Krystal's more like White Castle. They say they came first, of course. Li'l square burgers that don't fill you up unless you eat a lot of them.
Down here, they call Rally's "Checkers", but it's the same damn food. Same friendly service, too.

"What do you want? I'm talking to my boyfriend, here!"

Because she wrote down each time in her diary like a good little girl?

Does anyone else think that Pepto got the bottom of the SAG barrel when they ran the casting call for the "Oh, shit, where's the bathroom?" dance ad? You know, the one where all the people in the office do an interpretive dance to explain all the symptoms Pepto cures (Yay! Pepto Bismal!). These people must be desperate for a job to do that.

As long as they don't have that EBay guy, I'm good. I don't need to see his manboobs jiggle around during yet another interpretive dance.

So wait. Is this "the Investigator" dad? The one with eyes in the back of his head, who knows what his daughter's up to at any given moment?

We have no White Castles here. We have Checkers, though, and (hey, topic!) their commercials SUCK. Their slogan: "You gotta eat." I gotta eat? I gotta? WTF? That's the best you could come up with? Who else does this? "Dasani: you gotta drink." "Cotton: you gotta get dressed." Oh, well, in that case...

I've seen a few Checker's around here too, but still haven't seen their ads yet (thank God).


This? Just cracked me up. OT, but I once sat and listened to a bunch of people in class debating the finer points of spring waters such as Poland Spring, Deer Park, and yes, Dasani. Among the debate topics: this brand tastes "saltier", this tastes more "chlorinated", etc.

It's freakin' water - there's not supposed to be a noticable difference. Even when sampling the oh-so-fine Mexican water that gives you "Montezuma's Revenge", you're still not supposed to taste the difference! Unless, of course, you're drinking something like brown water, but that's a different story here...

I have to say that different brands of water do taste different. Some -- not necessarily the pricier brands -- taste better. And Schuylkill Punch -- as the tap variety here is called -- is unmistakably disgusting.

Trojan Condoms: "You gotta fuck."
Tampax: "You gotta hoo-hoo."

With a name like Schuylkill Punch, it has to be good!

Advair: "You gotta GO!"

Yes, there is entirely too much yelling in ads (and real life. Why are so many people so fucking loud all the time?). Too much noise altogether, really. Often after an ad ends, it takes a few minutes for my ears to stop ringing because of the wall of noise that's apparently supposed to convey exciting times or whatever. Those cruise commercials are a prime example.

The Ecstasy three times PSA...there are two versions, one with the mother and one without. One of them has a line like "later we found out she'd taken ecstasy three times..." So I figured her death was investigated and her druggy friends provided the information.

This would work for Pepto-Bismol as well.

Depends: "You gotta piss. Sometimes, you can't pick where."
Metamucil: "You gotta shit sometime."

I know there's more.

And that Detrol bladder medicine. Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now, gotta go gotta go gotta GO!

Aw, I like the Pepto ad (I saw it first! Heh).

Now, I still harbor hate for the antacid ads. People? Your antacids are talking. To. Each Other. Maybe you should have another look at that food you're eating. Or better yet...stop eating bad food so much/often so you don't have to carry around a big jar of talking pills in your coat.

I do have the occasional heartburn from food, myself. But I don't carry around a big bottle of antacids with me all the time. I try to anticipate ahead and have at most, a little roll of supplies. I rattle enough as it is with keys...

TheCustomofLife Now, that would be a good commercial.
Scene: A guy goes into the skankiest bar in town. (In South Bend,Indiana, they're all of this description.) He picks up a girl in her finest hoochie clothes. She has a few teeth missing, and several, huge bruises on her. He dances with her, and they get ready to leave. His buddy runs up with a strip of condoms: "Hey, don't forget. You gotta fuck!!"

I Just saw a Captain Crunch commercial where the kids are upset that Choco Donuts™ are out of stuck. "Hey Captain!" and a big ass chocolate ship comes busting through aisle four or whatever, and the kids are all excited, "Aye-Aye!Captain!!", and you see here, I thought he was off fighting in the Persian Gulf.

There is a difference. The tap water here (cent Indiana) is so foul to me that I drink distilled or filtered water. I had spring water a few weeks ago and it tasted like dirt, I'm so used to drinking water with nothing in it...

I gave in to the lure of the new white meat nuggets, and I'm lovin' em! (sorry, couldn't resist)

Wait - just to clarify my original complaint - I meant that bottled water all tastes the same to me! Yes, tap vs. bottled is noticable, as is different taps.

Dr. Neon, you're always harshing on SB! It's my hometown too, and I miss it. Compared to where I live now, it seems wonderful, though I recall being a tad bored there at times as a teen. I never was much for bars, though, seeing as how I moved away at 21. :)

I think they do divide up the plugging chores. There were six 'stars' who plugged Toledo, and they were mostly from different shows (though 3 were from Smallville -including Tom Welling, also some dorky kid from a crappy sitcom, Amanda Bynes and David Boreanaz from Angel.) I would think the bigger markets get bigger names, although that doesn't take into account why you have Ruthie in Boston and we get dishy Tom Welling.

Correct me if I'm wrong here - a crazy wife goes apeshit on her husband because he ate a Subway sub? In a Subway commercial? What's wrong with their subs all of a sudden? Did they not cause Jared of the Large Pants to lose much unhealthy weight? Are they not the least fattening of all Fast Food anymore, now that bread is passe? What Would Jared Eat now? I am so confused.

I saw a funny commercial while the Colts were biting it during the playoffs last night: a football coach (via cellphone) orders 'Earnhardt' to take the field. Dale Earnhardt (insert appropriate number here) roars on field in his racecar, takes the ball and drives it into the endzone for the TD. The best part was the other teams defenders trying to slow him down, I guess, by trying to grab onto the car.

Yeah, I hate this ad too, along with all this Atkin's nonsense. If you really want to cut the carbs, why not get a subway salad instead? Morons.
Another question: Is the husband a famous baseball player? I got the impression that he was a baseball player and his wife smashed up all his Cy Young awards or something. But hey, it's ok -- she ate at Subway!


I only seem to see black versions of those in Tallahassee, which is kinda strange to me, unless all the fast food joint ads feature black people.


I am pretty sure they spend all after noon speaking the line for each and every station.


Tampac: "You gotta menstrate."
Ex-Lax: "You gotta go!" (Ditto for Raisin Bran)

Hee! Schuykill shoutout! I actually missed Philly tapwater when I moved to Montgomery County, but I think that's my 70-year-old house's nasty pipes adding a lovely copper taste to the already VAGUELY WHITISH water. Copper-infused water tastes like blood, in case you ever wondered.

I don't get why water-filter companies are always using waterfalls. Water. Rocks. Plants growing on rocks. Deer drinking and probably taking a poo in the water. Mmmm. Except not.

ubi, I'm pretty sure the black versions of "I'm lovin' it" are the only ones on TV. I only mentioned the radio boy-band "lovin' it" because it was the first attempt at variation I'd heard.

They finally replayed the annoying "love taps" commercial.

Ah lovin' it
You kno' you mah worl'
How can ah mind lov' taps from mah gurl?

Ghetto-unfabulous.

Cal331, Sorry I was harshing on SB so much. The Night Life has become much less boring, now.
One of the local commercials I hated before I left town was the "Mattress Man" ones. This loudmouth Jerk spoke at nearly 210 decibals in this grating, earache inducing voice, he screamed every line in every commercial. "Hey, I'm the Mattress Man!" Good, I'm goin' to Value City, instead.

If you want to get gross. How about natural fiber commercials..:"(Deep Bass voice singer: Pinchin' a loaf.... ( Soprano chorus) Pinchin' a loaf, pinchin' a loaf, pinchin' a loaf..."

Did I just hear fifteen seconds of music from one of the Bach Passions in a Snickers commercial? I'm not sure because I went from zero to blind and deaf rage in about half a second.

Bad as wasting Verdi and Handel on commercial marketing is, using the Bach Passions was roughly analogous to using one of MLK's sermons or some hymns from the Rig Veda to market candy bars. Handel wrote the Hallelujah Chorus and Verdi wrote the Requiem for the concert hall. Bach wrote this music for use in church during Holy Week.

How. Dare. They.

Word. I get mad enough at them butchering pop songs.

Just an FYI to folks outside of the Delaware Valley, The main water source is a river called the Schuylkill. Because of it has a muddy riverbed, the water looks brown. Even after being filtered the tap water tastes nasty & it tastes really nasty depending on what area of the city you live in.

Mont. Co is just outside of Philly & therefore also gets it's own special brand of "the punch".

So I don't care what the cost is, I'm buying my water.

I had the misfortune of first seeing this at the dinner table - with my parents.

I'm glad someone else mentioned the new McDonald's ads, where the guys are playing poker with fries. Just when you thought their commercials couldn't get any worse, now they're expecting me to watch a bunch of guys touching each other's cold greasy french fries.

I mean, raise your hand if "eeeew."

AdAge has a report on a study which shows what we've been saying all along - the anti-drug ads aren't working.

No. No, I don't feel for stupid people. You know, not people who are unintelligent--STUPID people. People who do things like use another woman's tampons to collect her own, while wearing an all-white outfit; people who think mumbly, unintelligible teens are good at selling cellphones; people who think comedic silliness is a good way to sell fast food. Doesn't know basic math? Unintelligent. It happens, it's evolution and in today's world, it's unfortunate, so I feel for them. People that create ads like this? Although useful in that they create entertainment for a wonderful segment of the population (TWoPers), they are ultimately STUPID.


What do mean? I was very knowledgeable of the Oconto, WI nightlife before I was...uh, anyway. It's Wisconsin, what can I say? And, in case you were wondering, there is no nightlife in Oconto, WI. No need to visit. Honest. I will meet you on Water St in Milwaukee or State St in Madison, however. Bring the cab. And lots of money.

Mmmm, Schuylkill Punch. Chewy goodness.
I somehow contracted a serious case of tonsilitis then strep throat after drinking Da Wor-ter. So its all bottled water for me.
I had to chime in on the Savion Glover V-8 ad from pages ago. My take was that the white woman took a sip of her Spicy V-8, and it made her feel like she was frantically tapping across the laundromat, kicking dryers closed and soft shoein in someone's spilled detergent. But she was actually just walking across the place normally. I base that assumption on the non-reaction of the violated patrons. Wow, I didnt realize i'd thought about that one so much. Now I have to see the Hotels.com commercial again, I never really apid attention to what end the Hotels.com woman was holding. What bothered me about it was that the tape measure ran in a straight line, through a fountain etc. But a hotel patron wouldnt take an "as the crow flies" route like that. Give me measurements in blocks, not inches!

I just saw a ad for Hot Sauce in which a plumber is wearing a frilly ladies' thong, and showing the plumber's crack. Arrrggh! [/Charlie Brown]

No more wrong than I am -- I was at one of their performances when one of them got attacked (a different time, and a much less serious attack) and I laughed my ass off about it -- then and now.

I'm going to hell, i know.



Does anyone remember a couple years ago there was some commercial that was making a point about communication or something, and they took footage of MLK at the Lincoln Memorial (giving his "I Have A Dream" speech) and they digitally altered it to remove the audience, so it was just MLK delivering his speech to an empty mall?

On the one hand, it was an arresting image and a good way to make their point -- but on the other hand, using MLK to market some product just feels....unclean.

I'm probably wrong about this, but IIRC, this ad was for something vaguely "good"--that is, it wasn't exactly MLK extolling on he was lovin' it. In addition, it seems to me that the MLK family is very tight on how his image/speeches/voice are used. I think. Maybe.

This is the commercial I Really came to post about, but couldnt remember. New Mitsubishi gallant driving by, lots of people on the sidewalk randomly waving to the car. I shouldve seen it coming, but in the last shot you see a kid in the backseat happily waving to the world. I'm lovin this one. Even though it has the wildly overused Flaming Lips Do you Realize .
My sibs and I play this game every so often where we'll wave at passersby from inside the car, like its someone we know. The point is to get the person to uncomfortably and confusedly wave back. And yeah, we're all adults and we do it anyway. Cuz we're sick bastards
And i always wave to kids in cars waving at me. I cant help myself

This must be one of the mysteries of the universe. McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" campaign is completely reviled, yet it's responsible for a 10% rise in sales. Why God, why?

Inserting famous people into commercials has gone too far. Not only have they dug up the cold dead digital bodies of MLK, Bogie, and Gene Kelly now we have to endure the Wizard of Oz M&M's.

CBS is going to be showing a special of the best Superbowl commercials of all time. 60 minutes of nothing but commercials! I expect to see the famous Apple 1984, but other than that I don't know which are 'greatest'. Was the Mean Joe Green Coke spot from the Superbowl?

Aquafina tastes much better than Dasani.

VK, what I find amusing is that they'll have a commercial break during the Commercial extravaganza. :) That always amuses me.

I just saw this, and I think it's adorable. Plus, I haven't gotten overwhelmed by "Do You Realize" yet, so I think it works well with the ad. Awwww.

It was mentioned a few pages back, and it's an old ad, but the Staples bingo-printer cartridge commercial is, to me, the funniest commercial ever made. It. never. gets. old. I think it is the most true-to-life commercial I've seen in a long time, too. Hah! I'm smiling just thinking about it.

I've also enjoyed the discussion about the Hotels.com measuring tape ad, because I had the same problem with it the first time I saw it (a while ago), but thought I was crazy for overanalyzing a stupid commercial. I'm not alone!

Tonight's overplayed commercial: Verizon with the Taxi guy driving all over the place as the guy on the phone frantically searches for cell reception. Get out of the car and find a land line, jerk.

But then idiot cellphone users annoy the crap out of me. Watching the Iowa caucuses tonight, noticed one lady on the phone the whole time. 'Cuz she's ON TV! Woo Hoo! Some people should be shot.

I've heard some bad things about the way his family controls them; they basically are milking it for all it's worth, moneywise.

One version of the ad shows the entire room and you see a framed newspaper article about "Local man makes big catch" or something. The wife smashes the framed picture and knocks over the ball he caught.

I'm annoyed by the ad for Pillsbury Grands: "When breakfast is for dinner". Huh? I know people can sometimes make eggs for dinner, or you can make biscuits to go with any meal, but are there that many people out there officially having "breakfast for dinner" that we need a special commercial to tell them to serve biscuits??? And how big are the damn things anyway if eating one makes the little kid sick? How is that a selling point?

Wow. Just when I thought she couldn't possibly be any crazier.

Dear. God. The laughter. The pain. The tears. Oy, I'm dying. OTOH, yay, I started a trend! And then they dance around the bar, waving the condoms at the camera while someone raps badly.

BWAH! Jesus Christ on stilts. You people gotta stop doing this to me. This much laughter can't be good.

Ooh! When?

I'm betting you're right. Not sure where I heard or thought MLK's family was doing the right thing.

More hate to pile on SBC. This time it's for the unlimited long-distance. I know we talked about these a little bit before and the guy lounging at mom's house is actually pretty good. It's something I might do--'cause after all, it's mom.

But, the ad that shows the repair guy at his customer's house? Dumb. Forget the fact that the call itself is "free". Who in their right mind would let a perfect stranger hang out in their house for hours? And the kid sitting on the floor? Dad's cool with him sitting on the phone for 2 hours, but is pissed 'cause he didn't take the trash out? WTF? If I stayed on the phone for 2 hours in my house, I could have been getting paid to talk to the POTUS and my mom still would have been like "hang up the phone--people might be trying to call". Yes, SBC, I get the point. Yes, I suppose they are a little bit clever. No, I won't switch.

Yes, when will CBS air the special "Super Bowl's Greatest Ads" ?

"Breakfast dinner" is a long-standing tradition at my house. It's cheap, easy, and yummy! (Especially when breakfast during the week consists of cold cereal and yogurt and fruit.) That said, however, we breakfast-dinner eaters already know about the whole biscuit phenomenon, so... no, we don't need a special commercial.

The MLK estate has been widely criticized for their handling of MLK's image. Mind you, I think everyone has their own ideas of how his image should be used and someone was going to be unhappy no matter what.


Some of it probably is the same. A lot of plants will bottle several different brands/labels. Aquafina and Dasani don't taste at all alike to me.


Because it's better to be annoying (memorable) than to be good and forgotten. One of the sad truths of advertising.

ETA: But the anti-drug ads still don't work, dammit!

But being annoying can work against an advertiser, too. Yes,I remember the local ads for Buy Rite Furniture which featured the Buy Rite Kid and his Buy Rite Band, and I also remember how I thought the ads were so sleazy-looking that I would never shop there.

It was Alcatel who doctored the clip of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech by removing all the spectators. They did the same thing to Lou Gehrig's "luckiest man on the face of the Earth" speech at Yankee Statium.

YOu see, I thought article on the wall was him making the big leagues or something, but yeah, that wife's insane in a channeling-Vanilla Ice way.


I saw a PSA on MTV that was close to that which featured this guy at one of those pretentious poetry places reciting Ode to my Condom, in which he espoused how using condoms kept him safe and came in many flavours, yada yada prophelactics-cakes. Yuck.

Heh. Yeah, pretty much.