2012-366 Day 14 – Commercials

Why exactly is it that so many companies nowadays are trying to sell their products by making their users act like jerks? Or how about commercials that show their product doing something of which it’s not capable? I’ve seen (or heard) so many commercials in the last year that leave a bad taste in my mouth, and I have to wonder what the people who are creating these ad campaigns are thinking. Here’s some that have stuck out to me.

1) The Summoner Ad

Ha, ha, men checking their phone on a date and lying about it. What bothers me the most is how clueless they paint the woman. Obviously she would have no clue how a phone works or about a phone’s capabilities, she’s a woman! Give me a break. Makes me cringe every time.

2) Recent Kit Kat Radio commercials

There are a few of these, and all follow the same formula: some person is eating a Kit Kat and refusing to participate in an activity that they would be otherwise expected to do. The one that sticks out to me as most egregious is the speed dating ad, which consists of a woman eating Kit Kat bar and refusing to interact with the man across the table from her during their speed date, claiming she’s on a Kit Kat break. There’s no indication that the man is hideous (and even if he his, that doesn’t justify her completely blowing him off), and he spends the entire commercial just trying to get anything out of this woman. Why is she someone I want to be like, and why does painting a Kit Kat customer as a complete tool make it more attractive?

3) Nissan Frontier Commercial

“Fantasy. Trucks can’t snowboard. Do not attempt.” “Or do barrel rolls. Do not attempt.” Then why are you showing me a CGI’d truck doing it? What can your truck do? They do it in another one where the truck is used as replacement for broken landing gear on a plane. Why is your campaign showing us all this stuff your truck can’t do?

I don’t understand how some of this stuff makes it on TV or the radio, and who thinks it’s such a good idea. I’m sure I’ll find more commercials that bother me over the course of the year, and I’ll be sure to let you know about them.

Weight: 236.4 Max: 240 Min: 236.4 Body Fat %: 24.9
Yearly Mileage: 6.5 miles
Current Belt: Purple – Next Belt: Orange (Blue?) – Next Test Date: 3/12
Fitocracy Level: 7 (5471 points, 121/1750 to next level) – ID: disciplev1