Among my favourite hobby horses is TV advertising - yes that again !
Those of you of a delicate constitution, or who are easily shocked or offended had better stop reading here.
In the last hour my eyes and ears have been assaulted by, first of all, a well-known comic actor of stunted growth, who is apparently advertising a food home delivery service, whose name he pronounces as "Woocher",
Now as I've previously mentioned ad's fail with me since I never remember the name of the product, but in this case, were it not written for all to see, i would be completely unable to recognise the verbally mangled version offered up by this diminutive but immensely irritating man.
Next is the unintentionally ambiguous nature of another add, this time for a skin-care product which declares "Every time you shave you can seriously damage your underarms"
Really?
Doesn't it rather depend on what or where you are shaving?
I've already had my rant about the glaring-eyed, greasy haired, loud "Yer buy one, yer get one free" fellow, so let's off-set these with my current favourite. No, really, there are at least 3 ad's I actually like.
This one has the superb meerkats in a new situation.
Lovely old Sergei obviously thinks he is about to be retired. His sorrowful dark eyes and trembling little furry chin speak volumes, only to be transformed to ecstatic paw/hand clapping as he realises he is being given a new computer to save his waning energies.
The appeal of these cleverly devised little creatures goes way beyond most advertising techniques and your heart would have to be very hard not to find a soft spot for them.
Nevertheless, I still am not sure what they are advertising.
Good afternoon Ray, one of the many reasons I no longer watch TV (here in the states) is because of commercials! The good ones were so few and far between what was the point...of course the same could be said of the TV shows themselves. I rather be online where I can pick and choose what I want to see and read...and while there are ads, most have a little "x" in the corner, click it and they're gone!
ReplyDeleteRay, my solution to the irritating adverts is to mute the sound while they are on. Problem solved! Mind you that does mean I have to be quick on the button when the meerkats appear as DH and I think those ads are fantastic. especially the latest. :-) We also like the BT ads with the little stick figure being blown across the screen with her long scarf or buried by a fall of autumn leaves.
ReplyDeleteDear Ray,
ReplyDeleteJust a quick note to say that I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve chosen you as one of my five blogs for the Liebster Blog award. If you’d like to drop by and pick it up, you can copy the image direct from my post. I hope lots of people enjoy finding and reading your blog.
Best wishes, Madeleine
I have arrived here via PixieMum blog. We watch so little television and most of what we do watch is BBC so I haven't a clue what most of the adverts. are about. I am jointing the ARIG club too.
ReplyDeleteHi Theanne. I imagine you are far in advance of me technically, so I can understand your preference for online programmes.
ReplyDeleteFor me, TV is one thing and the lap-top something quite different. I do pick and choose my TV but prefer to watch it in the comfort of the sitting-room chairs, rather than upstairs on a hard office chair and with a small screen.
Whichever floats your boat, the ad's are just as irritating.
Hi Perpetua.
ReplyDeleteYes, I suppose I could use the mute, but then I'd have one less thing to complain about.
Like you, the quirky ad's appeal the most to me and they are very few and far between.
I liked the very first of the Lloyds ad's with the Hans Christian Anderson-like turrets and castles and the little people with the turned up noses.
It has suddenly struck me that the appeal of all my favourites is visual. So.....that's why the product never registers with me.
Hi Madeleine, Many thanks for the nomination, I shall post an appropriate response as soon I have my five sorted.
ReplyDeleteHello Cheshire wife, welcome to the mad-house. I am pleased to hear you are a fellow member of ARIG. There are a lot of us out there.
ReplyDeleteI've come to your blog from Pixie Mum and am so glad I did. ARIG sounds right up my street. My husband like to use the mute button -- I'd rather not as then I have to listen to him spouting off! And I do like the meercats! I find I almost never remember what an ad is advertising though ...
ReplyDeleteHello there Broad. I have encountered your comments on other blogs from time to time. Welcome to mine (the more the merrier) particularly if ARIG sounds like the club for you.
ReplyDeleteHere in the U.S. there is an insurance company by the name of GEICO who uses a funny little animated ghecko (lizard) in it's ads. Often I have found myself wondering if I should sign up for western dance lessons, or sign on for some sort of land reclamation project. I've never once considered contacting GEICO to get their insurance coverage.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I don't pay much attention to T.V. or ads. I think it's one reason I have a shred of sanity left (I think).
Hi Kathleen.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you belong to the (quite large), part of the world population which believes itself to be sane.!
Sadly, I am daily relinquishing more and more of that illusion/delusion.
Never mind, as they used to say when I was a teenager, I'm just as happy as if I was in my right mind.