I think he’s creepy, the wife thinks he’s creepy, everyone I discuss TV things with holds the same opinion . . .
Just what is it about him? In the first set of commercials I thought it was because he was unshaven and dressed sloppy.
But even shaved and dressed better in the latest commercials he still has some icky vibe I can’t quite put my finger on.
Your deep thoughts on this?
I had to look him up. I was thinking of the guy who looks like George V/Nicholas II but he’s hotels dot com.
Assuming this is him, he is very “To Catch a Predator”, isn’t he?
He IS creepy, isn’t he?!?! My husband and I thought so when we saw his very first commercial.
I don’t know why. He just doesn’t exude charm.
He seems like he thinks he’s one-sexy-motherfucker. To me that’s where his creepiness comes from.
I think there is something about the natural position his mouth between speaking his lines. He’s sort of got a sort of forced a half smile with just the corners of his mouth, that makes it look like he’s trying to hide something.
Originally he was unshaven in a rumpled overcoat and I thought that had a lot to do with his creep factor. But they’ve cleaned him up recently. Didn’t work. Still creepy.
I’ve just always assumed it’s because Trivago comes across as fake all the way across. They don’t do anything but consolidate data available elsewhere. They have a name that means nothing, but must have scored well in focus groups. They have a spokesman with no name and no memorable attributes, also straight from focus groups who want to communicate something like “reliable and trustworthy, but not old fashioned.”
So he does come across as creepy, but the whole thing is creepy. It’s like an uncanny valley of commercialism and marketing.
The guy’s name is Tim Williams. He’s an American, but he’s popular in Germany because he apparently speaks flawless German.
That, and his facile intonations, going on for a full minute - his voice is louder than a lot of commercials I hear. Disingenuous attempts at trying to be Mr. Charming-Everyday Guy.
And oh-so-slightly slurring over the “t” in “hotel”, like he’s trying to make it sound like something new.
He says “trivago” with some hint of an accent. Irritating.
He’s not as creepy as that bearded old guy in the catheter commercial.
I sort of get the “G-Man from Half-Life” feeling from him, like he learned to act like a human by watching people interact with each other but didn’t pay enough attention.
Those pictures of him on the IMDB linked above are even creepier than the Trivago commercials. And I think dracoi has it right, both the company and the spokesperson are creepy.
He reminds me of the old Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer.
He reminds me of a chain smoker; I imagine he smells of smoke, and I change channels ASAP.
Sort o’ creepy. Mostly annoying. His voice goes through my spine.
.
His mouth smiles but his eyes do not.
Because they are busy undressing you?
He looks okay to me.
Of course, I am a famously bad judge of character.
Trivago is based in Germany. That could explain why they used an actor who can speak German, and why the ads are a little off-putting to American ears.
I’ve never seen him speak any German, so that has no bearing on how this viewer finds him off-putting.
