# 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:** 26
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/501 "2018-07-02T21:36:33Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > \*\* > I usually record Jeopardy an hour prior to watching so that I can fast-forward through the commercials. But I still inevitably have to SEE the words “DEMENTIA” and “PARKINSON’S” and “CANCER” scrawled across my screen in giant letters. > \*\* Yes, amen to this. I occasionally get motivated to join a gym in the winter and will try to distract myself from the incredible tedium by watching Jeopardy. But holy hell, do they have a lot of commercials. I think there’s roughly ten minutes of trivia, five minutes of idle chatter between Alex Trebek and his contestants, and, somehow, another 20 minutes of commercials, including a ten minute break between double Jeopardy and final Jeopardy. I just had to give up on the show because really, screw that noise. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/502 "2018-07-02T22:14:22Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Subaru is trying a bit too hard to maintain their hold on what I can only term the “crunchy granola” demographic. Let’s start with their motto: “Love. It’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.” Honestly, I’d rather it was engineering that made a car a Subaru. It isn’t a motto that stands up to much inspection. But this is just the intro to a series of commercials that illustrate how thin the line is between “heartwarming” and “glurge”: > > A young couple is visiting (apparently) Big Sur and asks “Is this the Peninsula Trail?” A weird old guy with a santa claus beard says “Oh, you won’t find that on any trail map.” Let’s examine that thought. Something well known, called the “Peninsula Trail”, won’t be found a trail map in a touristy area near, apparently, a peninsula. That sounds like reliable information. But the creepy old guy says “I’ll show it to you.” Did I mention that creepy old guy is blind? But the couple says “Sure, let’s let creepy old blind guy lead us along a trail that’s not even on any map.” These are the most trusting people probably on the face of the planet. > This leads to a cringeworthy visual where all three of them are flinging their arms open to the sea while the old dude says “If you listen real hard, you can hear the whales.” The whales are saying “Hey, that creepy old dude is a serial killer, look out!” Probably. > In the next scene, the couple is following the old guy into the forest to listen for barn owls. So not only did they invite the old dude along on their adventures, it’s now 8 or 10 hours later and they are still following him. Into a dark forest. Without flashlights. Note that Subaru gets the call of the barn owl wrong – it’s not a gentle hoot, it’s more of a scream. Sort of like people getting dismembered by creepy old guys in a dark forest. … Now I saw that sequence as meaning that it was the _creepy old guy_ who was in danger. They’ve all spent the day together, as you point out. And now the couple has brought him to a dark place, far from anywhere a casual hiker might pass by to witness what’s going to happen. Whatever it may be. But we can be certain that it will be creepy and granola-laden as all get-out. Somehow, that doesn’t make me want to buy a Subaru. And I HATE the slogan. As you also point out, it makes no sense. I’m all in favor of love, but I doubt that those who work for the company make a better product because they’re adherents of that emotion. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/503 "2018-07-02T22:22:44Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Now I saw that sequence as meaning that it was the _creepy old guy_ who was in danger. They’ve all spent the day together, as you point out. And now the couple has brought him to a dark place, far from anywhere a casual hiker might pass by to witness what’s going to happen. Whatever it may be. But we can be certain that it will be creepy and granola-laden as all get-out. Nah, you missed the part where the girl stumbles in the dark but the old blind geezer is spry as a goat because, you know, he has crunchy granola blind guy senses that let him perceive the universe on a different level than normal folk. Doubtless fueled by the same love that powers Subarus. Or something. As a side note, I really like the related Subaru commercial with Butch the grumpy dog. Except, of course, where they try to associate the warm fuzzies with the car that their driving. Because Subaru drivers are nice people and drivers of, say, Escalades, Denalis, or Suburbans are jerks. Although they might have a point there. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/504 "2018-07-02T22:32:52Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Nah, you missed the part where the girl stumbles in the dark but the old blind geezer is spry as a goat because, you know, he has crunchy granola blind guy senses that let him perceive the universe on a different level than normal folk. Doubtless fueled by the same love that powers Subarus. Or something. > > As a side note, I really like the related Subaru commercial with Butch the grumpy dog. Except, of course, where they try to associate the warm fuzzies with the car that their driving. Because Subaru drivers are nice people and drivers of, say, Escalades, Denalis, or Suburbans are jerks. Although they might have a point there. The ‘girl stumbles’ sequence could have been a ruse. But, probably not. Yeah, you’re right, the Subaru-powered extra-sensory mystical energy embodied in the creepy old guy is no doubt the focus of the story. But remember, his arcane capacities come from the Subaru–not from the life-forces of murdered tourists! We reject that reading completely! True enough about drivers of juggernauts tending to fall into the “jerk” category. Well, that or the “over-compensating” category. But that scarcely absolves Subaru drivers of being characterized by how easily-manipulated they are. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/505 "2018-07-03T02:03:53Z")
The Butch commercial is super adorable (although, had my dog ever said “grrr” upon meeting someone, I would have taken that as a cue to run like hell). Not sure what the commercial has to do with Subaru… Maybe the camping sequence? Also, wasn’t there a set of Nissan commercials many years ago that assured us “dogs love trucks”? Mine had a marked preference for Chevy Suburbans. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/506 "2018-07-05T15:13:01Z")
I am very saddened that Lindsey Buckingham sold the rights to “Go Your Own Way” to be used in a drug commercial for a COPD medication. Talk about making it literally geyser rock! Did he truly need a payday that bad? I thought those practically non-stop Fleetwood Mac tours of the last 20 years were raking in the dough. The same can be said for Applebee’s using Melissa Ethridge’s “Come to My Window” for CarSide To Go. Very distressing to see a song that had some real loaded spiritual and heartfelt layers of meaning be reduced to that. Did the teens of the 60s feel the same way about “Anticipation” when it was used in the Heinz ketchup commercial in the 70s? Commercials have ceased trying to be entertaining or even very informative, and they certainly don’t give a hair off a rat’s ass if they are irritating and grating. Original jingles are pretty nonexistent. Now they just slap on whatever mediocre tune of the moment is ear-worming everybody, and they don’t even care if multiple products are using the same one. More than one product right now just has their name being repeated over rand over in a sing song way and hope that catches on. Liberty Mutual is the latest culprit, their commercial jingle is “Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty”. I am a genuine Old Fart I guess, because I am so nostalgic for the time when a commercial was run ONCE during a program, and you actually hoped you might see “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing”, Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin, “Let’s get Mikey he hates everything”, The Uncola, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”, or about how “Choosy Moms choose Jif”. Geico ads are the only ones I find rather innovative because of the variety of characters and styles. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/507 "2018-07-05T15:31:22Z")
Jeopardy! really is the worst non-sports programming offender. The sheer number of commercials before final Jeopardy is unbelievable. We can only watch it DVR’d. Sports are of course worse. I believe their thinking is, everyone goes to the bathroom or beer break during inning breaks, so they run the same five damn commercials 15 times during the game and they’ll eventually catch every viewer. For those of us who don’t have to get up every five minutes, it either becomes unwatchable or you develop mental “ear flaps” and train yourself to not hear them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/508 "2018-07-05T18:03:48Z")
> [@Grumbacher\_Red](#): > > I am very saddened that Lindsey Buckingham sold the rights to “Go Your Own Way” to be used in a drug commercial for a COPD medication. Talk about making it literally geyser rock! Did he truly need a payday that bad? I thought those practically non-stop Fleetwood Mac tours of the last 20 years were raking in the dough. > > The same can be said for Applebee’s using Melissa Ethridge’s “Come to My Window” for CarSide To Go. Very distressing to see a song that had some real loaded spiritual and heartfelt layers of meaning be reduced to that… I doubt they actually asked him. Or her. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/509 "2018-07-05T20:03:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I doubt they actually asked him. Or her. Don’t they have to get the artist’s permission? The version of GYOW on the drug commercial is obviously a cover band with a singer really trying to sound like Buckingham, but the Applebee’s commercial is the Melissa E original. I didn’t think that allowable without consent. I know I have heard all kinds of situations where artists/songwriters would not give permission for use of their work. Led Zep particularly comes to mind, they are supposedly notoriously protective of their body of work. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/510 "2018-07-05T20:39:32Z")
> [@Grumbacher\_Red](#): > > Don’t they have to get the artist’s permission? The version of GYOW on the drug commercial is obviously a cover band with a singer really trying to sound like Buckingham, but the Applebee’s commercial is the Melissa E original. I didn’t think that allowable without consent. I know I have heard all kinds of situations where artists/songwriters would not give permission for use of their work. Led Zep particularly comes to mind, they are supposedly notoriously protective of their body of work. No, just the agent. In fact with many songs, you just have to pay the fees, not ask. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/511 "2018-07-05T20:53:55Z")
> [@Grumbacher\_Red](#): > > Don’t they have to get the artist’s permission? The version of GYOW on the drug commercial is obviously a cover band with a singer really trying to sound like Buckingham, but the Applebee’s commercial is the Melissa E original. I didn’t think that allowable without consent. I know I have heard all kinds of situations where artists/songwriters would not give permission for use of their work. Led Zep particularly comes to mind, they are supposedly notoriously protective of their body of work. Somebody could get on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/metheridge?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) and ask about that Applebee’s commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/512 "2018-07-05T21:10:00Z")
Subaru lost me a few years ago with the ad where the dad is leaning in the car window talking to his daughter, making sure she has everything she needs before leaving for her trip. And the girl in the driver’s seat is like five years old, then suddenly right as she starts backing out she’s suddenly all grown up. Yes, it’s a cute message, you’re worried about your “little girl”. But would it have been _that hard_ to find two girls _ **with the same eye color?** _ ---
**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:** [July 5, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/513 "2018-07-05T21:16:36Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Subaru lost me a few years ago with the ad where the dad is leaning in the car window talking to his daughter, making sure she has everything she needs before leaving for her trip. And the girl in the driver’s seat is like five years old, then suddenly right as she starts backing out she’s suddenly all grown up. Yes, it’s a cute message, you’re worried about your “little girl”. But would it have been _that hard_ to find two girls _ **with the same eye color?** _ Those were real sisters and he’s their real father. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/514 "2018-07-05T21:18:43Z")
[This one](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Y99V/subaru-baby-driver#)? If so, you may not be aware that both of the girls in that commercial are real-life daughters of the actor playing the father. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/515 "2018-07-05T22:52:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, just the agent. In fact with many songs, you just have to pay the fees, not ask. Well ain’t that a shame. That Schick Hydro Silk robo woman with the razor blade head is downright freaky. Like a cross between the girl Power Ranger and a praying mantis. Hate. 2 others I think are likable: The Smart Off! fake game show where the guy chimes in with answers before the emcee can read the whole question, and at the end when the emcee mutters to himself “When will it end?”, the answer is “Not today, Bob!!” and The turning into your parents one with the guy turning old and nerdy with his split glasses and pointing out all the stapling in the insulation and opening himself a hard candy butterscotch. The look of lost bewilderment on his wife’s face is funny. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/516 "2018-07-06T00:31:00Z")
The other turning into your parents one where they’re in what looks like a therapy group always gets me since I agree with all the "old people thinking’. I text in full sentences. It’s a free hat! Why would I not wear it? Defence _does_ win championships and I do not like air conditioning all of the outside. I see that commercial and feel attacked. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/517 "2018-07-06T00:38:41Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > The other turning into your parents one where they’re in what looks like a therapy group always gets me since I agree with all the "old people thinking’. I text in full sentences. It’s a free hat! Why would I not wear it? Defence _does_ win championships and I do not like air conditioning all of the outside. > > I see that commercial and feel attacked. I’m with ya! I thought nothing about that one was funny, it hit way too close to home. Except I would never wear socks with sandals. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/518 "2018-07-06T00:45:13Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > The other turning into your parents one where they’re in what looks like a therapy group always gets me since I agree with all the "old people thinking’. I text in full sentences. It’s a free hat! Why would I not wear it? Defence _does_ win championships and I do not like air conditioning all of the outside. > > I see that commercial and feel attacked. Link? ---
**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:** [July 6, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/519 "2018-07-06T00:53:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Link? [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV5002PiP88) ---
**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:** [July 6, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/520 "2018-07-06T01:33:02Z")
Am I the only one who thinks the kid in [this commercial](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w6p7/eucrisa-steroid-free) who announces, “And it’s steroid free” is _really_ annoying? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=27)