Get out of my head! Annoyingly addictive ads
Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:
TV commercials
I'm hearing a rumor that it's summer, though you couldn't tell it from the temperatures where I am (while people in other parts of the nation are melting, we here in Seattle are putting on sweaters). But let's go with the rumor for now and kick off our annual summer TV Commercial Contest, now in its fifth year.
You may know the drill, but here are the rules, same as last year. I bring up topics and mention certain ads, but you're just as much a part of the game as I am. Post about your favorite and least favorite ads in the blog comments, and suggest topics that we can riff on.
Eventually, I'll name the best and the worst ad of the year, as determined by your emails, your blog comments, and other feedback. I may or may not utilize online polls, but this has backfired -- I've received some nasty mail from people who believe the winner of an online poll should also win the overall contest. I take polls into consideration of course, but they can be tampered with, so it's not automatic that poll winner=contest winner. Readers who can't deal with that should repeat to themselves, it's just a show, I should really just relax.
The basic ground rules are here. I won't repeat them, but will add that the 2007 winners are ineligible this year. The Skittles milking man commercial (featuring the late David Groh) won (!) for worst, and the PetSmart puppy passing down his favorite toy won for best. Watch video of both ads here.
And now, on with the show.
GET THIS AD OUT OF MY HEAD!
First topic: Earworm ads, those commercials that annoy the heck out of you, but manage to stick in your head anyway. (Readers will argue that this means the ad is doing its job. I argue back that isn't the case if the company is perceived in a negative way. We argue on. It is an argument that never ends.)
APPLY DIRECTLY TO YOUR...OH, FORGET IT
The classic earworm ad is probably the one for Head On! It won for Worst Ad in 2006, so it can't win again, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss it, and its legion of spin-offs and parodies. The sheer repetitiveness of the ad earned it a place in ad history, if on the negative side.
WHEN 'FREE' COSTS $15 A MONTH
But the earworm ad series that's been running through my head in 2008 is the one from FreeCreditReport.com. You know the series. There's a likable young goof playing with his band in a crowded apartment, or driving a junky car, or serving in a restaurant dressed as a pirate. In each one, the kid sings about how he wouldn't be in this predicament if he'd only known what his credit report said about him.
This ad series annoys me on so many levels. First off, as our consumer expert, Bob Sullivan, points out: Credit reports can indeed be had for free, but not from these folks. They'll charge you $14.95 a month if you sign up and don't cancel within seven days. How is that "free"?
It really bothers me that companies can represent themselves this way, fooling people who perhaps don't have a lot of money to begin with. As you see from the hundreds of comments on Bob's post, many people were indeed fooled, and they're irate about it.
That said, I'm also bothered by the fact that the ad is so darn catchy. You are probably humming it right now..."they say a man should always dress for the job he wants...then why I am dressed up like a pirate, in this restaurant?" In that particular ad, it was apparently due to the balladeer's identity being stolen. Or, you know, maybe that $15 a month from NOT FreeCreditReport.com put him over the edge.
I LOVE THE WHOLE WORLD/AND ALL ITS CRAZINESS
I have to close with one earworm ad that I actually like. I've mentioned it already this year, but it's kind of a palate-cleanser after some of the negative earworm ads. It's this sweet ad for the Discovery Channel that features stars from the network's various shows singing about things they love, from Egyptian kings to real dirty things. Boom-di-ada, Boom-di-ada, boom-di-ada, boom-di-ada.
What other ads are sticking in your head, and why? Start sharing them in the comments.
UPDATE: Check out Allison Linn's Ads of the Weird blog for another annoyingly addictive ad, this one with dancing cartoons of underweight babies. Yikes!
