# Product categories no longer advertised on TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [September 22, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136 "2021-09-22T20:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/1 "2021-09-22T20:27:33Z")
I was thinking of individual brands and brand categories that I used to see on TV all the time but never do anymore. For instance, what made it cross my mind this latest time is something made me think of Rolled Gold pretzels, which used to have constant ads with Jason Alexander. I definitely don’t see adds for Rolled Gold anymore, but I don’t really see many for different snack foods either. Commercials for fuel brands. Remember when Gary Burghoff was That Gulf Guy, later That BP Guy? Panty hose—they are still are sold, but I don’t hear about nothing beating a great pair of L’eggs (or similar commercials) any more. Obviously cigarettes. What else is still around but not given the ad dollars it used to have? ---
**Author:** ![turtlescanfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/2 "2021-09-22T20:38:14Z")
I dont think I’ve EVER seen a television ad for string. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/3 "2021-09-22T20:47:45Z")
Which would be a great comment, if it had anything whatsoever to do with the thread topic. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/4 "2021-09-22T20:53:03Z")
This was a weird category to pop into my mind first, but I don’t see commercials for aluminum foil or wax paper, and only rarely for plastic wrap. I guess everyone stores there leftovers in plastic containers these days. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/5 "2021-09-22T20:54:55Z")
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen douche commercials in… a while. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/6 "2021-09-22T20:57:04Z")
Or any commercials involving pouring blue liquids on absorbent objects. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/7 "2021-09-22T21:04:54Z")
The pretzel ads may not have worked so well–the brand name is **Rold Gold** not Rolled Gold. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/8 "2021-09-22T21:06:21Z")
I don’t see many ads for non-boutique razors, and none for shaving cream. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/9 "2021-09-22T21:06:40Z")
And it’s been a while since I’ve seen a light bulb commercial. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/10 "2021-09-22T21:25:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Commercials for fuel brands. Remember when Gary Burghoff was That Gulf Guy, later That BP Guy? I’m hoping people can remember more products like this: still with us, rarely/never advertised these days, but back in the day?.. _Heavily_ touted with lots of ad dollars trying to convince you to “Put a Tiger in Your Tank!” or “trust your car to the man who wears the star/the big, bright Texaco staaaar!” (And WHY do I have that rambling around my brain instead of my to-do list?) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/11 "2021-09-22T21:31:20Z")
Maybe they’re not advertised as much as they used to be, but I am sure I’ve seen ads for Chevron recently, featuring talking cartoon cars discussing how Chevron with Techron fuel is better for their engines. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/12 "2021-09-22T21:36:06Z")
Furniture polish and floor polish were two things that came to mind. (Maybe I listen to too much “Fibber McGee and Molly”.) ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/13 "2021-09-22T21:36:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Or any commercials involving pouring blue liquids on absorbent objects. I still see those. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/14 "2021-09-22T21:37:21Z")
What about commercials for Time/Life books, or record/tape/cd clubs? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/15 "2021-09-22T21:40:23Z")
I think about this topic from time to time. Lessee here … - Commericals for **diet aids** have disappeared. Going way back, many of us can recall the [Ayds Diet Candy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKya_eLiFvI) commercials. [Dexatrim capsules](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQtFpf3DajA) were another diet aid that were once all over prime-time television. - **Long distance carriers**. [“Reach out and touch someone”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO17B-ACRn0) was the tagline of one of the most successful ad campaigns in advertising history. After the Ma Bell breakup, AT&T and other Baby Bells kept up commercials with the same tagline for a while. - **Instant coffee** was once a hugely popular consumer product in the U.S. It’s still around, of course, but with a much lower profile. Popular brands were [Taster’s Choice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDGnd7hafIc) and [the decaffeinated Sanka](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ82-_8fBkU). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/16 "2021-09-22T21:42:58Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > [the decaffeinated Sanka](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ82-_8fBkU). The only coffee my grandmother drank. It was always in the house. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/17 "2021-09-22T21:50:37Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Maybe they’re not advertised as much as they used to be, but I am sure I’ve seen ads for Chevron recently, featuring talking cartoon cars discussing how Chevron with Techron fuel is better for their engines . I have memories of the same. I think to myself “_That was pretty recent, right?_” Without researching, though … I bet it’s been a good six or seven years since either of us have seen one of those specific Chevron “talking cartoon car” commercials. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/18 "2021-09-22T21:58:57Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@bordelond](#): > > > > [the decaffeinated Sanka](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ82-_8fBkU). > > The only coffee my grandmother drank. It was always in the house . If she added [Cremora](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f0/c9/a8/f0c9a88a42f2adc5d0696d7b82d94815.jpg) and [NectaSweet](https://supernovaantiques.com/x/cdn/?https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-27097843/images/58d8204af4088RUgLJil/necta-sweet-bottle-4_d600.JPG) … you and I might be first cousins 😃 … To tie this post into the thread: _Powdered_ coffee creamers don’t seem to have commercials anymore. Plenty of commercials nowadays for the now-more-popular liquid creamers, though. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/19 "2021-09-22T21:59:13Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Sanka You’re Wilkins. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136/20 "2021-09-22T22:01:31Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Commercials for fuel brands. Remember when Gary Burghoff was That Gulf Guy, later That BP Guy? BP pretty regularly advertises about their “Ultimate” grade of gas here in the Chicago area, at least, and I can remember seeing ads for Shell and Citgo in the not-too-distant past. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > Maybe they’re not advertised as much as they used to be, but I am sure I’ve seen ads for Chevron recently, featuring talking cartoon cars discussing how Chevron with Techron fuel is better for their engines. I see a Chevron ad every once in a while on cable, but otherwise, I don’t see them often; however, as Chevron is primarily a West Coast brand, that just means that they’re good at their media buying, and not advertising here in the Midwest, where they don’t operate. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-categories-no-longer-advertised-on-tv/951136.md?page=2)