# WTF is going on in these commercials? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 11, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321 "2006-05-11T02:55:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/1 "2006-05-11T02:55:57Z")
I am so confused by these, I just had to write and see if ANYBODY out there understands these two baffling commercials. I know it would help if I remembered the product names, but my brain was still busy trying to make sense of what had happened previously when they flashed it on the screen. Commercial one: a tiny piggy-bank pops up out of a portal in the floor and looks around, blinking. It notices a car noticing it and is apprehensive. A **giant tentacle** that looks like one of Doctor Octupus’s appendages comes out from beneath the hood and attacks the bank with a laser beam, a power saw and a hammer, literally breaking the bank. It extracts one coin that looks like a penny and sucks it beneath its hood, after which it splits into TWO cars! Then there is the name of the car and something about it being cheap. Theories? Commercial two: I didn’t catch the very begining, but when I did look up there was a half-dressed man trapped in a **bondage harness** while two firemen laugh at him, after which they show the same guy using their product, which I believe is some kind of soap or body wash… I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/2 "2006-05-11T03:17:42Z")
The first one is advertising the new Toyota Yaris, which (in the US) is replacing the Echo as their entry-level vehicle. The are two or three-similarly-themed adverts, which apparently are attempting to simultaneously promote the high technology and miserly frugality of the car. The mitosis bit at the end has to do with there being two bodystyles, a hatchback and sedan. I agree that the ads are creepy in the extreme; they’ve already been discussed in another thread here. The other one I haven’t seen. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/3 "2006-05-11T13:50:09Z")
> [@XaMcQ](#): > > Commercial two: I didn’t catch the very begining, but when I did look up there was a half-dressed man trapped in a **bondage harness** while two firemen laugh at him, after which they show the same guy using their product, which I believe is some kind of soap or body wash… I don’t get it. I saw that one this morning. It’s one of Tag’s new commercials. The gist of it seems to be if you use Tag, you’ll have lots of adventurous freaky sex. Of course, if it’s anything like the usual bodysprays/whatever the hell it is they’re pimping, it’ll smell like bug spray and make women flee from you in real life, instead of improving your kinky sex factor. ---
**Author:** ![ScoobyTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/4 "2006-05-11T14:28:33Z")
I haven’t seen the one with the bondage harness, but if it’s like a similar commercial, it is for some sort of Tag/Axe/Huh? shower product, that is so powerful in its cleaning power, it’ll will also wash away shame, humiliation and/or embarassment. Maybe it will wash away the shame of being seen buying the crap. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/5 "2006-05-11T14:39:57Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > I saw that one this morning. It’s one of Tag’s new commercials. The gist of it seems to be if you use Tag, you’ll have lots of adventurous freaky sex. Of course, if it’s anything like the usual bodysprays/whatever the hell it is they’re pimping, it’ll smell like bug spray and make women flee from you in real life, instead of improving your kinky sex factor. Except, of course, with the target group: women who get turned on by bug spray. There’s aren’t many, but what the lack in quantity, the make up in kinkiness. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/6 "2006-05-11T15:09:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Except, of course, with the target group: women who get turned on by bug spray. > > There’s aren’t many, but what the lack in quantity, the make up in kinkiness. Note to self: start hanging out more in REI’s and Gander Mountains… ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/7 "2006-05-11T16:26:13Z")
Tag is **WORSE** than Axe! It is cheap hooker scent of a migraine inducing intensity! ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/8 "2006-05-11T16:50:14Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Tag is **WORSE** than Axe! It is cheap hooker scent of a migraine inducing intensity! Heh. Until this minute, I hadn’t quite realized that there were two different products being advertised in these commercials. Of course, as middle-aged married guy, I’m not in the target market. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/9 "2006-05-11T16:56:40Z")
Axe tag. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/10 "2006-05-11T18:35:32Z")
I haven’t seen the Yaris ad, but I’m wondering - maybe it is meant to appeal to the segment of the market that views Japan as [Wacky TV Land](http://tvinjapan.blogspot.com/). (Interestingly, the first link there as of this post is to a Japanese show about Americans visting Japan called ‘Otaku from USA’.) ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/11 "2006-05-11T23:23:48Z")
In commercial one it kind of creeps me out that the piggy bank is basically being chopped up alive (as indicated by the squinting eyes right before it gets hit with the little mallet). Obviously it’s a cartoon, so it’s not suffering. But it’s weird. ---
**Author:** ![ScoobyTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/12 "2006-05-12T00:41:35Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Axe tag. > > Good times. When I was a kid, we used to play tag with roman candles (in winter, with leather jackets for protection) and shoot BB guns at each other (leather jackets, one pump only). We never thought of Axe Tag. Mom, if you’re reading this, calm down. I’m just making things up. Besides, noone got their eye put out. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/13 "2006-05-12T01:25:03Z")
There’s another Yaris ad showing a spider-like creature made out of gas pump nozzles. The car is equally merciless. The ads are cool, but they make the car look like a big sadistic meanie. As for Tag ads, they do employ a lot of really hot women. It doesn’t make me want to buy the product, though I might invest in a Tivo. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/14 "2006-05-12T02:28:12Z")
> [@ScoobyTX](#): > > I haven’t seen the one with the bondage harness, but if it’s like a similar commercial, it is for some sort of Tag/Axe/Huh? shower product, that is so powerful in its cleaning power, it’ll will also wash away shame, humiliation and/or embarassment. > > Maybe it will wash away the shame of being seen buying the crap. Seen it – it is indeed as you say, and the “running gag” is a pitchman character, wearing a bathrobe colored Buddhist-monk saffron, who tells you that the way to release yourself from shame is to join the users of this product. Me, I think I’d rather stick to the classic theme that using our product will land you a posse of hot babes… > [@vaderspal](#): > > In commercial one it kind of creeps me out that the piggy bank is basically being chopped up alive (as indicated by the squinting eyes right before it gets hit with the little mallet). Just to make reference to **panamajack** ’s post above yours, don’t _ever_ watch the animé titled _Cat Soup_. You’d be quite disturbed… ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/15 "2006-05-12T03:00:24Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Seen it – it is indeed as you say, and the “running gag” is a pitchman character, wearing a bathrobe colored Buddhist-monk saffron, who tells you that the way to release yourself from shame is to join the users of this product. I believe the fictiicious group is called- God knows why- The Order of the Serpentine. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/16 "2006-05-12T03:26:24Z")
They seem to run those body spray ads a lot in Adult Swim. One of the other commercials involves a wimpy guy who hooked up with a female body builder type. And now he’s feeling queezy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/17 "2006-05-12T04:03:49Z")
Giant tentacles in a commercial for a Japanese product… Hmm. Did there happen to be schoolgirls and/or catgirls around? ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-going-on-in-these-commercials/356321/18 "2006-05-12T04:08:42Z")
The point is that it gets a lot from a little, I think.