# To counterbalance: Commercials you love.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 28, 2007, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207 "2007-08-28T12:39:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/41 "2007-08-29T07:19:49Z")

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T-Mobile - [“Your friends are hot.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUHT-p8svkc)

There was one, I can’t remember what for and I’ve only seen it once or twice, but I think it was something about domestic violence awareness/reporting. You see a couple getting ready for bed. Then the sounds start. Husband and wife look at each other as a woman audibly says “stop”. They look at the phone. Husband climbs into bed (phone is on his side); wife edges as far away from him as the bed allows. Everything is packed into the looks they give each other.

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**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/42 "2007-08-29T07:22:44Z")

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[QUOTE=appleciders]  
Well, there’s nothing wrong with Snickers (the candy bar), and I love [this](http://youtube.com/watch?v=LcX1tYS6lVY) ad.  
[/QUOTE]

I’m also a fan of this one. [http://youtube.com/watch?v=fSX8P0cNL2w](http://youtube.com/watch?v=fSX8P0cNL2w)  
I invented pants!

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**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/43 "2007-08-29T08:06:58Z")

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The **only** commercials I like and respect are those that are as plain and simple as can be and honestly compare their product with the competitors’. It’s ironic and unfortunate that I can’t remember the company or product names, but the most recent one I saw like this compared their dirt-and-water resistant windows to the typical window.

I was so impressed with the plain simplicity of it I actually applauded.

My brother makes and sells radio ads, and he once asked me what kind of commercials I’d recommend. I replied by telling him that the entire advertising industry utterly rejects the kind of ads I’d like, so the last person he should listen to was myself…

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/44 "2007-08-29T10:23:50Z")

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I like the VW commercials with the ‘german’ scientist destroying cars [played by that swedish actor that was in Brothers Grimm]

Most people hate those, but I just like them=) I think there are only 3 of them though=(

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**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/45 "2007-08-29T10:44:41Z")

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I like [this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEJJUGJZxpU) for Orbit gum. The euphemistic insults just slay me! 😃

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**Author:** ![RunSilent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RunSilent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RunSilent)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/46 "2007-08-29T11:52:13Z")

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Best commercial ever: early 1960’s, New Country Cornflakes, with Grant Wood’s American Gothic singing the song…

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**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/47 "2007-08-29T16:34:34Z")

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[QUOTE=interface2x]  
Yeah, they have some decent cranversations. I like some others, but cran’t think of what they are right now. I should ask my cranmother.  
[/QUOTE]

The best Sonic Commercial in the series is this one: ((Paraphrased))

“This drink is made with 100% apple juice.”

“100%? That’s not possible!”

“Sure it is, its all apple.”

“Right, but the stem and the leaf, and the core, that has to take up what, 5 - 10% of the apple, right?”

“You know, this is one of the better arguments you’ve had.”  
If you ask me, Sonic went all in on this one, and cashed in the chips on the series. The set up of the “Stupid guy in his car” to actually get one over on his (wife?) is great. I loved the commercials period, but this just cemented its status.

* * *

There is that cellphone commercial, for the my faves, and the kid has pictures of animals… and the bully picks up the phone, and goes through the pictures, he identifies the turtle and the giraffe, because the friends emulate an animal characteristic…  
Who’s the pig?

* * *

The spot for Cable internet with the Slowskys is good.

“Sorry, and or, my bad”

* * *

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/48 "2007-08-29T16:40:28Z")

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This is so totally fair! I promise I will talk way too much.

Well life is fair. I give a hoot. I raised you to talk to me that way!

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/49 "2007-08-29T16:40:43Z")

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I love the condom ads where the guys are pigs until they decide to use condoms. So clever. And I would never have heard of it, if there hadn’t been all that controversy over it.

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**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/50 "2007-08-29T16:58:35Z")

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I was on a trip in california when I saw the one commercial _no\_one_ believes I saw - it was perfect -

Kid Goes to the store to buy twix cereal, goes home - proceeds to zip off his “human suit” to reveal the Twix rabbit - he’s happy, finally got his cereal - goes to pour the milk - it’s empty -

“Got Milk?”

Perfect.

Only seen it once - have never been able to find it again …

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**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/51 "2007-08-29T17:23:13Z")

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I remembered one I saw a couple of times about ten years ago.

It’s the cutesy, cuddly, teddy bear used to advertise some brand of fabric softener. He’s doing his thing, being nauseatingly adorable and giggly, and then suddenly a massive tank bursts through the wall and chases him down. It shoots fire at him and ignites him, and he screams and tries to put out his flaming arms. In the end, it runs him pitilessly over.

The end scene is teddy bear as treadmark-wearing roadkill as he looks up just before expiring and says “I hate Battletanx”.

It was an ad for the video game of Battletanx. Later I heard that the fabric softener people were not amused and forced the video game people to remove the ad. Too bad, as it was hysterical. I wish I could find a bootlegged copy of it on the 'net somewhere. Does anyone else remember this?

ETA: the teddy bear’s name was “Snuggles”, now that I have time to Wikipedia it.

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**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/52 "2007-08-29T17:33:49Z")

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Teela - I remember that one!

One of the ones I always thought was clever was some of the “Terminix” (or some other pest control company) adds - starting what appeared to be a commercial for some other product, then super-imposing cockroaches on the tv screen… apparently they were stopped after enough people complained - seems that more than a few people inadvertantly busted their TVs trying to kill the bugs!

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**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/53 "2007-08-29T17:37:44Z")

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Good God, I found the old [BattleTanx](http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/2150/) commercial. Three or four years ago I did a search for it and couldn’t turn it up. I thought the fabric softener people had permanently buried it.  
Har!

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**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/54 "2007-08-29T18:32:36Z")

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The Traveler’s Insurance ad where the guy trips and creates a mass rolling ball of people and objects in an obvious tribute to Katamari Damancy.

The old Budweiser frogs commercial, especially the one where they ride the gator into a bar (I was attending UF at the time). I even don’t mind the “WASSUP! XD XD XD” commercials.

There was also a…um…financial investment company whose name I no longer remember, but their commercial goes something like this:

> [@](#):
>
> A man is being wheeled through an emergency room, the camera from his point of view shows that his legs are raised as if he is in labor. All around him, the residents and doctors are puzzling over his unusual condition…
> 
> …he has money coming out the wazoo.
> 
> “Unless you have this problem, you may want to consider investing with us.”

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**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/55 "2007-08-29T19:55:22Z")

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[Great Googly Moogly!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSAXLayoMKI)

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/56 "2007-08-29T21:51:30Z")

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“I’d like to teach the world to sing,  
In perfect harmony…”

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**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/57 "2007-08-29T22:31:27Z")

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I only saw this once, for some insurance company, and had to turn to VeryCoolSpouse and say “Did I just see that?” Which was confirmed:

Two women, one carrying an Asian baby (we assume Chinese girl). They are going through Immigration, clearly returning to the US. After they get through, one says to the other “I can’t believe it! We really are a family!!”

For those who don’t know, your adopted daughter\* becomes a citizen the minute you clear immigration (if you’ve done all the paperwork before hand).

Two lesbians adopting a little girl? On NETWORK TV? No wonder I never saw it again.

If anyone can find this puppy, I’d be very grateful.

\*Also for those who don’t know, we have 4 adopted Chinese daughters.

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/58 "2007-08-29T23:42:01Z")

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[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName]  
I only saw this once, for some insurance company, and had to turn to VeryCoolSpouse and say “Did I just see that?” Which was confirmed:

Two women, one carrying an Asian baby (we assume Chinese girl). They are going through Immigration, clearly returning to the US. After they get through, one says to the other “I can’t believe it! We really are a family!!”  
[/QUOTE]

I remember that one. Pretty sure I only saw it once, too…I wish I could remember what it was for. For some reason, American Express is coming to mind, but you said it was an insurance company? I’m going to try to hunt it down.

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**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/59 "2007-08-30T00:20:36Z")

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[QUOTE=simster]  
I was on a trip in california when I saw the one commercial _no\_one_ believes I saw - it was perfect -

Kid Goes to the store to buy twix cereal, goes home - proceeds to zip off his “human suit” to reveal the Twix rabbit - he’s happy, finally got his cereal - goes to pour the milk - it’s empty -

“Got Milk?”

Perfect.

Only seen it once - have never been able to find it again …  
[/QUOTE]

The happy cows from [Real California Cheese](http://www.realcaliforniacheese.com/) (click continue -\> happy cows -\>happy cows TV) are very similar to some of the milk advisory board commercials. I don’t think there is a bad one in the bunch. My favorites are weather earthquake, and especially alarm clock.

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**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-counterbalance-commercials-you-love/417207/60 "2007-08-30T00:47:57Z")

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[This one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJmV7KiafHI)

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