[Moogs]

I forgot one extremely loathsome ad:

The "60s generation Never Got Old" Just For Men hair coloring ad with all these 50-something douche bags trying to pretend they're still 20... schooling young guys on the court and high-fiving, rock band with a cougar whispering in his ear, dipshit surfer guy saying with a huge grin "Don't trust anyone over 90!" and some Martha Stuart looking hose-bag laughing hysterically with him in the sand.

I really, REALLY wish the originator of that ad a terminal case of syphilis, gonorrhea and some crabs to boot. F-ing DOUCHE.

[lightning_bug]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwlpTgbQTE

You might need to be a bit of a soccer honk to appreciate this commercial, but it's probably the best ad I've seen in the past couple months.

[Eugene]

Commercials I hate to love = freecreditreport.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWnUmpQhiOw

[lightning_bug]

Originally Posted by Eugene Commercials I hate to love = freecreditreport.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWnUmpQhiOw

One of the comments for that video:

misscroutons (1 hour ago) Show Hide
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omg iknow all the lyrics this song and hell yeh thay shood make a cd

There are no words, only smilies, and not enough of them at that.

[psmith2.0]

There have been three of those that I know about. The "pirate restaurant" and "used sub-compact" ones get played the most, but there was an earlier one where they're in an apartment and the guy is singing about how his girlfriend had poor credit and this was the only place they could get or something. The drummer was in the bathroom, etc. (a very small place).



I saw a neat commercial tonight, during "Law & Order: SVU". It was for Travelers Insurance and it was an older guy walking around with a huge red umbrella (huge as in "15-20x the size of a normal umbrella"...think stiff, self-supporting parachute). He encountered people needing help along his path: boys playing baseball in the rain, a traveling circus act trying to make it to their show and two kids trying to make it home after their bicycle had broken. At the end, the guy is sitting on the edge of a skyscraper, looking out over the city (and other buildings had the same huge red umbrella over them).

I have no idea what it's about, or what all the scenarios represented. But it was a visual treat. Major eye candy, in a whimsical, slightly surreal kind of way...boosted colors, a dreamy, "is this really happening?" quality, interesting faces and wardrobe/sets, etc. I was transfixed...

[Robo]

pscates: I love that one!

I know they're sort of..."controversial," but I actually think the ads for LG's Scarlet "TV series" were inspired. They were definitely attention-getting, and the show actually looked interesting - it's funny watching people on YouTube get pissed when they find out it's "just" for a TV.

Of course, it remains to be seen if pissing off people on YouTube is good business sense, but I'm sure the ad people are going to be talking about LG's bold (and expensive!) campaign for some time to come.

Oh, and the TVs look nice, too.

It was a unique way to create buzz for what would otherwise be a humdrum product launch - and actually make the product seem more desirable, too. So I'm putting it in the "genius" category, pissed off YouTubers or no.

[Bryson]

I've realised that there is a category of ads worse than any of the above.

I refer, of course, to ads made by Brand Power. They make me seethe.

You see, at least with the other adverts that I hate, that at least they tried to make a good advert. They failed, sure, but they did try.

But with Brand Power, you know for sure that they just couldn't give a shit. They just want their name on the TV, regardless of how amateurish the presenter, how tacky-sounding the jingle, regardless even of the fact that their advertising company is piggybacking a free advert on their own. And why? Because it's really fucking cheap. It's the ultimate fuck-you to the consumers; "Think adverts are crappy? They can get worse!"

Dear Brand Power,

Fuck off.

Love,
Bryson

[zsummers]

Originally Posted by Bryson I've realised that there is a category of ads worse than any of the above. I refer, of course, to ads made by Brand Power. They make me seethe. You see, at least with the other adverts that I hate, that at least they tried to make a good advert. They failed, sure, but they did try. But with Brand Power, you know for sure that they just couldn't give a shit. They just want their name on the TV, regardless of how amateurish the presenter, how tacky-sounding the jingle, regardless even of the fact that their advertising company is piggybacking a free advert on their own. And why? Because it's really fucking cheap. It's the ultimate fuck-you to the consumers; "Think adverts are crappy? They can get worse!" Dear Brand Power, Fuck off. Love, Bryson

It took me a minute to figure that one out... how obnoxious. Look here to skip past my confusion: What is Brand Power?, as explained by them. That's evil in all kinds of ways. For instance, are the reviews of Prego, which all mention that the person will never use Ragu again, written by the agency? or by members (unlikely)? Nasty.

[Swox]

Originally Posted by Bryson Dear Brand Power, Fuck off. Love, Bryson

But Bryson, why do you hate them when they love you?

We like to think that Brand Power treats shoppers with respect by providing useful information that helps when it comes time to decide which product to take from the supermarket shelf.

But seriously, Canada and the US sure got stuck with the lamest ladies.

[scratt]

Just the name should be a clue. "Brand Power".

Why don't they just fess up and call themselves:

"We think we have the biggest penises in the Universe! - You know it's true."

Names like 'Force India', 'Brand Power', 'King Power', 'Best Buy'... they all tell you right away that they are cheap, tacky, tasteless and simply out to make as much money out of idiots as they can.

As long as there are people out there who watch Sky TV, read The Sun, or the National Enquirer and vote for the likes of Bush or McCain then companies like this will flourish.

[Eugene]

The new Secret anti-perspirant ad with the chick raising her hand at everyone is the most annoying commercial I've seen in a while. It's neither clever, nor cute.

[Foj]

Target One Star promo. Some excellent tap dancing going on.

[psmith2.0]

That's pretty cool. I like that backwards, one-foot slide. I like the slo-mo inserts throughout as well. That's a fun commercial to watch. I've not seen it on TV. It's a full minute, which is a bit long for the standard slots, isn't it? I did see those two guys in a shorter Target commercial a few months ago. Quick-cuts with lots of other people doing things. But I remember the two dancing guys. I think there was a Converse angle to it as well?

EDIT: Ah, found it.

[Yonzie]

"Mixing the best from two worlds": (listed in my order of preference)
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2N4RDp5q4Y
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74gTOd9qIIc
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRYD1hFAzGQ
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwpIgfoH2AI

"Do what you're best at - we do" - it's just so natural and appealing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMlGyCyyP4w

I really, REALLY dislike all ads regarding loans and such. They're universally horrible, like the freecreditreport.com one further up the page.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 That's pretty cool. I like that backwards, one-foot slide. I like the slo-mo inserts throughout as well. That's a fun commercial to watch. I've not seen it on TV. It's a full minute, which is a bit long for the standard slots, isn't it? I did see those two guys in a shorter Target commercial a few months ago. Quick-cuts with lots of other people doing things. But I remember the two dancing guys. I think there was a Converse angle to it as well? EDIT: Ah, found it.

I love that commercial because I heart the song. And I heart Target. Coincidentally, I also have lots of One Star clothes.

[psmith2.0]

All my clothes are from there. Levi Strauss jeans and cargo pants/shorts. My socks, underwear and white T-shirts, my jackets and pullovers, button-up shirts, gloves, scarf, various hats, etc. In fact, everything I'm wearing right this minute (minus the New Balance shoes) are from Target...socks, shorts, boxers, T-shirt, outer shirt, Dr. Pepper cap.



I'm all about Target. Have been for years and years...

I don't really buy clothes from anywhere else at this point (I don't buy clothes much, period, but when I do, I like what Target carries). Comfortable, looks nice, affordable (especially if you hit the 30-70% clearance racks at the tail end of the cycle/season). Do you know how many neat shirts - all styles and types - I've gotten for $6.99-11.99 over the years by just being patient and keeping an eye on things? A lot.

Why spend $24.99 for a checked blue button-down or whatever when I know that in 6-8 weeks I can get it for $9.99?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 All my clothes are from there. Levi Strauss jeans and cargo pants/shorts. My socks, underwear and white T-shirts, my jackets and pullovers, button-up shirts, gloves, scarf, various hats, etc. In fact, everything I'm wearing right this minute (minus the New Balance shoes) are from Target...socks, shorts, boxers, T-shirt, outer shirt, Dr. Pepper cap. I'm all about Target. Have been for years and years... I don't really buy clothes from anywhere else at this point (I don't buy clothes much, period, but when I do, I like what Target carries). Comfortable, looks nice, affordable (especially if you hit the 30-70% clearance racks at the tail end of the cycle/season). Do you know how many neat shirts - all styles and types - I've gotten for $6.99-11.99 over the years by just being patient and keeping an eye on things? A lot. Why spend $24.99 for a checked blue button-down or whatever when I know that in 6-8 weeks I can get it for $9.99?

Oh, totally. I have a few "trendier" outfits from "trendier" shops but the bread and butter of my wardrobe is Targét.

They have fairly nice stuff for fairly nice prices. They're like a college student's best friend.

They have some nice home stuff, too. And they carry method cleaning supplies. And, like you said, they change their product so often its easy to find stuff on sale.

Looking around my room, pretty much all of my stuff is from Target. But that's just because we don't have an Ikea nearby.

I don't really shop at Wal-Mart. That's not meant to be snobby or anything, I just don't. I don't like their clothes...if I need a new outfit or whatever I can count on being able to waltz into Target and find stuff that I like justlikethat, but I can't do that at Wal-Mart. Is Wal-Mart's stuff really less desirable, or am I just being a snob?

I'm not sure. I think it just might be that Target - being targeted (no pun intended!) at a younger, more design-concious demographic - has more stuff that appeals to me. An example of this is messenger bags. I was trying to find a messenger bag at Wal-Mart once, and they didn't stock them. Any of them. They just didn't carry anything of the sort. I couldn't believe it.

Target not only carries messenger bags, but mens' bags. (They are too different!)

A recent exception - Wal-Mart, in celebration of "Earth Month," started getting T-shirts made from - get this - recycled Coke bottles. And all the T-shirts were Coke-related, and usually had some sort of pun ("Refresh. Reuse. Recycle!") about their Coke-bottle content. (Apparently, the ladies' tees have three bottles in them, and the mens' tees have four.) A cheap attempt for a non-eco-friendly corporation to appear eco-friendly because it's the hip issue of the moment? Of course. But I liked the idea, and - being a big Coke (and, uh, Earth) fan, I bought a few of them. They were in nice spring-y colors, too.

So it's not like I'm some "above Wal-Mart" snob. I actually spend lots of time writing in the McDonald's inside of my nearest Wal-Mart, because they're open 24/7 and have cheap Coke, and I'm usually surrounded by somewhat homeless people (many of whom are actually really nice, but a few of whom are crazy). It's just that they don't usually have clothes that I like. I don't know what it is - even if it's the same brand that's sold elsewhere, it's like Wal-Mart gets uglier patterns, to protect the brand's more profitable sales elsewhere or something.

[psmith2.0]

I do both. Wal-mart consistently has better prices on toiletries, household cleaners and things like that (they always have awesome prices on the Old Spice body wash I use ).

But for clothes or household decor/knick-knacks (picture frame, desk lamp, bath towel, etc.), Target is much more stylish and "me". Wal-mart is better than they used to be, but I still prefer the Target look on those sorts of things.

I go to both, depending on what I need.

Jeez...we sound like two cackling hens, standing at the fence, talking about clothes and shopping.



Where did I put my penis this evening? Oh, there it is...it's watching "She Was Stalked by Obsession" on Lifetime and getting ready to take a bubble bath as soon as it can find the Kenny G CD...

[Capella]

I use Wal-Mart only because there's nothing better in my county. Target is opening in 3 weeks, though, yay!

[psmith2.0]

Oh, cool!

Oops, there I go again...

I got three rolls of paper towels for .89 from Wal-Mart once. You can't beat that with a stick! They practically paid you to take the damn things.

[Foj]

A funny quote from Mitch Hedberg:

"I tried to walk into Target, but I missed. Damn."

[Quagmire]

Here is one for Carol since she is looking to get a new car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vasc8....php?p=2807792

[Windswept]

Thanks, Quag.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Where did I put my penis this evening? Oh, there it is...it's watching "She Was Stalked by Obsession" on Lifetime and getting ready to take a bubble bath as soon as it can find the Kenny G CD...

"I woke up this morning, and my penis was missing. Again. It does that sometimes."

Love that song.

[ironlung]

I can not stand the beatles songs being raped for commercial purposes. Recently I heard 'with a little help from my friends' for some hotel ad. It is annoying.

[Kickaha]

Because god knows they never made a dime off of them.

[Eugene]

Originally Posted by Foj A funny quote from Mitch Hedberg: "I tried to walk into Target, but I missed. Damn."

Mitch Hedberg was hysterical...

"My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said no, but I want a regular banana later...so, yeah."

"I like rice...rice is great when you're hungry and you want TWO THOUSAND of something."

[psmith2.0]

I can't stand those recent TGI Friday spots with that idiot Guy Fieri(?), the goober who has that show on Food Network where he just goes around and eats diner food.

He's such a "dude". Try hard much, pal?

The hair, the rings and jewelry, the stupid glasses on backwards, the fist-bumps, the "dude"/"chick"-speak. The stupid clothes he wears. He's only like 40-something. Grow up.

Everything about this man grates on me.



Nimrod of the decade:

[Luca]

Hmm... you know, the Beatles are already the most overplayed band in history, and it's likely they will continue to be that way for some time (if not forever). So I don't even notice when their songs show up in commercials and stuff.

[BuonRotto]

Originally Posted by lightning_bug http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwlpTgbQTE You might need to be a bit of a soccer honk to appreciate this commercial, but it's probably the best ad I've seen in the past couple months.

Nike has done what Pele couldn't: interest Americans in soccer. Too bad we know those yellow cards were both dives.