Monday, January 09, 2006
TV Commercials - The Good, Bad and Ugly
I enjoy watching "Law & Order - Criminal Intent" with Vincent D’Onofrio. D'Onofrio creates a present day version of Columbo, a somewhat odd, quirky personality whom most often traps the criminal in a trap of his/her own making. Law & Order shows a minimum of violence, sex and gore for a crime show. Language is usually suitable for the most virgin of ears. Over the weekend, while watching a late night rerun of this show with my 12 year old on Bravo the usual commercial break came up.
During the commercial break, we were treated to a promo for "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - Bachelor Party." On of the scenes in the promo featured on of the queer eyes humping a woman coming out of cake. Although dressed the scene was quite vulgar. Quickly I changed the channel to Spike TV which was showing some innocous program. But in a moment, Spike went to a commercial break and began showing a commercial for "Girls Gone Wild" videos that was more vulgar than the "Queer Eye" promo. Click to somewhere else. Both the shows were perfectly for an intelligent 12 year old but the commercials were "R" rated. Once again, our societies obsession with anything sexual raises its ugly head.
Vonage joins Tostitos in the commercials demeaning to men category. Vonage's ad shows a woman in the forground explaining how she signed up for Vonage's services, installed everything herself, and it was all so easy. (Guess a woman can't be expected to do anything difficult.) In the background, a man dances around like a drunk in a disco. At the end of the commercial the woman has a pained look on her face. Not as bad as the Tostitos commercial but the same basic message: Men are doofases.
Dodge Trucks currently is running a commercial for a quad-cab model that shows everyone wanting to sit in the back seat because it is so roomy. The male driver is frustrated that no one will ride up front with him and the ad is humorous. But, it doesn't make a joke at the expense of anyone but makes a situational joke. But Dodge loses in another ad for the Dodge Durango, Dodge shows a man hopelessly lost in the desert pulling a boat and refusing to use his navigation system. (The stereotypical male who won't ask directions.) Oh, well.
During the commercial break, we were treated to a promo for "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - Bachelor Party." On of the scenes in the promo featured on of the queer eyes humping a woman coming out of cake. Although dressed the scene was quite vulgar. Quickly I changed the channel to Spike TV which was showing some innocous program. But in a moment, Spike went to a commercial break and began showing a commercial for "Girls Gone Wild" videos that was more vulgar than the "Queer Eye" promo. Click to somewhere else. Both the shows were perfectly for an intelligent 12 year old but the commercials were "R" rated. Once again, our societies obsession with anything sexual raises its ugly head.
Vonage joins Tostitos in the commercials demeaning to men category. Vonage's ad shows a woman in the forground explaining how she signed up for Vonage's services, installed everything herself, and it was all so easy. (Guess a woman can't be expected to do anything difficult.) In the background, a man dances around like a drunk in a disco. At the end of the commercial the woman has a pained look on her face. Not as bad as the Tostitos commercial but the same basic message: Men are doofases.
Dodge Trucks currently is running a commercial for a quad-cab model that shows everyone wanting to sit in the back seat because it is so roomy. The male driver is frustrated that no one will ride up front with him and the ad is humorous. But, it doesn't make a joke at the expense of anyone but makes a situational joke. But Dodge loses in another ad for the Dodge Durango, Dodge shows a man hopelessly lost in the desert pulling a boat and refusing to use his navigation system. (The stereotypical male who won't ask directions.) Oh, well.
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