The Author

The Author
Any day is a good day to write

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Why are some commercials so bad?

     One of the nicest things about having DVRs is the ability to skip through commercials, but, unfortunately, I watch a lot of live sports on TV, especially this time of year.  The playoffs in MBL are on, there's college and NFL football, and I watch whenever I can.  By its very nature, live sports tends to stop you from recording it because few people like to watch a sporting event if you know the outcome. There are occasions that I will DVR an event, but only if it's a major game that I want to watch and that there is very little chance I will find out who won ahead of time. There have been those time that I found out the score and then guess how much fun that is to watch?  Right.  None.  Unless your team destroys someone like 73-0 and you want to watch for the sheer perverse thrill of watching your team be supremely valiant over those poor suckers who played them.
     However, I digress. Because I watch them live, I'm forced to sit through the commercials.  Now, normally I don't mind commercials, in fact, as Super Bowl Sunday has proven, commercials can be downright entertaining and fun.  For example, one of the best, and it's been on a lot lately, is the little boy in the car commercial who is running around in a Darth Vader outfit trying his best to bring inanimate objects to life with no success.  Then Dad comes home and the little boy tries to bring the car to life with his powers. With his Dad inside the house watching, Dad starts the car by remote control and the little boy is startled and turns with a look of "I did it, I did it", that is priceless.  Dad just winks at Mom and then the rest of the commercial is about the car.  I cannot tell you the name of the car for sure but I think it's Audi.
     Unfortunately, another commercial is a bearded man in a ship captain's uniform, with an obviously fake octopus on his shoulder walking into his house to an awaiting female partner, who just happens to be beautiful.  Spilling from his pockets are silver and golden coins that while they are talking fill the room he is in. They laugh insanely as they are swallowed up by the golden coins, while she gives the tag line, which is something about his smelling good.  The commercial by the way, is Old Spice.  Perhaps you think I'm making a point for those people who make these things.  I can tell you without uncertainty that the product name I remember best is the bad one, and the one I loved the most, I'm only pretty sure I'm right.  So the Madison Avenue types will stop right there and say, "See; that proves our point!" Wrong, wrong, wrong.  I will remember the Audi commercial and next time I'm looking at a car, and have the means to purchase one, I will remember the Audi commercial with good feelings.  The next time I'm looking to buy aftershave lotion I will buy any product EXCEPT Old Spice. This commercial is so bad, I'm struggling with the fact people, seemingly in their right minds, wrote, produced, directed and PAID FOR this outrageous piece of advertising crap.  So, I will do MY best to set this right.  By NEVER buying their product and passing on the word to others.  It's the least I can do.

2 comments:

  1. It was a Volkswagen.

    Just checking in and on.

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  2. Thanks, Virginia. Now I have good vibes about Volkswagen instead of Audi. I can afford a Volkswagen, I think. I can't afford an Audi.

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