# 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:** 8
**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:** [September 15, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/141 "2017-09-15T20:54:15Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > This one wasn’t on TV. It was an ad that played before _IT_ in the theater. I honestly thought that it was a trailer for some dystopian scifi movie, or maybe a new season of _Black Mirror_. > > It’s an ad for ice cream, which apparently is supposed to be funny. I don’t want to sound like some killjoy with no sense of humor, because that is definitely NOT me, but rather than funny, it’s disturbing and offensive. > > I’ll link to it rather than describe it. > > [https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8](https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8) That is odd. (And did they pay royalties to the Kubrick estate for the obvious reference to the end of his movie of _2001: A Space Odyssey_?) My best guess is that it’s meant to appeal to those who define themselves as “hipsters.” Because it’s all cosmic and cinematic and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/142 "2017-09-15T22:14:10Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > That is odd. (And did they pay royalties to the Kubrick estate for the obvious reference to the end of his movie of _2001: A Space Odyssey_?) > > My best guess is that it’s meant to appeal to those who define themselves as “hipsters.” Because it’s all cosmic and cinematic and whatnot. It’s a confused and frightened elderly Alzheimer’s patient in some sort of automated extended care facility, being harassed by a robot which is poking her in the face with a spoonful of ice cream, trying to make her eat it, and telling her that everyone she loved is dead. That’s not hip or funny, it’s sad and disturbing. I didn’t catch any 2001 reference, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t have to pay royalties for a simple reference. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/143 "2017-09-15T22:28:59Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > It’s a confused and frightened elderly Alzheimer’s patient in some sort of automated extended care facility, being harassed by a robot which is poking her in the face with a spoonful of ice cream, trying to make her eat it, and telling her that everyone she loved is dead. That’s not hip or funny, it’s sad and disturbing. > > I didn’t catch any 2001 reference, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t have to pay royalties for a simple reference. The set is similar to the set in which Bowman grows old (and dies and is reborn as the Star Child). Could be that’s not a matter for copyright. And whether hipsters find it to be cool to watch an old person being tormented by a robot, is not for me to say—but as I said, that was my best guess. In any event, as you imply, it seems unlikely that this commercial will lead to increased sales for the product! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/144 "2017-09-16T00:24:04Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The set is similar to the set in which Bowman grows old (and dies and is reborn as the Star Child). Could be that’s not a matter for copyright. > > And whether hipsters find it to be cool to watch an old person being tormented by a robot, is not for me to say—but as I said, that was my best guess. > > In any event, as you imply, it seems unlikely that this commercial will lead to increased sales for the product! Strangely enough, it’s actually made me curious about the ice cream, which I’d never heard of before. So maybe it achieves it’s purpose, but in a rather despicable way. Maybe I’m just sensitive because I helped care for my elderly mother for a number of years. ---
**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:** [September 16, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/145 "2017-09-16T01:24:28Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8](https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8) That made me want to eat ice cream about as much as the Skittles pox commercial made me want to eat Skittles. The one I came to mention isn’t annoying so much as puzzling. Why is Werewolves of London playing in a cereal commercial featuring a dad and daughter fishing and trash talking? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/146 "2017-09-16T01:54:10Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > The one I came to mention isn’t annoying so much as puzzling. Why is Werewolves of London playing in a cereal commercial featuring a dad and daughter fishing and trash talking? I saw that one the other day and was completely perplexed by it as well. It’s a Raisin Bran ad, a product I associate with neither werewolves nor London. As far as Warren Zevon songs go it’s not the _least_ appropriate to use in this commercial\*, but there’s a fairly long list of things one might wish to advertise that have a more obvious connection to “Werewolves of London”. Hair products would be my top pic, but also men’s tailors, Chinese restaurants, London tourism, a Lon Chaney Jr. movie marathon, the film _An American Werewolf in London_, pina coladas, and of course Trader Vic’s. \*Least appropriate would probably be “Play It All Night Long”. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/147 "2017-09-18T01:15:04Z")
Good GOD this commercial is annoying! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/148 "2017-09-18T01:23:51Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Good GOD this commercial is annoying! > [Bud Light TV Spot, 'Vendor' - iSpot.tv](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wB30/bud-light-vendor) It would be a lot less annoying if it was Anchor Steam. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/149 "2017-09-18T01:30:41Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Good GOD this commercial is annoying! > [Bud Light TV Spot, 'Vendor' - iSpot.tv](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wB30/bud-light-vendor) I’ll admit it. I laughed when he turned up at the burial. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/150 "2017-09-18T04:54:18Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/j4IFNKYmLa8/hqdefault.jpg "Halo Top - Eat the Ice Cream") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4IFNKYmLa8) > [@Biggirl](#): > > That made me want to eat ice cream about as much as the Skittles pox commercial made me want to eat Skittles. This is [my reaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va5_rn3vG3A). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/151 "2017-09-18T05:08:07Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > [https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8](https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8) > > This is [my reaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va5_rn3vG3A). More ice cream [nightmare fuel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erh2ngRZxs0) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/152 "2017-09-18T11:10:01Z")
Now that college football is back, we’ve got that annoying Dr. Pepper vendor ad back on television. Look, you can sponsor the whole CFB playoff and get your name on the trophy, but it doesn’t make one person want to drink that rancid swill that you bottle. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/153 "2017-09-18T11:25:08Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Now that college football is back, we’ve got that annoying Dr. Pepper vendor ad back on television. Look, you can sponsor the whole CFB playoff and get your name on the trophy, but it doesn’t make one person want to drink that rancid swill that you bottle. I don’t think much of the ad, but I do drink a ton of Dr Pepper. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/154 "2017-09-18T11:36:07Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I don’t think much of the ad, but I do drink a ton of Dr Pepper. We all have our own tastes, but to me it’s like drinking the sweepings off the floor of the spice aisle. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/155 "2017-09-18T13:00:17Z")
This will take some explaining but trust me, this is a threadwinner. For many years in the UK, people were sold something called [Payment Protection Insurance or PPI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_protection_insurance), which is > [@](#): > > an insurance product that enables consumers to ensure repayment of credit if the borrower dies, becomes ill or disabled, loses a job, or faces other circumstances that may prevent them from earning income to service the debt. Unfortunately, a large percentage of these policies were either grossly missold (i.e. sold in ways that would make claims virtually impossible) or tacked onto other financial products without the knowledge of the customer. As a result, once this was discovered hundreds of thousands of customers were then eligible to claim compensation for the missold products. Unfortunately again, this set the vultures circling and now every household has experienced the joy of coldcalling companies offering to “help them claim for PPI” (usually for the lion’s share of the money), which is a massive annoyance. After a few years of this, the Financial Conduct Authority, one of the UK regulatory bodies, determined that at some point there needed to be a cutoff for claims for PPI (both so that the firms involved could close off the potential liability and so those f&\*king calls would stop). But they needed to make sure that any remaining potential claimants would be aware of the deadline so that they could decide once and for all whether they were going to file a claim. “How,” said the FCA, “can we make an advertisement that will be attention-getting, high profile and memorable enough that **nobody** will be able to say that no one told them about the cutoff date?” [And then they had this idea.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfwk0bAAfPk). [And this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLUC96Brcy8). **Warning: Once seen, these cannot be unseen. Ever.** You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/156 "2017-09-18T14:00:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Now that college football is back, we’ve got that annoying Dr. Pepper vendor ad back on television. Look, you can sponsor the whole CFB playoff and get your name on the trophy, but it doesn’t make one person want to drink that rancid swill that you bottle. I’ve noted before that drinking (diet) Dr. Pepper can be very helpful when you’re trying to quit smoking. It sort of recreates that burn in your chest that you used to get from the cigs. I’m not kidding! ---
**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:** [September 18, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/157 "2017-09-18T14:12:45Z")
AAAHHHCE COLD buuuuud LIGHT! ---
**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:** [September 18, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/158 "2017-09-18T14:13:48Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > I’ve noted before that drinking (diet) Dr. Pepper can be very helpful when you’re trying to quit smoking. It sort of recreates that burn in your chest that you used to get from the cigs. I’m not kidding! “Diet Dr Pepper - it’s just like smoking!” Doesn’t _quite_ work. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/159 "2017-09-21T23:12:19Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > [https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8](https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8) > > This is [my reaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va5_rn3vG3A). It had me at “Apple: It’s Good If You Like CRAP” in the sidebar ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/160 "2017-09-22T02:04:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [And then they had this idea.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfwk0bAAfPk). OMFG, that’s hilarious! But I can see it getting old really quick depending on how often it runs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=9)