I can not stand it when commercials make strange illogical connections between things. Check this out:
Did you catch that? "Gillette wanted to see how far one ProGlide cartridge could go, so they sent me around the world to find out." What? Hang on. Let me get this straight. For the viewer to believe this bit of ad copy, they also would have to believe that the good people at Gillette are extraordinarily stupid. You see, the only way a distance test works is when the product or item in question is worn by travelling said distance. Like a brake pad, for instance. This should be abundantly clear to all thinking humans. Somehow I just can't see executives at Gillette saying to themselves, "I wonder how this razor will perform after a long flight in a jet plane? I know those damn flights sure wear me out!"
Trouble is, when they (or, more accurately, some ad agency) make this stupid illogical connection, they are banking on the fact that television viewers are too zoned out and tube worn to even notice the insult to their intelligence. Were the people who approved this campaign zoned out too? Maybe, I guess. I kind of hope so, because otherwise they noticed the bad logic and just didn't care. Why not, right? Many commercials do this kind of thing and slip by without us noticing.
Well, on this occasion, I noticed, and I have to say hey Gillette, Are You #%^1n' Kiddin' Me? Using that logic if you really want to impress me with how far your cartridge can go, make it a little heavier and do a throwing comparison! I bet with just a couple of ounces of ballast the proglide could go WAY farther than the competition! Or wait, maybe you could strap one to the next Mars rover! That one would go really far! That would the best razor ever made, I mean, look how far it goes!
ARG. I mean, ARG.
R A N T W I C K 
13 comments:
I Hate hate hate comercials with a searing white hot passion. So much so that I do not watch much TV. When I do in the mornings I toggle between the Weather Channel and various news outlets. When the commercial break comes I hit the back button on the remote.
Sponsorship and advertising has steadily permeated the internet to my gut wrenching disgust. Pop-Ups are the computer version of telemarketers. I understand completely the business/ economic side of it and most media outlets could not exist with out the revenue generated from advertisers.
But anyways I will not participate in the foolishness by giving them any of my attention. When I am looking for a particular product I will do one of three things:
1. ask freinds/ family for recommedations
2. Google it
3. Go to the store and compare/read labels.
This issue is an example of why I like blogs. (At least the ones without a ton of adds to slow them down on my browser.) And the reason you won't find adds on my blog.
Old fashioned paper books are the same- no commercials. I like them too.
Oh yeah and one other thing don't even get me started on that pinnacle of commercial stupidity we have down here in Canada's shingards -the Superbowl and its million dollar 60 second addspots.
Thanks for allowing me to rant rantwick!
RCT - Hey man, let it out. That's what I'm here for. As I am sure you are aware, I have ads on this blog. I try to keep them from being too in-your-face, but still want to generate some revenue. It is a balancing act.
You will love this: I don't control what ads get displayed (other than categories I don't want), so based on page content, it is quite likely that the ads will be about razors on this one! Does that keep the fires burnin'?
As for the superbowl, I hate to say I look forward to the the commercials almost as much as the game.
I hope I have not lost you as a friend and reader; gotta be honest, you know.
Of course I will always be an avid reader Rantwick! You and I have way too many good things in common like bikes and love of eye-popping foliage to let some tiny issue like superbowl commercials come between us.
An example of only one reason on why I don't watch television. Almost done with radio too.
Hey, we Americans are not only poor compared to you rich Canadians, but our ad people are clearly not very smart, either. Perhaps the clever ones figured out how to sneak north...
Very little television do I watch, but what comes to mind here is...I wonder if that dude is a relative of an executive.
Thanks for the post,
RL
You have to admit it's an impressive razor used by a handsome guy. Do you have an affiliate buy link I can use to purchase one?
JRA - Sorry, no. You clever little %^&$%#.
Caught you swearing! Well, kinda...
I get extremely irritated with stupid commercials. I figure that's what the mute button is for.
I feel your pain Rantwick. Commercials this year have been especially ultra stupid and annoying. Makes me wanna smash things! Grrr.
Gillette discovered early on that selling blades was more profitable than selling razors, theirs is a history of advertising on how theirs is the closest shave a man can get. I still use a 1959 Gillette "Fatboy" razor that was not sold as a disposable and double edged blades that I have a stropper for.
RBF - Sweet! My Dad used to strop and use that kind of thing out at our camp (cottage) when I was young. The we got electricity out there and it was all over. I, on the other hand, was born into an increasingly disposable world.
Thanks for dropping by! Love your blog, added it to my list the other day.
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