khrystle-raine drops on an AD...

Rant for today...

I actually saw a commercial yesterday... I know! Shocked the heck outta me too! (Anyone who knows me at all knows I have no time for commercials; I truly block them from my sight...) But I must say, after watching it, my opinion of ads hasn't changed.

There used to be interesting ads out there, now all they do is talk about how horrid things are if you aren't part of the 'in-crowd' and have or use such-and-such. *Hogwash!* (Yes, I may be old enough to remember... *grin*... or, I may have ripped open an archive vault for a research project... I'm hoping someone will reply and let me know which, because then I'll know if I'm succeeding in my covert plan...)

Anyway, getting back to my gripe (HA! You thought I'd lost my train of thought, didn't you? It's okay, admit it, I do it so often you would be forgiven for assuming so.) Okay, back on board and heading down the correct track...

This commercial is for a toothpaste-brand whitening product. I'm sure all of us have seen it (well, unless you, like me, block commercials). The commercial begins with a lady talking on a cell phone commenting, "Road trip?" "Vegas?" "Vegas!" the commercial continues speaking with the other two people going on this trip. When they go back to the first lady, they show her again, worried she may not look good enough for this trip.

SHE IS (now, here's my particular beef with this idiotic commercial)

SITTING IN THE DRIVERS SEAT, DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, TALKING ON HER CELL PHONE WHILE ANGLING THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT HER TEETH!!!

EXCUSE ME??? Did NO one in the agency catch that??? (Do YOU even understand what I'm appalled at???)

Has NO ONE seen the news of late? (I understand, the news is more fluff and less news, but again, that's for another rant.) People are DYING, as they are distracted while they drive, cell phones coming out as close to the top of the list for causes of fatal (FATAL!) accidents.

I think the one that resonates with me the most is the cheerleader (18?) driving (on a road trip...go figure, eh?) with three or four of her friends. Her cell phone records show she sent a text message one second before the time of the crash that killed everyone in her vehicle. (This was perhaps 4 or 5 years ago. still, there are enough near misses and injuries caused by distracted drivers, which is what the mirror and cell phone are: unnecessary distractions. Oh, you! Yes, I understand the rear-view mirror, when used correctly, is NOT an unnecessary distraction.)

Really important to have nice teeth...

It's not the product I'm upset with... it's the commercial. It's irresponsible. I am about to embark on a whole lotta rants about irresponsible ads, and MY reason(s) for disliking them. You are probably going to disagree. Or agree, for different reasons. Or agree, with stronger reasons. Okay, I can respect that. However? On my blog? My reasons rule... :-P

Do advertisers even look at the commercials they pay to have produced? Or, like so many failed ads, do they just sign off on the concept, leaving all the creativity to the agency, not fully understanding what they have until they have the blooper of all ads and have to explain to millions of stock-holders how they wasted millions of dollars for an ad that even a six-year-old can poke holes in? (Click here for ONE site with a few; note the last one...yup, I sent a note to them...*grin*...)

Move her (the driver) to the passenger seat and the ad (while still exasperating) moves off the radar of 'should be shot' to just mildly ridiculous. (I mean, if you are THAT worried about your teeth being white for a road trip, the chances are, you whitened them that morning anyway...) *shaking my head muttering...*

Yeah, I can be more obnoxious, but why?

See the ad here. (Free advertising for them, eh?)

Get the picture? It's not the 'cell phone'; it's not the 'product'; it's not the 'mirror'; it's the seat she's chosen to sit in...

*hugs*

luv khrys...

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