# New themes in TV ads -- eating pets **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499 "2011-10-13T03:43:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [October 14, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/21 "2011-10-14T16:20:10Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It’s OK not to find it funny, but I think it’s just silly to find it offensive. For the record, I don’t think it’s offensive, or even in poor taste; I just personally find it unfunny and a bit of a downer. I’ve also never really liked that old joke with the punchline “A pig like that, you don’t eat all at once.” On the other hand, I’ll happily watch commercials featuring Burger King’s King or Quiznos’ spongmonkeys. One man’s disturbing is another man’s funny, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/22 "2011-10-14T16:24:46Z")
I don’t find the commercial itself either funny or offensive, but I do like the Dad’s comedic timing. His “What are you gonna do?” is effective and he’s in at least one other non-Geiko commercial now where his style there too makes me smile. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/23 "2011-10-14T16:24:48Z")
I don’t think the TV ad trend is eating pets. The trend in TV ads lately is to prominently feature assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/24 "2011-10-14T16:35:20Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > Absolutely! Why don’t they ever think of the children? > > Geico seems to be the champion at “funny” commercials that are really just irritating. I’m not sure that’s the best way to attract customers (doesn’t work on me) but it’s their advertising dollar, so whatever. Geico actually has a commercial where parents trying to save money for their kid’s college education teach their five year-old to dunk a basketball. The commercial ends with the kid hanging from the rim and the mother telling the father to get him down. There’s also a cut-rate insurance company (maybe SafeAuto) with a commercial where random passers-by kick a guy in the crotch, to show what it feels like not to have auto insurance. I personally don’t see the funny in that one, either. ---
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/25 "2011-10-14T16:57:41Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > For the record, I don’t think it’s offensive, or even in poor taste; I just personally find it unfunny and a bit of a downer. I’ve also never really liked that old joke with the punchline “A pig like that, you don’t eat all at once.” On the other hand, I’ll happily watch commercials featuring Burger King’s King or Quiznos’ spongmonkeys. One man’s disturbing is another man’s funny, I guess. The spongemonkeys were fantastic! Did you ever see the video that inspired the commercials? [We Like The Moon - the Spongmonkeys - By Joel Veitch rathergood.com, song by Joel and Alex Veitch](http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song) ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/26 "2011-10-14T17:01:45Z")
> [@ugly ripe tomato](#): > > Actually, it’s because I’ve been pretty serious fancy goldfish hobbyist for at least 10 years so the very notion of eating someone’s pet fish is cruel and disgusting to me, and I would never want anything to do with a company that would find that funny. Besides that, goldfish are too bony. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/27 "2011-10-14T17:10:03Z")
I love the GEICO commercial. We’re not real proud of it. (No, we’re not.) _shrugs_ What are you gonna do about it. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/28 "2011-10-14T18:42:35Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Besides that, goldfish are too bony. come on, ya gotta have something in there for crunch 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499/29 "2011-10-14T18:58:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Other ads in that campaign are the one with the woman who sends her daughter to a daycare center staffed by robots I love that one! When the little girl reaches for the drink box that the robot is offering, and the robot squeezes it and it sprays her face, the reaction of the girl is hilarious! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-themes-in-tv-ads-eating-pets/599499.md?page=1)