# Why is the Trivago guy so creepy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780 "2016-03-31T20:53:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/41 "2016-04-10T13:01:44Z")
> [@rainy](#): > > possibly a slightly unusual camera angle in that original commercial that make it appear his proportions aren’t quite right. The framing is definitely weird. Television is the medium of the close-up. They use so many full body head-to-toe shots in these commercials (the YouTube link provided by **RivkahChaya** isn’t _quite_ as bad as some of Trivago’s other commercials but it’s pretty bad). Full body shots on T.V. work when there’s a frame of reference- the character in a real space, we can see where his feet are planted on the ground, we have reference point for scale i.e. standing at a counter ordering coffee or standing by a doorway or standing in front of a car. These full body shots against a green screen are unconventional… but they’re not unconventional _enough_ for it to stand out as an odd or unusual choice. So, as viewers we get this feeling of “something ain’t right” without being able to put a finger on just what it is. Even worse than the full body shots are the shot from about the knee up. That framing is just terrible and looks completely weird. Add to that uneasiness for the viewer, one gets the impression that the full body shots are meant to show him off as a sexy man. Grey haired and mature (he’s a financially stable homeowner who goes on _vacations_ with Travago, ladies!) but with firm flat stomach and looks great in jeans (when he takes you for a weekend getaway, ladies, he’ll have the stamina to make it a weekend you’ll remember!), they’re definitely trying to make a sex symbol out of him. So, we’ve got the uneasiness of the odd camera framing, with a sense that the desired effect is to turn us on. It ends up feeling manipulative- and a manipulative appeal to sex is baseline creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/42 "2016-04-10T13:32:42Z")
The guy’s face is just wrong. He may be a perfectly nice person, but his eyes have a creepy soul-injured expression and his mouth conveys a weak, twisted disposition. Someone with those features trying to sell you anything should and does make peoples’ instinctive alarms clang. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/43 "2016-04-10T16:07:04Z")
Check [this](https://youtu.be/pIIxvtxdSGc) parody out. Awesome sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/44 "2016-04-10T18:55:11Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Check [this](https://youtu.be/pIIxvtxdSGc) parody out. Awesome sauce. It really highlights his creep factor. The disheveled appearance, the slightly off accent, the weird framing. . … The actor looks a little like Freddie Prinze Jr. Who was it? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/45 "2016-04-10T19:31:16Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > 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 completely agree. I remember the first time I saw one of the earlier commercials, the very first impression that came to mind was “this guy is creepy”, and the newer commercials are no different in that respect. I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice person in real life, but something about the way he comes across in those commercials just screams “pervert”. > [@kurtisokc](#): > > … I think it is just that he is a middle aged man who dresses and grooms himself like someone in his 20s. … That might be a big part of it. It’s maybe the creepiness of a middle-aged man who should be acting dignified instead trying to appear sexy. The sort of look that, if he was a school teacher, I would transfer my kids elsewhere and advise the authorities to keep an eye on him. ETA: It’s amazing to me that so many people are seeing this, yet neither the ad agency nor the sponsor can see it. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/46 "2016-04-10T20:52:17Z")
He comes off like Mr Schneider from One Day at a Time. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780/47 "2016-04-11T00:11:53Z")
I bet the agency tells the sponsor the commercials are “edgy” and “provocative.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-trivago-guy-so-creepy/750780.md?page=2)