Annoying Commercials

I'm sure I'm not the only one annoyed by certain commercials on TV. The late-night and weekend infomercials are annoying enough (considering they play certain ones almost nightly for months), but I'm talking about those 30-60 second "spots" played on most channels, especially networks, all the time.

It's to the point where a half-hour show is closer to 20 minutes, an hour show is more like 40 minutes in length, and a movie, that's 90 minutes on the DVD takes TWO FULL HOURS to play on most non-movie or pay-per-view channels. This is bad enough, but then we're subjected to certain EXTREMELY ANNOYING commercials.

Sometimes the annoyance is the commercial itself. (And how they got past test-panels, I'll NEVER know!) Sometimes the annoyance is the number of times a commercial is shown on any given day.

Examples:

1. Head On (one I just saw).
   This is the OTC (Over-The-Counter) "stick" headache medication that you don't take internally, you spread (like deodorant) on your forehead. EVERY commercial I've seen for it, repeats a 5-10 word sentence THREE TIMES before they get to the actual commercial. I figured out, today, why they do that - The constant repetition GIVES you a headache, and immediately, they tell you how to "make it better."
2. Ford (Taylor Hicks) - "Possibilities"
   You know... I've seen Taylor on a BUNCH of shows since his American Idol win. I really do like the guy. I also like the commercial for Ford with Taylor singing and dancing on a round, Plexiglas stage with the cameras zooming in and out... I KNOW you've all seen it more than once. The problem I have is how OFTEN it's played. Once or twice a day (and separated by more than a 5-minute show segment) is MORE than enough. I also realized last night that the edit they used of the song has Taylor (an American Idol!) singing FOUR OR FIVE FREAKIN' NOTES OVER AND OVER. It''s just one of the "Possibilities" that when Taylor FINALLY releases his first album (old-folk-talk for CD, kids), and the first single is "Possibilities" that it will tank. And, if all the other songs on the album sound the same... He's history.
3. Daimler-Chrysler (Dr Z Series)
   The number of times these commercials are repeated are annoying, too. They have 3-4 of them, but seem to use the same one or two on any given night (or he's in EVERY DAMN commercial break). Why can't they alternate them more? As with Taylor's commercial, Dr Z is likeable, but how many of you want to see him smash that car and look at least as (if not more) disheveled as the "reporter" in the car? Or one of those kids actually pull his mustache as he's asked if it's real? At least he gets his "comeuppance" in the one where the more recognizable "Hemi Kid" (not the one that says "Sweet") is the director ("ACTORS!")
4. Nationwide ("Life comes at you fast" - Kid on a Swing)
   How many want that kid (when he's grown, of course) to fall off the swing and hurt HIMSELF? The first couple of times, it was cute. A couple of times to figure out and verify "How they did that" (When the dad pushes the little kid the second time, he steps forward, someone catches the little kid off camera to keep him from swinging back, and someone else drops the big kid, aimed perfectly at the Dad after he steps up.) After that... I want Dad to go flying WAY off the screen and the kid to break the branch on which the swing is hung. Don't you?
5. Mazda CX7 ("This guy is the man")
   Now, to be honest, I like the "Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" Mazda commercials. But this one has been repeated WAY too many times! (Two guys walking downtown, one points the SUV out to the other, pointing to the "leather seats" and other nice things, saying "This guy is the MAN", as a pretty girl comes out, presses the button to unlock the car ("beep beep"), gets in and drives away.) And the "Listen and Learn" on (hikers come on a road, one says "What's that", smarty says "Listen and learn", lays his ear on the ground, describes the vehicle coming, and says "Sports Car" at the end as the SUV goes by) is getting on my nerves, too!
6. Hardees' Milkshakes (My Milkshake Is Better than Yours)
   Two guys shaking cows, making their udders ... "shake" to make "milkshake"... Get it? This is just strange. They're using a song that's EXTREMELY sexual in nature (Kelis sings it, apparently), and her "Milkshake" AIN'T cows' milk! And some of the cuts in the commercial are ... disturbing... As in the first one (one guy, one cow, "Shake That Thing" - again, a strong sexual reference song), there's at least one shot of the guys behind the cows, hands on the cows' ... hips ... and a swat to the cow's ass... The guys are so close to the cows ... Uh ... That's enough on that one. I think you catch my meaning. The songs aren't that bad, but the sight of those guys shaking those cows... Eouw!

Now, I graduated about 30 years ago from Purdue with a degree in Mass Communication/Radio-TV, and understand the theories behind all of these. But, if you make something annoying, it can backfire on you. Rather than being "memorable" it becomes something to avoid. And, if you avoid the commercial, you avoid what the advertiser WANTED you to see over and over. You may also NOT purchase something because you hate the commercial so much.

I thought they had test-panels for these things. They should add playing it over and over again. (I've also begun to hate - at least for a while - certain "older" songs I used to love, because the commercials they're in are overplayed. I HATE THAT!)

Anyway, that's my take on just SOME of the annoying commercials out there.

Which ones annoy you?

Bill Sanders