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The worst commercials in TV history..

Tim from Springfield said:
After seeing this ad for the first time in tonight's Saints-Vikings NFC championship game on Fox, I now nominate the Walmart birthday party ad with the clown (who was scary looking enough already) who accidentally steps on a unicorn decoration when jumping down the steps--and finds himself screaming in pain (and scaring off the kids in the process). Tasteless and sad--I can't see how anyone can find this to be funny--but that's just my opinion.

The YouTube link to this latest work of art:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVqyt4iS7uI
Click to expand...

Any Wal-Mart commercial that promises "Save smart, live better" and "our prices are cheaper than other grocery store's prices" can be added to that list when neither of these apply and seeing everyone happy in those commercials in this recession makes me disappointed. :(
 
Any Wal-Mart commercial that promises "Save smart, live better" and "our prices are cheaper than other grocery store's prices" can be added to that list when neither of these apply and seeing everyone happy in those commercials in this recession makes me disappointed.
Click to expand...

Also, thanks to Wal-Mart, I now know that I have to buy an entire carload of snacks before I watch a football game on TV.
 
Tim from Springfield said:
After seeing this ad again a moment ago during CBS college basketball coverage (apparently the network flipped us to Florida-Tennessee from Ohio State-Minnesota), I nominate the Bud Light "AMY" commercial as among the worst in recent TV history--the ad explains it all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7ow848mkLY
Click to expand...

Oh come on! That was actually funny. And well produced.

Of ALL the horrible ads that we collectively have to choose from (literally tens of thousands), you can't seriously think that the "Amy" ad is the worst, can you? Worse than the ad now running for that group which supplies old people with diapers? Worse than those pharmaceutical ads which drone on in a fast monotone for 90 seconds with disclaimers like "may cause insanity, don't take within 136 hours of drinking alcohol, in rare cases women have been known to grow mustaches...." Worse than another big pharm staple: the four-hour erection? Even worse than Vince, An-tony Sullivan and the late Billy Mays?

Honestly people, let's put these comments into some perspective here. With such a rich tapestry of horribly produced ads for totally absurd products, we should really be a bit more selective when tossing around terms like "worst".

This thread has become akin to a group of guys, each swearing that the prettiest girl in each of their respective classrooms is the most beautiful woman in the whole world...... :D
 
bk77 said:
There is a commerical I can remember from the mid 1980's for some lotion or perfume. The scene was of a woman laying in a chair right next to a large swimming pool. She is wearing a bikini and those big sunglasses saying something like "I am made of blue sky" or something like it.
Click to expand...
"And I will feel this way forever."
 
Let us not forget that newly discovered culture that can only be found in Activia - bifidus regularis - just in time for teens to really believe it is a new scientific discovery - especially with the gray haired, concerned advisor type shaaaaaring on the sofa.

Separate bathtubs in a field - I am pretty sure that Cialis just isn't going to do much good in a separate bathtub in the middle of a field. Have you two tried getting in the same bathtub without Cialis?

The toilet that talks to the woman to let her know what kind of toilet cleaner they prefer.

Lawyer commercials: "If you have suffered injury or death call us". One of them changed to "you or a loved one", since I guess the dead can't call their lawyers.

The mop and broom deal.
 
especially with the gray haired, concerned advisor type shaaaaaring on the sofa.
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Worst thing? The "gray haired, concerned advisor type" is Jaime Lee Curtis.

And I completely agree on the commercials that out-clever themselves, and you spend the first 20 seconds going "What are you advertising, already?"
 
Corky Marlowe said:
especially with the gray haired, concerned advisor type shaaaaaring on the sofa.
Click to expand...

Worst thing? The "gray haired, concerned advisor type" is Jaime Lee Curtis.

And I completely agree on the commercials that out-clever themselves, and you spend the first 20 seconds going "What are you advertising, already?"
Click to expand...

I saw Jamie Lee on a talk show recently in a low cut red dress. Gray hair or not, she's looking very good.

Your comment on those commercials that "out-clever themselves" reveals the rationale for making them that way. If the viewer "spends 20 seconds going 'what are you advertising already,' " the viewer is paying attention.

These do back-fire easily though, if they aren't well done. When Nissan launched the Infiniti line of luxury cars (around 1990), their TV ads were widely criticized for being too obsure - and not even showing the cars. Infiniti sales were very slow at first, and these commercials got the blame.
 
Lkeller said:
Corky Marlowe said:
especially with the gray haired, concerned advisor type shaaaaaring on the sofa.
Click to expand...

Worst thing? The "gray haired, concerned advisor type" is Jaime Lee Curtis.

And I completely agree on the commercials that out-clever themselves, and you spend the first 20 seconds going "What are you advertising, already?"
Click to expand...

I saw Jamie Lee on a talk show recently in a low cut red dress. Gray hair or not, she's looking very good.

Your comment on those commercials that "out-clever themselves" reveals the rationale for making them that way. If the viewer "spends 20 seconds going 'what are you advertising already,' " the viewer is paying attention.

These do back-fire easily though, if they aren't well done. When Nissan launched the Infiniti line of luxury cars (around 1990), their TV ads were widely criticized for being too obsure - and not even showing the cars. Infiniti sales were very slow at first, and these commercials got the blame.
Click to expand...

Hold on there, Pilgrim; you just combined into one quote the posts of two different people. Anyway, it's still a stupid commercial. What? The girl's mother or another family member can't tell her about good nutrition?
 
I can't think of the jewelery store...maybe JB Robinson, with the snooty lady "Smart Man" she says by him going to that particular store, then the snobby boyfriend mentions why he went there. "Maybe I want a platinum band with diamonds halfway around...or maybe all the way around". ::)
 
nightfly61 said:
I can't think of the jewelery store...maybe JB Robinson, with the snooty lady "Smart Man" she says by him going to that particular store, then the snobby boyfriend mentions why he went there. "Maybe I want a platinum band with diamonds halfway around...or maybe all the way around". ::)
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I never could understand jewelry stores - if they were any good - being such cheezy hams. There was a place in Baltimore, Charles Nusinov, which rarely ran a commercial, rarely ran a sale. I have a few good pieces of jewelry from there. Like I said, good pieces of jewelry. Hand cut, flawless gems, custom settings. Everyone knew that if you wanted serious jewelry that was the place to go. They've been in business for a very, very long time.
 
Silkie said:
nightfly61 said:
I can't think of the jewelery store...maybe JB Robinson, with the snooty lady "Smart Man" she says by him going to that particular store, then the snobby boyfriend mentions why he went there. "Maybe I want a platinum band with diamonds halfway around...or maybe all the way around". ::)
Click to expand...

I never could understand jewelry stores - if they were any good - being such cheezy hams. There was a place in Baltimore, Charles Nusinov, which rarely ran a commercial, rarely ran a sale. I have a few good pieces of jewelry from there. Like I said, good pieces of jewelry. Hand cut, flawless gems, custom settings. Everyone knew that if you wanted serious jewelry that was the place to go. They've been in business for a very, very long time.
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In the Bay Area, the worst cheesy ham was "Paul from the Diamond Center" (who may have been mentioned earlier this thread)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_TuXMn0ks8

I think the answer is - there are a lot of people who want cheap flashy jewelry and don't have a lot of cash - so they go to guys like Paul to buy it on "easy credit with no money down." I'm sure it's not only half the quality of your Charles Nusinov, but even more expensive when you consider its real worth.
 
During the Illinois-Iowa game broadcast on Big Ten Network tonight I did see the latest Five-Star Energy drink ad, with an obese guy drinking a competing energy drink in front of two ladies--then grossing them out with a belch (caused by the other energy drink). :-[
 
Tim from Springfield said:
After seeing this ad for the first time in tonight's Saints-Vikings NFC championship game on Fox, I now nominate the Walmart birthday party ad with the clown (who was scary looking enough already) who accidentally steps on a unicorn decoration when jumping down the steps--and finds himself screaming in pain (and scaring off the kids in the process). Tasteless and sad--I can't see how anyone can find this to be funny--but that's just my opinion.

The YouTube link to this latest work of art:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVqyt4iS7uI
Click to expand...

YouTube has yanked this video.
 
bk77 said:
There is a commerical I can remember from the mid 1980's for some lotion or perfume. The scene was of a woman laying in a chair right next to a large swimming pool. She is wearing a bikini and those big sunglasses saying something like "I am made of blue sky" or something like it. Later in the same ad, a man wearing speedos jumps in the pool and swims towards her only to disappear while he steps out of the pool. I would like to say the brand was the perfume Chanel #5 but I am not sure but I do remember the rumor at the time where another similar spot was supposed to had been made where both the woman and man were totally nude and instead of doing the disappearing act when the man gets out of the pool..he and the woman have sex. Maybe that ad was made for the French TV market. ;D
Click to expand...

You're correct...it was Chanel #5. And the guy coming out of the pool had what looked like a set of keys in his hand...I think it was supposed to be her fantasizing the guy coming up out of the pool, but obviously they can't show the guy naked (or her) or them gettin' it on, but if they didn't have to keep it clean for broadcast TV, I'm sure we would've seen some prit-tee spicy activity.

At the end, the announcer says, "Share the fantasy...Chanel #5."
 
Since as of an hour ago Super Bowl XLIV is now "classic TV" (especially in NOLA), I now nominate any and all Doritos and Bud Light Super Bowl commercials as not only my picks for the worst of this year's SB, but also TV history. Also the E-Trade ad with the baby executives. Just my opinion.
 
Any political ad. Ever. Any ad that takes a well known popular song & turns it into a cheap generic jingle version. While still in northern Ohio the IX Indoor Amusement Park took "Ooh Child" & did that to it.
 


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