Stupid Commercials

[simcity1012 0]

Lately I have noticed that that the comercials on the television have been getting stupider. Were I live (St. Louis, Missouri, USA), we have William Shatner doing law firm commercials, commercials about driving your new Jeep underwater (even when in small print on the bottom of the television say fictionalization), and the DUMBEST commercial I've ever seen, a commercial were someone eats a Sketchers tennis shoe and then grows them on their feet.

Seriously, have we been getting dumber and dumber to the level of these commercials? I just feel that there has to be more people than only my friends who find that these commercials are dumbing us down. This thread was made with the purpose in mind to discuss any studid commericals that anyone has seen and/or anyone's feelings about them.

[vidioman 21]

We getin stoopit. We need see funy for the sell!!!!11

I cant stand some of those ads. Especially the really obnoxious ones, like Kswiss and Nike and crap, commercials are getting dumb.

I tape all my shows, so I can fast forward them!

(cant afford Tivo)

[Voar Tok 4]

I've seen a great deal of stupid commercials (I'm sure that all of us have).  However, the idea behind them is to be stupid.  Funny stupidity sells, so the ultimate goal is to make the commercial funny.  The easiest way to achieve that is by making it stupid.  Look at the Budweiser ads that run during the Super Bowl.  The commercials are specifically designed to be stupid and they succeed in the marketing of Bud.  (For those of you who have never seen the Super Bowl, this event is probably the only event in the US that people will actually watch for the commercials).  In fact, I went to a Super Bowl party once, and whenever the commercials came on, this guy would yell SHUT UP - IT'S COMMERCIALS.  What's more, everyone complied.

 

The whole problem with a lot of commercials is that the ones that sell the product usually insult someone.  For whatever reason, the world seems to derive joy and happiness from putting other people down.  That's sad, but it is reality.  (If you don't believe me, then I suggest that you watch an episode of Comedy Central Presents and pay attention to how long the laughs last when the comedian on starts making fun of other people).

 

I saw an ad for Jeep not that long ago (it's probably still running) where this guy kisses his wife goodbye and then goes parachuting down to a canyon below where his new Jeep is parked.  The Snapple ads from about a year ago didn't make fun of anybody, and they were highly effective.  The iPod ads are the same way.  The reason why stupidity sells is because of the marketing principle that the public is dumb.  Individually, the public isn't dumb; but according to the marketing philosophy, that isn't the way it works.  Anybody remember the ad for the G5 Macs?  Remember how that guy was blown out of his house by it's explosive processing power.  Without going into a debate on the actuality of the claims, the ad campaign was considered to be a success.  My grandmother thought that ad was stupid and she wanted to know why it was allowed to run on TV given its destructive nature.  Nevertheless, whenever she brought up stupid ads, that was the one she always thought of.  If they had made an ad like she was used to (with people getting up and singing something like wouldn't you really have a buick) they would have sold her a Mac a long time ago.

 

Instead, the goal of today's ads are for targeting Gen X, Gen Y, and whatever the latest one is.  No offence meant to the baby-boomers, but the primary problem that marketers are having is trying to find some style of ad that the recent generations will flock, but the fourty & fifty-somethings wouldn't touch with a ten foot poll.  However, they can't seem to find any such style.  The Honday Element was designed to look like a box on purpose.  Honda wanted something that would sell to the younger audiences, but hopefully would be viewed upon by the older members of the population as a cardboard box on wheels.  Even though they put a 48 flat screen television in the back of the thing, it just didn't sell to the younger adults.  I'm going to paraphrase what I read in an article about why the auto industry wasn't coming up with smash hits for the young adults.  This is the general idea behind what the marketing official from Honda said.

 

Q. Why haven't you been able to find something that they young adults can associate with?

 

A. The Element was supposed to be that vehicle, but even though we tried to portray this as a hip car, the first people to buy it where baby-boomers that didn't want to accept that they were growing older.  When the young adults saw their parents driving Elements, the stigma was ingrained and the damage was done.  No matter what we did, even though we ran ads that specifically tried to discourage older adults from buying the Element, we couldn't undo what had been done.

 

Q. It appears that the Toyota Scion isn't having this problem.  What do you think that they did right?

 

A. Scion actually is having the same problems.  The primary difference is that Scion was already established in Japan (the general body shape at least) so it already has some hip stigma built in.  However, the number of Scions being sold to older adults is starting to grow in proportion to the number being sold to the young adults.  It basically boils down to this - We can't find anything that your kids will buy that you won't.

Again, I'm not trying to bad mouth anybody, and if there is some older person reading this right now that wants to buy a Scion or and Element or whatever, I say Go For It.  That however, or at least from what I have read, is considered by the marketing industry to be the reason why the ads keep getting stupider: They're trying to find something uniquely Gen X.

[simcity1012 0]

What I see in the commercials is appeal to... how should I say this... people who aren't the brightest crayons in the box. I mean, a few years ago there were the Levis Jeans commercials. I remember one where some guy and a girl push a car into a river, then the guy jumps into the water to get a French phase book he left in the car, because, it just so happens that he's in France. Then the name of the jeans comes on and its over.

I feel that the dumbest commercials of all are the perfume commercials. Two people on the beach or in bed, or a half naked woman wrapped in a silk sheet while some crap plays in the background. Who cares about the whole show that is put on for us? No one watches it anyway. It all smells the same to me. You could call it Essence of Rose or Musk of a Fat Sweaty Albanian Woman and pour it into a bottle and sell it for $50 a pop. That is just how crazy our society has become.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Remember a few years ago some commercials contained sub-liminal messages and these were quickly outlawed. Now, they are trying to invade your consciousness at the lowest level. Appealing to the general demographic's hot buttons is one way of selling something, but this is often offensive or stupid.

[Tsunami434 0]

Anyone here seen that one Hummer H3 commercial? The littlest monster?

That was rrreeetaaarrrdeeed!!!!

 

 

But this is even more rreeetaaarrrdeeed....

The commercial goes something like this:

 

A monster and a robot are destroying Tokyo (like always), then the monster sees the robot, fall in love, kiss, fall on the ground (you know what happens next, they just dont show it! ), then it cuts to a hospital where the monster gives birth to an H3, sets it down on the ground, then on the screen appears, The Littlest Monster.

 

Now THAT is rrreeetaaarrrdeeed!!!!

[xcalbier 43]

well I like some of the stupid coms (as the old saying goes Thats entertainment) lol

   not that it makes me want to go out a buy that trash. Gico the car insurance comp alowys using thous dumb squirls now every time I see that succialde squirl run out in frount of me I say he must work for them lol.

   of thous realy anoying adds from Ditek for home buyers .

 Can anyone say Duck (AFFFFFFFFFFFFLACK )Makes me want Duck sufflay. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

[Yellowlab 11]

I hate commercials where a kid tells you in a matter-of-fact way about something no kid would ever be interested in, such as the vitamins in Welch's Grape Juice or how soft toilet paper is.

[your_adress_here 11]

Date: 12/27/2005 3:57:42 PM
Author: Yellowlab
I hate commercials where a kid tells you in a matter-of-fact way about something no kid would ever be interested in, such as the vitamins in Welch's Grape Juice or how soft toilet paper is.

quote>

Yeah, those are pretty stupid.

I think pretty much all SUV commercials are stupid. How many people actaually go to some of those places you see on the commercials with your SUV? I'll bet most of them can't even make it there.

[timotheus4 39]

Remind me again why some poeple watch TV?

[Bookworm 1]

As far as The Public is Stupid idea, it's probably true. However, the general poupulation of ST is NOT stupid in the least, so we spot this stuff

The absolutly most stupid commercials I've ever seen would have to be the ones for Burgur King and McDonalds. If I hear another bada bup bup baaa... I'm lovin it! again, I will punch in the TV screen. Commercials for kid's toys are also exceedingly annoying. There's those sickly sweet doll commercials with the little girls and the Dolly Who Really Talks (one comes to mind where the doll says I love you more than bunnys!), as well as the ones with the Now You Can Fly With Barbie! type things. Finally, there are the ones with cool kids and repeated phrases (the Cinnimon Toast crunch one will drive me nutty before long). And of course, the Hotwheels jammin catagorie, which will definitly top my list of annoyances.

All this comes from the Nickelodeon my sibs watch on weekday afternoons and Sundays. Hopefully, with our new Gamecube, the amount of TV they watch will go down.

@N_O_Body: What commercials had sublimal messages? Did they acually work?

[Easy Bakes 253]

Date: 12/27/2005 6:46:29 PM Author: your_adress_here

Date: 12/27/2005 3:57:42 PM Author: Yellowlab I hate commercials where a kid tells you in a matter-of-fact way about something no kid would ever be interested in, such as the vitamins in Welch's Grape Juice or how soft toilet paper is.

quote> Yeah, those are pretty stupid. I think pretty much all SUV commercials are stupid. How many people actaually go to some of those places you see on the commercials with your SUV? I'll bet most of them can't even make it there.

quote>

 

 

No they cant. it been years since a real car was in a comercial.

 

 

 

[Abc987 3]

Well, my least favorite commercial is those barbie commercials. ARGH!!!!!! I can't stand those!!! Barbie and me! GRRRRR!!!! And the king size wopper commercial for burgar king, both of them are annoying. Many more, but i shoudn't bore you

[marryescher 0]

For me, I cannot stomach the Old Navy commercials. I refuse to go to an Old Navy store, because they remind me of the horrible commercials.

There is also another one, I think its for Channel. There is some supposedly famous lady or model or something, and she runs off to some roof top and some guy goes after her. He asks, Who are you?, and she thows off part of her fancy dress and says Im a dancer! That part looks especially stupid.

 

I like those Geico ones with the squirells.

[defcon pilot 0]

Yes, commercials have gotten dumber and dumber... and perhaps more qroutesque, if you know what I mean. (Remeber that Got Milk ad where the woman's skeleton comes out of her? ) Seriously, things have just gotten more and more violent and gory and disgusting and stupid around here. Think about it. And guess who controls the content of those ads? US. Yes, us, you heard me right, we the people of the ignorant masses yadda yadda yadda... But then, you realize who manipulates whom in the end? No, we don't manipulate the companies that roll out all this fresh crap: It's the companies that make them. These big corporate entities have been manipulating us to buy, buy, buy since the beggining of civilization itself. The greedmongers up in high power, all they have to do to manipulate us is to create (or rather, engineer) a new fad that the new generation will like, and suddenly it's all buy buy buy all the latest this and that and then, by the time people thing they're settled in with their new thingymajiggers, the companies go and make some new fad, and eventually the entire society becomes warped and twisted to serve not the people, but the few rich men and women at the top. And then, I suppose, they do sometimes insert subliminal messages into ads (though I haven't recently heard of any). I make myself clear, nyet?

[simster6 0]

I find the H3 commercial to be funny and clever!

 

But that Capitol One commercial has gotta-go.

[defcon pilot 0]

I'm environmentalistic, so I hate H3s! But seriously, yeah, that Capital One No Hassle Card ad has got to go. Seriously, it's just rude and crude and crappy.

[simster6 0]

I have to agree with you on the H3... I HATE 'bigger in America', but the commercial is funny.

[Cjah 15]

Date: 12/30/2005 6:32:37 AM Author: marryescher

For me, I cannot stomach the Old Navy commercials. I refuse to go to an Old Navy store, because they remind me of the horrible commercials.

There is also another one, I think its for Channel. There is some supposedly famous lady or model or something, and she runs off to some roof top and some guy goes after her. He asks, 'Who are you?', and she thows off part of her fancy dress and says 'Im a dancer!' That part looks especially stupid.

I like those Geico ones with the squirells.

quote>

Yeah Old Navy can't make a good commercial...I don't know why,but its just a bad bunch of commercials...maybe its the music or who ever made um...

[defcon pilot 0]

Date: 1/2/2006 5:33:10 AM
Author: Cjah

Date: 12/30/2005 6:32:37 AM Author: marryescher

For me, I cannot stomach the Old Navy commercials. I refuse to go to an Old Navy store, because they remind me of the horrible commercials.

There is also another one, I think its for Channel. There is some supposedly famous lady or model or something, and she runs off to some roof top and some guy goes after her. He asks, 'Who are you?', and she thows off part of her fancy dress and says 'Im a dancer!' That part looks especially stupid.

I like those Geico ones with the squirells.

quote>

Yeah Old Navy can't make a good commercial...I don't know why,but its just a bad bunch of commercials...maybe its the music or who ever made um...

quote>

Yeah, that stuff is CRAP! I knew a girl once who bought Old Navy crap... She usually dressed in a kilt.

[Compromise 1]

Date: 12/27/2005 9:25:01 PM Author: Bookworm As far as The absolutly most stupid commercials I've ever seen would have to be the ones for Burgur King and McDonalds. If I hear another 'bada bup bup baaa... I'm lovin it!' again, I will punch in the TV screen

quote>

Oh tose drive me up the wall as well. Those are gioing to be soon illegal in the UK as it is advitising unhealthey food. But they will probabley find a way around it by advitising McSalad instead.

[Bookworm 1]

Well, that's great for you people who live in the UK! But I don't, so I'm going to have to attempt to stomache them for a lot longer (the Gamecube isn't working as well as I'd hoped).

[MayorTim 16]

Maybe it is just that I am getting smarter as I enter highschool, or that commercials really are getting stupider, or (most likely) both.

Commercials form the past year and a half have really annoyed me, but before that I didn't really mind commercials other than they were interupting my show.

Now I hate most commercials, they are all annoying, from the H3 commercial, the Burgerking commercials, Mcdonalds, the one with the guy jumping off a canyon to get to his jeep, Old navy...........

Luckly, I barely watch any tv. All I watch is [adult swim] just because it is so awesome. Other than that I never watch tv for more than 5 minutes at a time.

[Codythemonkey 0]

i hate commercials! and there are 2 commercials that have this person talking to a car..... they are getting stupider

[christhebull 1]

At least in the UK we can watch the BBC, that doesn't have adverts for anything - except programes on BBC. My most hated are the children's toys adverts, followed by the what's in your wallet ads by Capitol One (we get those too).

[JRmystery 0]

I agree, commercials are getting stuipder.  The commercial, in my opnnion that is stuipd is Gieco (or Geico).  Thier commercials are so stupid, I change the channel when they come on. For those who know what I am talking, I am sure you could agree with me and say the Gieco (or Geico) commercials are so stupid.

[Cjah 15]

Date: 1/5/2006 7:05:44 AM Author: Codythemonkey i hate commercials! and there are 2 commercials that have this person talking to a car..... they are getting stupider

quote>

Oh you mean the V hicks or whatever those horrid comercails are called....

 

OF COURSE USED CARS DON'T TALK YOU IDOITS!!!!!!

 

I'm sorry I had to sceam at that one...

 

I heard that it is a fact comercails are filmed for people with the intellegents of a 7th grader and below....so that it is as simple as possible for people that are dumb enough to buy stuff... go out and buy the stupid thing from the even dumber comercail....

[Deathtoall 28]

It's right in front of you, they make them stupid so you will remember them so next time you go shopping you see that product, and it stimulates you to buy that product. Or they have loud really croky high pitched voices.

[lakeyboy 12]

Some commercials in Australia are also getting more annoying and/or stupider. There is currently 2 commercials on TV at the moment that just make me have the tv remote at the ready. The first one is those stupid  Chrisco Christmas Hampers and how they talk in that La Di Da tone and how they have that annoying scrag of a Chrisco Lady talking thru the ad. I can't stand her. And even worse, during weekday daytime TV, some of the ads go for 2 minutes. Sometimes even the whole ad break! Who would want to pay $10aud a week for christmas food for the next year anyway. Sounds stupid to me.
The other TV ad I can't stand is the ones where they have the clearance liqudation at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre every christmas time where they have clothing, underwear, shoes, manchester, books, cd's, dvd's and things like that. I remember one time they had $10aud bikes or something and there was a huge stampead of people and some had to be taken to hospital. But enough about that. The ad is so bloody annoying. There is a man with a very loud, screechy voice screaming at the top of his lungs HUGE CLEARENCE SALE AT JEFF'S SHED. CLOTHES FROM $5 BUCKS, BRAS FROM $1 BUCK. QUILT SETS ALL UNDER $10 BUCKS.....and it goes on and on. And to make it worse, there is a booming loud siren as a backing track. I will give you an instant headache. It gave me one. All you melburnians will know what I'm talking about! I would post the video of the ad up here but I don't want to send all of SimTrop insane. (Even though it has already sent all of Melbourne insane!)

If I see any more ads like that, I'll post. 

[defcon pilot 0]

TV and videos and theater movies are getting incredibly dumb.
Saw the Hostel ad yesterday. Who the #$%^ wants to watch that? It's just death and torture and blah blah blah crap... Of course, that's my opinion.