Vonage thinks you are painfully stupid
—Posted by Gregory Solman |
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September 13, 2006 | Permalink |
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I saw the "break up" version of these ads for the first time last night. It was extremely painful to watch. The older Vonage ads - the one with the guy dancing in the out-of-focus background or the guy in the lobster suit in the out-of-focus background were odd - but at least a tad bit entertaining.
I now hate Vonage - and I want the minute or so of my life back that they took to show me that commerical.
Posted by: Deanna | Sep 13, 2006 11:06:05 AM
Maybe this isn't cool to say, but isn't anyone else TIRED of every ad on TV celebrating dumb and lazy people?
You NEVER see an ad featuring a SMART and INDUSTRIOUS person.
(by the way, no one would ever use the word industrious in an ad either)
No... every ad features an idiot trying to find ways to hide from his wife, skip work, drink more, sleep later, etc.
Seems to me this is just reaffirming America's worst tendencies.
Posted by: ChrisM70 | Sep 13, 2006 11:26:44 AM
I honestly didn't know what these ads were trying to say at all. How are we supposed to know that 'pizza box' is a start up kit? The acting was so horrible in the 'break up' spot I didn't even think they were breaking up. I just thought the guy was kind of afraid of the girl. I will give these spots credit for getting noticed, but the messaging is hardly clear. Or perhaps I'm just stupid, which would apparently put me right in their target audience.
Posted by: T | Sep 13, 2006 11:29:55 AM
I'm a writer who covers marketing trends for CanWest News. I've been noticing the "stupid-ification" of commercials for some time, and this campaign seems to present the perfect opportunity to write a story about it. Does anyone know if these Vonage ads are/will be shown in Canada? Also, if anyone is willing to talk to me briefly about their annoyance with spots that focus on dumb, unflattering characters, you can reach me at sproudfoot@canwest.com. Thanks!
Posted by: Shannon | Sep 13, 2006 4:30:38 PM
I thought the earlier spots had no point. Doing whacky stuff in the background? What's the connection?
When I first saw the break up spot, I thought it was to going to be a new Axe body spray spot.
Posted by: makethelogobigger | Sep 13, 2006 5:10:33 PM
I thought the "sharks" ad was hilarious and I remembered it was for Vonage which is saying something.
Posted by: Tim O | Sep 13, 2006 7:16:28 PM
The original ads had a wonderfully eerie quality to them. Somewhat theatre of the absurd. The hapless spokesperson in the foreground somehow wedded to the out of focus dolt in the background, nervously retaining eye contact so that you didn't notice the freak in the room. They definitely merited an honest chuckle and I gave them a B for edginess.
The new ones are quite over the top and stink of larger production budgets, more marketing pinheads and ever dumber focus groups. The creative process gets dumbed down, and even an original take on stupidity just becomes another day in this U.S. of A.
Posted by: Progresswear | Sep 14, 2006 4:14:03 PM
Who is the hot girlfriend in the Vonage break up ad?
Posted by: Jones | Sep 16, 2006 11:15:59 PM
If you are offended by Vonage referring to people as idiots..you are probably the very type of idiot they are referring to. Wake up, people are so stupid it is amazing the world is still here! But give us a few more years we'll fix that I'm sure.
Come on people, celebrate the stupidity. If you can't celebrate someone else's stupidity then you are probably the boneheaded subject of the joke!
Posted by: chip | Sep 18, 2006 4:54:08 PM
Yeah what is the name of the model in the vonage break up ad? The hot girl with the fat guy?
Posted by: bigguy | Sep 18, 2006 10:37:38 PM
i dont know her name, but her eyebrows are fucking AMAZING!!!
Posted by: MiracleRiss | Sep 20, 2006 3:27:13 AM
Moreover, WHO IS THE HOT BLONDE in the sharks commercial?!?!?!?! OMG!
Posted by: C | Oct 2, 2006 12:43:49 AM
I believe that girl in the dolphins commercial is Linda O'Neil, a fitness model.
Posted by: mds | Oct 4, 2006 11:24:42 AM
Lighten up folks-Vonage simply has embarked on an off-the-wall method of advertising. Sure, the commercials are weird, maybe even poor taste-if you are a blonde, but they got your attention and you are talking about them which makes their methods a direct hit in advertising.
Posted by: dolfinmb | Oct 12, 2006 5:48:23 AM
I agree with "T" - yet another commercial reinforcing the "stupid-ification" of America. Sure - it's a sign of the times - and sure - it probably does work. I, for one, opt-out. I won't be buying service from Vonage.
Posted by: Timothy Denike | Oct 23, 2006 1:39:45 PM
Thank you for allowing me the forum to express my pure hatred for Vonage after repeated viewings of its 2 recent commercials (the breakup in the car and the blonde on the beach). Vonage, you merit an SEC investigation, the killing of your corporate charter, the jacking of your site, and a Fight-Club style destruction of your brick and morter headquarters (complete with The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" playing in the background) for vomiting this unfunny, unimaginative, annoying tripe across these airwaves. =)
Posted by: The Mediocre Gatsby | Nov 4, 2006 2:54:41 PM
I think the majority of you are missing the point. Vonage is not advertising to you & I doubt they care if you think their campaign is stupid. They're communicating to younger people who've replaced their house phones with cell phones. As long as those commercials make them laugh, it works.
Posted by: James | Nov 5, 2006 1:00:52 PM
0MG!i THiNK THAT GiRl iS S00 PRETTY<3
BUT SHES S000 STUPid
Posted by: | Dec 21, 2006 4:39:21 PM
the girl is teh Vonage Beach ad used to be a foot fetish model for FM Concepts...Linda O'Neil...but she was known as Maria Cesares is memory serves
Posted by: iwtsbst | Dec 23, 2006 9:48:40 PM
i think the blonde, on the beach, is enteraining. you need to remember, she is probably not a blonde, and she has to have something going for her, she is in a commercial, and the ones that don't like it, are not.
Posted by: larry | Jan 11, 2007 2:20:01 PM
In addition to ridiculous advertising - to which many people on this page attest - Vonage has the worst quality of phone service I have ever experienced. Additionally, they falsely advertise that their system is compatible with security systems, which it is not. (This is after an actual conversation with their technical reps, who assured me they work with all security companies). When my service issues were not resolved, I wanted to cancel my service but they simply said I signed a contract and they will continue to bill me. Needless to say, I have filed a complain with the Better Business Bureau and I certainly hope more people take the time to try and bury these ridiculous companies. I am a Senior Vice President at a major U.S. corporation and have never witnessed such poor product, service or resoluton to a customer complaint. BEWARE OF VONAGE.
Posted by: eliz4773 | Mar 8, 2007 1:02:56 PM
who is the black woman who talks about the vonage service?
Posted by: bob | Apr 13, 2007 2:29:22 PM
