COMM 506 "Bad" Commercials

The following are commercials that are "bad." They are not bad in the sense that they are poorly made commercials; they just do not sell their product or service in a smart or appealing way.

The first time I saw this commercial, I thought it was a part of the show I was watching. I could not believe that they would say something as cold as "It's not for women." I definitely got a good laugh out of it, but once I started to think about it, I realized that this is a terrible way to sell this product. Maybe they were thinking that if they said it's not for women, more women will want to buy it? I don't know. Regardless, I think there are more people out there, both men and women, who see this as sexist and plain stupid. Now these people will tell their friends and relatives about this dumb commercial and the product that it is for, and they will most likely not want or buy it. The commercial is definitely geared towards men, and it is pretty silly; it has the macho guy with the gun, beating up bad guys and whatnot...but when that last line is spoken, the entire commercial just seems stupid and too over-the-top.

These commercials do not bring about good will for the ASPCA. These commercials are downright depressing. They show images of mistreated animals with a sad song played over it, meant to tug at the viewer's heartstrings and donate money to their cause. Having adopted three dogs from shelters, I know how run down animals can look there, and there is no reason to show it on a commercial to try to get donations. Show the animals having fun and running around. Talk about how easy it is to adopt from a local animal shelter. But please, don't interrupt my Simpson's episode with a sad song and equally as sad animals.

Lastly, the commercials for the Department of Homeland Security's "If You See Something, Say Something" do not help their cause, in my opinion. These commercials breed fair and paranoia in people that travel using public transportation, and telling them to call if they see something suspicious could lead to an outbreak of worried, angry passengers. These commercials say that if a person sees something suspicious, they should tell someone; who's to say what makes something "suspicious"? Altogether, I think these commercials harm public transportation.