OT: Worst television adverts currently running part Deux

[flagger]

f I see the exposed belly buttons one more time, I think I am going to hurl. It is for some kind of medication and there is writing on all these stomachs. I like navels when someone is wearing a bare mid-riff top, but not CLOSE-UPS. Especially when some of the people should not be lifting their shirts in public. It just creeps me out.

[jmofarrill]

I agree with the exposed skin sentiment, but the ads that really tick me off are the ones that portray adults and parents as beneath children. The commercials that show kids as being oh-so-much better than adults, and adults will NEVER understand or “get-it”. Please. Dh and I believe the worst offenders are Chucky Cheese, Apple Jacks, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

[jojo2324]

There is a really dumb one now for TJ Maxx, with two kids all slouched in a diner booth, until their parents tell them to sit up straight. I guess they are supposed to look like models for less?

Oh, and the campy Bacardi and Coke ad. I get it, but it's just plain DUMB. These two guys are decked out Miami Vice style and doing fake ninja chops. Really, I wonder how much these people get paid to sit around and think this stuff up.

[bluej]

The commercial I hate most is for the Sleep Number Store. It shows an older woman in some nice loungewear sprawled out on her bed talking about what Sleep Number she is and then going down the list of what all of her 'genteman friends' Sleep Numbers are. I'm sorry, but it just grosses me out to think of granny sleeping around and getting all of these STD's!

[KMommie]

I don't know how local this is...but we have this car dealership called Power. They have this really dumb commercial of all these "California" stereotypes singing "If you need a car, truck or van...Who ya gonna call...CALL POWER!" First of all, if you're going to redo a song, at least make it a good one, I don't think Ray Parker, Jr. qualifies---second, it's just plain ANNOYING...what does it have to do with selling cars? I'd like Bill Murray to slime the ad exec who did that one!

Jeannie
mommy to Kiki 4/18/03

[ktdid74]

I don't know if this one was mentioned the first time but I hate the one where the kid sprays his mom with orange soda and she grabs the dish sprayer and goes after him. Every time that one is on, DS looks at me then looks over at the dish sprayer, the wheels turning in his head thinking hmmmm... that looks like fun.

[jmofarrill]

Jeannie - That's too funny! Our local car dealership power-house does the SAME song and commercial, except the people singing are local people who sing one phrase each (and divas they are not). "If you need a car, truck or van... Who ya gonna call... MAROONE!" It's painful! :P

Flagger - did you see the commercial with the singing belly buttons? "I'm coming out... I want the world to know..." Of course I can't even remember now what it was advertising...

[mama2be]

I hate all the burping ads...we have several...
Ceasar's Pizza did it, a car ad does it...even TLC does it (granted theirs is alittle cuter in that it is a kid burping)...but really I don't care to hear folks burping aloud!!!

Coke has a wierd ad of a teenager grunger type guy loading up every pocket on him with COKE (yeah that makes me want to buy coke seeing my teen age son use 10 of them in minutes)...but the sister yells at him and he drinks from one, shakes it and put's it back...I swear the shaking gesture is crude (as if he's...ya know....)...

[McQ]

It was advertising low waist jeans. To which I am not a fan but did enjoy the song. And it has recently been used again (the song that is) for Planters peanuts.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[mamahill]

Embarassed that I remember this, but the singing belly buttons was for Gap, I believe - advertising their low rise jeans? I only remember this because at first I was grossed out and then I thought it was funny. Weird, but funny.

[flagger]

>I swear the shaking gesture is crude (as if he's...ya know....)...

I have a sixteen week old infant, I am aware of that gesture. :D

Oh sorry wrong thread.

Ducking and running away really fast.

[lizajane]

as a former advertising account exec (which means i did not write the ads, i just connnected those who did to the clients) i think i take it a little personally when everyone in the world talks about how terrible advertising is. stupid, i know. but, while there are some terrible ads out there for terrible products, there are some inspiring ads for inspiring products. and all of them pay for the shows you are watching.

so i am going against the grain here to tell you my latest fav ad.
it is a print ad for clif bars. the dad is talking about how the son did everything differently from the way he did it, and he always questioned his choices. but then he (the son) named the clif bar after him (the dad).

i wanted to call my dad and ask him to go on a run or a hike with me...

[MartiesMom2B]

I hate this commercial too. Not only does he drink from it but he backwashes in it. Yuck!

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[deborah_r]

I remember it because I think it was the girl who plays Meadow Soprano (on The Sopranos, of course) who was singing it. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, I think.

[deborah_r]

Ooooohhhhh....Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I haven't noticed their commercials, but that is on the top of my list of guilty pleasures that I will have to hide from DS!!! I can not get enough of that cereal.

[jojo2324]

It was Levis, and it was Meadow singing. :P

I TOLD you all I should work for People or US Weekly! :)

[sweetbasil]

Must be a conspiracy...ours is Gulf Champion (to the Ghostbusters' song). DS#1 year old runs around singing, "Who ya gonna call, Guff Champion!" Ugh.

[sweetbasil]

I missed part one, Flagger. But my best friend was telling me today about a McDonalds ad running on Fox and The WB that talks about never passing up a chance with twins (pick from twin meal deals during the day) and never, ever passing up a chance to wake up with twins in the morning (pick from matching breakfast meal deals). How nice. Who knew the originators of such a kid-friendly chain would have an ad like that! Fortunately, I haven't seen the ad yet myself.

[KMommie]

You are right, there are some really good ads out there! Some ads are just really clever. I always watch the Super Bowl, just for the commercials! I like the ESPN ads for SportsCenter, they are just funny! I also like the touching ads that give that "Hallmark" moment. Remember the the one with the Family Reunion and the kids go around and take polaroids of everyone and make a family tree? That was really cute. Or the one where the dad slides a cell phone under the door of his grown daughter's new apartment, and in the address book, all his numbers are already in there? :)

Jeannie
mommy to Kiki 4/18/03

[McQ]

I'd love to work for Entertainment Weekly. Or just hang out with the folks that put out the magazine. Yes I'm a dork but I love that magazine! It's usually on the mark and has a good vibe to it. I laugh out loud cover to cover. My husband gave me a subscription for my birhtday like 6 or 7 years ago and I thought what a lame gift. But now every week I tell him what a great gift it was. Okay now I'm totally off subject.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[Melanie]

Okay, I don't know why, but I loved the singing navels, it really cracked me up, whenever I hear the song, now I always think of the belly buttons.

I cannot stand:
1. "If it makes your baby happy, Huggies has it."

2. (Power ad: VO by Wayne Gretzky who is NOT an actor)"Hi, I'm Wayne Gretzky and I know a great one when I see it..." As if he cares what he pays for a car!

3. All the disposable commercials for stuff like washcloths and cutting boards.


What's your all-time tear-jerker? Mine is the dog food ad where the girl and her dog keep aging and at the end he can barely get up the stairs. wwwwaaaahhh where's the kleenex?

[amp]

Yes Melanie, that is a sad commercial. They also have one with a dog that has arthritis or something and the woman has to lift him up into the car because he can't do it himself! Leave it to animals to tug at my heart *every* time!

[deborah_r]

This may be local but this is the one that irritates me most right now: for our cable company (Charter Communications) there is a commercial with George Foreman and he says "This is big Goerge Foreman and you'd better listen to me." That part is paraphrased, then he goes on about stealing cable, at the end he says, "Stealing cable is wrong. And it makes me mad. You don't want to make ME mad."

I find it highly insulting, although I have no idea why.


Also for the broadband internet service they have one with two women talking about how long it always takes for cable to be installed, and the woman says "Oh, it wasn't like that with my Charter Broadband Cable" and she says how she did it all herself with a CD they send you. The other woman says something like "No way, you?" and the woman says something like "I'm on deck", or "On my death" - I have no idea what she says and I've heard it at least 50 times. Even without that their tone of voice is very irritating all by itself.