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They call that a commercial?!!

Started by Menard, February 10, 2005, 03:47:57 PM

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Menard

The Superbowl has come and gone, but apparently the commercials were forgotten before the game ended.

I know that we have had threads on commercials, but rather than funny or favorite commercials, I was wondering what commercials everyone thought were so bad that they should have scrapped the idea before they started.


One of my least favorite commercials from several years ago was a Long John Silver's commercial where they dressed up some midgets in yellow (I believe) spacemen looking costumes. I just wondered what the point was, and having one of the midgets sitting on a copy machine having his butt photocopied seemed rather unappetizing for a fast food commercial.


Anybody else who did not like the Hardees Star commercials? For a while there, I thought they were intentionally trying to put themselves out of business.


Does anybody remember the Druthers commercials from years ago? They made that seem like the most boring place to eat filled with the most annoying people.


And I should not forget that apparently Burger King himself has come out of the closet as of a commercial last year where he is in bed with some guy.



I did not intend to make this all about fast food commercials. These are just the ones that came to mind.

What are your least favorite or favorite bad commercials?


raj

I hate that frickin' oven mitt.  Not to mention Arby's food makes me sick (or did years ago when I ate there.)

Ed

I think KFC has a marketing group that must be into corporate suicide.   THeir commercials over the last two years have been so poor, and even misleading (low carb fried chicken??????).  
-Ed

Master Blaster

The sonic guys. They suck.

My favorite back in the day was the rentacenter guy who'd smash stuff with a sledge hammer. That's advertising. Want a new TV!!! SMASH!!! A new VCR!!! SMASH!!!. The whole time I'm thinking that's awesome but, what's the point?

ulthar

Ed wrote:

> I think KFC has a marketing group that must be into corporate
> suicide.   THeir commercials over the last two years have been
> so poor ...

Right.  The current crop are very annoying:

(1) Mom brings home a bucket-o-chicken.  Whiney family members complain because "I wanted chicken strips" etc, til Mom turns the bucket 120 degrees and everyone's happy.  Three types of chicken, three family members, and I guess Mom gets no dinner.  No utensils or drinks or side dishes visible in the ad, either, so I guess this family JUST has fried chicken for dinner (well, except Mom).

(2) My wife is caused physical pain by the crappiness of the next one in this series - whiney family members sitting around complaining, wondering "is this a family meeting" as to why they've all be summoned to The Dinner Table.  Mom arrives and says "just dinner" and everyone's happy.  Well, again, no untensils, side dishes, drinks, etc.

Okay, so how lame is that?  Got news for you dumb headed advertisers: A Lot Of Us out here in the good old U-S-A sit down with our family every night, every MEAL (at home) and eat together.

KFC's corporate message seems to be "our non-tasty, mass produced hormone injected fried crap will bring you together as a family."  Thanks anyway, guys, but we don't need YOUR help.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Hathaway:  I noticed you stopped stuttering.
Bodie:      I've been giving myself shock treatments.
Professor Hathaway: Up the voltage.

--Real Genius

Menard

The only one of the oven mitt commercials I actually liked was where they took him for a ride sticking him out the moonroof while he is screaming, "I'm king of the world", then he gets blown away by the wind.


Mr. Hockstatter

The ones for Universal Orlando are among the worst.  They start with a really fat kid, about 8 years old.  He's nothing but belly, and he's got ice cream smeared all over his face and he's grinning.  They end with this astoundingly obese black woman riding on the back of some vehicle being driven by Captain America.  She's swinging her massiveness back and forth, as if she's having so much fun she's about ready to have a seizure.  It is truly the stuff nightmares are made of.

Then of course there the mesothelioma commercials, from the law offices of james sokolove.  You can see as many as 30 of them in an evening's television viewing.  If you've ever even heard of the word "mesothelioma", call our offices now, you need to sue.

Almost all fast food commercials make me want to boycot the restaurants running them.  Jarred Fogle is the anti-Christ.

And all those anti-smoking commercials, which have nothing to do with keeping anyone from smoking, but seem intended only to insult people who work for tobacco companies.

I could go on for another 10,000 words, but those are the first ones that come to mind.


Mr. Hockstatter

Oh yeah, the Geico commercials.  "I think it would be cool if the gekko did the robot".  I think it would be cool if the gekko was disemboweled and his remains left to bake in the sun.

ulthar

Mr. Hockstatter wrote:

>
> And all those anti-smoking commercials, which have nothing to
> do with keeping anyone from smoking, but seem intended only to
> insult people who work for tobacco companies.
>
>

You talking about the abouttruth.com ads?  YEA!  I hate those so bad I blocked 'em out of my memory.  What a total, collosal waste of money.  And I ain't a smoker.

In general, I cannot stand concept ads.  All the stupid car commercials that seem to have NOTHING to do with a car are an example.  I've seen (Honda I believe) commercials that until the logo at the end, I just did not know what it was an ad for.

I like commercials where they say "here's what we are selling.  We want you to buy it."  Forget celebrity endorsements, forget the 'everyone is using it' bandwagon approach and forget the cutesy actors-pretending-to-be-regular-folks.

I guess what I am trying to say is that, in general, I HATE COMMERCIALS PERIOD.

Except Nascar commercials shown during the races.  Hey, I AM in SC after all.

:)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Hathaway:  I noticed you stopped stuttering.
Bodie:      I've been giving myself shock treatments.
Professor Hathaway: Up the voltage.

--Real Genius

JohnL

>The only one of the oven mitt commercials I actually liked was where they took
>him for a ride sticking him out the moonroof while he is screaming, "I'm king of the
>world", then he gets blown away by the wind.

That one should have ended by showing him lying in the street, screaming each time a car runs over him. Personally, I kind of like the one where he was under the roasting pan yelling for help.

>The ones for Universal Orlando are among the worst.

Yes, but the long version of it did have a hot blonde eating pasta.

I hated those McDonalds commercials where they were trying to appeal more to adults and it had Ronald McDonald playing golf, etc.

Jack Corbett

I have seen to many to tell. Believe me.

JohnL

I was just reminded of a series of commercials I hate; Those stupid "BOGO" commercials for Payless Shoes. "Got BOGO on the brain?" I guess nobody in the marketting department bothered to point out that BOGO stands for "Buy one, get one". Gee, isn't that how all reputable stores work, all the time? Since the special sale is "Buy one, get one half off", shouldn't the acronym be BOGOHO?

Jack Corbett

BOGO?!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now THAT is one of the MOST STUPID things I ever HEARD!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry 'bout that. Very funny, John Landis. Very funny.

Mr. Hockstatter

There was this Volkswagen commercial where two people are driving down a city street, they look off to the side and there are people taking boxes out of a truck and carrying them into a building.  This is shown in slow motion.  The people in the car  eventually get to the end of the street and both of them let out a collective "whoah".

Like, was that an ad for Volkswagen, or marijuana?


Jack Corbett