The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / From the awful ad files

**Posted by Muffaraw Joe** August 29, 2024 7:25 pm

Is it me or does the Walmart back to school ad with the little kid with a ton of attitude drive you nuts. When she says " Don't Box me in" is worst than running your fingernails down a chalkboard.

Do agencies not test the likability of their ads on consumers first? The other ads that I know drive the Board members nuts are the Subaru ads and the one with the screaming girlfriends over getting a great travel deal!

But this Walmart ad is driving me to go to Buffalo and Target for my back to school clothes.

**Posted by newsguy1** August 29, 2024 7:50 pm

Just another variation of the ad structure where one person is the smart one and the other is either a confused and hapless victim, or just stupid.
In this case the precocious little girl and the confused mother.
When I was a child if I tried to order my Welsh mother round she'd tell me, "you'll take what I give you or you can go cry in the sink."
In the Spence Diamond ads Fiona is the older, wiser one who seems to be able to tell the two male businessmen what to do without having any apparent experience in the diamond business.

**Posted by betaylored** August 29, 2024 11:51 pm

newsguy1 wrote:
Just another variation of the ad structure where one person is the smart one and the other is either a confused and hapless victim, or just stupid.
In this case the precocious little girl and the confused mother.
When I was a child if I tried to order my Welsh mother round she'd tell me, "you'll take what I give you or you can go cry in the sink."
In the Spence Diamond ads Fiona is the older, wiser one who seems to be able to tell the two male businessmen what to do without having any apparent experience in the diamond business.

and the latest Spence ad finishes with Fiona whose Scottish? accent has morphed yet again, asking the two "boys" to bend down so she can pat them on the head, patronizing pun notwithbending.

**Posted by fyshtalk** August 30, 2024 9:17 am

Just another ad where the advertiser thinks a "smart ass kid" is funny and cute !

Last edited by fyshtalk (August 30, 2024 9:17 am)

**Posted by mace** August 31, 2024 6:19 am

The alltime best back to school ad is still "They're going baaack" with Andy Williams Most Wonderful Time of the Year playing in the background. I still think of back to school more than Christmas every time I hear it.

**Posted by unclefester** August 31, 2024 8:55 am

Muffaraw Joe wrote:
Is it me or does the Walmart back to school ad with the little kid with a ton of attitude drive you nuts. When she says " Don't Box me in" is worst than running your fingernails down a chalkboard.

Do agencies not test the likability of their ads on consumers first? The other ads that I know drive the Board members nuts are the Subaru ads and the one with the screaming girlfriends over getting a great travel deal!

But this Walmart ad is driving me to go to Buffalo and Target for my back to school clothes.

That Walmart ad is pretty terrible

As an aside my wife and I were in our local Walmart a few mornings ago when I happened to notice a mid aisle display of childrens rubber boots. Not winter boots but more desgined for the wet weather of the fall season.

Those goddamn things were priced at $55.00

I do not know how some people survive these days

Last edited by unclefester (August 31, 2024 8:57 am)

**Posted by Forward Power** August 31, 2024 9:01 am

mace wrote:
The alltime best back to school ad is still "They're going baaack" with Andy Williams Most Wonderful Time of the Year playing in the background. I still think of back to school more than Christmas every time I hear it.

That is so true! I believe I was still in high school (late '90s/early 2000s) when Staples started running those ads.

**Posted by Walter** August 31, 2024 10:04 am

Annoying, insulting and dumb. I keep expecting the sassy daughter to say 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

**Posted by RadioActive** February 12, 2025 7:57 am

betaylored wrote:
newsguy1 wrote:
In the Spence Diamond ads Fiona is the older, wiser one who seems to be able to tell the two male businessmen what to do without having any apparent experience in the diamond business.
and the latest Spence ad finishes with Fiona whose Scottish? accent has morphed yet again, asking the two "boys" to bend down so she can pat them on the head, patronizing pun notwithbending.

And the latest almost incomprehensible version with Fiona makes absolutely no sense at all. It's about a pendant that "you just know what it means by looking at it." Huh?

But the most baffling part comes at the end where Fiona says it costs "$99 199." Is that $99. $199? $99,199? At no time does she say "$99 TO $199." I have no idea what they're talking about or how much this thing actually costs. Talk about keeping you in sus-Spence.

What a poorly written dumb spot. As so many of them are.

**Posted by Shorty Wave** February 12, 2025 8:56 am

RadioActive wrote:
betaylored wrote:
newsguy1 wrote:
In the Spence Diamond ads Fiona is the older, wiser one who seems to be able to tell the two male businessmen what to do without having any apparent experience in the diamond business.
and the latest Spence ad finishes with Fiona whose Scottish? accent has morphed yet again, asking the two "boys" to bend down so she can pat them on the head, patronizing pun notwithbending.
And the latest almost incomprehensible version with Fiona makes absolutely no sense at all. It's about a pendant that "you just know what it means by looking at it." Huh?

But the most baffling part comes at the end where Fiona says it costs "$99 199." Is that $99. $199? $99,199? At no time does she say "$99 TO $199." I have no idea what they're talking about or how much this thing actually costs. Talk about keeping you in sus-Spence.

What a poorly written dumb spot. As so many of them are.

Plus they keep repeating certain lines, really poorly written spot, they’ve hit the “bloody annoying” level! Sus-Spence? Dad joke territory RA!

**Posted by Walter** February 12, 2025 9:03 am

RadioActive wrote:
betaylored wrote:
newsguy1 wrote:
In the Spence Diamond ads Fiona is the older, wiser one who seems to be able to tell the two male businessmen what to do without having any apparent experience in the diamond business.
and the latest Spence ad finishes with Fiona whose Scottish? accent has morphed yet again, asking the two "boys" to bend down so she can pat them on the head, patronizing pun notwithbending.
And the latest almost incomprehensible version with Fiona makes absolutely no sense at all. It's about a pendant that "you just know what it means by looking at it." Huh?

But the most baffling part comes at the end where Fiona says it costs "$99 199." Is that $99. $199? $99,199? At no time does she say "$99 TO $199." I have no idea what they're talking about or how much this thing actually costs. Talk about keeping you in sus-Spence.

What a poorly written dumb spot. As so many of them are.

And the monkeys banging away at typewriters and throwing their excrement against the wall spent at least a year building up the whole 'Michael loves Sarah' nonsense, which has disappeared, at least for now. Excruciatingly awful.