# Most tone-deaf/out of touch commercials? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [July 30, 2026, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017 "2026-07-30T11:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/181 "2026-08-04T00:56:51Z")
This McDonald’s talk reminds me of another tone-deaf/out of touch commercial. A year or so ago I saw an ad for a retro-fyed McDonald’s that played on the nostalgia of generations Z-ennials and older for the bright, McDonaldslandy places of their youth. This made me think that they were actually re-rebranding instead of just putting out a commercial about how great their places _used_ to be. If they’ve gone retro anywhere, in any aspect, or for any time, I haven’t seen any evidence of it. So that makes me less likely to go to McDonald’s in the future rather than more, especially since if they actually bring back the vibe of the past, they won’t convince me of it with a similar ad. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/182 "2026-08-04T01:41:38Z")
Would love to hear thoughts on this 2018 doc from people in this thread who work(ed) in advertising, and anyone else, for that matter [Icarus Films: Propaganda: The Manufacture of Consent](https://icarusfilms.com/if-propa) It’s about advertising and especially Edward Bernays, a “double nephew” of Sigmund Freud and famous ad/PR person ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/183 "2026-08-04T01:46:28Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > “It’s the Cadillac of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_.” Like, “Swingline is the Cadillac of staplers.” Only when they’re red. I remember a Cadillac ad\* from the late sixties that was all that. It showed a golfer leaving a country club and his caddy looking after him. _Caddilac, because some day…_ \*So I guess it did its job. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/184 "2026-08-04T01:47:21Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > See, I always assumed they knew exactly what it meant, even if they protested to the contrary. It’s the exact sort of plausible deniability that would get them a bit of publicity without actually making them seem crass. While that’s certainly a possibility, the first time I can recall hearing someone say “I was going to hit that” in reference to sex was in 2004’s _Dawn of the Dead_ remake. It might very well be the exact kind of plausible denaibility some companies would court, but I doubt McDonald’s with their family friendly advertisements really wanted to court that kind of controversy plausible deniability or now. Advertisers aren’t infallible, as this thread is testament to, and I think it’s more likely someone at McDonald’s didn’t understand the idio fully. Probably several someones. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/185 "2026-08-04T01:49:36Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If they’ve gone retro anywhere, in any aspect, or for any time, I haven’t seen any evidence of it. I’ve actually been in one of those retro McD’s – several times. Typically before or after seeing a movie in a nearby [AMC Theater.](https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/19038) That location went out of business long before COVID; the smallish shopping mall it was next to got redeveloped into a big [Target.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/tvw8bfKdXkw7ovvb9) Here’s how the entrance looked. [![](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/wr4g9cepnSVastoFE7EbbQ/l.jpg) ](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/wr4g9cepnSVastoFE7EbbQ/l.jpg) ETA: One of those pay-by-the-pound takeout places was down the hall from that McD’s. It closed before the McD’s did. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/186 "2026-08-04T01:55:07Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If they’ve gone retro anywhere, in any aspect, or for any time, I haven’t seen any evidence of it. So that makes me less likely to go to McDonald’s in the future rather than more, especially since if they actually bring back the vibe of the past, they won’t convince me of it with a similar ad. There’s a McDonald’s at the corner of University and Markham in Little Rock they built 10 or so years ago with the retro golden arches look. But for the most part all the other recent McDonald’s construction have been rather bland. These days they’re pivoting away from serving customers indoors to favor take out, drive through, and delivery. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/187 "2026-08-04T02:11:57Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I remember a Cadillac ad\* from the late sixties that was all that. It showed a golfer leaving a country club and his caddy looking after him. _Caddilac, because some day…_ > > \*So I guess it did its job. The fact you spelled it “Caddilac” and not “Cadillac” suggests it _almost_ did its job. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/188 "2026-08-04T02:21:32Z")
50% effective, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/189 "2026-08-04T15:51:33Z")
Not tone-deaf when this ad ran in 1966, just a bizarre image. For obvious reasons, nothing like this would ever be published today. [![](https://i.imgur.com/8eDyzT3.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/8eDyzT3.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/190 "2026-08-04T15:55:32Z")
This one came off as a tad insensitive when it ran in 2002: [![](https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.psu.edu/dist/0/91239/files/2018/09/Collapse-Into-Cool-23gbfmc.jpg) ](https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.psu.edu/dist/0/91239/files/2018/09/Collapse-Into-Cool-23gbfmc.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/191 "2026-08-04T16:07:39Z")
Why? Did people interpret the drinks as the twin towers and the dragonfly as a jet? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/192 "2026-08-04T16:11:26Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I’ll add that Taco Bell basically pioneered being open late for fast food, and that fourth meal was just a good advertisement for that concept. > > Of course, they now compete with McDonalds which went 24 hours, and actually kept that up post 2020, unlike most other places. This likely varies widely by location and franchisee. The two McDonald’s restaurants near me are closed by 11pm, and don’t re-open until around 5am for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/193 "2026-08-04T16:17:44Z")
Yes. Coming less than a year after 9/11, it was _very_ insensitive. There were old posters still up, begging for any info about missing loved ones. Living in NYC, it made me (perhaps unreasonably) upset. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/194 "2026-08-04T17:38:32Z")
Do you think it was intentional? ---
**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:** [August 4, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/195 "2026-08-04T20:05:46Z")
The most recent Tremfya commercial must be aimed at idiots. Young woman with reddish scabs on one of her arms. The announcer talks about her problem. Cut to a dreamy scene of her romping of a tropical island beach, and the voice-over says, “Now imagine being a million miles away!” Yeah. Imagine choking and dying in the cold loneliness of space. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/196 "2026-08-04T22:27:43Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > They’re damn lucky that Kurt Weill never had any kids… His widow had a poisoned knife blade in her shoe! I’ll take my chances with the kids, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/197 "2026-08-04T23:19:53Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I think of this every time I see a commercial of John Walsh for OmegaXL. He talks about how the green-lipped mussel goo gives him the energy that he needs to exercise his polo ponies on his ranch. I always think of how few people in the audience are saying “This might help me exercise _my_ polo ponies!”. There’s a new(er) ad with John Walsh where he’s touting a pain reliever, and looks like he’s aged at least ten years from the polo ponies ad. The way it appears, he’s gone from exercising the ponies to needing help getting to the bathroom. One the subject of dreadful health product ads, there’s the one for an ear cleaner that shows a man and his dog, with the man rootling around in his ear and coming out with a wad of something which he gazes at perplexedly. 🤢. Then they show two test tubes containing fluid and gobs of earwax. Naturally, the tube with Miracle Wax Dissolver shows the earwax glob breaking up into smaller globules before our very eyes. 🤮 You’d think that even victims of outer ear clogging would find the ad too repulsive to sit through. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/198 "2026-08-05T03:01:59Z")
The two weirdest McDonald’s experiences I’ve ever had: 1. Twin Cities, late 1970s, where my junior high band went for a trip, and that’s where we ate before attending a live theater performance. One of my friends summed it up this way: “That was the fanciest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen.” IIRC, they had chandeliers and (probably plastic) ivy all over the place. 2. Also in east-central Minnesota, 1991: Returning from a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters after what for me was a semester from hell, we stopped for lunch at a McDonald’s that had something odd about it that we couldn’t quite figure out, until I summed it up: “This place looks like a bathroom.” It was done in tasteful (ha!) shades of pink, mauve, and lavender. I also remember that this was where I’ve had my only Big Mac. It was OK. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/199 "2026-08-05T09:55:43Z")
I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but was incredibly tone deaf. My sister worked at WTC, and if she hadn’t stopped first at Century 21 after getting off her train, well… Emotions were pretty raw in NYC for the next few years. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/200 "2026-08-05T10:58:36Z")
The Charmin commercial where the animated mama bear says “My kids can’t hide anything from me. Especially when it comes to toilet paper!” Ugh eck pew. She’s suspicious they’re not using the toilet paper she bought and smuggled in Charmin knockoffs. She’s somehow examining their used toilet paper before they flush it. This is all sorts of wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017.md?page=11)