# Can someone explain this commercial to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169 "2017-09-12T13:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [September 13, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/41 "2017-09-13T15:20:02Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > I was once in a focus group for a proposed new scent of Gain. (We weren’t supposed to know what the product was but it was obvious.) There were about 25 women in the group, and every single one of them stated that if price were no object, they would use Tide because it cleans best. Gain is known for its strong scent. > > It annoyed the heck out of me that the group leader didn’t pick up on the fact that clean is the most important thing to customers, price is second, and scent is maybe third. If Gain wants to increase its sales, they need to step up the “cleans good” feature. I’ve never seen a Gain commercial that focussed on anything except scent. Keep in mind that both Tide and Gain are products of the P&G Company, so I doubt they care whether you use one or the other (as long as you don’t use someone else’s product). And they may deliberately choosing to aim the products differently. Gain for people who care what their laundry smells like and Tide for those who care whether it’s clean. (Personally, I use unscented Tide.) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/42 "2017-09-13T15:31:07Z")
God point. I used to do freelance packaging design for a regional company that marketed their brands to local markets. One job I had was to design two different shampoo bottle labels for essentially the same product (color and scent being the main difference) so their product hit both ends of the economic market. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/43 "2017-09-13T15:35:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > (And how have I never heard of this stuff before this commercial? I know Tide, I know All, Purex, but somehow missed Gain. Is it relatively new?) Relatively new–[Tide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide_%28brand%29) was introduced in 1946. [Gain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gain_%28detergent%29) didn’t come along until 1969. As for the effectiveness of commercials, _maybe_ I can understand [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8kuoFGgj8s) selling lamb, but [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4IFNKYmLa8) doesn’t make me want to buy ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/44 "2017-09-13T15:42:29Z")
He is conflicted, he knows he needs to let go of his past relationship and move on, but emotionally he wants to wallow in memories and heartbreak. In the ad the dude has been broken up with and can’t get over it. He is hoping that his pain will fade with time. He goes to a beach they used to enjoy to think about her and brings along his only memento, the scarf. When he smells it the scent is so strong that it triggers overwhelming memories. So instead of her memory fading and the pain along with it, the memory has not faded at all. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/45 "2017-09-13T16:03:42Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > but [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4IFNKYmLa8) doesn’t make me want to buy ice cream. Um. Well you see… There is the ice cream… And the robot… Shit I don’t know. I will be creeping out my daughter with this later so I guess that’s effective. ---
**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 13, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/46 "2017-09-13T17:42:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > As for the effectiveness of commercials, _maybe_ I can understand [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8kuoFGgj8s) selling lamb, but [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4IFNKYmLa8) doesn’t make me want to buy ice cream. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erh2ngRZxs0), on the other hand, wants me to buy ice cream, like, right now. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/47 "2017-09-13T18:26:18Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > It doesn’t need to make sense. It needs to make you remember the name, which it did. I don’t agree that this is what makes advertising effective. To be effective, viewers not only need to remember the name, they need to be intrigued by the product enough to create an immediate desire to acquire or conjure up positive feelings the next time they come across it. I will not forget Gain as a result of this commercial, but it conjures up negative feelings and I will actively avoid because the last thing I want out of a laundry detergent is to smell so strongly like a laundry detergent that even on a windy beach, the smell overpowers EVERYTHING ELSE. > [@Darren Garrison](#): > > […]but [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4IFNKYmLa8) doesn’t make me want to buy ice cream . WTH!?! That is disturbing. I can’t even begin to comprehend what they are trying to achieve here. Was that supposed to be hell? Hell is…ice cream? Only if you’re lactose-intolerant, but even then, there’s joy in the eating, the hell comes shortly after. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/48 "2017-09-15T17:52:17Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I will not forget Gain as a result of this commercial, but it conjures up negative feelings and I will actively avoid because the last thing I want out of a laundry detergent is to smell so strongly like a laundry detergent that even on a windy beach, the smell overpowers EVERYTHING ELSE. The small print says that the item was packed in an airtight container in storage, so in reality it won’t hold the scent. I thought based on the kitschy commercials that it would be moderately priced but Gain is as high as Tide, so I will stick with Tide Pods. Only Persil is more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/49 "2017-09-15T18:07:49Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Because I just don’t get it. My SO offered her take but it still doesn’t make sense. > > Link: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lpJgyPCHZNU](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lpJgyPCHZNU) > > The set up: girl leaves guy. He still has her scarf (to remember her by). He sniffs it and dejectedly remarks that it was washed a month ago in Gain, “how is a guy supposed to move on?” > > Does it still smell like Gain? If so, has she not worn it for a month? Why was he sniffing it (hoping for her smell) if he’s trying to “move on”? > > I know it’s just a stupid commercial and many of them don’t make sense but this one really acts like it has a point… but I’m missing it. Girlfriend has scarf. Girlfriend last washed scarf a month ago. (With Gain!) Girlfriend has worn scarf several times since. Girlfriend left guy very recently, like a day or two ago. Guy figures he can recall his ex by smelling her scarf, since she’s worn it several times since washing it, so it must smell like her. But no! Gain is so powerful, the scarf still smells newly washed after a month. Buy gain and your clothes will also smell fresh, even after you’ve worn them for a while. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/50 "2017-09-15T18:15:09Z")
Regarding the Gain commercial, why does everyone assume the wife/girlfriend broke up with him? Perhaps she’s just out of town? ---
**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, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/51 "2017-09-16T01:27:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Regarding the Gain commercial, why does everyone assume the wife/girlfriend broke up with him? Perhaps she’s just out of town? Well, he wants to “move on”, so either they’re no longer together or he’s a real jerk. Although really I think that “How’s a guy supposed to move on?” line is the part of the ad that’s most confusing. I can follow the basic story here – the guy has kept the scarf and apparently wants it to smell like his ex (rather than detergent) – but that sure seems like the behavior of someone who _doesn’t_ want to move on. But due to the long-lasting scent of Gain the scarf doesn’t work that well as a memento of his lost love and he tosses it away. So if anything Gain is helping him to move on. The title of the ad on YouTube is “Getting Sentimental with Scent”, and if he said “How’s a guy supposed to get sentimental?” then that would have made more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/52 "2017-09-16T03:53:00Z")
Exactly. Thank you! > [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > Girlfriend has scarf. > Girlfriend last washed scarf a month ago. (With Gain!) > Girlfriend has worn scarf several times since. > Girlfriend left guy very recently, like a day or two ago. > Guy figures he can recall his ex by smelling her scarf, since she’s worn it several times since washing it, so it must smell like her. > But no! Gain is so powerful, the scarf still smells newly washed after a month. > > Buy gain and your clothes will also smell fresh, even after you’ve worn them for a while. But then why the line, “How’s a guy suppose to move on”? See Lamia’s better explanation above. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/53 "2017-09-16T03:59:30Z")
I just thought it was the smell of Gain that reminded him of his girlfriend. You know, kinda like how certain perfumes trigger for you memories of certain people. Maybe I’m just not smell centric, but I couldn’t tell you how any of my past girlfriends or my wife smells like, but I connect certain perfumes or other scents to them. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/54 "2017-09-16T05:02:32Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > There are different goals from advertising. Brand awareness. Sales notifications. New products from familiar brand names. . . . Also some advertising is done simply because there is an allocated budget sitting there to be spent, and it makes shareholders feel good. Big companies like Proctor and Gamble have so much market saturation that sometimes they advertise more because they’re afraid to take a chance on _not_ advertising. The idea that all marketing is done by psychological geniuses who know exactly how to manipulate the behavior of any human toward buying a product–and that they wouldn’t do it if it weren’t absolutely certain to increase sales–is somewhat naive. A lot of it is hit or miss, and they realize full well both that advertising’s effectiveness is often limited and that, for some products, advertising might not even be necessary for good sales (Sriracha, Jiffy muffin mix, etc., which didn’t need to advertise to sell). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/55 "2017-09-16T05:36:10Z")
The wife and I love this commercial. It;s great. What’s not to get? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/56 "2017-09-16T05:50:58Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The wife and I love this commercial. It;s great. What’s not to get? It’s\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/57 "2017-09-16T06:50:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > What’s not to get? Well for starters why did he drag her scarf to the beach when he’s trying to move on? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/58 "2017-09-16T15:22:54Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Well for starters why did he drag her scarf to the beach when he’s trying to move on? He wants one last smell before he says goodbye. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/59 "2017-09-16T15:39:00Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Well for starters why did he drag her scarf to the beach when he’s trying to move on? He’s being overly dramatic in a soap opery way. Or like the cover of a Harlequin Romance novel. That’s so it contrasts with the Phil Dunphy reaction he has. If it happened in a bedroom or the laundry room there wouldn’t be a comedic shift. I really don’t see the difficulty here. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169/60 "2017-09-16T15:56:28Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Well for starters why did he drag her scarf to the beach when he’s trying to move on? > [@Loach](#): > > He’s being overly dramatic in a soap opery way. Or like the cover of a Harlequin Romance novel. That’s so it contrasts with the Phil Dunphy reaction he has. If it happened in a bedroom or the laundry room there wouldn’t be a comedic shift. I really don’t see the difficulty here. Indeed. Jesus, this Board should be renamed Realm of the Overthinkers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-commercial-to-me/796169.md?page=4)