# "Tweaking" (changing) commercials on tv **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569 "2007-04-11T00:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/1 "2007-04-11T00:27:44Z")
Perhaps I watch too much tv. I’ve noticed that a few commercials get changed ever so slightly and I can’t figure out why. Has anyone else noticed this? The toyota commercial with the blind date in her window who “loves the bingo” is one example…and also the toyota commercial where the guys get their band “the vortex” back together is another. It’s more than simple editing for time…they actually seem to have different versions of the same commercials. Why? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/2 "2007-04-11T01:08:47Z")
There used to be a toilet paper commercial (it was “quilted”) with little cartoon women having a quilting bee with a giant sheet of the toilet paper. The only problem was that they were using _knitting needles_, which any quilter will tell you will do NOTHING to help quilt anything. This commercial used to annoy the heck out of me because I’m blessed/cursed with the kind of mind that has the sort of trivial knowledge which makes me easily annoyed by stupid things like that. A month or so later, the same commercial had the little cartoon women using sewing needles, which _are_ used for quilting (though curved needles are preferred, since at least half of a hand-quilted quilt is sewed from below). ---
**Author:** ![Gentle\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gentle\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gentle_Robot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/3 "2007-04-11T01:15:29Z")
For all you know it _could_ be simple editing. Say you have two or three different ways of going about a commercial (let’s say, different dialogue), and you film each part, but the firm or the client chooses one over the other. It wouldn’t be that hard (or expensive!) to go back and switch out 5 seconds of different material if the commercial’s concept is successful. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/4 "2007-04-11T01:36:15Z")
Sometimes commercials are changed because of complaints. For example, there’s an ad for Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur where a guy keeps fumbling the ice cubes he’s trying to move from the ice bucket to a drinking glass, so he pours the Bailey’s directly into the ice bucket, inserts a straw and drinks from it. In the original version, it looked like he poured most of the bottle into the ice bucket. There were complaints, so the commercial was changed to make it clear that he only poured a jigger’s worth of liqueur. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/5 "2007-04-11T01:53:48Z")
The most recent ad that I can think of that was changed due to complaints was the GM one with the assembly-line robot. The cars are so well-made that the robot is laid off and sadly wanders from new job to new job- and then wakes up. It was all a dream! When the ad premiered during this year’s Super Bowl, the dream ended with the robot jumping off a bridge. A number of mental-health and suicide-prevention groups complained, and GM eventually decided to change the ad. When it reran during the Oscars, the dream ended with the robot sadly wandering around. I really don’t think people would have killed themselves because a robot did it, but at least the change makes more sense than, say, a nutrition group and the apple-grower’s lobby (yes, there is such a thing) forcing Kellogg’s to stop referring to a Wile E. Coyote-esque apple in its Apple Jacks commericals as “a bad apple” since they didn’t like the characterization of a healty food as “bad” compared to a healthy cereal. It’s his personality that’s “bad”- haven’t the apple lobbyists ever heard the phrase “bad apple” before? It’s a pun, people! ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/6 "2007-04-11T01:57:53Z")
Well thankfully it’s not just me who’s noticed these subtle changes. What suprises me is how the changes in the toyota commercials are so “lateral”…nothing really different in the overall meaning or content (that I can tell). I’ll continue looking for others. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/7 "2007-04-11T06:51:20Z")
One that I noticed was The Roaming Gnome commercial. At first it was “The wheels on the bus go ROUND AND ROUND” in this frantic, almost psychopathic voice. Which I thought was hilarious. Then they toned it down and (IMO) ruined it. ---
**Author:** ![Adversary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@Adversary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adversary)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/8 "2007-04-11T12:55:06Z")
Another one is one of the many commercials for those gel insoles. The commercial is two guys getting in an car accident. One guy asks the other “Are you gellin?” The response was “Like a felon”. Which even I as a stupid consumer thought sent the wrong message. I can’t remember what they changed the line to. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/9 "2007-04-11T13:21:53Z")
[QUOTE=mchapman] Another one is one of the many commercials for those gel insoles. The commercial is two guys getting in an car accident. One guy asks the other “Are you gellin?” The response was “Like a felon”. Which even I as a stupid consumer thought sent the wrong message. I can’t remember what they changed the line to. [/QUOTE] I believe it was “Like Magellan.” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/10 "2007-04-11T13:59:34Z")
Pepto-Bismol once ran an ad where a boy tells his mother that he “feels pukey”. Evidently they got too many complaints or bad responses when they actually ran it in the field, rather tha before test audiences, because very shortly that version disappeared and was replaced by one where he “feels sick”. My guess is they shot both versions (and, for all I know, others) on the same day and gambled that the “pukey” one would work/be memorable, and knew they were taking a gamble. On a related note, the Pace Picante sauce ads _originally_ ended up with the disgruntled cowboys looking at the jar and saying “This stuff’s made in _New Jersey_???!!!” Within a year, for some reason, they changed it to “This stuff’s made in _New York City_???!!!” I never did find out why. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/11 "2007-04-11T14:24:18Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] On a related note, the Pace Picante sauce ads _originally_ ended up with the disgruntled cowboys looking at the jar and saying “This stuff’s made in _New Jersey_???!!!” Within a year, for some reason, they changed it to “This stuff’s made in _New York City_???!!!” I never did find out why. [/QUOTE] [New Jersey](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0086856/AdventuresOfBuckaroo_PUB01.jpg.html?seq=2) threatened Penny Priddy. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/12 "2007-04-11T14:40:27Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] A month or so later, the same commercial had the little cartoon women using sewing needles, which _are_ used for quilting (though curved needles are preferred, since at least half of a hand-quilted quilt is sewed from below). [/QUOTE] Hmmm? Curved needles for quilting? For tying a quilt yes, but I haven’t seen that for hand-quilting. The one that amuses me is the switch from “You bet your Aspercreme” to “You bet if it’s Apsercreme”. I admit to being vaguely shocked at the first one on behalf of the old people who are the main consumer of Aspercreme, and it didn’t surprise me when they quickly changed it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/13 "2007-04-11T14:45:50Z")
You bet your sweet Aspercream! I miss that one, too, **gigi**. The original Enzyte Bob commercials had him yelling, “Hard On! Apply directly to the foreskin!” I hear that JDT lobbied in person for that to be changed. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/14 "2007-04-11T17:57:36Z")
I’m just waiting for the Toyota Tundra billboard campaign (the only place I’ve seen it so far) to change their slogan “We engineered the Quit out of it!” I love it! ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/15 "2007-04-11T18:02:35Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Hmmm? Curved needles for quilting? For tying a quilt yes, but I haven’t seen that for hand-quilting. The one that amuses me is the switch from “You bet your Aspercreme” to “You bet if it’s Apsercreme”. I admit to being vaguely shocked at the first one on behalf of the old people who are the main consumer of Aspercreme, and it didn’t surprise me when they quickly changed it. [/QUOTE] **OH MY GOD I DIDN’T MISREMEMBER THAT!** Thank you! I thought I was going nuts because I could’ve _sworn_ that I had heard “you bet your sweet Aspercream!” and I thought that was completely hilarious. Then I see it again and it was just “you bet if it’s Aspercream!” I thought I had just misheard it and was so disappointed. But I didn’t! ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/16 "2007-04-11T18:08:40Z")
There was an ad for something feminine–maybe perfume or cosmetics–a few years ago that featured a woman smiling and playing with her kids, to the tune of Judy Garland singing “Get Happy.” The version of the song they used was WAY over-the-top, in which she was almost shouting a bunch of the words, especially on the high notes. It was so over-the-top that it was kind of alarming, really; that’s probably the only reason I noticed it, as I tune commercials out pretty effectively. I saw it a few weeks later, and they’d replaced it with a much tamer version. Same song, still Judy Garland, but a more low-key delivery. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/17 "2007-04-11T18:16:42Z")
I seem to notice the _endings_ being changed on some commercials. I can’t think of a specific commercial right now, but generally the ending “completes” the commercial in a manner that wasn’t done before. For example, let’s say a man and woman are arguing about something. The first version of the commercial would end with the man having the last word. That would run for a week or three and then the modified version would come out where the woman does have a snappy comeback to Mr. Last Word. Anybody else notice this pattern? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/18 "2007-04-11T18:43:54Z")
[QUOTE=rock party] the blind date in her window who “loves the bingo” [/QUOTE] By the way, and just out of curiosity, am I the only one who wouldn’t mind giving her an O9? ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/19 "2007-04-12T00:05:40Z")
There’s that phone commercial in the series about the dropped calls. It’s the one where the young guy is talking to his father-in-law-to-be. FILTB tells guy to call him “Jim.” The kid starts riffing on silly variations on the name Jim. Early versions of the commercial had him singing “Jimmy Crack Corn and I don’t care…” Those are gone now. I guess somebody got offended or something. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569/20 "2007-04-12T01:11:56Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] a nutrition group and the apple-grower’s lobby (yes, there is such a thing) [/QUOTE] And why shouldn’t there be? There was an ad about 15 years ago that showed a bunch of women in an office gawking at a construction worker who would take off his shirt and drink a soft drink when his break came around. They showed him doing it in slow motion, while a throaty alto sang Willie Dixon’s “I Just Wanna Make Love To You.” After a couple weeks, they changed one of the lines, from the original “I don’t want you/ To be true” to, “But I want you/ To be true.” Which kind of contradicted the part about JUST wanting to make love to him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tweaking-changing-commercials-on-tv/399569.md?page=2)