You all know me well. I don’t really complain very much (ahem). But one of the things that really gets me around Christmas time are the overly sappy ads that try to get you to purchase extremely expensive gifts for a sentimental reason (“You don’t love your husband/wife unless you buy them…”).
Now, I’m not one to complain about the over commercialism of Christmas… it really doesn’t bother me all that much. And I really enjoy this time of year, right down to the cheesiest of Christmas songs. But there are two ad campaigns that have driven me up the wall for the last few years.
Ad #1: Lexus. In this jackass ad, one upper class spouse gives another upper-class spouse a $35,000+ car for Christmas by giving them a key in oh-so-creative ways (like using the key for a nose on a snowman, or delivering it via a Christmas train set). The giving spouse watches with a look of “Man, I’m getting some tonight” on their face while the recipient gushes over how much they must love them to give them such an expensive gift. Meanwhile, the kids down at the orphanage weep because they didn’t receive a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags this year, again.
Ad #2: Kay Jewelers. Every kiss begins with Kay! Man I hate that tagline. In this ad, a couple is walking along a city street as a romantic snow falls around them. The man pulls out a small box and hands it to his girlfriend/fiancee/wife/hoochie mama. She opens it and over-mouths, “Oh, it’s be-YOU-tiful!” Then they ride off into the night in the back of a cab driven by, oooooh-it’s-so-creative-it-gives-me-chills, SANTA CLAUS. It’s funny because it’s Santa driving a taxi! Groan. As they pull away, they run over a homeless man as he’s leaning over to pick up the receipt on the ground that reads “Kay Jewelers.”
These two commercials evoke a Pavlovian response in me, where I start foaming at the mouth the instant I hear the background music. I start twiching violently when the key or the jewelry makes an appearance and then black out by the time the final Lexus or Kay logo is on the screen.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Jim January 4, 2011, 6:31 am
By far, the worst, and still being aired (Jan 3rd) is the Honda ‘Holiday’ song by Vampire Weekend ! Death to that band, for sure. It is still on every station every 15 min as well as every radio station every 10 min. I do not think Honda can sell that many cars to pay for all of the airtime.