# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/21 "2026-07-30T18:30:42Z")
I can’t believe we got to post 21 without riffing on “a string of poloponies”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/22 "2026-07-30T18:58:30Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > There’s the infamous folgers incest commercial No actual incest, please note- all in the eye of some viewers- > **[Coming Home (advertisement)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_Home_(advertisement))** > > "Coming Home" (commonly referred to by unofficial titles such as the Folgers Incest Ad or the Folgers "Brother and Sister" Commercial) is a 2009 American television commercial for Folgers Coffee. The commercial was created by the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi with the intention of emulating Folgers' 1980s commercial "Peter Comes Home For Christmas". Writing for GQ, Gabriella Paiella described the plot as follows: "Coming Home" opens with a taxi dropping a young man off outside a snow-cove... ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/23 "2026-07-30T19:01:52Z")
I was going to make a similar comment. There is a long history of gift-wrapped Christmas car ads. I’m pretty sure I remember one from the 1970s. But yeah, those first couple of Lexus ads were super-duper offputtingly smug. OTOH, the people who could afford a new Lexus as a surprise Christmas gift probably reacted by saying “I could see myself doing that.” And at that time Lexus was trying to establish themselves as a genuine status competitor to Mercedes, not merely an up-badged Toyota. They _had_ to play the “Our customers are sleek pretentious rich people” card because that was the market they were after. Who all needed to be persuaded that turning in their Mercedes or BMW for a Lexus wouldn’t get them laughed out of the country club or executive dining room. The larger point being that e.g. Lexus didn’t / doesn’t care about annoying people who _cannot_ be their customers. They only care about buttering up the people who _can_ be their customers. The current GMC truck commercials are a bit more risky for GMC. Plenty of struggling middle class folks are in hock up to the eyeballs to pay for cars already. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/24 "2026-07-30T19:25:42Z")
The JG Wentworth 877-CASH-NOW commercials. I’ve been on this rock for 55 years and not once have I known a person who lived off of a structured settlement. I imagine the number of people who do is in the low seven figures. Seems they believe their actual market is considerably bigger than it is. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/25 "2026-07-30T19:33:25Z")
Back in the 90s, a certain financial services company ran an ad that appeared in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center concert programs, with the tagline “FACE IT - YOU’RE RICH.” ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/26 "2026-07-30T19:47:36Z")
I remember a few years ago there was an ad for some hybrid car. The driver of said car was trying to use the squeegee at a gas station, getting told it was for paying customers, then proceeding to pump like a dollar and change worth of gas into his car to “own” the mean gas station attendant who wouldn’t let him use the squeegee. This made me think hybrid car owners are tools and I don’t want to drive one of your tool cars. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/27 "2026-07-30T20:09:20Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > SNL had a decent parody of these commercials a few years back. When a husband surprises his wife with an SUV for Christmas she goes on a tirade about how they’re already in debt up to the eyeballs, he also bought ridiculous gifts for the kids, he doesn’t have a job, and just how financially irresponsible he is in general. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WcEylCwkSxE/maxresdefault.jpg "December to Remember Car Commercial - SNL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcEylCwkSxE) ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/28 "2026-07-30T21:28:11Z")
Jeep is running ads saying they are the “most patriotic car company.” I guess those of us who don’t drive Jeeps are traitors. Also I have never figured out why a gecko or emu should influence who I buy insurance from, but maybe that doesn’t fit this thread. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/29 "2026-07-30T21:32:46Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > Also I have never figured out why a gecko or emu should influence who I buy insurance from, but maybe that doesn’t fit this thread. It’s to keep the company in your mind. Can you name the company with the Gecko? The next time you’re looking to change carriers, you’ll give them a shot. If it didn’t work, they wouldn’t keep it airing for decades. This is basic marketing. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/30 "2026-07-30T21:39:05Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s to keep the company in your mind. Can you name the company with the Gecko? The next time you’re looking to change carriers, you’ll give them a shot. Oh they are in my mind all right, along with all the other stupidity in life. Last time I changed carriers, I thought I would give them a shot. As it turns out, they are not as good at paying claims as those other carriers who don’t have a cute animal in their ads. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/31 "2026-07-30T21:47:11Z")
That’s nice. But you did give them a chance. You may not have remembered them or known of them if not for the gecko and that’s why they run the ads. I never claimed that they aren’t a shitty company. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/32 "2026-07-30T22:00:00Z")
How about the commercials for BAJit, a service to book private jet flights? Sure, if my commercial flight has mechanical problems, I can always use a private jet as a backup plan; I’m sure the cost is comparable. > **[BAJit - JOHN ELWAY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVT8l4ugN9I%2F)** > > When a kid and his dad are about to miss the game due to their flight having mechanical problems, John Elway comes to the rescue. He tells them that he's goi... ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/33 "2026-07-30T22:01:47Z")
The other day I received an email solicitation from a private investigator. The tag line was “don’t make me call your mom” (They then went on to explain that they wouldn’t be calling your mom, but they track down lots of people, since they do private investigations). It was all I could do not to reply to the email with, “my mom died 4 years ago” ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/34 "2026-07-30T22:27:17Z")
At least 1/3rd of Americans would choose a car company on that basis. Especially in July. Seems like smart advertising to me. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/35 "2026-07-30T22:28:37Z")
Reminds me of the scene in _Broad City_ where Heidi announces that her Uber is here, whereupon a helicopter starts descending… ILANA: I thought Uber only had cars! HEIDI: Uber has cars?! ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/36 "2026-07-30T22:31:56Z")
I think we have our winner. When the guy gets served his food, John Elway says its all “complimentary”. meanwhile it shows him scrolling through the plane options on his phone and they’re all $20k+. But hey man, you get a “free” $20 steak on your flight! ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/37 "2026-07-30T22:43:11Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How about the commercials for BAJit, a service to book private jet flights? Sure, if my commercial flight has mechanical problems, I can always use a private jet as a backup plan; I’m sure the cost is comparable. Look at the background. It wasn’t a commercial flight with issues, it was a chartered private jet. BAJit is probably a better option than a PJ, not that I would know from personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/38 "2026-07-30T22:47:38Z")
Youtube keeps running commercials for Kroger and Food City supermarkets. Neither of which are in this area. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/39 "2026-07-30T22:59:36Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > The JG Wentworth 877-CASH-NOW commercials. I’ve been on this rock for 55 years and not once have I known a person who lived off of a structured settlement. I imagine the number of people who do is in the low seven figures. Seems they believe their actual market is considerably bigger than it is. I’m pretty sure that they know _exactly_ how big their market is. If they were not getting enough people to respond to their ads to make it worth their while, monetarily, they would not be running them. They target their advertising pretty well, IME: it seems like they focus their ad spend on cable TV channels, mostly in daytime hours, when their target – who probably has a lot of people who are disabled and unable to work, due to the nature of what led to them getting a structured settlement (workplace injuries, auto accidents, etc.), and who have little better to do than watch daytime television. And, such cable channels are likely fairly cheap to buy ad space on, in that daypart, relatively speaking; even if only one out of ever few hundred viewers of _Blue Bloods_ on Ion on a Monday afternoon has a structured settlement, it is probably still an effective ad buy. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017/40 "2026-07-30T23:01:55Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s to keep the company in your mind. Speaking as an ad guy: exactly this. One thing that a lot of people – including on this board – don’t understand is that not every ad is specifically intended to get you to **buy something this very minute** , and that ads which are not just a rational statement of facts can and do work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017.md?page=3)