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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.



I hate that ad you love!

Posted: Monday, June 23, 2008 3:02 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:

The cliches are all ringing true. One man's trash is another's treasure. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The commercial you find hilarious might be one that I think is just horrible.

I was reminded of this last week when I listed the Mr. Bill commercial among my favorites. I think maybe two readers posted that they agreed with me, whereas at least a dozen of you hate, hate, hated it.

Said Avia, from my hometown of Minneapolis: "Sorry - I HATE the Mr. Bill ad. It's not funny, has no resemblance to the SNL skits, wrong Mr. Bill voice, Mr. Hand had WAY more expression. Need I go on? It's an insult to the original Mr. Bill sketches."

Makes me a little embarassed to admit that I still think it's entertaining, but here's another cliche: To each his own.

Here are a few ads that readers are split on -- some of you suggest them for best, some for worst. Share your thoughts on these ads and others in the comments.

BARFING ETRADE BABY
LOVE IT: "The eTrade talking baby ads are priceless. I especially love the one where he throws up at the end ('whoa...'), and the one where he rents a clown ('I really underestimated the creepiness factor.'). The effects are done so well that it looks very real, and just makes me laugh every time!"  --Andrea

HATE IT: "I do not see the appeal of the eTrade baby at all. It's gross and creepy. I hate talking babies -- I really didn't like the baby Bob ads from a few years back, either."   –L.R.P.


AIN’T NO BUGS ON ME
LOVE IT: "I also like the 'ain't no bugs on me' puppy. I sing that to my daughter sometimes in the car if she's having a bad day."  –Kim

HATE IT: " 'There ain't no bugs on me' drives me absolutely bonkers. Bonkers, I say! Enough to send that poor puppy up to the Satellite of Love to watch horrible B-movies. His Mike Nelson/Joel Robinson? The pigtailed girl who doesn't like broccoli, waffles, and chicken. She can starve to death in Deep 13.  --Caro

 

SONIC
LOVE IT: "I'm not sure if the ads for Sonic are shown all over the U.S. but those are just plain wacky and hilarious. They are like the 'Seinfeld' of ads. Plus, they have a new ad every 2 weeks or so, so I'm always waiting to see what goofy/wacky thing the characters will say next."  –Devyani

 

HATE IT: "Can't stand the Sonic ads, the ones with the people driving up to the restaurant talking about Sonic's food, and they say something really dumb and then you hear the punching sound and a sales pitch. Makes me want to eat anywhere but Sonic.  --Mark

FIVE ... FIVE DOLLAR
HATE IT: "I HATE the Subway $5 footlong. Ugh! I end up having it in my head for the rest of the day! I always change the channel when I think it might come on."  –Megan

KIND OF LIKES IT: "How about those $5 footlong (five ... five dollar ... five dollar footloooong) ads by Subway? The commercials are sort of hip and clever, but the way that song sticks in your head pushes it over the line into annoyance."  --Suzhee

PREGNANCY TEST
LIKE IT: "I like the pregnancy test commercial that says "it's the most sophisticated piece of technology you'll ever pee on."  --Kim

HATE IT: "I hate that commercial for the pregnancy test with the catch phrase, 'The most sophisticated technology you'll ever pee on.' GROSS!! Then there is what appears to be a stream of urine! MORE GROSS!"    --Yolanda

 

 

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Comments

Please, I counted 21 Vonage ads on different channels in an hour(I turn the channel when I see it). That holier than thou Vonage girl is really irritating and seeing her 21 times was awful. Wouldn't go to Vonage if they were the only phone co in the world.

Judy, Knoxville, Tn (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 6:56 AM)

We get ads for Sonic out here in CT, but the closest one is in, I believe, Delaware.  
I agree with whomever pointed out the Pedialyte commercial with the obnixious little brat doing "I don't like chicken." She can starve for a bit, and when she's hungry enough, she'll eat whats in front of her.  (Can you tell I don't have kids?  But seriously, that child is annoying as all get out...)

Beth, Groton, CT (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 7:33 AM)

Have to respond to Howard's comments about GEICO ... no, their premiums are *not* high to cover the cost of the commercials.  At least not for us they're not.  And I believe the reason for the increased publicity is that for a long, long, long time GEICO was only available to those in the military or those civilians who worked for the military.  It's now opening up to everybody, hence the reason for the increase.

Lorita, San Diego, CA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 7:35 AM)

IDK, my BFF Jill?

Love it!

Florida (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:00 AM)

Best---Meatloaf's ad for the cell phone.
Worst--the car ad where the Dad comes to the car and tells the two boys that the tree house is finished.  The kids are sitting playing cards and watching TV IN THE CAR, IN THE DRIVEWAY!!  I just want to yank their little asses out of that car, and take away all their electronics.  Just teaches lack of respect and appreciation.  That ad gets on my last nerve.

Jan Lakemont, ga (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:00 AM)

I hate the animated commercials for Airwick where the elephant (who is married to a centipede) and the octopus complain about how hard it is to take care of their houses that they need aroma-therapy. An insult to anyone with a shred of intelligence.

Deb, Brick, NJ (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:02 AM)

Although I am totally for the message, the new MoveOn.org commercial in which the mom who looks like she is a recovering meth addict says that if John McCain plans on 100 years more in Iraq, she's not letting him have her son is VERY ANNOYING.  What I DO like about it, though, is that I think more people are heading to MoveOn.org to see what it's all about.  I wonder if they purposely made it irritating for that reason.  They have an excellent ad with John Cusack that I saw on "Countdown" the other night, but I have not seen that ad in a pay-for-play slot... at least not here in DC.

Michele Pyle, Alexandria VA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:08 AM)

Has anyone ever seen the Captain D commercials? They all pretty much end the same way, with someone being slapped in the face by a giant fish tail. I think they are hilarious.

Nikki (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:11 AM)

I agree with Brian Evans' comment on the Sonic ads ... we also get them here, but there are no Sonics nearby.  In fact I went to their website and the closest is 150 miles away.  Why they are paying for ad time in this location is beyond me.

S G (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:14 AM)

I like the new Slim Jim commercials with the Spicy Side character who is well behaved but resentful until he gets ahold of a Slim Jim and goes bonkers.
Also, the Edy's Dubs commercial where the little girls wonders "What are they going to do with all the giant sized lollipops?" and they cut to the woman using them to rip the hair off some guy's back.  "You be like baby!"

Dave, Milwaukee, WI (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:25 AM)

The commercials I hate are the ones where someone is yelling at me.  There are two that I've seen in Cincinnati.  One is for Oxyclean.  The other I think is local for a place called American Freight.  Both guys have loud annoying voices that completely turn me off.  I won't buy Oxyclean or ever step into an American Freight store only because of those guys yelling at me.

J P, Cincinnati, OH (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:29 AM)

I love the one with the girl that rub's almonds or cashews on her neck and wrists and walks outside and all the guys are following her.  That one makes me laugh everytime! I hate the ad's for Carls Jr. (West Coast)  they are so gross with slobs eating food watching it fall out of their mouth makes me sick!

Heather, Mountain home, ID (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:37 AM)

One ad that I hate is the Korean Air commercial. It's so stupid. A woman browsing an art gallery, a man popping champagne, another woman wearing the fugliest dress/bikini thing I've ever seen, a couple twirling, another woman putting her lips around an envelope, a man standing in the sand in a suit, what do all of this have to do with an airline? Oh, yeah, the light blue color. Gimme a break! This is the most pointless ad I've ever seen.

dawn, new york, ny (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:38 AM)

Talk about disgusting.  Years ago, after Procter and Gamble acquired Norwich Pharmacal brands like Pepto-Bismol, of course, P&G's agency took over the marketing of the product, and the first ad post-acquisition had a youngster complaining he was feeling "pukey."  As I heard the ad over and over again, I was disgusted and wrote P&G.  I was not alone in my feelings.  The company wrote back several weeks later and said it had pulled the ads.  

Jeffrey Knight, Miami, FL (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:42 AM)

There is this Lincoln Tech commerical that plays in my area. It appears to be locally produced (reminds me of used car dealership commericals). But that's not the part that bothers me. There is this chick in it that is talking about her career and how Lincoln Tech prepared her and she has the MOST monotone voice EVER! It really gets under my skin. It's all drone and deep, like she smokes 3 packs a day. Ugh!

Andrea, East Stroudsburg, PA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:51 AM)

I haven't seen these for awhile, but there used to be an Aspercreme that said "You bet your sweet Aspercreme." They changed it to "You bet if it's Aspercreme." Also, I don't like the ad with the little girl who takes a honking bite out of a huge pickle and it makes a sounds like a redwood falling.

Mike DeRucci (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:53 AM)

NYCgirl, I am also annoyed by the grammar in the "ain't no bugs on me" commercials.  "Ain't no" is a double negative and makes me think there are, in fact, bugs on him.

Laurah in NY (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:53 AM)

I absolutely adore the political ad where the mother tells John McCain he can't have her baby boy for the war effort. It's a classic and everytime I hear it I say "YES"!

Mary Jane, Clinton, MD (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:54 AM)

I hate the Viagara commercials that use the Viva LasVegas music - just wrong!!!!!

Joyce, Chicago, Illinois (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:56 AM)

And we all wonder why Americans are obese. Get outside and exercise people.

Karen, Atlanta GA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:09 AM)

To the guy from San Diego writing about Sonic's proximity--I live in Boston, and the closest Sonic is 244.33 miles away in Waretown, NJ. And yep, we see the commercials here all the freakin' time too. So it could be worse--imagine how the people in, say, Augusta ME must feel!

My theory is that they want to encourage people to take long road trips and stop at all the Sonics along the way.

Nate Howe, Boston MA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:16 AM)

I can't believe that no one has mentioned those horrible Pepto Bismol adds where everyone dances like the macarena.  Horrible, horrible, horrible commercials.

Jeffrey Garrison, Baltimore, Maryland (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:22 AM)

I love the Geico Caveman commercials and always will. ALso i love the "Ain't no Bugs on Me" ad- I sing that to my 10 month old nephew and he loves it! I miss the Taco Bell dog, and the Duracell family of plastic robotic like people. And I hate the Outback Steakhouse commercials on TV and Radio.

Pam (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:23 AM)

I have to agree that I love the creditreport.com commercials. I have always loved clever and catchy jingles and here they have hit the nail on the head.
But my confusions comes at these people who like the pregnency test commercials with the urine...I mean I'm can be as crude as the next person but do I need to see something being urinated on while I'm eating? No thank you!

Shane Nicole (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:37 AM)

I can Not,I repeat,Cannot stand the Hardee's commericals..i have not ate at one in over 2 years and will not eat at one untill they change those ad's..the mans voice talking and the guy's eating the cheese paper smacking their lips,guy's who cant cook breakfast,etc,etc,they driver me CRAZY...

Kristen Bacon,Elizabethton,TN (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:37 AM)

The spawn of last year's "IDK, my BFF Jill?" totally irritate me, but none so much as the one where the mother texts "Are you listening?" to her daughter during the Scrabble game, and the daughter responds, "Question mark?" while the translation says, "What?"  Seriously?  SERIOUSLY?!

Patsy (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:43 AM)

I just saw this Heineken Light beer commercial. Each person passes a beer to another person and it's all very cheerful and unified. Just all around cute. Same goes for the traveler's insurance commercial where this adorable old guy walks around with a huge umbrella helping everyone he meets along the way. It's almost like a fairy tale.

I hate, hate, hate any local car dealership commercials. Always so badly scripted, badly acted, and badly pitched. My feelings are the same for the Windstream internet and phone commercials (Northeast Ohio) with the green retro truck and annoying, idiotic spokesperson. I cannot roll my eyes enough!

Beatrice, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:44 AM)

by far, the commercial that had me rolling on the floor was the carpet cleaning commercial where the kid comes out as the mom is talking to a friend in the living room and announces "Mom, Toby learned a new trick!" to which the scene goes to the dog dragging it's rear across the carpet. The reaction of the mom screaming "NO!! TOBY NO! MAKE HIM STOP!!" is priceless!!!

Jennifer McCurdy, Lancaster, PA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:46 AM)

Love the Geico commercials, but I liked them better before when it was just the Gecko with no stalker wildlife guy.
I like most of the Orbit ads, but hate the newest one that everyone else seems to hate.
Love he etrade baby with the clown, but hate the one where he barfs.
Hate the dancing girl and lizards.  Creepy!
Hate the Jetblue commercials.
Love the pregnancy test one.
HATE the ones for gardisil.
Hate all of the Viva Viagra ones
Really hate the free credit report ones
I'm sick of the alltel guys and their wizard, but also love the ones with the girl and mom screaming nice things at each other-girl:  I love you!  mom:  I know you mean that!  Cracks me up!
Love the Terminix ones with the giant bugs.
Love the sonic commercials.  My family went on a recent vacation and kept reenacting this one until we finally had to find a sonic and buy a shake for each of us!
My favorite commercials that aren't on anymore were for Pedigree and featured a dog named Echo in a shelter.  A family walks by and Echo walks to the front of his cage with hope on his fact only to watch them walk away with a look like "hey, you forgot me" while the voiceover says somethin like "I know that I'm a good dog, but I don't know why I ended up here"  Always made me tear up, but then came the one showing Echo again and it said "I don't remember how I got here, but I remember the day I went home" and a door opens to find Echo playing in the backyard with his new family.  Cried like a baby!!!  

lizzie, IL (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:54 AM)

I love the Jeep ad where the guy is driving along and the animals start falling into the Jeep and singing with him. I just can't remember the song.

daisy hartford ct (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:58 AM)

I have to throw in my "HATE HATE HATE" vote to the Mentos gum commercial where the lady opens the guy's nose and uses his mouth as a drinking fountain.  I think the only ad more disgusting (ever) than this was the sour skittles goat commercial.  I want to throw up every time the Mentos gum commercial is on!

Lydia, Chicago (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:58 AM)

It's isn’t running anymore, but I loved the commercial about the girl who wanted a cell phone for Christmas and got a pony instead. I started watching more TV hoping to catch it.

As far as hate - count me in with the Charmin bear haters.

Roberta, Chicago (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:59 AM)

I love the K9 Advantex (or whatever) commercial. The puppy looks just like my dog did when he was that age. Besides, how can you not love a commercial with a singing labrador puppy? They're like the cutest dogs ever! I hate the peeing pregnancy test commercial; it's just so distasteful. The freecreditreport.com commercial is annoying and always stuck in my head. Also annoying is the bratty little girl that doesn't like anything. She needs a time out.

Virginia, McLean, VA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:03 AM)

I absolutely love the Heineken commerical with that song playing It's Love.  Each person hands the bottle of beer to someone else, like a cowboy hands the bottle to a ballerina on stage, then she in turn hands it to a bunch of guys in a suana.  I saw the full version of the commerical last week for the first time.  Its very catchy... its la la la la love, its love.

Cheryl, NJ (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:08 AM)

Who was the Madison Avenue hoshot who chose the song line "we're not gonna take it" to advertise birth control pills?  What do they suggest you do with their product, hold it between your knees?!

Sophie , Hudson, New York (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:11 AM)

I love the Alltell commercials with the four guys from the other cell companies and Chad.  Everytime one of them says "What is up, Chad?" I crack up!  I say it around the house all the time.

Amber, Hagerstown, MD (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:13 AM)

The Alltel ads drive me up the wall. The characters are totally repulsive and I turn the channel the second the ad appears.

Pat, Bradenton, Florida (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:21 AM)

The all time best series of commercials were run in California ( I don't know about the rest of the country) featuring the Happy Cows Janis and Diana.  "hit the snooze" and the rooster comes flying out of the barn.... Great stuff!

Ellie, Bakersfield CA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:25 AM)

My new favorite is the Huggies commercial where the hip dad takes his baby into the coat room/bedroom at a party to change him and the baby pees all over the place. I don't know why I find this so funny, but I crack up every time I see it. I guess I just like the change from the normal babies running around on screen with pastel colors everywhere in other diaper commercials.

Lynn, Richmond, Virginia (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:38 AM)

I get a nasty kick out of the Cheetos ad set in a laundromat.  One woman complains to a second woman that there are other people using the facilities besides her, whereupon Chester Cheetah points to a dryer full of clean white clothes turning round and round and says, "Those are hers."  The second woman gets an evil grin on her face, opens the dryer door, puts in a handful of bright orange Cheetos and starts the dryer again.  I laugh out loud every time I see that.

Myra, Stillwater, OK (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:46 AM)

I don't understand why so many of the ads have to be nasty. When any ad causes me to wonder how I'll explain the concept to my kids I STOP buying the product. Most annoying feminine hygene/male enhancement - it's not like you wont find them and buy them if and when they're needed!

Bren, Delano, CA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 10:52 AM)

I love the dog food commercial with the bulldog saying he's a lean mean fettin machine, foot loose, fleas free/  Iams.  I could watch that guy all day.  The David Duchovny commercials I think for purina are heart pullers too.  If it has a dog in it, I'm a goner.

Lil, Philadelphia, PA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 11:15 AM)

I absolutely cannot stand that KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce ad where all the diners get up and do a country line dance to a country music band singing "Mr. can you spare me a rib, the only kind of sauce on my bib" or something like that! NO, go get your own rib! That tune and those silly dancers drive me over the top!

Sandi Proctor, Richmond, VA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 11:22 AM)

Ads I love to watch over and over: any with the Geico lizard (it's the accent and clever wit); PetSmart with the dachshund; Jeep Liberty - Rock Me Gently (hmmm, am I seeing a pattern here?); Jack-In-The-Box; Sonic (very Seinfeld-ish).

Ads I cannot stand: Rosetta Stone language programs;
e-surance cartoons; any that promote pharmaceuticals (Levitra is particularly annoying); Billy Mays.

Ads I really, really miss - "Yo quiero Taco Bell?" The talking chihuahua ad campaign was one of the most successful in the history of television - so successful, in fact, that Taco Bell fired their ad agency. The reason? They were selling more toy dogs than food (I have the entire collection). Before the chihuahua campaign started, I had never set foot inside a Taco Bell. And, when they pulled the plug on the the ads, my trips to Taco Bell ended.

Truly clever advertising garners response.

Carol Smith, Pasadena, CA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 11:42 AM)

oh why has no one mentioned the slim jim ads?!! they are so incredibly horrible. they all feature some creepy miniature version of the main character, their "wild side" or something like that.  then it freaks out when it eats a slim jim...creepy!!
and i've just about enough of the alltel geeks too.  the wizard one drives me particularly nuts because as horrible as it is, i always thought it could be a little more funny if they put a tiny white beard on the doberman (hey, if the baby's got one?).

tiffany, goodyear, az (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:05 PM)

I can't remember what organization this series of commercials was from .. but it was a very simple sketch of a stick-figured boy and dog. The boy was smoking pot and a bubble appeared over the dogs head that said 'You disappoint me.' I can't explain it .. but those commercials crack me up! They even ran those advertisements in magazines. Love those!

Brittany, Cincinnati, OH (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:07 PM)

I looooove the truth commercials (the magical amoun enough to really hook ya..... and..... it must of been a typo a typo a typo). it gets stuck in my head all day.

Fatima, brooklyn, Ny (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:22 PM)

When I first saw the Old Spice Hair and Body Wash commercial ("Is it right for me?") I thought it was a spoof.  I even asked my husband if that was for real.  It's hilarious.  Especially the airhead model dude going "Huh?" at the end.

Vicki, Denver, Co (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:25 PM)

I am retired from 35 years in the advertising business and for many of those years I was a TV Producer so I am VERY critical of ads.
There is a new commercial with the Sinatra song "Come Fly With Me".  One of my all time favorite songs...
Reduced Fat Wheat Thins actually had the nerve to use this iconic song for their commercial.  It's sacrilege!!
My other rant is about the IO Digital Cable ads.  They really should fire the ad agency that thought of these commercials and ALL the people who approved them! I immediately turn to another channel when these come on.

Helaine, New York, NY (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:48 PM)

I hate those mini bags of Lay's Potato Chip commercials. Why is her husband 6" tall? I bet Rick Morranis had something to do with it. They could have gone so many other BETTER directions with the ad campaign on this product ("grab and go", pack it in the kids' lunch, serving size snack). There are so many things about these ads that just drive me up the wall. I have to change the channel when they come on.

I also hate the Sobe Life Water one with Naomi Campbell. I remember it premiered durring the super bowl. THAT is that you're spending millions on? A has-been former super model dancing to Thriller with a bunch of CGI lizzards? The radio commercials are also quite annoying.

Lauren Dallas, Texas (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:25 PM)



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