# Again with the annoying commercials! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089 "2017-06-28T22:06:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 239
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4766 "2023-11-02T01:16:35Z")
why are we sharing all those phone numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4767 "2023-11-02T01:24:45Z")
Now _Martha_ has become _Karen_ in an ad. And she is a bossy asshole. (Same actress, big glasses) The Crohn’s disease medicine ad with guy driving a Semi Tractor/Trailer rig with one toilet strapped to the truck. How dumb can you be? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4768 "2023-11-02T01:46:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > why are we sharing all those phone numbers. That’s the royal “we”, right? It’s to make a point and I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4769 "2023-11-03T19:38:42Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Why does “Martha” have so many different numbers? If you really want to know, sometimes the company will use different numbers to differentiate some demographic about the caller. Capturing the data about how many calls are generated (and the caller’s number) is trivial. For example, the calls to 800.555.1111 are from NYC where the commercial with that number is shown while 800.555.2222 are from upstate NY (where the different number is shown). Likewise it could be to show some other desired trait. Run the commercial with the number 800.555.3333 on the Hallmark Channel and 800.555.4444 on the Cartoon Network to see how effective your advertising dollar is on each. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4770 "2023-11-04T04:32:10Z")
That makes a lot of sense. I wish there was a number for people who can’t stand Martha, and can’t turn down the sound fast enough. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4771 "2023-11-04T05:53:52Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Jim Adler, “the Texas Hammer” I wonder what his Porn Name is? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4772 "2023-11-04T06:39:22Z")
I’m bothered by all the Medicare ads too. Karens and Marthas and Joe Namaths and Jimmie Walkers and now Montel Williams–they’ve run their course. But I’m curious—what are they selling? I’m not in the US, and my only knowledge of Medicare comes from “When you get to be a senior citizen, you’re under a single payer system.” Which may or may not be accurate. But as I said, I’m not in the US, so I don’t know; and thus, I’m wondering what these advertisers are selling. My question is real, as is my contempt for the advertisers who blat their Karen and Martha and “Today, we’re talking about Medicare” crap nonstop. And while I’m at it, let’s say goodbye to J.G. Wentworth opera ads, and “They’re sitting on a gold mine” ads about selling a life insurance policy. You know how to make more money in these endeavours? You advertise _less_, and pocket the money you don’t spend on annoying advertising! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4773 "2023-11-04T07:01:08Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > But I’m curious—what are they selling? If you have Medicare part A (Hospital insurance) which is free, and part B (general medical insurance) which is kinda sorta cheap, you can get a “Medicare Advantage” insurance from a private provider. Basically, if you use your medicare only at their preferred providers, you can get quite a few benefits, with a low monthly cost, which cost sometimes comes out to be zero or even less. There are dozens of these, ranging from great to kinda sleazy. That doesnt mean you _can’t_ go outside that coverage, but you dont get the extra benefits. In some places with UHC they also have something like this, which covers things that the UHC doesnt cover, like drugs or dental or whatever. I dunno about where you live. > [@Spoons](#): > > J.G. Wentworth opera ads, If they dont advertise they get no income. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4774 "2023-11-04T08:33:47Z")
Surely the advertising industry can come up with a slightly less stupid-sounding attempt to bridge the gap between “abstract general situation” and “(theoretically) relatable individual” than the line “My moderate-to-severe (halitosis / gangrene / bubonic plague / whatever).” ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4775 "2023-11-04T10:29:37Z")
Black Scrubs and White Scrubs have so much fun together that their joy is infectious. Makes me want to run right out and buy whatever it is they’re hawking. I don’t know what that is because I’ll never unmute it, and I really don’t care. I don’t think there would be a hole in my life if I never saw White Scrubs again. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4776 "2023-11-04T10:42:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If you have Medicare part A (Hospital insurance) which is free, and part B (general medical insurance) which is kinda sorta cheap, you can get a “Medicare Advantage” insurance from a private provider. Basically, if you use your medicare only at their preferred providers, you can get quite a few benefits, with a low monthly cost, which cost sometimes comes out to be zero or even less. There are dozens of these, ranging from great to kinda sleazy. That doesnt mean you _can’t_ go outside that coverage, but you dont get the extra benefits. If only it was that simple - with Medicare _Advantage_ , you get your Medicare Parts A&B coverage through that insurance plan and can generally can only use the preferred providers ( there may be exceptions , like if there isn’t a participating specialist within X miles). There’s also Medi_gap_ policies, which leaves you with your original Part A and B and provides additional coverage such as prescriptions and cover the copays. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4777 "2023-11-04T15:27:14Z")
Actually, Medigap doesn’t cover prescription drugs–that’s Part D and one more thing you have to account for if you’re not on an Advantage plan. Notice there’s no advertising for Medigap plans? That’s partially because they all cover the same things, but there are differences in provider charges that I’d think they might want to trumpet. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4778 "2023-11-04T16:14:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If you have Medicare part A (Hospital insurance) which is free, and part B (general medical insurance) which is kinda sorta cheap, you can get a “Medicare Advantage” insurance from a private provider. Basically, if you use your medicare only at their preferred providers, you can get quite a few benefits, with a low monthly cost, which cost sometimes comes out to be zero or even less. There are dozens of these, ranging from great to kinda sleazy. That doesnt mean you _can’t_ go outside that coverage, but you dont get the extra benefits. Honestly, _all_ of the Medicare Advantage companies are sleazy, even the well-known ones, because they all overbill as much as they can, earning billions over and above what they should be getting. ([Gift link](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/health/medicare-overbilling-insurance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.70w.n0j3.-4E4_0kzvd4K&smid=url-share) to New York Times article about this.) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4779 "2023-11-04T16:19:06Z")
A new one I’m seeing is for a plug-in electric tabletop gizmo for composting kitchen waste. It’s about the size of a large food processor and costs $400, or $500 if you want the one that connects to your smartphone. It’s not so much that the [commercial](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/1diH/lomi-dinner-scraps) is annoying but that the product itself seems so wasteful. All that money, space and electricity needed to do something that would naturally happen anyhow. (The product, if you want to look it up, is called Lomi.) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4780 "2023-11-04T16:31:10Z")
I’ve been seeing a lot of advertisements for them lately and I have to say: Keebler, Fudge Stripes is a terrible name for a cookie. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4781 "2023-11-04T17:10:57Z")
And the cross-promotion with Fruit of the Loom is a really bad idea… (“Elf up a Crack” undies… really?) . No, not really. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4782 "2023-11-04T17:55:53Z")
The Capital One commercial with the multiplicity of Taylor Swifts isn’t annoying in itself so much as commercials go, except that they play it constantly on the Peacock channel. I estimate I’ve seen it approximately 57,000 times. Mrs. Solost said “what is Taylor Swift doing making a credit card commercial, anyway? She’s like the biggest star in the world”. I guess ya gotta strike while the irony is hot. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4783 "2023-11-04T18:28:22Z")
The commercial where the guy says, “You too,” to the airport worker is kind of funny. Brian Regan thought so to when did ten tight minutes on it twenty years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4784 "2023-11-04T18:47:42Z")
Elections are coming up on Tuesday and I’ve only just started seeing an ad for [Glenn Youngkin’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Youngkin) re-election campaign. It’s so full of MAGA fearmongering that I thought it’s a parody at first: elect a Democrat and all bathrooms in schools will be non-gender, abortions will be available at any point of pregnancy, etc. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/4785 "2023-11-04T19:09:48Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Elections are coming up on Tuesday and I’ve only just started seeing an ad for [Glenn Youngkin’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Youngkin) re-election campaign. …re-election for what? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=238) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=240)