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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, movie, music and pop culture links, as well as gossip and idle chat from around the Web.

Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



TV commercial contest: My BFF Jill, and more

Posted: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:

Thanks for the great response to our kickoff of the summer TV commercial contest. I was going to talk about music in ads today, but let's push that off a day or two.

In case you don't have time to read through all the comments, here's a quick summary of some of the most frequently mentioned commercials. Note: Where possible, I provided YouTube links. They're great when they work, but they can also be yanked down with no warning.

Among the most-hated ads mentioned so far:
The Starburst Little Lad who loves Berries and Creme, and has a super-lame dance to illustrate it. Watch one version on YouTube here, but the commercial has captured viewers' attention enough that there are a million remixes, including this one featuring Steely Dan.

Wendy's attempt to compare standing in the forest kicking trees to eating frozen burgers. Um, what?

Among the most-liked ads:
This one came up last year, too: K9 Advantix puppy at camp, singing "There ain't no bugs on me." Aw. I don't even have a dog but I could watch this over and over. I'd rather see Puppy Camp get a sitcom than the Geico Cavemen.

Among the ads that most divisively split the audience:
Seems that most viewers hate the text-messaging ad where the little girl and her mom talk in abbreviations, otherwise known as the "IDK, my BFF Jill" commercial. They think the actors are annoying and the abbreviations grate on the ear. But others find it hilarious. Let the debate continue.

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Comments

Hate: Sony Handycam (I think) ad with the grown man being bathed in the kitchen sink by his obviously deranged and yet somehow not institutionalized parents.  Horrifying!  By the time they get around to mentioning the product my brain is screaming "make it stop!" so I'm not 100% sure if it is Sony Handycam.

Love:  Trojan Condoms pigs in a bar ad.  I know it's been controversial, but I think it's really clever.  I'm not sure how it's any more offensive than the ED ads (When the time is right...) or any ads for tampons!  

Christine, Frederick MD (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 9:27 AM)

BEST/WORST:
Stanley Steemer-"Toby's new trick"
Dog rubbing his rear-end on the family carpeting....!
-Anyone with a dog has surely been witness to this humorous/disgusting act. I just never thought I'd see it on national tv!!!

j. craig hanzelka (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 9:41 AM)

I hadn't seen the Berries & Cream commercial until now.  Thank you for the link - now I can't seem to get the images out of my head! Kill it! Kill it!

Mrs LAO (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 9:45 AM)

Annoying?? Are you kidding me? The "BFF Jill" ad is hilarious and has quietly become a pop culture phenomenon (it even has a Facebook group of almost 100,000 people). IDK...I LMAO every time!

Kirk Cremer, West Chester, PA (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 9:59 AM)

Alright Gael, you almost started an early morning office riot here.  None of my co-workers or myself had seen the Berries and Cream commercial (lucky us) so we just watched it courtesy of your link, and I have to say that's almost more irritating than Head On.  I think the majority of the words used to describe it here were expletives.  It's got our vote for worst.
My only problem with the K-9 Advantix commercial is that it's older than dirt as far as commercials go at this point.  How many years has that been around?  If we're going to do cute dogs I still love the new PetSmart ad with the bull dog and his little sister.  
The "IDK, my BFF Jill" commercial bugs me for a couple of reasons...mostly that the mother winds up looking like an idiot at the end of the commercial with her "That's what S..N..F..." retort (Never lower yourself to the kids' level.  It's like going in shark infested waters with a sack of meat.)  And I think they lost sight of the fact that they're trying to sell these services to the adults, not the kids.  Sure my stepdaughters thought the commercial was hysterical.  But my husband and I were irked by it and we're the ones paying the bills...be careful which audience you cater to!

Leslie, New Mexico (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:03 AM)

I keep going back to the Jack in the Box commercial where the kid orders 30 tacos. It's been off and on the air for 2 seasons now. It's on youtube and whenever I'm down, I just click on it for a smile!

Ellen Mann (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:11 AM)

I love the Lifesavers ways to be sweet commercials--especially the "Muffin Top" one.

Shannon, KCMO (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:25 AM)

Best commercial--the little boy having an "art show" for his parents and they're soooo proud of the grandma's house, the next door dog and then..."mommy and daddy wrestling".  It's been on for awhile, but I laugh every time!  One of the few that my husband laughs at, as well!

Worst--I don't know if these are only shown in Canada, but they are for Whiska's cat treats and they have short, fat men trying to act like cats. They crawl up on the couch and in one of them the guy is using the litterbox and throwing sand over his waste.  NICE!   These give me the willies every time I see them and they make me want to scream!

Sherrie, Kindersley, Saskatchewan Canada (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:43 AM)

The puppy from the K9 Advantix ad is adorable, but I think the song is annoying.  I always feel like muting when it comes on.

Brittany, Madison, WI (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:44 AM)

My favorite commercial is the new Lexus commercial with John Legend. In it, John's shown sitting in driver's seat with his eyes closed and his head bobbing and swiveling around, and basically looking like he's getting the workdown from some unseen  anonymous prostitute...

Mich - Jacksonville, FL (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:05 AM)

I'm 35 and don't text message a lot, but I love the "My BFF Jill" commercial because of the response the mom has.  The mom, to me, is what makes the commercial so funny.

Amy, Flowery Branch, GA (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:13 AM)

I love the IDK commercial! :D  It's cute and gets the point across. :)

Jackie Keely, Jefferson City, MO (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:23 AM)

Love the IDK, my BFF Jill commercial, its like the pig-latin of my day! The beer ad where spilled beer turns into a Canadian Mountain scene is obnoxious and bugs me every time I see it!  Now they show a sexy waitress dropping a bottle and the scene appears amongst a broken beer bottle on the floor.  Bad ad.

Diane, Wixom, MI (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:47 AM)

Am I the only one who doesn't get those new milk commercials at all? You know, the series with the kid and the dad breaking into a warehouse or something? I have seen those a million times and I still don't understand what it means..Bring back the cows!

I also sorely detest the Whopper commercials with the dad and son who look like giant walking hamburgers.  The one where the kid says, "I wish I'd never been broiled!".  Notice the mom and daughter look like regular people. Yeah- ok- like some normal woman would marry, and then spawn, some giant talking whopper. Gross.

E, santa cruz, ca (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:56 AM)

I love the IDK commercial - the daughter's expression when she says "IDK, my BFF Jill?" is spot-on.  And I love that the mom responds in "normal" adult speak.

I agree with Leslie from NM about the dog commercials.  The k-9 one is very old, I find the petsmart one far more heartwarming and worthy of remembering.

nichole, pineville, louisiana (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:31 PM)

Best: GEICO's caveman "moving sidewalk" at the airport - it says it all without saying anything.

Worst: I'm sticking to the AVIS ad where the inane song "I WANNA ROCK" is blaring out of open mouths. It makes me want to never use AVIS EVER again for fear that song may come out of their rental car's radio.

Casey, Central Valley, California (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:33 PM)

Oh, and for sheer repetition annoyance - COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS - STOOOOOP please!

Casey, Central Valley, California (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:37 PM)

I HATE the Stanley Steemer "Toby" commercial.  I really don't want to see a dog wipe his butt on the carpet, and the Mom's voice is so shrill.

Greg, Oklahoma City, OK (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:37 PM)

I have to agree with Leslie, New Mexico on the "IDK" commercial. I'm not very old (only 30) yet I was irked by the little girls attitude toward the mom. I could never imagine speaking to my mother that way when I was younger or even now. It perpetuates the notion of disrespectful, mouthy kids talking back to their parents and the mother being shown as an "idiot". As Leslie stated above, they targeted the wrong group as the parent is the one paying the bill.

NGH, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:37 PM)

My favorite is the Doritos commercial from Superbowl 2007. The one with the cashier and the guy customer, and she comments on all the flavors.  I laugh every time.

Tracy, Denver, CO (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:55 PM)

My favorite commercial running right now is the one with the guy with the tiger stripe tattoos.  I crack up every time I hear the line, "Sorry, Roger, you tiger now".  I'm not being culturally insensitive, mind you, I just find it a great line.

BV, Joliet IL (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:59 PM)

I have two least favorite commercials right now.

1 - I already hated the Geico caveman commercials when they first started, but one of the more recent ones where he's on the moving sidewalk and says "Really, I'm staring at one right now 4' by 5'" I think that's the dimensions says, but the sign he's looking at clearly isn't the dimension he's stating.  Maybe I'm just picky.

2 - I don't know why, but the new Ipod commercial with Paul McCartney singing gets on my last nerves.  I don't know if it's the colors, the graphics, his walking/dancing - I just don't know.

LaDonna, Indiana (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:07 PM)

I actually like the new oreo commercial, where it looks like a home video of the two little girls in the kitchen, singing the oreo jingle, and the cat jumps on the table and knocks the oreo into the bowl of milk. I think it's only started playing over the last few weeks.

Amy, Pensacola FL (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:22 PM)

The worst commercial I ever saw was for Stanley Steamer and I only saw it once (I don't know if they pulled it off the air because it was so offensive).  It is a woman talking about how much she likes Stanley Steamer because their employees are as clean as her carpets.  They do background checks on all employees so she feels safe with whoever is coming into her house.  I don't kow if this was supposed to make us feel safe, but I found it totally offensive and have not seen it since that first viewing.

Amanda, Iowa (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:29 PM)

My favorite commercial running right now is the one with the guy with the tiger stripe tattoos.  I crack up every time I hear the line, "Sorry, Roger, you tiger now".  I'm not being culturally insensitive, mind you, I just find it a great line.

BV, Joliet IL (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:30 PM)

I seriously have to disagree with the views on the K9 Advantix commerical: There is NOTHING cheesier than talking puppies. Drives me crazy. I used to say you could never go wrong having a golden retriever pup in an add -- until this one.

And unlike the lady from Saskatchewan (again, don't know if you guys have these in the states, but I'm sure their on YouTube) I LOVE the whiskas adds with the old fat men acting like cats. I think it is a cat lover's thing. Here's an outtake:
Woman: "Boris, I'm home!"
Fat Man (who jumps up on the arm of the couch and licks his hand): "Did you bring any meat? Talk to me when there is meat on the table"
Narrator: "Only cats can act like cats"

Pure Gold!

Worst: I

Amanda, Vancouver, Canada (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:49 PM)

I LOVE the "Berries & Creme" commercials!!  It makes me laugh every time--it makes no sense, but it's still funny.  And my boyfriend thinks the Stanley Steemer commercial with the dog dragging its butt on the floor is the best :)

But, for my very favorites, I love the Sonic commercials with the two guys in the car and the dorky couple in the car.  The one where he says, "you're drinking mango iced tea, what does that say about you?", and she says, "that I'm an adult?" slays me every time!!

Missy, Louisville, KY (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:53 PM)

I don't know if the ad qualifies, but I absolutely love the Bud Light "swear jar" commercial.  It's out there on YouTube.

C-Dog, Indianapolis, IN (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:54 PM)

Why haven't we heard more "Spongebob Nopants" nominations..  that's got to be the worst.

Or how about the cell phone company ad where the father admonishes his kids for not texting enough.. "Why are you sleeping?  You should be texting?" What? Do you really want your kids to turn into the "my BFF Jill" brat?

Megan, Boston MA (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:59 PM)

Another horrible commercial that I haven't seen mentioned yet is the latest one for Hot Pockets (I think), where 2 teenagers are making out on a couch and suddenly an ancient Chinese man is standing behind them saying something like, "Stupid boy.  You don't want girl. You want Hot Pocket."  I find it rather disturbing.......

Andrea, Fairfield, CT (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 2:07 PM)

I really enjoy the new Toyota(?) commercials where the people are talking about how much money they have saved... The best one is when the couple is one the couch, and he says "since we saved so much money, lets get you that neckalace" and she says "or we could get you that mountain bike" and he gets really excited, and it looks like he's going into hug her, but instead he grabs a catalog... the "you can ride on the handle bars" line cracks me up.
I also agree with Sherrie about the little boy's art show...and I like the one with Elvis Costello sitting in the back of a car talking about classical music, I think it's a car company.  At the end, when he starts 'conducting' the music, it makes me smile.

The worst ads are the mucas ads... just plain gross and any perscription ads.  The Burger King ads creep me out too.

Tracy (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 2:16 PM)

I don't know if this series has been mentioned yet, but I love the Comcast commercials featuring The Slowskys, a married turtle couple for whom DSL is just "too fast". I find them hilarious, because they are so deadpan. They have a website too, where I believe you can watch the commercials http://www.theslowskys.com/blog/

Count me in on the "IDK, my BFF Jill" love. Love that commercial.

Lesley Nashville TN (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 2:25 PM)

I know a lot of people hate the Burger King ads with the big-head king in them, and usually I'm one of them.  However, the newest one where the people eating the Western Whoppers get those huge moustaches cracks me up.  There are several different ones, but the one where the one blonde sorority girl gets the brown moustache and the other two sorority girls say, "You're not a natural blonde?" gets me every time.

Ashley, Winchester, TN (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 2:31 PM)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ads where the call is dropped and the people are left with hilarious responses. Each commercial gets better!

Devin (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:05 PM)

So, going with the commercials that have been posted already, I hate the K9 Advantis commercial.  IT'S SO ANNOYING!  I actually think the IDK commercial is pretty funny.  The girl is annoying, but the concept is great.  

However, I can't believe that no one has talked about the new Subway commercial??  It's the one where a husband and wife go to a fast food restaurant drive through.  The husband proceeds to order "fat and blubber" and then the wife asks for "an order of thunder thighs, and a badonka-donk butt."  This commercial is HYSTERICAL!  The first time I saw it, I was thinking, "Did they really just say that?"

The other commercial that I can't HELP but repeat it for hours after I see it is the new Axe commercial.  "BOM-CHICKA-WOW-WOW! BOM-CHICKA, BOM-CHICKA!  BOM-CHICKA-WOW-WOW!"

Axe = genius

BC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:09 PM)

There are two types of people when it comes to the "BFF Jill" commercial, those who really get it, and those who don't. You can easily separate the two by the way they view the mom. Those who dislike the mom's foolishness and the child's attitude, I feel, don't get it. More often than not, these people also happen to be parents themselves or part of an older generation.

It's not that the child isn't rude, or that the mom isn't acting foolish, the beauty of the commercial is in it's showing of the great divide between most parents and their children today. Could many of you identify what the girl was saying if the subtitles weren't there? The commercial translated some innocous acronyms, but do you understand what asl and nifoc mean? This ad may have been just a plug for a phone company, but it should make you think, "How well do I understand the younger generation/and my children?"

Cris (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:09 PM)

I think the IDK my BFF Jill commercial is only annoying to people who don't frequently use those abbreviations.  But sadly, I on the other hand can understand it completely even if I'm not looking at the screen.  LOL!  What a sign of the times.  Soon, there will be no words, only abbreviated short hand.

The commercial is great!  It really has the pulse on America's culture right now.  

UR 2 KEWL BFF (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:14 PM)

The ad I hate the most is the add for some toliet where a really pretty female plumber is going into a neighbors house and the guy sees this and runs up to his own toliet and trys to clog it so the pretty plumber will come over and unclog his toliet, but the toliet wont clog.  I hate this ad because the guys wife walks in and sees him trying to clog the toliet and it just seems wrong to me because he is married but trying to get the pretty plumber to come over.  It just makes me really mad and I change the channel every time it comes on.

Katie, Buffalo NY (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:17 PM)

Hate the BFF Jill commercial - it says a lot about what's going wrong with the next generation.  What do middle schoolers need with cell phones and what idiot parents buy them for kids?  Makes me mad just to watch or listen to it!  Love the K9 Advantix puppy commercial - too cute!  Also enjoy the "messing with sasquatch" series of oommercials and the one where the attractive girl in the convenience store is talking on her cell phone but the dork in the store thinks she's talking to him.

Carol, Spring Hill, FL (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:22 PM)

I like the ad with the "Pay it Forward" theme...for a bank, I think. There are at least two different versions of this ad and I enjoy them everytime. The images of people helping each other and being witnessed by others is comforting.

Tracie S., Jackson, TN (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:23 PM)

I have to say I'm big fan of the Cingular Wireless "dropped calls" campaign.  Not all of them are brilliant, but there are a select few.  Namely, the one where the woman gets flowers from her boyfriend, the couple who went on a date the night before and the one where the woman is telling her husband they are having a baby.  

They crack me up every time

Katie, New York, NY (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:28 PM)

Okay, the citibank identity theft commercials have to be some of the best of all time! "1500 dollars for a leather bustier? I didn't care! It lifts and separates!"

They kill me!

Dan, Carrollton, TX (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:33 PM)

I love the Dodge Avenger commercial with Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple

But the best commercial set is Verizon FIOS.  When the little boy asks if the Verizon tech is the cable guy and he goes into specs on FIOS, the little kid says nice truck.  The next of the set is the kid giving the specs to his dad and telling him he should see the verizon techs truck..... LOVE IT!

I can't stand the cavemen, skittles, or vonage commercials.

Liisa, Auburn Ma (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:34 PM)

I've got to throw my support behind the Slowsky's and the older bulldog and his baby sister. I only saw it once and thought oh, how cute. He's got a Bobo toy just like the weiner dog. And then he gives it to his new little sister. Wonderful. If I had a dog, I'd get a Bobo toy just because of the commercials.

Barbara, Olympia, WA (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:35 PM)

My least favorite ad is the "Patty" Melt at Hardee's--I absolutely HATE this ad!

Now onto my favorites:

After reading alot of the comments it looks like I'm in the minority, but I really like the Dairy Queen Waffle/Sundae commerical series, those crack me up.

I also really like the "Carrot on the Shoulder" for Bud-Lite, where the guy walks into a pirate bar with a carrot on his shoulder instead of a parrot!  

I haven't seen this one very often, but it has really stuck with me:  The M&Ms as the Addams Family (complete with the Addams Family Theme Music) for the Dark Chocolate M&Ms.

And my absolute favorites are the GE One Second Theater (Eco-imagination) ads.  They make it worth your while to watch the ad on slow-mo.  The latest one that I've seen is the one with the frog bounding around the world landing on different GE properties, but at the very end of the ad if you watch it frame by frame they do a cute send up of the Frog Prince fairy tale!!  Talk about make technology (Tivo) work for you.

Sonya (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:44 PM)

My favorite ad right now is the wife telling her husband they're pregnant and the call drops. He's dancing like a loon, but she can't hear him. "Way to step up there, Rick." The Vegas dorpped call ad is good, too.

And I'm surprised the Mac vs. PC ads never made the best mentions in the last couple years. They're still great, and I make a point of not fast-forwarding my DVR when I see a new one on.

Catherine Oviedo, FL (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:47 PM)

nominations for the best:
The GE commercial where the little boy captures the wind in a jar and then treks cross country to deliver
to the Granpa's birthday party reels me in every time. I just love the mussed looks on everyone at the end when the jar is opened and the wind escapes.
No one has mentioned the Chevy commercials where each
scene is accompanied by a song about chevrolets. The only one I can remember(or really know)is with Dale Earnhart,Jr singing the country song "We're not the Jet Set. We're the old Chevrolet Set. But ain't we got love". It brings a smile every time.
Also, speaking of Junior, has anyone besides me noticed the new Nascar Budweiser can looks as though he is taking a leak on the far side of his car?? Why would they pose the picture like that instead of facing head-on for heavensakes? It makes me laugh out
loud every time I look at it...I'm smilin' now just thinkin' of it.

a treehugger in kentucky (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:49 PM)

Love the "dropped calls" ads, especially the one with the daughter calling from Vegas with her boyfriend and mom thinks they have eloped and tells her, "Don't make the same mistake I did."

Tied for most hated- Yaris car ads; I just don't get the whole "gas tank shrinking the gas pump thing." Are my husband and I the only ones who hate it?  Also hate the Viva paper towel commercial with the bratty kid and mom spraying soda and water all over the kitchen and then supposedly wiping it up with paper towels. Why are moms portrayed as such idiots in so many ads?!

Shari Staton, Elmore, Alabama (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 4:00 PM)

The BFF Jill ad is good, and is definetally creative.  What strikes me about it is that the mother understands what her daughter is saying, showing that she's involved and interested in what her daughter does.  Though I would agree that I would not let my kid talk to me like that.
But my vote for best goes to the Cingular Dropped calls ads. They're much funnier, and they get bonus points for having variety (not the same one commerical over and over).  The first one was the best, and I can't believe no one has mentioned it yet: "Cat got your tounge? Earl got your tounge?".  That line makes me laugh every time.

(Just have to note that the dog in the K9 commerical is a yellow lab, not a golden retriever.)

Jenny, Iowa City, Iowa (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 4:02 PM)

I have to say I think that the BFF Jill add is one of the worst. Something about that commercial just irritates me.

As for Berries and Cream. That commercial does not make sense, however the way that little man claps and sways, cracks me up all the time! I also enjoy the dog butt on the carpet one..it's just funny and very true!
I dont think this one was mentioned either. The comcast "save money" campaign, where one in particular has the lifeguard run over to the deer on the beach and says "not on my watch" and it flashes over and says "Save big bucks" the whole concept is extremely creative!

D.H., Baltimore, MD (Sent Wednesday, June 27, 2007 4:10 PM)



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