# commercials you love, hate or don't get **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046 "2009-02-16T04:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![The\_Composer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Composer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Composer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/121 "2009-02-18T18:37:35Z")
> [@The\_Composer](#): > > I think this is All State. Are you in good hands? (Had a case of idiotitis and lost the edit window.) ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/122 "2009-02-18T18:43:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Often you need a Drivers licence, which most states don’t give to illegal aliens. And, if you have a bank account and are living “underground” the iRS etc can find you and your $$. > > Next, many bank accounts cost money. Look, it was just a rant. If I put in those conditional clauses, it destroys the rant. I think, unlike Walmart’s target audience, SDMB readers know about setting up bank accounts. No need to quibble about the details. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/123 "2009-02-18T18:47:00Z")
> [@sir t-cups](#): > > i’m gonna go ahead and agree with the “hilshire farms” ads > > go meat! i said-a beef hot links! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/124 "2009-02-18T19:03:39Z")
You know those Sonic commercials, the one with a man and his wife sitting in the car? She’s hot. You know those Sonic commercials where the mom is sitting with her teenage son in the car? She’s not. I’ll let deductive reasoning (yours!) figure out which I prefer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/125 "2009-02-18T19:55:58Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You know those Sonic commercials, the one with a man and his wife sitting in the car? She’s hot. She also seems really cool, and keeps an interesting blog: [http://www.mollyerdman.com/](http://www.mollyerdman.com/) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/126 "2009-02-18T21:44:22Z")
Does anyone remember a series of commercials for Delta Dental? I can’t remember if they were video or just radio, but they mostly followed the format of one character listing off tragedy after tragedy and being asked why they’re smiling “'because I’ve got Delta Dental!” Something about the macabre sounding response – not that they were happy and smiling in spite of the tragedy, but damnit, they’re going to show off the only thing they have left. I may be way off in my recollection, but I thought this was a good thread to ask about it. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/127 "2009-02-18T22:12:29Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Geico has three central figures going on all at once, all different from each other, and all equally recognizable. They also had a long string of ads where a “celebrity” interprets for an ordinary person. The thing I like about the “money you save” ads is it struck me as maybe a sarcastic response from the ad agency to some idiot at Geico – “We like our commercials, but we’re spending too much money on celebrities, caveman makeup, and gecko CGI. Can you think of something cheaper?” Yeah, how about some googly eyes glued to a stack of money, would that work for you? I turn the sound down on the Jane Seymour butt necklace commercial and say, “La la la! Can’t stop painting this! Design’s already around my neck by I MUST PAINT MORE!” Hey Jane, accept my middle finger as a universal symbol of love and hope. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/128 "2009-02-18T22:35:01Z")
I like the AFLAC commercials for the most part, although there have been some duds. The duck is so cute, while the Geico gecko is just annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/129 "2009-02-18T22:43:43Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You know those Sonic commercials, the one with a man and his wife sitting in the car? She’s hot. > > You know those Sonic commercials where the mom is sitting with her teenage son in the car? She’s not. > > I’ll let deductive reasoning (yours!) figure out which I prefer. What about the one with the two obviously gay guys, one dumb and the other just dumb-ish? ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/130 "2009-02-19T00:08:48Z")
Oh, I remembered another one I hate while watching TV last night. The pedigree commercial with the dogs eating right out of the bag of dog food. I like dogs and usually I like dog food commercials with cute dogs doing funny stuff. But this one? “Snorf, glomp, splurt,…” Ewwww. I don’t even like the noise of my own dog eating in a quiet room. Why do I want to listen to 30 seconds straight of this disgusting slobbery grossness? ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/131 "2009-02-19T00:54:58Z")
There’s one that is annoying/nonsensical that I’ve seen a few times recently. They show a plate of pasta with a jar of pasta sauce sitting on top and say something like, “you can eat your spaghetti with this _jar_ of sauce” like a jar of pasta sauce is just horribly gauche and they feel sorry for anyone who eats it. Which… okay, I like jarred pasta sauce but I know some people do feel that way about it. But then they show the alternative: “… or you could eat prego!” and show pasta sauce being poured on pasta… from… a jar. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/132 "2009-02-19T01:27:43Z")
I love the newest free credit report dot com add. Where they end up living at a renaissance (sp?) fair. The lyrics and scenario just crack me up. Everytime that thing comes on I have to stop and watch it, laughing the whole time. The old enzyte commerical where he had the business meeting with the japanese was another fav. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/133 "2009-02-19T01:27:59Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > But then they show the alternative: “… or you could eat prego!” and show pasta sauce being poured on pasta… from… a jar. You’re right – that one’s totally stupid. The one I’ve seen has the jar in the saucepan. I always wonder if some Jessica Simpson-type is going to see that and try to heat the sauce in the pan, in the jar. I’m liking the new Swiffer ad – the picture of the jilted duster on the cell phone is hysterical – but I miss the mariachi band. We need more ads with puppies and kittens. Don’t ad agency types watch YouTube? Why hasn’t anyone appropriated a LOL Cats thing for an ad? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/134 "2009-02-19T03:38:14Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > What about the one with the two obviously gay guys, one dumb and the other just dumb-ish? They’re _not_ hot. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/135 "2009-02-19T04:50:30Z")
I find the new Weight Watchers ads hilarious–particularly the one where “Hunger” is tap dancing on the copier machine to get her attention and she smashes the lid down on him. I loathed the ad they had for Hallmark cards where the girls are checking out their lunches to see what their Moms have done special for Valentine’s Day. The way the one kid slumps and sighs in discontent when she sees that Cool Girl’s mother sent a _musical Hannah Montana card_ makes me want to choke someone. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/136 "2009-02-19T05:19:52Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > There’s one that is annoying/nonsensical that I’ve seen a few times recently. > > They show a plate of pasta with a jar of pasta sauce sitting on top and say something like, “you can eat your spaghetti with this _jar_ of sauce” like a jar of pasta sauce is just horribly gauche and they feel sorry for anyone who eats it. Which… okay, I like jarred pasta sauce but I know some people do feel that way about it. > > But then they show the alternative: “… or you could eat prego!” and show pasta sauce being poured on pasta… from… a jar. The jar is pretty clearly intended to be [Classico](http://www.classico.com/), and they’re trying to imply if it weren’t for the jar/label, you’d prefer Prego for the taste (from all the added sugar?). See also: [http://www.brandfreak.com/2009/01/campbell-also-picking-an-ad-fight-with-heinz-over-pasta-sauce-.html](http://www.brandfreak.com/2009/01/campbell-also-picking-an-ad-fight-with-heinz-over-pasta-sauce-.html) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/137 "2009-02-19T05:49:08Z")
> [@aktep](#): > > The jar is pretty clearly intended to be [Classico](http://www.classico.com/), and they’re trying to imply if it weren’t for the jar/label, you’d prefer Prego for the taste (from all the added sugar?). That’s it. I’m guessing they did some “study” where a lot of people said their favorite brand is Classico\*, but in an actual taste test, more liked Prego. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/138 "2009-02-19T09:28:54Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The commercial doesn’t bother me but I am curious what goes on in that house that they need to replace their dog every 3.45 years :dubious: I don’t really understand what’s so confusing about this. Wait… you _do_ celebrate Leap Year in the traditional manner, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/139 "2009-02-19T10:21:33Z")
Two ads (well, long-running series of ads) that I enjoy. Softbank’s cellphone ads. While ads in Japan tend toward a depressingly predictable string of celebrity endorsements, this company did something wonderfully different. It started back in 2006(?) with a series of ads set in a meeting room with executives discussing weighty matters, but each ended with the one foreign attendee saying something out of left field that completely deflated the proceedings. The ads were completely irrelevant to cell phones, but were very funny. One of the foreign characters, for whatever reason, became popular, so more ads were made centering around him, including one in which his name was given as Goro Noguchi, with the humor coming from the other Japanese characters’ awkwardness at trying to grok an obvious non-Japanese having a Japanese name. When Softbank started advertising their family discount plan, they ran with the idea and created the utterly surreal Family: Father: A talking dog, later shown to be a high school teacher who has studied at the Sorbonne. Mother: Japanese 50-ish housewife, later shown to be the principal at the father’s school. Elder brother: The foreign guy from the earlier ad series. Younger sister: A Softbank store employee (played by Aya Ueto, the only celebrity) Grandpa: A beluga whale living in an aquarium. The series has been going on for over two years, with numerous new plotlines, and has become a regular favorite. [The first of the family ads](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaPk40FFkS4&feature=PlayList&p=9132DF0E0338AEE3&index=27), with links to many of the others. The other appeals to the baser instincts. Japan dopers will no doubt know that one of the sure signs of winter is ads featuring Fumie Hosokawa jiggling in the bathtub. I’ve been here through 14 winters now, and she’s been jiggling right along, just below the surface, through each and every one of them. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046/140 "2009-02-19T12:12:03Z")
> [@Chanteuse](#): > > I find the new Weight Watchers ads hilarious–particularly the one where “Hunger” is tap dancing on the copier machine to get her attention and she smashes the lid down on him. A friend of mine wants a “Hunger” doll; she thinks it’s cute. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-you-love-hate-or-dont-get/486046.md?page=6)