man # 2 again uses this opportunity to gobble the ice cream, 
Man # 1 again releases the luggage, which hits the black woman in the head, etc. The commercial ends with the announcer saying something about the Blizzard being so good you'll have to guard it at all times (or something like that). 
I guess I just found this commercial to be offensive rather than funny, and don't know why they would have to have a "double minority" be the butt of the "joke." GEICO "Cave Man" Commercial 
This commercial involves a commercial within a commercial. Part one shows a GEICO spokesman saying something to the effect that applying for GEICO insurance is so simple even a cave man could do it. Part two shows the same spokesman at a restaurant sitting with two cave men and apologizing to them for offending them. Then the waiter comes, Caveman # 1 orders, but Caveman # 2 hands his menu back to the waiter and says he has lost his appetite. In case the message is lost, he gives the company spokesman this disgusted, sneering look, but in a manner that might suggest that Caveman # 2 is effeminate or overly sensitive or effeminately gay or some combination of the above. 
I guess that while some people might find this funny, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. What is it trying to say? That we need at least one minority to be the butt of jokes, so if we run out of minorities, we will create pseudo-minorities? That minorities that find certain advertizements to be offensive are just weaklings and "pansies"? What does all this have to do with selling insurance? 
Do commercials like this have some sort of "political" agenda? Are they trying to tell us we should "roll back" our concerns about the way women and minorities have been treated?

jetekiff · Jul 17, 2006

The caveman ones are kinda annoying...but I hate this too: 
The Hanes commercial where Kevin Bacon keeps trying to dunk pieces of paper into a trashcan and Michael Jordan keeps blocking it. I always wonder why the heck these two are paired in the commercial and why Jordan keeps blocking him. Why is it supposed to be funny? What does this have to do with Haneswear? Why on earth does Kevin Bacon have his hair cut like a kid from Harry Potter 4???

katt · Jul 17, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Joe <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> Dairy Queen "Blizzard" Commercial 
Man #1 gets on an airplane carring a heavy piece of luggage in one hand and a "Blizzard" (some sort of ice cream sundae) in a cup in the other. He is on the right aisle, in the aisle seat, seated next to Man # 2. Man # 1 puts the cup on the seat tray while he stands in the aisle and turns to his left to put his heavy bag in the overhead luggage rack across the aisle, below which a somewhat portly black woman is seated. While Man # 1's back is turned, Man # 2 sneakily starts eating Man # 1's "Blizzard." As Man # 1 has his bag partly loaded into the overhead rack, he turns to see Man # 2 gobbling down his Blizzard, so he lets go of the luggage, which falls and hits the black woman in the head. He yells at Man # 2, who stops eating the ice cream, and then the black woman yells at him for hitting her in the head with the luggage. Man #1 again picks up the luggage and partially puts it in the overhead rack, Man # 2 again uses this opportunity to gobble the ice cream, 
Man # 1 again releases the luggage, which hits the black woman in the head, etc. The commercial ends with the announcer saying something about the Blizzard being so good you'll have to guard it at all times (or something like that). </div>
</div>
 
I HATE that commercial. What normal and considerate human being is just randomly going to eat another's food, even after repeated times of being told not to do so? 
I actually have to change the channel every time it comes on because it annoys me THAT much. I honestly want to kick the actors and the idiot who thought up the idea in the nuts, and most importantly, Dairy Queen for even running it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/kick.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":junk:">

Tuffenoughtoroc · Jul 17, 2006

The Burger King commercial with the whole "I am man hear me roar..." 
So damn rediculous and annoying. 
Also the Burger King "bucking chicken" tendercrisp pitch. 
And the Burger King "Wake up with the King" commercials. Scary. 
I just despise those Burger King commercials!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/whack.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":whack:">

Amy SF · Jul 17, 2006

There's one that has me really, really angry. 
I think it's for Benefiber, the stuff you mix with water and drink. 
It features a woman doing all sorts of activities, like exercising and driving, and each time she's eating fresh produce, like an enormous piece of broccoli, or a huge carrot, or a huge apple, etc. Since I've been muting the damn thing lately, I think the announcer says something to the effect of "why go to all this trouble to eat all of this when you can get your fiber with Benefiber?" At the end it shows the woman happily taking her Benefiber. 
Why TF is this stupid commercial discouraging viewers from eating fresh produce? I know a lot of people don't get enough fresh produce in their diets. They think a bag of french fries qualifies as their vegetable of the day and an orange soda qualifies as their fruit of the day. People are going to see this and figure they don't need to eat that nasty broccoli; if they're lacking in fiber, all they have to do is buy Benefiber. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/veryangry.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":grr:">

Joe · Jul 17, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Tuffenoughtoroc <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
Also the Burger King "bucking chicken" tendercrisp pitch. </div>
</div>
 
Actually that's a hucking chicken or huckin' chicken, which turns out to be some sort of MotorCross expression. 
See: <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060630222038AASOp9l" target="_blank">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...0222038AASOp9l</a> 
See also: <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060628120603AA3spTN" target="_blank">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8120603AA3spTN</a>

jetekiff · Jul 17, 2006

No, the second ad is "huckin" and its motocross but the other is "buckin" and it features the chicken on a mechanical bull.

Joe · Jul 17, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by jetekiff <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
No, the second ad is "huckin" and its motocross but the other is "buckin" and it features the chicken on a mechanical bull.</div>
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Thanks for the correction. I haven't seen the mechanical bull version, and didn't know there were two versions before reading your post. 
I have seen the Haynes T-shirt commercial, but never paid close enough attention to it to see what it was really trying to say, other than Haynes T-shirts fit everybody from Kevin Bacon to Michael Jordan.

IamJen · Jul 17, 2006

Those BK "King" commercials scare the bejeezus out of me for sure. (((shudder))) 
Other ones I love to hate: 
The diamond/jeweler commercials where the woman is all embarrassed that the man says he loves her, but then when he gives her some diamond piece of jewelry, she says "I love this man....I love this man...etc." Yeah, yeah, buy your way to your woman's heart. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wall.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":wall:"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/evil.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":evil:"> 
"Can you hear me now? Good. Can you hear me now? Good. Can you hear me now?...." Yeah, would you mind shutting up already? 
The endless commercials for people who suffer from depression, allergies, sleeplessness, anxiety, vd, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, ADD, migraines, hypertension, osteoporosis, toenail fungus..... Sure, these can be serious issues, but do I really want to hear "I have genital Herpes" while I waiting for Lost to come back on? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/brood.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":brood:"> And honestly, there are so many ads that I think otherwise healthy people may suddenly discover that something's wrong with them. Ugh.

GhostUser · Jul 17, 2006

lol Jen. So true.

evilvegan · Jul 17, 2006

While Burger King commercials offend me, KFC commercials make me turn the channel and go into a rant. It's so bad that my SO mutes it or turns the channel so he doesn't have to listen to me go on. 
"Bring the family together." Yah, and they can all go on cholestorol medication together, and be obese together, and die together....ARRGGH!!! Family is supposed to gather over a corpse to MOURN- not eat it!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/whack.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":whack:">

jetekiff · Jul 17, 2006

And those people always look so danged HAPPY in those ads..."I have genital herpes, yay!" Then they're like riding a bike or celebrating a birthday while the announcers talk about how the drug'll probably half kill you.

evilvegan · Jul 17, 2006

My bigges issue with the std medication commercials is how they make it seem like it's okay and normal to go sleep with everyone out there, because their's medicine that will help you after you get sick! No worries! Sleep with them all!

Sauteedbeans · Jul 17, 2006

I hate it when they show the same commercial over and over again during the same program. Once is annoying enough.

aotto08 · Jul 17, 2006

I hate all of the BK commercials. They are so misogynistic! 
I especially hate the one where the little people are "building" hamburgers like skyscrapers, and one goes to put on tomato, and the other says, "This is the stacking union! We only stack meat and cheese! MEAT AND CHEESE! NO VEGGIES! Now get back to work!" 
I have to change the channel when it comes on.

Sunny · Jul 17, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Amy SF <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
There's one that has me really, really angry. 
I think it's for Benefiber, the stuff you mix with water and drink. 
It features a woman doing all sorts of activities, like exercising and driving, and each time she's eating fresh produce, like an enormous piece of broccoli, or a huge carrot, or a huge apple, etc. Since I've been muting the damn thing lately, I think the announcer says something to the effect of "why go to all this trouble to eat all of this when you can get your fiber with Benefiber?" At the end it shows the woman happily taking her Benefiber. 
Why TF is this stupid commercial discouraging viewers from eating fresh produce? I know a lot of people don't get enough fresh produce in their diets. They think a bag of french fries qualifies as their vegetable of the day and an orange soda qualifies as their fruit of the day. People are going to see this and figure they don't need to eat that nasty broccoli; if they're lacking in fiber, all they have to do is buy Benefiber. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/veryangry.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":grr:"></div>
</div>
 
Yeah, that one really pisses me off.

ElliottsMom · Jul 17, 2006

I can't stand the commercials for the movie "little man" for obvious reasons. definately one of the worst movies ever IMO

rainbow_clouds · Jul 17, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Amy SF <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
There's one that has me really, really angry. 
I think it's for Benefiber, the stuff you mix with water and drink. 
It features a woman doing all sorts of activities, like exercising and driving, and each time she's eating fresh produce, like an enormous piece of broccoli, or a huge carrot, or a huge apple, etc. Since I've been muting the damn thing lately, I think the announcer says something to the effect of "why go to all this trouble to eat all of this when you can get your fiber with Benefiber?" At the end it shows the woman happily taking her Benefiber. 
Why TF is this stupid commercial discouraging viewers from eating fresh produce? I know a lot of people don't get enough fresh produce in their diets. They think a bag of french fries qualifies as their vegetable of the day and an orange soda qualifies as their fruit of the day. People are going to see this and figure they don't need to eat that nasty broccoli; if they're lacking in fiber, all they have to do is buy Benefiber. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/veryangry.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":grr:"></div>
</div>
 
Oh I know! I hate those fiber suplument commercials too. 
Another fiber commercial has three guys walking into a stall with the caption "Monday" then the same three guys walk into the same stalls with the caption "Tuesday" then "Wed", etc... then the announcer goes on and says "{product} Stay regular, the natural way!" 
When this came on once I was watching TV with my mom and both of us at the same time were like "uh... no... natural would be eating a damn fruit once in a while, instead of a steak"

rainbow_clouds · Jul 17, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by IamJen <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
The diamond/jeweler commercials where the woman is all embarrassed that the man says he loves her, but then when he gives her some diamond piece of jewelry, she says "I love this man....I love this man...etc." Yeah, yeah, buy your way to your woman's heart. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wall.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":wall:"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/evil.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":evil:"></div>
</div>
 
I HATE with a passion all those commercials. I hate them so much. I sure as hell don't want a $4000 (or whatever) peice of jewelry. I don't want diamonds or whatever, and I don't even wear jewlery besides my earrings and nose studs, and I surely don't need to be told I want a diamond ring. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wall.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":wall:">

faded_amaranth · Jul 17, 2006

This commercial doesn't bother me, it's that no one else gets it: 
"the milk comes form real cows" ok got it, thats were most milk we drink comes from "the eggs from real chickens" makes sense "and the sausage comes from Jimmy Dean" WHAT? do you want to sell your product, thats disgusting. But me and one of the guys from Blue Collar comedy are the only people who pick up on that.

Commercials that Bug You

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