When I listen to some commercials or watch them on the tube, I find some, as most of us do, entertaining or some are just nerds and we cannot wait to either click the remote or hit another dial preset on the car radio.
Here are some of my favorites:
Flo on Progressive (TV)
The "Now I Know Guy" for Geico (Radio)
Bruser and Bouser for Safe Touch (Both radio and TV)
Old commercials that are now historic include:
James Garner and Marriete Hartley for Poloroid Cameras (TV) not specific characters though, but played out well on camera)
Josephine the plumber for Comet (retro TV back in the early 70's)
The Doughnut Man for Dunkin Donuts (TV)
Sam Breakstone for Breakstone Cottage Cheese (Retro TV with the Doughnut Guy before he got hired by Dunkin).
The Bad Ones:
I really do not know as I usually turn them off.
Who are your most favorite characters in commercial on either radio or TV or even internet?
Although not referenced as such in the commercials, Dunkin Donut's character was named "Fred the Baker." His tag line was "Time to make the donuts."
Quote from: roadman on March 10, 2015, 11:44:42 AM
Although not referenced as such in the commercials, Dunkin Donut's character was named "Fred the Baker." His tag line was "Time to make the donuts."
I believe he had a name tag on, which is why we know his name was Fred.
Quote from: roadman on March 10, 2015, 11:44:42 AM
Although not referenced as such in the commercials, Dunkin Donut's character was named "Fred the Baker." His tag line was "Time to make the donuts."
The original 1983 commercial that started it all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3V-c95urS8
The "Mr. Dirt" character in the commercials for Mobil gasolines was great.
Al Harrington at Al Harrington's Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman Emporium and Warehouse
The Geico rhetorical questions guy:
Compilation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtp_mq2fO24
My personal favorite that wasn't in the above-compilation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU3JH6jE7GY
One commerical character near & dear to me was 9 Lives' Morris the cat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqYGnte2y_w
The Empire Man, as seen in commercials that have the "(800)588-2300" jingle. I remember him well because I grew up watching his then-local advertisements in Chicago.
Quote from: spooky on March 10, 2015, 11:55:53 AM
Quote from: roadman on March 10, 2015, 11:44:42 AM
Although not referenced as such in the commercials, Dunkin Donut's character was named "Fred the Baker." His tag line was "Time to make the donuts."
I believe he had a name tag on, which is why we know his name was Fred.
I know his name is Fred because he appeared at the opening of the then-new Dunkin's in my office building. I didn't meet him, but flyers announcing the event stated "Come meet Fred the Baker."
I always liked "Ancient Chinese Secret Guy"; the customer's reaction was also good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzixL7Ef-bI
The Wendy's "Where's the Beef" lady was entertaining. However, I think what made that slogan classic was when Walter Mondale borrowed it in a debate with Gary Hart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjw8m7GmIa4
The original post also mentions commercial characters you hate. GEICO's pig is near the top of my list, as is Flo in the Progressive ads.
The one I think is my all-time least favorite was the annoying Luna "Free Floorin'" ad that used to air during baseball games. I loaded this to get the URL and hit "PAUSE" immediately so I wouldn't have to hear it because I hated this ad so much. I hated everything about this ad–the characters (especially the hideous wife), the dialogue, the annoying jingle at the end–and it used to air during almost every single commercial break during ballgames. (Luna ads have become ubiquitous but have more or less faded into background annoyance by now. However, it's a sad fact of modern life that while I have never done business with them nor contacted them, I could rattle off their phone number without thinking about it due to all their ads, yet I couldn't tell you my own wife's office phone number without looking it up.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P_L-KyRYCI
Anyone remember the Gum Fighter from the commercials for Hubba Bubba bubble gum? He was cool.
The Gum Fighter (played by Don Collier) was this big, tough cowboy in an Old West town who would always exhibit Hubba Bubba's amazing capabilities. Hubba Bubba's big selling point back then was that it didn't stick to your face when you blew bubbles, and the Gum Fighter would always blow a huge bubble to demonstrate this. Then he turned to the camera and declared, "Big bubbles, no troubles!"
This was one of the most creative advertising campaigns in the history of advertising campaigns.
I remember one commercial character who everyone agreed was annoying.
In the early '80s, there was a TV commercial for pasta sauce or something, and the woman in the ad said something about "little green chunks and things." Everyone I knew was so annoyed by that statement, and made fun of her for years afterward.
Anyone else remember "Nnnnn! It's a great feeling!"?
The Aflac duck
Asthma Man (this PSA really was used by the Will Rogers Institute): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuvgKBo9lHA
This supervillian in a forclosure prevention PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U18DX2z4qJc
Erin Esurance
As for annoying... Flo.
liked - Budweiser frogs
hated - Billy Mays
Like: I like Flo, and her family that appears in recent ads.
Hate: Anyone who yells like the now-departed OxyClean guy.
On a side note, I've noticed one actress who appears in several commercials lately. In one she's the wife of a guy calling his insurance agent in the middle of the night. She's also seen being tempted by a teddy bear cake, and another one or two I can't remember right now. Every new commercial I think, "There she is again."
I write Cavity Creeps fan fiction. There, I said it.
I think Flo is hot...can't help it.
Quote from: GaryV on March 10, 2015, 09:38:22 PM
Like: I like Flo, and her family that appears in recent ads.
Hate: Anyone who yells like the now-departed OxyClean guy.
On a side note, I've noticed one actress who appears in several commercials lately. In one she's the wife of a guy calling his insurance agent in the middle of the night. She's also seen being tempted by a teddy bear cake, and another one or two I can't remember right now. Every new commercial I think, "There she is again."
That wife is on the "Jake from State Farm" ad. I have heard only 1 other ad on the radio involving the couple from this TV ad talking to a marriage counselor. Sounds like the same woman.
The most annoying ads are from Ink's Firestone in Monroe, LA. When this guy was younger, he was even more annoying than this.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHy1Xb-AKBo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHy1Xb-AKBo)
Like:
The Geico commercial with the man who left his lover for the great beyond and gets knocked off his horse by the on-screen words "THE END"
Flo is cute, I admit
Dislike:
Those two morons in the Sonic commercials
(Radio commercial) CRAZYYYYYYYYYY KEVINNNNNNNNNNNN POWELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Those inane AT&T commercials
Quote from: roadman on March 10, 2015, 11:44:42 AM
Although not referenced as such in the commercials, Dunkin Donut's character was named "Fred the Baker." His tag line was "Time to make the donuts."
I Made the donuts!
The Capt. Obvious commercials for hotels.com...those are hilarious!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW1d4jCbrsY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW1d4jCbrsY)
I liked Kid and Sue from the Cherrios ads. In this one Sue menaged to kick as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AKw5lV9VW4
Quote from: Big John on March 10, 2015, 09:34:55 PM
liked - Budweiser frogs
The best Budweiser frogs ad I saw was in an episode of
The Simpsons. The frogs do their Bud - Wis - Er routine, then are immediately eaten by an alligator who then burps "Coors!"
The first few times I saw ads with Flo, I thought she was cute. Now she's just obnoxious (same with the Geico lizard and pig).
My favorite of the Budweiser frogs series of ads was a local radio commercial for Jerry's Subs and Pizza. They were known for having celebrity impersonators on their ads (for example, an ad pitching the "Big Bubba" and "Big W" cheesesteaks had Clinton and Bush impersonators–every time bacon is mentioned, Clinton interrupts to say he loves bacon, whereas Bush doesn't know what country Swiss cheese is from). You recall how the Budweiser frog ads eventually added those lizards and the ferret. The radio ad had the lizards talking about the cheesesteaks. At the end, the ferret said something incomprehensible and the one lizard wanted to know what he said; the other replied, "He said, 'Wazzzzupppppppp!'" and the other lizard joined in.
I don't know if they still have funny radio ads because I seldom listen to FM anymore except for the all-news station. I can't find any of their old ads online, unfortunately.
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!"
Quote from: bandit957 on March 11, 2015, 10:34:56 AM
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
I pretty much dislike all commercials, radio and TV.
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)
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.
Any commercial that has in it's dialog: Learn what the experts don't want you to know
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 11, 2015, 07:17:02 PM
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.
QuoteI 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.
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 07:47:33 PM
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.
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 07:47:33 PMI 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.
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 07:47:33 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 11, 2015, 07:17:02 PM
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.
QuoteI 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.
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...
I can't believe that I forgot to mention that the Priceline Negotiator is one of my favorites.
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 06:46:58 PM
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.
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 06:46:58 PM
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.
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 (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TEdOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TRMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2260%2C3284191) 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.
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.
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)
Quote from: vtk on March 12, 2015, 03:03:43 AM
....
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.
Quote from: vtk on March 12, 2015, 03:03:43 AMMy 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
Quote from: formulanone on March 12, 2015, 11:50:28 AM
Quote from: vtk on March 12, 2015, 03:03:43 AMMy 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.
Also, I love Mayhem from those insurance commercials, I think they're Allstate. Is that actor on that Grand Rapids TV show now?
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 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBU9f40IzYQ)
Quote from: cjk374 on March 13, 2015, 09:25:07 PM
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.
Subservient Chicken?? :hmmm:
^^ http://www.subservientchicken.com/
Quote from: cjk374 on March 13, 2015, 09:39:18 PM
Subservient Chicken?? :hmmm:
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.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjacobsagency.com%2Fthroughthelines%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F04%2FSubservient-Chicken.jpg&hash=fcc35dd62882f03b3f3eaf1eceb4a193aeebaf5f)
Don't you feel like a sandwich now?
Two for the annoying category:
Peter Panda for Children's Palace/Child World circa 1979 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pohJZ5HKi4)
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.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 13, 2015, 09:47:03 PM
Quote from: cjk374 on March 13, 2015, 09:39:18 PM
Subservient Chicken?? :hmmm:
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.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjacobsagency.com%2Fthroughthelines%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F04%2FSubservient-Chicken.jpg&hash=fcc35dd62882f03b3f3eaf1eceb4a193aeebaf5f)
Don't you feel like a sandwich now?
I have never seen or heard of this character before...he gets placed in the same catagory as the plastic-headed King. X-(
Same ad agency, it turns out. New owners of BK have sadly gone in a different direction.
Quote from: vtk on March 13, 2015, 09:05:25 PM
Also, I love Mayhem from those insurance commercials, I think they're Allstate. Is that actor on that Grand Rapids TV show now?
That would be Dean Winters. He's been on Law & Order SVU in the past, first in season 1 (replaced by Ice-T's character), then recurring from seasons 13-15 as the same character he played before.
Another one of my favorite commercial characters was Inspector 12. Inspector 12 was an old woman who inspected underwear in the Hanes underwear commersh.
When I was in high school, someone shat their briefs and deposited them on the floor of the school bus. So one of my classmates declared, "Inspector 12 is gonna be mad!" It was so funny!
Tom Bodett is cool too. I like how Motel 6's campaign has featured the same guy for as long as I can remember, but it's kept up with the changing times. I just looked him up to figure out the spelling, and was surprised to find out he's not as old as I thought.
One of the most annoying commercial characters to me was Dusty Lenscap, the mascot of Kmart's photo processing department. I don't remember him ever being in a TV commercial, but he was in radio commercials. He also appeared as a clay-like figure on some of the photo envelopes.
He annoyed me because Kmart had a tendency to lose or ruin photos.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 10, 2015, 01:27:25 PM
Anyone remember the Gum Fighter from the commercials for Hubba Bubba bubble gum? He was cool.
The Gum Fighter (played by Don Collier) was this big, tough cowboy in an Old West town who would always exhibit Hubba Bubba's amazing capabilities. Hubba Bubba's big selling point back then was that it didn't stick to your face when you blew bubbles, and the Gum Fighter would always blow a huge bubble to demonstrate this. Then he turned to the camera and declared, "Big bubbles, no troubles!"
This was one of the most creative advertising campaigns in the history of advertising campaigns.
Now you've got me thinking of Bill Cosby's "Buck Jones" routine.
Quote from: roadman on March 17, 2015, 10:44:07 AMNow you've got me thinking of Bill Cosby's "Buck Jones" routine.
Speaking of Bill Cosby; during the 70s and 80s, he did a boatload of commercials for Jell-O (for Jell-O Pudding), Kodak Film, Ford, Texas Instruments and Coca-Cola. With the latter, he lost all advertising credibility with the public when he did an a 1985 ad. introducing New Coke.
My fave: The "mayhem" guy from Allstate. Super stunts and funny as can be!
Honorable mention: The Most Interesting Man In The World for Dos Equis (?) beer. The guy doing the commercial gets used a lot on retitled pix for people poking fun at others. "I don't always throw five interceptions in a game but when I do I go to the Super Bowl!" referencing Russell Wilson was one of the latest I saw.
Most polarizing: Flo for Progressive. She's fine by me but my ersatz stepson can't stand her. I like the way she just sort of toodles along with all that goes on around her.
Older commercials: Jim Varney, no matter what he's selling. Know what I mean Vern?
Rick
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 17, 2015, 12:29:12 PM
Quote from: roadman on March 17, 2015, 10:44:07 AMNow you've got me thinking of Bill Cosby's "Buck Jones" routine.
Speaking of Bill Cosby; during the 70s and 80s, he did a boatload of commercials for Jell-O (for Jell-O Pudding), Kodak Film, Ford, Texas Instruments and Coca-Cola. With the latter, he lost all advertising credibility with the public when he did an a 1985 ad. introducing New Coke.
I never really connected his credibility with the failure of New Coke. I think people still loved the guy until he a) got a reputation for being a crusty old jerk, then b) got a reputation for drugging women for sex.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 17, 2015, 04:53:45 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 17, 2015, 12:29:12 PM
Quote from: roadman on March 17, 2015, 10:44:07 AMNow you've got me thinking of Bill Cosby's "Buck Jones" routine.
Speaking of Bill Cosby; during the 70s and 80s, he did a boatload of commercials for Jell-O (for Jell-O Pudding), Kodak Film, Ford, Texas Instruments and Coca-Cola. With the latter, he lost all advertising credibility with the public when he did an a 1985 ad. introducing New Coke.
I never really connected his credibility with the failure of New Coke. I think people still loved the guy until he a) got a reputation for being a crusty old jerk, then b) got a reputation for drugging women for sex.
Pete, I stated
advertising credibility not credibility in general (see the quoted-post you copied). Case in point: following that 1985 New Coke ad. (which was one of the worst product/marketing disasters of the 20th century), I do not believe he did any more commercials for Coca-Cola or anybody else for that matter. If anybody can prove otherwise, feel free to post (with sources).
I'm sorry, but the timing of such was just
way too coincidental.
One needs to remember that prior to the rollout of New Coke; Cosby's previous ads promoting Coke were bashing Pepsi (remember the Pepsi-Challenge commercials that simultaneously were taking place back then?) to no end. Many saw Cosby's New Coke ad. as a guy selling out for the (failed) product.
The public still
loving the guy for decades later (until certain allegations came about) and advertising credibility shot for endorsing a product that was a major bomb are two different things.
^^ Cosby continued with Jello ads through the 1990s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJhjf7KUyko
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/17/bill-cosby-jell-o-togethe_n_578592.html
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 17, 2015, 05:59:11 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 17, 2015, 04:53:45 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 17, 2015, 12:29:12 PM
Quote from: roadman on March 17, 2015, 10:44:07 AMNow you've got me thinking of Bill Cosby's "Buck Jones" routine.
Speaking of Bill Cosby; during the 70s and 80s, he did a boatload of commercials for Jell-O (for Jell-O Pudding), Kodak Film, Ford, Texas Instruments and Coca-Cola. With the latter, he lost all advertising credibility with the public when he did an a 1985 ad. introducing New Coke.
I never really connected his credibility with the failure of New Coke. I think people still loved the guy until he a) got a reputation for being a crusty old jerk, then b) got a reputation for drugging women for sex.
Pete, I stated advertising credibility not credibility in general (see the quoted-post you copied). Case in point: following that 1985 New Coke ad. (which was one of the worst product/marketing disasters of the 20th century), I do not believe he did any more commercials for Coca-Cola or anybody else for that matter. If anybody can prove otherwise, feel free to post (with sources).
I'm sorry, but the timing of such was just way too coincidental.
One needs to remember that prior to the rollout of New Coke; Cosby's previous ads promoting Coke were bashing Pepsi (remember the Pepsi-Challenge commercials that simultaneously were taking place back then?) to no end. Many saw Cosby's New Coke ad. as a guy selling out for the (failed) product.
The public still loving the guy for decades later (until certain allegations came about) and advertising credibility shot for endorsing a product that was a major bomb are two different things.
You may have read up more than I have on his advertising caché and its ups and downs. I would expect his personal appeal and his "advertising credibility" are inextricably linked, that the latter is (was) primarily a product of the former. Admittedly, advertising is a funny thing that doesn't always follow logic, but I don't think folks rejected Cosby because he judged poorly the merits of New Coke any more than they initially felt he was trustworthy because he chose to endorse original Coke.
The Wikipedia article on New Coke has an unreferenced statement that "the fiasco led Bill Cosby to end his advertising for Coke, saying his commercials that praised the superiority of the new formula had hurt his credibility," implying that this was Cosby's opinion. This makes it sound more like Cosby jumped from a sinking ship.
It just doesn't add up that even if this was his position, that Cosby's advertising value would have dried up at a point where his popularity was in the stratosphere. Remember that he was two years removed from a hugely popular stand-up movie, had just finished the first season of the most dominant sitcom of the decade, and was transcending mere celebrity to become a phenomenon whose every move was followed with national interest. (After "Leonard Part Six" maybe a different case could be made.)
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 17, 2015, 12:29:12 PM
Quote from: roadman on March 17, 2015, 10:44:07 AMNow you've got me thinking of Bill Cosby's "Buck Jones" routine.
Speaking of Bill Cosby; during the 70s and 80s, he did a boatload of commercials for Jell-O (for Jell-O Pudding), Kodak Film, Ford, Texas Instruments and Coca-Cola. With the latter, he lost all advertising credibility with the public when he did an a 1985 ad. introducing New Coke.
In the late 1980s, I was looking for one of Cosby's old comedy albums in an used record store. The hand written name divider in the rack read "Bill - I'll sell anything - Cosby".
Quote from: cpzilliacus on March 11, 2015, 11:09:57 PM
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 06:46:58 PM
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.
Quote from: roadman on March 11, 2015, 06:46:58 PM
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.
Annoying:
As a Mets fan, I sometimes listen the the WOR radio stream through MLB.tv. If the Mets could score a run for every Kars for Kids commercial, I think they'd go 162-0. If I were to donate a car, I would probably pick the Salvation Army just because they've been shown to be one of the most efficient and reputable charities.
We have a local contractor that advertises heavily on TV called West Shore Window and Door. The man in the ads appears to be holding a coffee cup as he is talking, but he talks with his hands and moves it with little regard to the supposedly hot liquid that is inside it. I'm pretty sure you can see the liquid is just water. For some reason, it bothers me every time I see the commercial.
We also have local legal commercials that have an actor saying "Money doesn't solve all your problems, but it sure does help." For some fundamental reason, that doesn't sit well with me. I understand the point but I think it could be worded differently.
Good:
I really like the Mercedes-Benz ads with Santa.
I also find humor in the Chrysler commercial where a man keeps repeating "A car like this can only be made in Germany" in German over and over and then becomes frustrated at the end when he sees the Chrysler emblem.
Also, I generally like Flo, although some of the commercials are a little out there.
Acura had some catchy music in their commercial I saw a few weeks ago.
Donegal car insurance had ads a while back with anthropomorphic numbers and the tagline "see what our numbers can do for you" which I thought was kinda cute.
I absolutely hate that stupid golden hand from those Midas commercials. At the end of this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGNoen2PdoY) commercial he asks the man in his house to give him a high-five, and the man proceeds to do so, smacking him in the face. After he does so, the hand, in a dazed state, says "Did not see that coming." Really?? You mean to tell me that a floating hand with a face ON THE PALM (very Tim and Eric-esque, btw) didn't see the impending pain when he asked the man for a high-five? It annoys me to no end. I need coffee.
Current favorite commercial character: Barles Charkley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EegGwXF194
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X60NihKKNY
Quote from: Ian on March 23, 2015, 12:00:06 PM
I absolutely hate that stupid golden hand from those Midas commercials. At the end of this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGNoen2PdoY) commercial he asks the man in his house to give him a high-five, and the man proceeds to do so, smacking him in the face. After he does so, the hand, in a dazed state, says "Did not see that coming." Really?? You mean to tell me that a floating hand with a face ON THE PALM (very Tim and Eric-esque, btw) didn't see the impending pain when he asked the man for a high-five? It annoys me to no end. I need coffee.
C'mon, I'll drive...........
Annd I have no feet, I really didn't think this through. :poke: :-D
I really liked Orlando Jones in the series of 7-Up commercials he was in. It was the only time in a generation, since Sugar Ray Leonard and Tug McGraw were doing their commercials, that 7-Up felt like it was hip and relevant.
I mean,
"Make Seven
Up Yours"
is pure gold in my book.
Quote from: slorydn1 on March 23, 2015, 12:32:22 PM
Quote from: Ian on March 23, 2015, 12:00:06 PM
I absolutely hate that stupid golden hand from those Midas commercials. At the end of this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGNoen2PdoY) commercial he asks the man in his house to give him a high-five, and the man proceeds to do so, smacking him in the face. After he does so, the hand, in a dazed state, says "Did not see that coming." Really?? You mean to tell me that a floating hand with a face ON THE PALM (very Tim and Eric-esque, btw) didn't see the impending pain when he asked the man for a high-five? It annoys me to no end. I need coffee.
C'mon, I'll drive...........
Annd I have no feet, I really didn't think this through. :poke: :-D
For real though, how do you forget that you're a fcking hand? I would think that if I had movable fingers coming out of my head I'd come across thoughts, such as "Hey, may be I shouldn't let something that's my
entire body size smack me directly on the face."