Commercial Characters you love or hate

[1995hoo]

Anyone remember the yodeling Cheerios commercials of the '70s? It was a cartoon of a youngster (just white lines on a black background) who opened a box of Cheerios, and the box yodeled, "Cheerio-o-o-os!"

When I was in grade school, one of my favorite things to do was stand at the top of the street and yodel, "Cheerio-o-o-os!"

I don't, but now you've prompted me to remember one of my favorite series of commercials from the early 1980s: Donutz cereal with the singing donuts.

I had this cereal a few times–not very often because our mom only let us have what she called "junk cereal" (a term which, to my chagrin, included Frosted Flakes and Cookie Crisp) when we went on our family vacation in August. I remember liking it quite a bit, especially when consumed dry so the milk didn't wash off any of the sugar!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAVc0ushE_k


We never tried the chocolate variety before the product vanished from the stores:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slNK2uQTjr4

[hm insulators]

I pretty much dislike all commercials, radio and TV.

[roadman]

I find many of the ads run by our local news station (WBZ AM) to be extremely obnoxious both in terms of content and how frequently they are repeated.  The top "I can't stand" WBZ ads that immediately come to mind:

Gary LaPierre (a former WBZ anchor) hawking the legal services of a firm that advocates sheltering assets to avoid paying for nursing home services ("They helped me, and I'm sure they can help you.").  Every time I hear the ad, I can't help but be reminded of the WKRP episode where Herb Tarlek had the DJs run ads for "Shady Hills Rest Home" in exchange for the home continuing to care for his mother.

1-800-KarsForKids.  A local charity that takes used cars for a tax credit (and some sort of a vacation voucher).  They have at least two versions of the ad with equally horrible jingles.  Not only that, but unlike other charities that solicit old cars (i.e. Salvation Army), the ads give absolutely no indication as to the charity's actual programs (i.e. where does the money go).

Of particular note is that the KarsForKids charity (remember, it's Kars with a "K") comes up as "cannot find" when I conducted a search of the local charity "rating and evaluation" sites.  No, I wasn't interested in donating a car to them, but I was still curious about what their cause really is, and what percentage of the value of the donated cars they receive actually go to supporting a legitimate cause -as opposed to paying expensive ad time on local radio stations and other "administrative" costs)

[Pete from Boston]

Kars for Kids is a controversial program run by a particular Orthodox Jewish group that aims to get kids from other branches of Judaism to attend Orthodox institutions.  Quite controversial even beyond their less-than-transparent (I'm being kind) ads.

Talk about a LaPierre Reality Check.

I do like a lot of the WBZ in-house ads done by Michael Coleman (he's the ubiquitous voice on both station promos and paid ads that any regular listener knows).  Granted, there's nothing special about Post Road Carpet in Acton, but I like his flourishes like the deep breath after reading the station contest disclaimer.  There are still a few fun radio folks left down there.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Any commercial that has in it's dialog:  Learn what the experts don't want you to know

[roadman]

Kars for Kids is a controversial program run by a particular Orthodox Jewish group that aims to get kids from other branches of Judaism to attend Orthodox institutions.  Quite controversial even beyond their less-than-transparent (I'm being kind) ads.

That explains quite a bit - thanks for the info.

I do like a lot of the WBZ in-house ads done by Michael Coleman (he's the ubiquitous voice on both station promos and paid ads that any regular listener knows).  Granted, there's nothing special about Post Road Carpet in Acton, but I like his flourishes like the deep breath after reading the station contest disclaimer.  There are still a few fun radio folks left down there.

Personally, I've never liked it when station announcers, commentators, traffic reporters, etc. also do the ads.  To my way of thinking, it blurs the line between broadcasting and advertising way too far.  I also ABSOLUTELY hate the "need" to insert disclaimers, especially when they are read faster than the other copy and are just as long as the primary ad.

[bandit957]

Personally, I've never liked it when station announcers, commentators, traffic reporters, etc. also do the ads.  To my way of thinking, it blurs the line between broadcasting and advertising way too far.

I was in radio in college, and I refused to do this. Ever. That's what commercials are for. It's not for me to do.

I read live PSA's, but I would not read actual ad material live.

[bandit957]

I also ABSOLUTELY hate the "need" to insert disclaimers, especially when they are read faster than the other copy and are just as long as the primary ad.

I first noticed this around 1987 or 1988. It was mostly in radio commercials for car dealerships. The first disclaimers like this I ever heard had fast, circus-like music in the background.

[Pete from Boston]

Kars for Kids is a controversial program run by a particular Orthodox Jewish group that aims to get kids from other branches of Judaism to attend Orthodox institutions.  Quite controversial even beyond their less-than-transparent (I'm being kind) ads.

That explains quite a bit - thanks for the info.

I do like a lot of the WBZ in-house ads done by Michael Coleman (he's the ubiquitous voice on both station promos and paid ads that any regular listener knows).  Granted, there's nothing special about Post Road Carpet in Acton, but I like his flourishes like the deep breath after reading the station contest disclaimer.  There are still a few fun radio folks left down there.

Personally, I've never liked it when station announcers, commentators, traffic reporters, etc. also do the ads.  To my way of thinking, it blurs the line between broadcasting and advertising way too far.  I also ABSOLUTELY hate the "need" to insert disclaimers, especially when they are read faster than the other copy and are just as long as the primary ad.

The disclaimers I'm talking about are a once-weekly review of the legalities around contests, presumably an FCC requirement.  And to get it all in, it's sped up a bit, which is why I fond the long exhale at the end is funny.

I don't care for radio on-air personnel doing ads either, but this is a practice as old as radio.  The gentleman of whom I spoke is on the air exclusively in the capacity an ad voice-over talent, so there is less of that weird ethical blur.

[Roadrunner75]

What's Ned the "Lost another loan to Ditech!" guy up to lately?
The best I could find was Ned's ad within a newer ad here...

[vdeane]

I can't believe that I forgot to mention that the Priceline Negotiator is one of my favorites.

[cpzilliacus]

Gary LaPierre (a former WBZ anchor) hawking the legal services of a firm that advocates sheltering assets to avoid paying for nursing home services ("They helped me, and I'm sure they can help you.").  Every time I hear the ad, I can't help but be reminded of the WKRP episode where Herb Tarlek had the DJs run ads for "Shady Hills Rest Home" in exchange for the home continuing to care for his mother.

WTOP Radio (103.5 FM, the CBS affiliate all-news station in Washington, D.C.) runs similar ads.

1-800-KarsForKids.  A local charity that takes used cars for a tax credit (and some sort of a vacation voucher).  They have at least two versions of the ad with equally horrible jingles.  Not only that, but unlike other charities that solicit old cars (i.e. Salvation Army), the ads give absolutely no indication as to the charity's actual programs (i.e. where does the money go).

WTOP airs those as well.  Very annoying.

[briantroutman]

These aren't from my personal memory (or recent memory for that matter), but I can think of a few commercial characters popular enough to inspire fan clubs, attract huge crowds at personal appearances, or even cross over into other media. Perhaps coincidentally, all were especially popular in the South.

Perhaps the biggest example: Many people don't know that Jim Varney's Ernest P. Worrell character was originally created for a TV commercial. But unusually–and if there's a similar example, I'd be interested to know–Ernest wasn't a spokes-character for any one advertiser in particular. I've seen Ernest commercials for everything from Mello Yello to Braum's and regional dairies to local car dealerships.

In the early '80s, Hardee's ran a series of ads centered around a minor league race driver called The Roadrunner and his sidekick Ernie. For some reason, the duo was very popular, particularly with kids. For example, here's an article from the Wilmington Star mentioning that they were the major draw at annual Azalea Festival.

And finally, characters who had a double life in two separate areas. Bill Fries as an ad exec in Omaha created a truck driver character (C.W. McCall, a name Fries later adopted as his own pseudonym) for a series of ads for Old Home Bread. McCall and his truck stop waitress girlfriend Mavis were so popular that local newspapers listed the times and stations the ads would be run. The same actors and crew recreated the ads for Kern's Bakery in Knoxville, only with the truck renamed A.J. Tucker. Fries went on to a recording career based on the popularity of the ads and characters. Here's a segment on the crew making a Kern's ad to coincide with the Knoxville World's Fair in 1982.

[vtk]

On Twitter, it seems everyone hates Flo. I liked her at first, but now I think she's overexposed. She should be reacting oddly to other people who drive the story, not dominating the story with her own oddness.

Geico's Maxwell The Pig is cool, but how old exactly is he? In his first appearance he was a teen passenger in a soccer mom's van, but now he apparently has at least one car and pays for the insurance himself, and acts more like a 20-something with job security and no student loans to pay off.

I want to see more of Captain Obvious.

I like National's "control enthusiast", but that's largely because I'm already a fan of Patrick Warburton.

There's some mattress company whose mascot is a spring wearing a hard hat.  No personality, but for fun I call him Coily The Spring Sprite.  (Cookie for anyone who gets that reference.)

Radio commercials for columbushelpwanted.com and mansfieldareahelpwanted.com and probably numerous other job posting sites around the country reuse the same small cast of actors in all their commercials, though characters rarely recur.  Those ads are usually entertaining.

Billy Mays was a loud mouth schmuck. Like Rev. Al Sharpton, he seemingly had no indoor voice. The new guys who do similar ads are almost as annoying too.

Columbus has a business called Buckeye Gold, whose TV ads have the worst jingle ever.  "Money money extra money, at Buckeye Gold get extra... money!"  It just descends the scale, and then goes back up two octaves on the last word.

My most hated commercial characters are, by far, those couples and families in the Lexus "December to remember" sales event ads.  But that might be mostly because I'm bitter about [let's not go down this rabbit hole].  Still, the phrase "December to remember" suggests something distinct and memorable.  If you have one every year, then that's just the way December normally is.

[Rushmeister]

Love: Burger Chef and Jeff (dudes cooking up burgers?  cool)
Hate: Ronald McDonald (creepy clowns selling burgers? not cool)

Love: the dude wearing the Rush T-shirt (actor Andrew Burlinson) in the AT&T commercials a few years ago; he was shopping and found a Rush onesie for his baby (great fashion for all time)
Hate: whoever does the voice for the Zyppah commercials on Sirius XM; I change stations the instant I hear his voice (annoying)

Love: the 1950 Studebaker Champion convertible used in the "Wander Indiana" television commercials back in the 80s (a sweet, driverless ride)
Hate: the "Wander Indiana" commercials back in the 80s (umm...  yeah..., we should just stick to "Back Home Again" or "Hoosier State"; let's not scare people away)

[1995hoo]

....

My most hated commercial characters are, by far, those couples and families in the Lexus "December to remember" sales event ads.  But that might be mostly because I'm bitter about [let's not go down this rabbit hole].  Still, the phrase "December to remember" suggests something distinct and memorable.  If you have one every year, then that's just the way December normally is.

Ms1995hoo and I thought the dumbest of their ads was the one where the guy gave his wife a music box that played the Lexus "December to remember" jingle and she instantly knew he was giving her a Lexus when she heard the music. It just struck us as utterly absurd because we both felt the average consumer would not immediately remember that music is the music used in Lexus commercials.

[formulanone]

My most hated commercial characters are, by far, those couples and families in the Lexus "December to remember" sales event ads. [...] Still, the phrase "December to remember" suggests something distinct and memorable.  If you have one every year, then that's just the way December normally is.

Basically, it's so the dealerships sell-sell-sell to close out the year and clear out any remaining inventory from the previous model year. So, the point is really so that salespeople and F&I managers are reminded to do their jobs and stay late to do so. I don't think they expect you to buy one every year; and it really isn't any different than most auto manufacturer's yearly promotions, although some focus on "summer sales", since they're a weak unit sales period of the year, and you have a mix of this-year and next-year's inventory on the lots.

(And yes, some Lexus dealers will deliver cars with bows on them on Christmas mornings...for a substantial fee.)

- former Lexus employee

[roadman]

My most hated commercial characters are, by far, those couples and families in the Lexus "December to remember" sales event ads. [...] Still, the phrase "December to remember" suggests something distinct and memorable.  If you have one every year, then that's just the way December normally is.

Basically, it's so the dealerships sell-sell-sell to close out the year and clear out any remaining inventory from the previous model year. So, the point is really so that salespeople and F&I managers are reminded to do their jobs and stay late to do so. I don't think they expect you to buy one every year; and it really isn't any different than most auto manufacturer's yearly promotions, although some focus on "summer sales", since they're a weak unit sales period of the year, and you have a mix of this-year and next-year's inventory on the lots.

(And yes, some Lexus dealers will deliver cars with bows on them on Christmas mornings...for a substantial fee.)

- former Lexus employee

If I had my way, I would outlaw the practice of car manfacturers making vehicles (and car dealers selling them) based on the concept of a model year.  It is a horribly pointless and wasteful practice to have a "Oh, we've got to make our 2015 cars different than the 2014 models" mentality.

[vtk]

Also, I love Mayhem from those insurance commercials, I think they're Allstate.  Is that actor on that Grand Rapids TV show now?

[cjk374]

The creepy mascot-like Burger King "King" did not entice me to go buy a Whopper.  I'm glad that was short lived, but it wasn't short-lived enough.

I do remember the BK commercials from the late 70s & early 80s that used a real human king.  Their target demographic then were kids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBU9f40IzYQ

[Pete from Boston]

The creepy mascot-like Burger King "King" did not entice me to go buy a Whopper.  I'm glad that was short lived, but it wasn't short-lived enough.

The one with the plastic head?  Those were great.  Very creepy.  I can't be bothered to look it up but wonder if it is by the same folks who came up with the (far creepier, IMO) Subservient Chicken.

[cjk374]

Subservient Chicken??   

[Big John]

^^ http://www.subservientchicken.com/

[Pete from Boston]

Subservient Chicken??   

Yup.  As in, "Have it Your Way."  The campaign included a web site with the submissive chicken-in-a-garter-belt (Iknowright?) character in a bland, dingy apartment that looked like it was used to shoot porn, responding to hundreds of commands a user typed.  David Lynch must have been jealous he didn't come up with it.



Don't you feel like a sandwich now?

[PHLBOS]

Two for the annoying category:

Peter Panda for Children's Palace/Child World circa 1979

The other, when Dunkin Donuts first lauched its Munchkins during the mid-1970s; the commercials (couldn't find one on YouTube) featured a doll that spoke with a very screechy voice.  My brother & I could not stand that commercial back then.