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'Tis the season for really dumb advertisingIt's that time of year, when marketers roll out holiday ads in an apparent contest to see who can be the hokiest and most cloying and insult viewers' intelligence the most. This weekend, I came up with a few nominees for the worst holiday spot of the season. Lexus | "A December to Remember" What does it take to kill the "December to Remember" sales event? I've gone on record a couple of times about how objectionable the idea of giving luxury cars as Christmas gifts is. Even with the economy in a tailspin, Lexus isn't giving up on the concept. The annoying music is back, the stupid bow. One change: a schmaltzy parallel is drawn between wanting iconic gifts like Atari and Big Wheel as a kid and wanting a Lexus now that you're grown up and might have to work until you're 75. Kay Jewelers | "Read My Lips" Let me try to create the scenario. Guy and girl sit down to exchange gifts, guy nervous. Guy starts stammering to girl and signing. She's deaf. He's not good at signing. But he wants to be, see? And guess what, he got her a Bulova watch! (Why no Leo diamond, cheapskate?) Her response when he asks if she likes it: "Read my lips." Kiss. I guess it's laudatory of Kay Jewelers to recognize hearing-deaf relationships in the service of selling watches. So, why does it annoy me so much? CBS Cares | "Hanukkah Prostate Exam" In this "CBS Cares" PSA, a woman urges her female friends to think outside the box during Hanukkah. Golf clubs? Sweater? Nah, she suggests giving their guys something they'd never expect: an appointment for a prostate exam. Sure, there might be an awkward silence when he sees the gift, but it's worth it. Granted, it's a very worthy message. Still. What's the connection to Hanukkah? Is a prostate-exam gift certificate not a good Christmas gift? Submit your own nominees, with YouTube links, in comments. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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December 2, 2008 in CBS, Holidays, Kay Jewelers, Lexus, Morrissey | Permalink |
Comments
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Actually, that Kay ad is pretty good, Very rare to see any company recognize the deaf community. Wonder why it annoys you as well. Thought it was pretty sweet (then again, I am married to someone who is hearing impaired--severely so-- and signs. I think she would probably like it). Best, and keep on blogging.
P.S. The Lexus one is annoying as heck. They come up with the same kind of thing every year.
Posted by: Angel | Dec 2, 2008 12:47:05 PM
The Hannukkah prostate exam strikes me as appropriate revenge for last year's gift that kept on giving, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's "D!ck in a Box."
Step One...
Posted by: Lisa | Dec 2, 2008 12:51:49 PM
As a P.S., knowing my better half, she would probably watch the ad and then nitpick it ("oh, that girl's sign for such and such is wrong. She should have done X instead."). I am showing it to her to see what she says.
Posted by: Angel | Dec 2, 2008 12:52:21 PM
I can't stand the Lexus spots, mostly because they do such a great job with the nostalgic first half - the iconic "it" toys, look and feel of it...really captures that moment in time. Then it's BAM! big, obnoxious luxury vehicle and the childhood warm fuzzies are completely obliterated. Such a letdown.
The Kay one is okay...a little cheesy and schmaltzy but 'tis the season, right?
Posted by: doozie | Dec 2, 2008 1:07:05 PM
The Kay one annoys me as well. Although I agree with Angel on the recognition part. The thing that gets me is the set up. They are supposedly dating, but he can't sign so how do they communicate. If he is getting her that nice of a gift it wouldn't be that new of a relationship yet there is an unfamiliarity between them. I thought it was his sister in-law or something the first time I saw it.
Posted by: Stephen | Dec 2, 2008 1:07:34 PM
One of these days I'd like to see a Lexus ad that features both giver and recipient driving, a la Thelma and Louise, off the edge of the goddamn Grand Canyon. I hate those ads. Pampered, spoiled and always white cretins with far more money than sense can spend whatever they want to on one another -- even if it's something inane like a car -- but I don't want to see or know anything about it.
The Kay ad is obnoxious because all jewelry ads are obnoxious. The only way to show your Special Someone how much you love her (and the recipient is always a woman, the giver always a man) is to buy her a useless bit of overpriced metal or a pseudo-shackle a la a "tennis bracelet" or collar/necklace? That's not only not creative; it imposes a tremendous fiscal burden on the giver, and assumed compliance, generally of a sexual nature, on the part of the recipient.
The only way to make these ads worse would be to combine the Lexus and Kay message: "Here's a diamond solitaire ring, and here's a brand new Lexus. Now get in the backseat, woman, and give me what I deserve."
Bleah.
Posted by: Warren | Dec 2, 2008 3:40:52 PM
Regarding the CBS Cares Chanukah ad, you asked why CBS did not see the gift of a prostate exam as appropriate for Christmas as well. You must have missed it because they ran one for Christmas later in 60 Minutes! And don’t they have a point that protecting a loved one’s health is the best gift of all during the holidays? or th
Posted by: Beth Fitzgerald | Dec 2, 2008 4:00:53 PM
Lexus ads are a joke
For 99% of us, If ANY spouse came home with a $45,000 car without asking their significant other first there will be hell to pay. Xmas or not.
Posted by: lib4 | Dec 2, 2008 4:14:36 PM
What - no ripping on the Glad-ey holiday commercals'? Hopefully this will be the first of many 'tis the season for really dumb ads posts!
Posted by: Kathleen Formidoni | Dec 2, 2008 7:01:00 PM
Kathleen brings up probably the worst offender for me. The Glad-ey spots. The whole lot of 'em, holiday and otherwise, are so stupid that I actually worry about the sanity of the creatives behind it...or the creatives who had to sacrifice their self-respect to produce a campaign that the client's wife probably came up with after an evening of Desperate Housewives shenanigans. I will actually change the channel when they come on...is there an advertising equivalent of the Razzies?
Posted by: doozie | Dec 2, 2008 7:13:48 PM
I think Lexus needs to come up with a new advertising campaign for the Christmas season. I see the same Lexus commercial every year with different actors and the years latest Lexus. The target audience of the commercial is a small majority. I agree with “lib4”, the commercial depicts a unrealistic scenario for most people.
Posted by: Joey S | Dec 2, 2008 10:47:14 PM
"A small majority?" Isn't that an oxymoron, like "jumbo shrimp" or "happily married" or "an intelligent comment from Joey S?"
Posted by: Xavier Forbrush | Dec 3, 2008 9:33:06 AM
Best Buy ads featuring sales people. Doesn't help that I've yet to encounter a helpful, knowledgeable employee at Best Buy. The one that really grates on me is with the guy who works at a store on a military base in Texas (http://www.bestbuy.com/projectholiday/#short_stories). It's such bullshit pandering to the McCain-Palin set.
Posted by: fermata | Dec 3, 2008 6:58:56 PM
My take away from that Best Buy spot is that they need their employees to smoke less crystal meth. That guy is too jittery.
Posted by: Jess | Dec 3, 2008 8:08:45 PM
HAVE A KOSHER PROSTATE FOR CHANNUKAH!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFQdMWildBE
Posted by: Evillewatcher | Dec 10, 2008 11:20:51 PM
Hallelujah for someone else hating on the Best Buy ads. They make my stomach curdle. And I've also never had a good shopping experience at Best Buy. It's like everytime I go in there the sales guys seem to think I am an idiot because I can't write code for video games. Or whatever it is they do in their spare time.
Posted by: Amanda | Dec 11, 2008 2:24:56 AM
