Most annoying omnipresent ad campaign.......

[marmar]

Poll question: Most annoying omnipresent ad campaign.......

As I'm sitting here having fun on DU, with the TV on as background noise, the fourth FreeCreditReport.com commercial this hour has just come and gone. Even if I was remotely curious about the service they offer (which I'm not), their irritating-as-hell commercials would prevent me from ever seeking them out.

Of these inescapable (short of turning off the tube) ad campaigns, which one most gets under your skin?

[Ken Burch]

1. The Cialis one. It's confusing too.

If you didn't speak English and saw the ads you'd think it was a medication for people who are physically incapable of bathing.

[Stephanie]

109. Why are they always in bathtubs outdoors???

[Naturyl]

2. Smiling Bob.

"Natural Male Enhancement."

[marmar]

4. I hate to say it, but I like the Bob commercials because they're so obvious....

.... a "swelling" of confidence.

[panader0]

10. "a sack full of pride."

[MisterP]

18. I'm reassured by his resemblance to Howdy Doody (and they're obviously humorous)

the ones I hate are the "fine in moderation" corn syrup ads: a few corporate phrases puked out in a condescending tone, and all objections are silenced
it's worse than fracking Player Piano or Walden Two!!!111

and the pill advertisement that says that the FDA makes "all" pills of its type carry a warning label (implying that ITS brand of 50-mg bomblets are safe)

on edit: and the cloying "it's all right sweetie, there's no monster under the bed" voice the HCFS spots use
and the "animal testing benefits animals" spot: saw it once, but wondered how stoned the exec had to be to approve it. Don't you dare object to our lifelong Inquisitorial chambers!

[Digit]

42. Watch for the angle of his hands, too

In fact...all the angles are pointing





UP

[dysfunctional press]

51. the north pole...

i really like the saucy little minx who does the little 'dip' before hopping on santa bob's lap...she's a go-er.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. Oh that's a good one. Embarrassing, him sitting there smiling, her smiling about his 'big one'

Keep it in the bedroom folks.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. One I like - The map / broom trying to woo the woman away from swiffers

cute!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

90. Baby Come Back! n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

97. That's it. I kinda feel sad for the map and broom. lol

[Believing Is Art]

6. If the Progressive woman ends up dead . . .

Chances are I will be fleeing from the law.

[marmar]

7. ROFL......

:rofl: I think the jury would be very sympathetic.

[Believing Is Art]

15. Dude she's worse than the Shamwow guy

I pray for her death nightly. I imagine spikes impaling her, sharks eating her limbs, slow poisoning from antifreeze, root canals with no sedation, a trip to the most remote regions of Nunavut without a jacket, long needles inserted into her eyes by a deranged clown, hours of listening to nothing but post-Genesis Phil Collins.

I detest her.

[anigbrowl]

22. She's awesome. She'll have a major role in a TV show in a few years.

You do realize she's acting, yes? Sheesh.

[Believing Is Art]

25. No hyperbole allowed?

Of course she's acting. She missed "endearingly enthusiastic" and hit "damned annoying." The commercials make me never want to use Progressive, so she's not doing a very good job.

[ihavenobias]

38. Amen.

Pasty and obnoxious is not a good combo.

[Stinky The Clown]

39. I've seen her in an actual movie playing an actual role .......

.... and she was playing the same character she plays in the Geico commercial, just not as over the top.

[Ken Burch]

94. Actually, she's had a continuing role recently as the switchboard operator on "Mad Men"

n/t.

[ejpoeta]

67. i wouldn't say she's worse that that annoying shamwow guy.

what's with the mic, anyway. but now he does that chopper commercial too. you have to assume that when either of these people started out, they weren't planning on gigs like they ended up with.

[Believing Is Art]

86. Shamwow guy's pretty bad

but I find it easier to ignore total doucheness than contrived enthusiasm. The Progressive commercials are the only ones that I really have to change the channel for to avoid a bad mood.

[snooper2]

84. She is HOT!!!!

nt

[Ken Burch]

95. Wow...a "Flo" subthread on DU....

Isn't that a sign of the Last Days?

[snooper2]

100. Si

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

12. I'll fight you for her!

:rofl:

[DKRC]

19. Not if I get to her first

No one will ever find that damn noisemaker!

[Believing Is Art]

20. Hell no

If I find her first, her body will end up in dumpsters on every different content, and somehow her whole family will get syphilis.

[madeline_con]

45. Pretty harsh stuff!

My complaint is, what's with the apron? Who wears a white apron to sell insurance?

[-..__...]

49. Stephanie Courtney

She actually has a somewhat modest acting career under her belt...

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0183960

I think she's kind'a cute myself.

[Frank Cannon]

64. So do I

I just don't get all the Flo the Progressive Girl hate. I find her strangely attractive.

I'm sure there are some straight women or gay guys out there who have secret fantasies about Chad the Alltel Guy.

[spoony]

55. Lol, and it's unfortunate because I think it's a good company

Actually founded by a progressive, iirc.

[empyreanisles]

56. I think she's kinda hot...:) (n/t)

[Odin2005]

105. WTF do you have against Flo!?!

:rant:

[GinaMaria]

8. What's in Your Mailbox?

I'm going with Capital One. There is crap to shred every other day from them. Re.lent.less. I will never have one of their credit cards because of this. Stop wasting paper, stop mailing and emailing me. This must be working for them somehow, but I can't see it :shrug:

[ima_sinnic]

63. opt out of all credit offers at this website:

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t

I signed up several years ago and it reduced my junk mail by about half. You can opt out permanently or for 5 years. And you can opt back in if you want in the future.

some more information: http://www.creditsourceonline.com/opt-out.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. What about the Verizon mute smiling nerd in the gray jacket?

[OmahaBlueDog]

11. BILLY MAYS HERE FOR OXI-CLEAN

or whatever he's shilling this week.

[ejpoeta]

68. he's just freeaking loud!!! is he that loud in real life!! geesh.

[OmahaBlueDog]

83. We have a running joke in our house..

...we try to envision Billy Mays in romantic moments.

I'M BILLY MAYS AND I LOVE YOU. WILL YOU MARRY ME!?

[stillcool]

13. I'll go with Cialis

I kind of like the little gecco..but the cave man has got to go. What's with the new get it up aid..sounds like some kind of vacuum?

[madamesilverspurs]

14. Capital One

with the weird little kid wearing pasta while mouthing, "Watts in your wawwet?"

Nightmare commercial - starring the offspring of Progressive lady and Billy May ("I yell, you buy" guy). . .

[hfojvt]

50. I cannot believe Capital One didn't make the list

What's on your TV? I think the Vikings that they are still using must be over ten years old.

[Mike Daniels]

77. The barbarian Captial One ads are the only ones I really like

the others, ehhh but I find the barbarian ads clever/cute enough to stay on the right side of "not annoying/annoying."

[spoony]

57. "I yell, you buy"

:rofl: Perfect.

[Marr]

16. I was literally *just* complaining about those stupid Free Credit Report commercials.

Their songs don't make sense. Why the hell would you have to work in a themed restaurant because of bad credit?

[anigbrowl]

23. Someone needs a humor transplant

Cheesy themed restaurant = un-fun job. Un-fun job necessitated by poor credit situation. I like those commercials, they're some of the better ones on TV even though I have no interest in the service being offered.

[Marr]

52. Yeah- the people at the ad agency.

:p

[CTyankee]

107. I find "I married my dream girl" terribly sad.

It's depressing. Those loser guys sitting around playing guitar and drums and the little wife trying to do some housework. They all seem so adrift and not conscious of their situation...

A commentary on how some of us live I guess...

[EFerrari]

26. I should have seen it coming at me like an atom bomb.

Ear worm from HELL.

[Marie26]

27. Yeah, now it's in my head

Arrrggh! Another reason it tops the annoying list.

[Bill219]

78. How about the disgusting one where at the end of it...

He insinuates that he wouldn't have married his dream girl if he had known that she had bad credit.

[EFerrari]

98. That one didn't run very long!

lol

[Ken Burch]

32. Presumably he couldn't get loans to keep his grow-op going

I do like the fact that the guy doesn't even try to fake the guitar-playing believably.

[madeline_con]

44. To pay the card off.

:eyes:

[Marr]

108. But he's complaining that he couldn't get a *good* job

because of his credit, so he had to work in a pirate restaurant. It's not that he just needs money to pay the bill, he...

What the hell am I doing. I'm analyzing the stupidest commercial I've seen in years.

[Systematic Chaos]

46. Because a surprising number of jobs check your credit?

Casinos, call centers and fucking convenience stores to name some.

Yup, that's right. If you have thousands in unpayable medical co-pays or your credit is bad for any other reason, you're a complete piece of shit to the world. :shrug:

[Dukkha]

92. not to mention it's a scam

if it was 'free' why are they advertising so much? they have you submit your account number for your report then unknowingly sign upi up for a monthly service and bill your card.

[Odin2005]

104. It's a reference to some 80s movie.

It's before my time to the name of the movie isn't coming to me. The main teen character was made to work at a pirate-themed restaurant to pay for something or another.

[Skip Intro]

17. I kinda liked the Geico ones until that wierd stack of dollar bills with eyeballs.

just stupid

did the cavemen want a raise?

[Ken Burch]

34. It'd be good if they had the money chasing the Cavemen, though

n/t.

[ejpoeta]

69. looks like they're trying to cut back on marketing costs or something.

i definitely don't like the dollar bills with eyes. creepy. stupid.

[Mike Daniels]

80. Once they went to just the one perpetually pissed off caveman

vs. the gang of cavemen the adverts lost something.

Watching someone with a bug up his ass pout through a spot just isn't that appealing.

[madamesilverspurs]

21. Just saw a new one...

for a nasal spray. Animated little soldiers carrying an oversized bottle with an extended tip toward a large nostril (yeah, I know, the ramifications, the implications). Anyway, at the end, one of the soldiers wipes his brow and shouts "mission accomplished!"

So somebody on Madison Avenue thought using that particular phrase was a good idea. Maybe Mr.VanWinkle should have gotten updated before putting that ad together, eh?

[madeline_con]

47. Mr.VanWinkle

:rofl:

[Marie26]

24. FreeCreditReport.com

It's a scam. It's not free at all, & it charges people who use it. It imitates the REAL free credit report service that the gov. offers. It takes advantage of consumers who want to improve their credit by saddling them w/another debt.

This is the real government site, and it is free: annualcreditreport.com

[MadBadger]

28. AFLAC

Fucking Duck

[Iggo]

29. You say "most annoying".

The ad agency hears "most effective".

And you're both right.

[spanone]

30. the ones about the guys peeing too much is obnoxious

[havocmom]

31. Just glad the not-Cialis male enhancer went from the soft porn to wholsome couple next door

The porn-style one was really low brow. Wholesome couple next door thinking 'this could be fun' not quite as annoying. Still, one wonders just what is in those pills that everybody and their cow is selling them on TV, spam emails....

Is it really just a pill form of Kool-Aide with really weird marketing? Why all the effort to convince American males they need enhancing? Sorta soft version of 'terra terra terra!' mind games to keep people obsessing instead of paying attention?

THAT's Annoying!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

33. Extenz

My mom has dish network. It seemed like it was every third commercial on some networks. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH.

[rug]

35. That toenail commercial.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

61. I think the little monsters are hilarious!

:rofl:

[-..__...]

36. Give me back that Fillet O' Fish...

Give me that Fish!!!!

Give me back that Fillet O' Fish, Give me that Fish!!!

What if it were YOU hanging up on this wall?

If it were YOU in that sandwich you wouldn't be laughing at all

Whoooo!

Not only would I enthusiastically endorse the public disembowelment of the ads creators...

I'd gleefully hold them down like in the purification scene from "Braveheart".

[OnyxCollie]

40. Aaaah!

I HATE THAT SONG! There has got to be some mind control in that commercial. That song burrows into you brain. All my relatives were talking about it last weekend.

[Stevenmarc]

72. I can't get to the mute button fast enough for that one.

[Stinky The Clown]

37. John Sheer ..... "Try my product. You'll be sooo satisfied"

[Stinky The Clown]

41. Anuh-thin with Anthunny Sulluvun in it.

[NYC Liberal]

43. Other: HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!

HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!
HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!
HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!
HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!
HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!
HEADON: Apply DIRECTLY to the Forehead!

[ejpoeta]

70. i haven't even seen any of those in awhile.

[ColbertWatcher]

48. Excellent question! Viva Viagra and all the militarism!

I've seen a bunch of commercials lately with military-like themes in them.

There's the one with the stock girl at the grocery store doing her job and minding her own business when all of a sudden some asswipe falls from the sky and yells at her to take a Halls lozenge.

Then there's the one about the girl who's on her period and some off-camera drill sergeant whistles every time she sleep incorrectly causing her to snap to attention.

Oh, and then the commercial about the kid who's on detention, but the school is run by a delivery company. (I think the commercial is for a phone company though)

I hate commercials and how advertising is fucking everywhere, but I especially hate how the military is injected into even the most ridiculous situations.

[dysfunctional press]

53. i'm getting really tired of the burger king ad with the midget farmer...

it was on at least 5 times in one episode of south park this evening.

[spoony]

54. Just saw a Quiznos ad where a worker was in foreplay with an oven

It was about some new toasted sandwich, and the oven at one point says, "put it in me." Lol, that's going to generate some letters.

[47of74]

110. This one?

This one here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQpRQh2KSQ

It's worse than the one where a woman told half the planet what real women needed.

[Bonobo]

58. Those FUCKING INVESTMENT COMMERCIALS!!!

Like with the baby, you know? The ones with the rotoscoping and those smug, rich fucks?

Grrrrr!!! Burns me up!!

[empyreanisles]

59. How about those BP commercials, where they try and make it like

they really care about finding alternative energy sources. But hey, we still need to look for oil too!!!

[Urban Prairie]

60. Cash4GoldDotCom

"A safe, secure transaction,with satisfaction guaranteed"

Yeah, satisfaction guaranteed for his company, I'd like to smack the smile right off that lying asshole's face.

[Ganja Ninja]

74. Yeah its a ripoff from what I've heard. n/t

[EFerrari]

62. The one that irritates me is the hair color commercial with Diane Keaton

where they have the same music playing that they used behind the cave men (that another place in time cr@p). How could they do that to DIANE KEATON. lol

[taterguy]

65. I have no idea because I don't let my brain get rotted by the idiot box

I read books.

BOY DOES THAT MAKE ME FEEL SUPEROR!!

[ejpoeta]

66. they are all pretty annoying, but i hate the erectile dysfunction commercials

or any of the pharma commercials worst of all. my brother in law LOVES the free credit report.com commercials.

[Fuzz]

71. NUTRISYSTEM!!!!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

73. What does an economic tsunami mean to a surfing CEO?

Completely inane discussion between the "surfing CEO" and the announcer/interviewer. The ultimate message from Microsoft seems to be- technology is good and stuff.

[POAS]

75. The "Catheter" commercial with the

woman complaining about having to sterilize her cath every time she used it.

[Mike Daniels]

76. The phone company ad with the really "uptight" mom (reusable cell-phone minutes)

There's someone who needs a nice hot bubble bath or some other intense relaxation moment.

[Kalyke]

79. I could never vote for FreeCreditReport.com because my

21-month-old daughter LOVES that commercial. She used to fall asleep on our bed while we were watching TV and literally wake up just to watch that commercial and then go back to sleep.

I picked the Cialis one. Who puts bathtubs in vineyards? And where are their clothes?

[acmavm]

81. Cialis. I wish to hell those limp dick mo fos would just pop their

damn pill and leave me out of it. I don't want to hear it.

And I'd put a bounty out on any, REGARDLESS OF SEX, that sits in a bathtub outside holding hands.

[MineralMan]

82. Right now, it's the Subway $5 Footlong ad, with the

annoying dancing people.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

91. Five dollar...

five dollar foot long!!!

which my boyfriend, who mostly has a one-track mind, changes into "five dollar foot schlong"

[DireStrike]

85. NY Times - "There's the week, the weekend, and then there's the weekender"

I think they have a new commercial now, but it is just as filled with smug upper-class people who seem to think the NYT has granted them godlike awareness and mental acuity.

[Malikshah]

87. Completely agree.... I read the NYT and my bowel movements

smell like sunshine and lollypops...

Reallllly annoying.

[Seeking Serenity]

88. The Netflix radio ad campaign

"(Tympani roll) And now for the bonus round."

I can't reach the volume knob fast enough. And now, as soon as I hear that tympani, I'm on it without having to hear another word.

The first couple of versions were cute (hey, I love nonsensical, nonsequiturish-type humour as much as the next person), but now they are just too annoying for words.

[Dukkha]

89. I like Flo the Progressive.com chick

cute and sassy.
she does need to tone down on the Amy Winehouse make-up job.

[Spike89]

93. assorted pharma ads using silhouettes

My theory is the meds make you feel better, but also really, really ugly--so ugly that they can't even show you on TV. I also hate the investment ads with faux cartooning of the actors/actresses.

[Phentex]

96. I hate those too!

They're creepy and odd. I can't imagine anyone thinking this was a good idea.

[Chovexani]

99. Any and all boner pill ads.

I seriously do not give a fuck about the state of America's wangs.

[Cetacea]

101. The two hundred plus decibel guy with the beard

I have no idea what he is talking about but I always have to run into the room to turn down the TV volume when he comes on. It costs just 19.99.

[Odin2005]

106. I HATE Billy Mays with a vicious passion.

His voice is obnoxious.

[Phoonzang]

102. Definately Cialis. The Geico ads never get old to me....

Especially the cavemen.

[Odin2005]

103. FreeCreditReport. It's a big scam.

They are charging for a service that you are legally entitled to have for free.

[Morning Dew]

111. I'm pleased to see a new Life Alert or Lifecall or some such ad

The one that brings back

"I've fallen and I can't get up"

except now it's

"I've fallen off the ladder and I can't get up"