# Commercials you just don't get **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539 "2010-06-17T13:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/61 "2010-06-19T20:58:27Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > Hence my hope that the caveman will soon be chum. šŸ˜ƒ So, youā€™re racist toward cavemen also, eh? ---
**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:** [June 19, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/62 "2010-06-19T22:01:17Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Some commercial where some guy has a nickname, but his website about saving money or something (I have no idea what) has a mundane name like Fred or Bill or something, and some girl is harassing him about it. I donā€™t have any clue what that commercial is about. Itā€™s a commercial for [Esurance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5qXpgfhar0). The guy calls himself ā€œThe Saverā€ and the website ā€œFred.ā€ I sorta like it. Woman: Hey, ā€œSaverā€. V.O.: Yeah, that just happened. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/63 "2010-06-20T00:07:26Z")
I still donā€™t get it. Whyā€™s he calling a website Fred? And more importantly, how in the blue hell is The Saver calling website Fred supposed to make people want to buy Esurance? ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/64 "2010-06-20T05:55:04Z")
What I donā€™t get is how and when car insurance became such a hot and highly competitive item that its advertisers have to come up with annoying gimmicks to sell their products/services. Iā€™ve been a loyal Allstate policy holder since before car insurance ads were so prevalent and I admire them for not using the tactics in their ads that Geico and Progressive are especially guilty of. But thatā€™s not what I came in here to write. the specific commercial that has been gnawing at my conscience is the one for State Farm, which just last aired moments ago. Their spokesdroid tells viewers to ask their neighbors about their insurance coverage. My _neighbors?_ Are they freaking _kidding?!_ I donā€™t even _know_ most of my neighbors, and for the ones I do know, our acquaintanceship hardly goes beyond a polite exchange of nods and maybe a few hellos in passing as we leave from and return to our respective domiciles. I live in a good low-crime neighborhood and everyone here seems to be civil to one another, so I can only imagine how awkward it must be to live in a sketchy area and approach oneā€™s neighbors to ask them about, of all things, car insurance, when most of them are drunk and drug-addled assholes and canā€™t be trusted. Hell, If I wanted to strike up a semi-meaningful conversation with any of my neighbors, I sure as hell wouldnā€™t choose car insurance as the topic unless, say, one of us accidentally backed his car into the otherā€™s car. If one of my neighbors actually accosted me to inquire about my insurance (hoping that I am one of the 40 million drivers who uses State Farm, only to find out that Iā€™m not) Iā€™d tell them to give Allstate or State Farm or whoever a call or go to their website if they really wanted to know more about it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/65 "2010-06-20T15:23:48Z")
Hereā€™s another one I donā€™t really ā€œgetā€, and itā€™s on all the time. Itā€™s by some investment firm, which I canā€™t even remember the name of even though Iā€™ve seen the commercial a million times (which tells you effective it is): Two people are texting. The first one texts something about how worried they are about retirement. The other person responds with some vapid advice about the future, and then confidently smiles. The first person texts back with some questions that the other person canā€™t answer, and that person sort of gazes off into the distance, like theyā€™re suddenly not so sure of themselves. During this whole time, you only see the second person, never the first one. Hereā€™s what I donā€™t get: How the fuck are we supposed to know what the relationship between these people are? Are they spouses? Is one an investment adviser? Is he/she maybe an investment adviser from the company doing the advertising? Clearly not, I hope, since that person seems clueless, but itā€™s just hard to tell. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/66 "2010-06-20T17:41:33Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Right, but when he first invited her to ā€œmove upā€, I assumed it was to the front seat. Which I have seen clueless parents do. Put a toddler in the Death Seat. > . Itā€™s really not _that_ dangerous, dude. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/67 "2010-06-20T17:45:12Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Thereā€™s a Lexus commercial that shows a wine glass being broken by the carā€™s exhaust note. What are they trying to say - is it live or is it Lexus? I totally agree. Most bad commercials I can see the point they are trying to make even if it is a stupid point, or if they simply didnā€™t get the point across worth a crap. But on the Lexus one I cannot figure what on earth they are even trying to say. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/68 "2010-06-20T19:55:42Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Right, but when he first invited her to ā€œmove upā€, I assumed it was to the front seat. Which I have seen clueless parents do. Put a toddler in the Death Seat. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Itā€™s really not _that_ dangerous, dude. It can actually be quite dangerous for anyone under the age of 12 to ride in the front due to the vehicleā€™s front airbag. Children riding in the front have been injured or killed in an accident when the airbag has gone off. The NHTSA recommends that all children sit in the back using proper lap and shoulder restraints (if too old for a car seat). It is a myth that children can be smothered by the airbag, but they can be struck in the head and neck by an airbag deploying at upwards of 200 mph. [Frequently Asked Questions about Air Bag Safety](http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/faq.air.bag.html) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/69 "2010-06-21T04:40:50Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > It can actually be quite dangerous for anyone under the age of 12 to ride in the front due to the vehicleā€™s front airbag. Children riding in the front have been injured or killed in an accident when the airbag has gone off. The NHTSA recommends that all children sit in the back using proper lap and shoulder restraints (if too old for a car seat). > > It is a myth that children can be smothered by the airbag, but they can be struck in the head and neck by an airbag deploying at upwards of 200 mph. Or, you turn off the airbag. Now yes, an infant in a rear facing seat is in quite a bit of danger \*if \*the airbag goes off. But as your cite sez "_If it is absolutely necessary for a child age 12 or under to ride in the front seat of a car with a passenger side air bag, secure the child in a restraint system that is correct for the size of the child ā€“ a front-facing child safety seat, a booster seat, or a lap/shoulder belt ā€“ AND move the front seat as far back away from the dashboard as possible._ " Yes, in general the back seat is _safer_- for everyone, not just kids. But the front passenger seat is hardly _ā€œthe death seat.ā€_:rolleyes: OTOH, I rode with a Mom and her 1 yo was in a child seat in the right rear seat- and I walked off that ride like I walked off the scariest roller coaster I have ever been on. I had to fight a urge to kiss the ground. The Mom was constantly turning around to check on the kid, hand him his pacifier, wipe drool and so forth. We had (I counted them) no less than six near misses. Maybe if you get in a accident itā€™s safer, but the chance of getting in a accident must be higher.šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/70 "2010-06-21T16:06:07Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > So, how did the Boggards fare with all this? Did they get enough from Levi to maybe get some rehab to help with their singing problem? šŸ˜ƒ Alas, no - theyā€™re still roaming Southern California, terrorizing people with their close-harmony singing. Fortunately, theyā€™ve got a slot at the Hollywood Fringe, so I get to go see them this weekend šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/71 "2010-06-21T19:57:55Z")
Well thereā€™s one that plays on Hulu constantly, which I donā€™t understand at all. A bunch of women are blindfolded and touching a rhino, inexplicably not coming even CLOSE to guessing what theyā€™re touching. ā€œItā€™s a wall!ā€ ā€œItā€™s a net!ā€ ā€œItā€™s a pipe!ā€ Then they remove their blindfolds, and laugh at how stupid they all are when they see itā€™s a rhino. Itā€™s a commercial for birth control. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/72 "2010-06-21T21:28:32Z")
A bit of a hijack, but why did they stop using historical figures to plug products? We had James Cagney and Bogart plugging pepsi, Fred Astaire plugging a vacuum cleaner, and Harley Earl plugging Buick. I always like the concept-it is sorta like raising the dead. Did these ads die because not enough people knew who these long-dead people were? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539/73 "2010-06-21T21:29:34Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I always like the concept-it is sorta like raising the dead. > Did these ads die because not enough people knew who these long-dead people were? No, I would figure those ads died because people felt it incredibly disrespectful to ā€œraise the dead.ā€ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-just-dont-get/543539.md?page=3)