# Badvertisements: When an Ad Repels Me from Its Product **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [March 29, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992 "2021-03-29T22:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/82 "2021-04-02T14:28:45Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Also, any TV advertisement that depicts models pretending to play musical instruments, and nobody could take the time to make sure the models are at least _holding the instruments correctly_ . This is a major pet peeve of mine in movies. How long does it take to teach an actor how to hold an instrument? ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/83 "2021-04-02T14:48:07Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > This is a major pet peeve of mine in movies. How long does it take to teach an actor how to hold an instrument? This, even if they’re not playing it. I remember some 60s TV show where the “hippie kids” were walking around looking all FlowerPower-y, and a girl was carrying her guitar with her fingers in the sound hole. That’s stuck with me since (for what, a half a century?) and I’ve kept an eye out for ANYone carrying a guitar like that. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/84 "2021-04-02T15:09:30Z")
Years ago, Little Caesars had an series of ads proudly showing that the cheese on their pizzas was like rubber. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YUEl8YwWm2U/hqdefault.jpg "Classic Little Ceasar's Pizza Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUEl8YwWm2U) ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/85 "2021-04-03T11:09:21Z")
The Volkswagen Beetle had a tongue in cheek advertisement about a type of repellent automobile ad. Try a web search for “heap big trading bee”. As the ad said “Ugh” Wait, I just found one posted: [![](https://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/viewvwbug4.jpeg) ](https://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/viewvwbug4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/86 "2021-04-03T11:13:30Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > When I was in freelance marketing and graphic design, I learned early on to submit my best idea second. That way the client could feel in control by rejecting the first–which they always did–and then my leading questions made them feel like the second idea was aaaaall theirs. In the Arthur Hailey book “Wheels”, it was the upper echelon at the big ad agency who rejected all initial ideas. That way they would do more work and increase their billing. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/87 "2021-04-03T11:31:56Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > In the same vein as the local ads, how about car and truck dealerships? There must be a script on how these work because they are all the same… > > - The owner of the dealership (male, older, in business suit, slimy hair) will be doing the talking. > - Excitedly: “No one will give you a better deal than us!” > - The lot will appear busy with excited prospective chumps, I mean clients. > - The sales people are all young men wearing ties. > - The finance person is always a woman. > - Balloons. > - American flags. > - Vigorous hand-shaking. > > No wonder Carmax exists. heh look up camacho auto sales or camacho Mitsubishi on you tube for the absolutely worst car dealer commercials ever … makes Cal Worthington look like a genius heck ill make it easy for ya : > **[camach auto sales - Bing](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=camach%2Bauto%2Bsales&FORM=HDRSC3)** > > Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2021, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/88 "2021-04-03T12:03:31Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > heh look up camacho auto sales or camacho Mitsubishi on you tube for the absolutely worst car dealer commercials ever … makes Cal Worthington look like a genius I wonder if that’s the goal. “Man, that guy makes Cal Worthington look like a genius. Now, where should I go to buy a vehicle? I could visit a car lot staffed with no-nonsense functionaries who simply won’t give an inch, or one where clever hagglers can give a little to get a lot when shrewdly outsmarting me — or I could try my luck with _that guy_. You know what? I kind of like my odds against that guy.” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/89 "2021-04-03T12:20:02Z")
(off topic) In video game development, there is the (probably embelleshed) story of the “duck feature” in battle chess. Basically the developers had gotten used to the producer always wanting to have some input, and making pointless suggestions. So one of the artists added a small duck to many of the animations. It would, for example just flap around the Queen’s feet as she played a walk animation. And, so the story goes, it worked: the producer said he loved all the animations but “lose the duck”. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/90 "2021-04-03T12:20:22Z")
There are several auto dealerships in the DC area owned by the same person (family?) and [this](https://www.koons.com/krystal-koons.htm) is their spokesperson in all the TV ads. For some reason that we can’t accurately describe, my husband and I are both creeped out by her in the commercials. I don’t think she ever blinks, and her enthusiasm is too plastic to be real, I guess. She may be a perfectly lovely person, but even if we lived near one of their dealerships, I don’t think we’d buy a car there. But every time one of their ads come on, we shudder a little. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/91 "2021-04-03T14:41:53Z")
Here’s a recent ad by Krystal Koons [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pH6JDoE6SmY/hqdefault.jpg "Koons Baltimore Ford Update from Krystal Koons | April 3rd") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH6JDoE6SmY) Doesn’t seem too over-the-top to me. She does have a problem keeping her eyes open in bright sunlight. For comparison, this is Miami’s super-enthusiastic car sales spokes-chick. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QR0bqIRm_90/hqdefault.jpg "Lexus of Pembroke Pines Nov 1") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR0bqIRm_90) That was a fairly calm ad by their standards; often it’s all her gesticulating & wiggling the whole 30 seconds. They’re incessant on local TV. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/92 "2021-04-03T15:44:53Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dYziXwNQaEU/maxresdefault.jpg "Worst Commercial, Local Mall Fail | America's Funniest Viral Videos") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYziXwNQaEU) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/93 "2021-04-03T15:52:07Z")
_[“Prison is for people that has never rollerskated”](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?view=detail&mid=93A1A568264C0958D25993A1A568264C0958D259&q=worst+local+car+commercial+youtube&shtp=GetUrl&shid=23689965-a3ad-422a-889c-d3014ba49a06&shtk=U2F5IE5PIHRvIENyYWNrLCBTYXkgWUVTISB0byBSb2xsZXIgU2thdGluZw%3D%3D&shdk=VGhlIG9mZmljaWFsIGNvbW1lcmNpYWwgZm9yIHRoZSBSb2xsZXIgS2luZ2RvbSBpbiBSZW5vLCBOVi4gVmlzaXQgYXQgaHR0cDovL3JvbGxlcmtpbmdkb20ub3JnLyBTdGFycmluZyBSb2xsZXIgS2luZ2RvbSBPd25lciBhbmQgRW1wbG95ZWVzOiBCcmFkIChPd25lci9LaWRuYXBwZXIpLCBHZW9yZ2UgKFNrYXRlIEluc3RydWN0b3IvR2FuZyBMZWFkZXIpLCBhbmQgSnVsaW8gKERKL0RydWcgRGVhbGVyKS4%3D&shhk=R4SnSt0fnIZr4uH0l%2Bdyn1eDPuFZBCe%2Fs9RtCMsejjU%3D&form=VDSHOT&shth=OSH.A0nY%252FElwRGW1Ir5mUPzd8w)_ ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/94 "2021-04-03T16:47:38Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > And, so the story goes, it worked: the producer said he loved all the animations but “lose the duck”. Off-topic digression: you reminded me of a Monty Python sketch involving the Pope, Michelangelo, and a kangaroo: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/l9Aj7W3g1qo/hqdefault.jpg "Why Michelangelo Didn't Paint the Last Supper") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Aj7W3g1qo) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/95 "2021-04-03T16:57:45Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > heh look up camacho auto sales or camacho Mitsubishi on you tube for the absolutely worst car dealer commercials ever … makes Cal Worthington look like a genius But would Camacho eat a bug? ---
**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:** [April 3, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/96 "2021-04-03T17:50:51Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > — or I could try my luck with _that guy_ . You know what? I kind of like my odds against that guy.” We had a client… well, okay, for any vintage Madisonians, I’m not proud of it, but we did all the Uber-Stupid commercials for Main Appliance back in the 80s. Well, ol’ grandpa Red Main started with a little appliance shop on Monroe St. and he used to laugh about his best sales tactic: put one of the price tags in the window on upside-down. The people (esp. UW faculty) walking by would come in to correct him, and they had this attitude of “I’m smarter than this shop owner, I could probably swing a good deal…” And, bingo! ---
**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:** [April 3, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/97 "2021-04-03T22:39:06Z")
“Fauxslaw”. That, my friends, is a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/98 "2021-04-03T23:51:49Z")
Any ad where they mostly yell. Any ad where they assume zero intelligence. There is one financial services one where they define “algorithm” at length in an amazingly condescending way. Not sure who there intended audience is. Any ad where they seem proud of causing social harm. I remember a car as where they showed dozens of cars billowing smoke, with the motto “changing the landscape”. Probably, but pass! Any repeated ad under five seconds long. Any ad that strongly reinforces a tasteless ethnic stereotype, even if done by that ethnicity. (One of the East Side Mario’s ads). ---
**Author:** ![Tilt-A-Whirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@Tilt-A-Whirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tilt-A-Whirl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/99 "2021-04-04T02:28:49Z")
Subaru’s national ads are so insipid, so clearly created by people who don’t know anything about cars, that I have to admit I would have trouble considering buying a Subaru. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/100 "2021-04-04T19:16:53Z")
A supplement that supposedly increases your ability to think actually asks “Do you want to brain better?” [Brain better with Neuriva brain health supplements - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=203ZkJr4oc0&t=10s) ---
**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:** [April 4, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992/101 "2021-04-04T19:20:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > A supplement that supposedly increases your ability to think actually asks “Do you want to brain better?” > [Brain better with Neuriva brain health supplements - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=203ZkJr4oc0&t=10s) - I tried those. I got smart enough to realize what a total rip-off it was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badvertisements-when-an-ad-repels-me-from-its-product/938992.md?page=6)