Sneaky TV ads

[DRiP Guy]

I particularly hate the commericals that play a doorbell...

Yes, I think they do it on very much purpose because it's a sure attention getter...

I'm gonna buy a unique electronic chime for my own doorbell, then I can train myself to disregard all of the "usual" doorbell sounds, because they aren't mine...

 

[kombat]

My pet peeve is the little "pop up" ads that will slide up from the bottom of the screen during the middle of the show. Bonus points when these ads obscure meaningful subtitles, just to make sure I know that this week's "CSI: Miami" is a new episode.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Here, I found the ad. This is the audio part -- is this the one?

AARP Insurance Ad

ROTFL

 

[tgotch]

Here, I found the ad. This is the audio part -- is this the one?

AARP Insurance Ad

Now that's funny!

 

[Nodak]

One of the local furniture stores did the most annoying commercial around Christmas time. They used the weather warning alert sound in the background of the audio. I'm assuming they hoped to get people to pay attention with that sound when all it did for me was to assure I would never shop there.

 

[Bestwifeever]

My pet peeve is the little "pop up" ads that will slide up from the bottom of the screen during the middle of the show. Bonus points when these ads obscure meaningful subtitles, just to make sure I know that this week's "CSI: Miami" is a new episode.

Totally agree these are the worst. When the Haiti earthquake hit last year, one station was running sit-com pop-ups so funny little people competed in the corner against bodies being carried out on stretchers on the main screen.

And I predict we will soon see these pop-ups being used for Burpus Cola and other commercials, with a never-ending crawl below them for more commercials that will obscure one-fourth to one-third of the picture.

 

[W2R]

REW, I neither use, nor would suggest, Tivo or a DVR.

But I have the right, low-tech solution for you!!

There's this really neat button that I discovered on my remote, called "mute". I mute all commercials. You know how I feel about Madison avenue and its effect on spending habits - - not healthy to listen to, IMO.

Also, when I am reading the board or posting (like right now), I mute the TV. I can watch captions between posting (right now, these captions are describing Cairo and the video is showing tanks in the background). If something looks interesting, I can quit posting for a few seconds and un-mute.

 

[kumquat]

Cummon, us LYBM types don't have no stinkin' remote controls.

 

[W2R]

Cummon, us LYBM types don't have no stinkin' remote controls.

So true, got me there. Besides, if I was truly LBYM enough, even if I did have a remote it probably wouldn't have the "mute" button like the fancy ones do.

 

[TromboneAl]

I remember that my grandmother would always get up, walk to the TV, and turn the volume down when the commercials came on. This anti-commercial trait has been passed on to me, probably due to upbringing than genetics.

This guy's a bit crude (some bad language), but I agree with him 100%:

YouTube - You Know What I Really Hate - Episode 1 TV Logos & Pop Ups!

 

[harley]

My pet peeve is the little "pop up" ads that will slide up from the bottom of the screen during the middle of the show. Bonus points when these ads obscure meaningful subtitles, just to make sure I know that this week's "CSI: Miami" is a new episode.

None of these examples are as infuriating as radio commercials that have a siren in the audio. I usually only listen to the radio when I'm driving.

 

[BTravlin]

No Al, you've got it all wrong.

I'm sitting here at my desk attempting to entertain and enlighten the Intertube reading public while CNN chatters in the background. Suddenly I'm interrupted by [-]voices in my head[/-] an annoying beep. [-]Thousands[/-] [-]Hundreds[/-] [-]A dozen[/-] One lonely snowbound forum reader is deprived of all that wit and wisdom while I investigate the source of the sound, then rant and rave about it.

Got it?

Are you sure it's not the microwave telling you dinner is ready?

 

[Sam]

I realize that some who respond will ignore this qualifier and offer the alternatives mentioned above plus others, but it makes me feel good to point this out to those of you who actually pay attention.

Your imagination is running wild. I have been on this board for quite some time and I can assure you that the above is not true.

Have you tried newspapers instead? You read what interests you and there's no sound.

 

[scrabbler1]

My pet peeve is the little "pop up" ads that will slide up from the bottom of the screen during the middle of the show. Bonus points when these ads obscure meaningful subtitles, just to make sure I know that this week's "CSI: Miami" is a new episode.

I hate those things, too, because sometimes there is stuff on the bottom of the screen the viewers actually need to SEE which get blocked out by some dumb promo. TNT is awful with this.

Do you recall Saturday Night Live doing a spoof on TNT's use of this? They broadcast NBA basketball games and SNL did a skit with the never-ending promo characters and their show's theme show music interfering with the game's announcers trying to cover the game. It was hilarious.

 

[DRiP Guy]

None of these examples are as infuriating as radio commercials that have a siren in the audio. I usually only listen to the radio when I'm driving.

I've gotten caught by that one, too.

 

[John Galt III]

Then of course there's this one. While driving, you can time the traffic reports and tune to the radio station just as the report begins. You have cleverly missed the annoying life-draining ads, and you think you will only get the traffic report. You tune to the station at the right time. The ad is finishing. Then your traffic report begins. "The Cross-Bronx is running smoothly. The TappanZee is fine." And then the knife to the heart, as the announcer inserts "This report brought to you by ScumFest Bank. Be a Scummer today". The announcer then, without missing beat, continues with the traffic report, as The Scumfest Bankers chortle with glee in their highback leather chairs, having once again forcefed JoeSixpack their daily dose of crap.

 

[IronTaco]

SO annoying

I just saw this commercial and found this thread via Google because I was so annoyed by it that I had to see if anyone else heard what I heard.

One theory that jumped to mind immediately is that the spot is aimed at people of conventional retirement age. Most people of this age are not able to hear that frequency (~12,000 Hz.) anymore. So maybe it is there to intentionally annoy younger viewers?

Before you think I wear a tinfoil hat, this high-frequency technology has been used by retail establishments to scare off young loiterers.

The Mosquito - The anti loitering device
High-frequency noise generator scares off teens

Anyway, I feel your (aural) pain. I hate that commercial.

 

[Gumby]

The introduction to ABC's Nightline show really annoys me. It has at least two, and maybe three, very high pitched "beeps" that usually lead me to turn it off.

 

[FreeAtLast]

Perhaps the popcorn you forgot in the microwave is ready.

 

[Badger]

We eliminate most commercials by watching our favorite shows through Netflix. We get to watch them anytime we want and also back to back episodes when we have the time. Granted they may be a season behind but that doesn't concern us. Other than that when we use the antennae and are subjected to commercials we find the mute button handy.

Cheers!

 

[mickeyd]

Here, I found the ad. This is the audio part -- is this the one?

AARP Insurance Ad

Saaay, is this just a way to get me to view an AARP insurance ad?

 

[pb4uski]

Maybe it's really a Tivo ad that is being subsidized by Hartford's competition. You get mad at Hartford, buy different insurance and decide to buy a Tivo so you don't have to listen to the commercial. Meanwhile Tivo uses special software that creates subliminal messages when you speed through commercials that command you to spread the word that everyone should buy a Tivo to avoid annoying commercials.

I told my colleagues at Tivo that no one would EVER figure this out - shows you what I know. I guess it is time for me to retire.