Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

[Pomai]

There was a recent news article on the Quiznos TV ad featuring two rather controversially designed "critters".

You know.. the ones that need serious dental work - one has a sombrero (sp.?) and guitar as they both sing.. "We love dee' Subs... dee' Quiznos they are good to us. Bring in a coupon... any 1 dollar coupon.. and you get a dollar off.. any sub".

Well, the individual Quiznos franchisees are up in arms over the ad campaign, saying the commercial will do more harm than good, as these two crooked-teethed rodent-like mascots give the impression that Quiznos restaurants are nothing but rat-infested second-bests to the industry leader, SUBWAY. Quiznos headquarters are receiving more than 1000 complaints a day from the general public.

The ad agency who created it apparently is a highly respectable firm, having done work for Michelob, Nascar and many other national labels. The two Quiznos "critters" were created by a twenty-something designer out of London, who kindly refers to the critters as "Sponge Monkeys".

Advocates of the ad defend that the the oddity of the commercial (and the controversy it has created) will ultimately lead to more interest in Quiznos, leading to increased sales. AdAge.com are in support.

Does anyone here have in mind a locally-produced commercial in Hawaii that you utterly hated? Were offended by? Found completely revolting? Made you change the channel every time it came on?

Here's one I CAN'T STAND...

The Lava Liner commercial with Auggie and Lanai.. "Don't scratch da' truck".. "Eh nevah mind.. Lava Line". The "acting" is so scripted and phony it's rediculous. Ugghh!

more to follow..

[pzarquon]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

Ah, the Spongmonkeys! I like 'em. My kids like 'em. And we like Quizno's. Although those facts aren't neccessarily related. At least they're different...

So. Local ads that annoy? I'll agree, Augie isn't my favorite commercial talent, either. (The Outrigger "kamaaina rate" Hawaiian bracelet thing was cute, though.) Pidgin is something I think is hard to use to sell in the first place. I tend to be annoyed at big, cold corporations trying to play at being local, such as Bank of Hawaii's current "That's My Bank" Daryl and Brian mascots.

My wife is annoyed at Oceanic's "OC16" kids promos, in which all the kids mumble without opening their mouths. What are they saying? Don't we have lots of directors and casting agents looking for work? Oh, and Morgan-Beret ads tick her off, but that's radio.

The city's "celebrity" PSAs annoy me. Jordan Segundo, some girl group, Jeremy Harris. And don't get me wrong, PSAs don't have to be lame. I like a lot of the DOH's "second hand smoke and kids" ads, and a few of the "Start. Living. Healthy." ads as well.

Still, I can't think of something offhand that I would go as far to call "revolting" and "disgusting." That's what national and cable TV is for.

[YoungNeil]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

The OKC Kids Club one where they mumble "I Need a Tax Shelter" and something else makes me turn the channel every time.

[Pomai]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

>>pzarquon wrote: "Still, I can't think of something offhand that I would go as far to call "revolting" and "disgusting." That's what national and cable TV is for.">>

"Revolting" and "disgusting" were actually a bit too harsh of words.

Perhaps a better title of this thread should read, "Local TV Commercials That Turn You Off".

Speaking of PSA's and American Idol, I bet we'll be seing LOTS of Camile Velasco and Jasmine Trias PSA's in the future. Guaranteed.

[LikaNui]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

Every time I hear the whiny, screeching "This is Tonya from Sleepland" I switch channels faster than a speeding bullet.

[helen]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

To me at least the local TV ad that annoys me is the Territorial Savings commerical. Call me bizzare but I got no problem with message or the actors or even the theme, it's the fact that they shot the ad or it was done in post production that makes the background lighting very mutted. I guess the commerical actors want to be anonymous or something because you can see who is who.

I can't remember which car company it was but they do use the same type of lighting.

[LikaNui]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

I'm also curious about which brain surgeon put together the new ad for TheBus... where they show a bus running down the zipper lane and absolutely belching black smoke!

[kukui_nut]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

The Central Pacific Bank one with the collie...
Yeah, he really makes me want to shift my funds to their bank...

Or that Auto Shop one where all the local workers are lip-syncing to the theme song... Ho da shame.

[Mocha]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

The Bank of Hawaii commercial used to be more irritating...but they've improved a little...moving the main guy to a cubicle and loading him down with "gifts" that customers have given him!

[Albert]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

I don't watch television, but there is one thing on local radio I find revolting, disgusting and ... even worse ... condescending. And that's the "Hawaiian Word for the Day" on HPR. I immediately reach to turn down the volume on my radio when I hear "aloha, I'm blah-blah-blah and this is your Hawaiian word for the day ..."

[kukui_nut]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

Oh, just thought of one...

The "That's not certified" one...

Fingernails on the chalk board couldn't sound any better...

[lancer808]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

I really don't like the Cutter car dealership's "Cars cost less at Cutter" commercials. The most annoying one is where a man is stranded on an deserted island and a bottle washes on shore with the silly message inside. How lame!

[pzarquon]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

One general tendency that I don't like are ads that feature "celebrities," but assume that I have even the faintest idea of who they are. A wanna-be gangster for some youth magazine? A girl group that performed on Road to Fame? KFVE has the most of these. They're like those station call-outs that radio stations do ("This is Henry Kapono, and you're listening to..."), except using people that are famous mostly in their own minds.

Or, of course, maybe I'm just way out of touch with what's cool these days. Which is a strong possibility.

LikaNui, Sleepland's Tanya (Tanya DeJesus) is a longstanding irritant in my family. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I noticed she's toned it down over time, but still... no thanks. Oddly enough, she's a pseudo-celebrity, and in advertising circles a while back was lauded as one of the most recognizable spokespeople in the islands. They didn't say if it was because she was disliked, of course.

Albert, I think you're talking about Leilani Poliahu and her regular feature. She doesn't make me want to turn the station, but I agree that the artificially sweet, overly condescending tone often rubs me the wrong way.

Funny how tastes differ. As local ads go, I kind of like those Cutter ads. We need a local ads we love thread!

[mel]

Thumbs Up Hawaii was the WORST!!!!!

From the currrent crop of TV ads, I guess the ones I don't like are those Credit Union ads featurng Augie and what's his name.... gosh... just escapes me... I think they're both on 98.5 FM... anyway.....

From the past I have not liked any of the old Russ Francis and Melveen Leed "American Savings" commercials; the Harry & Myra commercials for BOH got old very quickly.... they were aimed mainly at one demographic group.....

However, when I think back on it, one of the worst campaigns on TV and in print that I can remember is....

Thumbs Up Hawaii !!!!

This was one of the worst ad campaigns ever to hit the Hawaii airwaves and print media. I think the people behind this included a conglomerate of banks, big businesses and the State government. What this campaign tried to do was whitewash Hawaii's bad business image by painting a false and rosey picture that this was a great place to do business and a great time (circa 1995) for you to spend your hard earned money on big ticket items.

One of the most obnoxious of these ads was the giant two page color double truck that appeared in the 2 daily papers on a Sunday to kick off the campaign. The next thing we knew, Thumbs Up TV ads, radio ads and print ads were everywhere.

They even had the Thumbs Up logos on Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines jets... I hated flying in a plane that had that stupid logo on it. I felt like I was endorsing that campaign that I absolutely hated.

And you know what?

Most people were not hookwinked by this ill fated campaign. Everyone I know saw this dumb thing for what it was... a giant smokescreen set up by the movers and shakers (at that time) in the government and those industries that supported it.

This of course opened the entire Thumbs Up Hawaii campaign to serious public ridicule, angry letters, opinion pieces and cartoons.

Honolulu Weekly cartoonist John Pritchett used to have a classic cartoon posted on his site. It showed a person holding up this balloon with the thumbs up logo on it. Strapped to him was a big black ball and chain labeled "the economy".

This pretty much said it all.

A few months after the campaign was launched, it folded up with a whimper after weeks of public ridicule.

Most of the links to information and opinions regarding Thumbs Up Hawaii have disappeared except for these 2:

Thumbs Up Hawaii Doesn't Like Small Business
posted by Rabbett on his H4 archive, November 2, 1995

Thumbs Up Hawaii?
by Orson Swindle, Small Business Hawaii, October 1995

[talkstinkDotCom]

Re: Most Revolting, Disgusting Local TV Commercial?

I love the Spongmonkeys. But the local commercial that really sickens me is that "Think About It" ad I always see on K5.

P.U.