the in-between times

i've been realizing more and more how much i like commercials. not all of them specifically, but just in general. i guess the reason for this is my really short attention span...i like getting "the whole message" in a minute or less. automatically cuts through the superfluous stuff. (i use the word "superfluous" whenever possible.) and to me, a lot of commercials are funny, either because they actually are funny, or because they're falling so short of successfully being funny.

the commercials during sports events are sometimes more interesting than the sports events. i find that if i'm doing something like typing on my computer while i'm watching the game, i won't look up until they cut to a commercial break. with sports events, you have a lot of really funny ads which, for some reason, don't usually do a good job of advertising any kind of product, much less of making me want to buy it. but that's the marketing department's problem, and not mine. i just like to laugh.

what i really don't like are the manipulative kinds of commercials. and don't get me started on campaign commercials (which, ok, i actually don't have much of a problem with, but it's pretty popular to say you hate them, so i thought i'd try that out). i mean the ones that appeal to patriotism, family values, etc, to sell things like garden tools or trucks or checking accounts. we've all seen the beer commercials that are basically a montage of holidays and families and snowy farms with some music in the background, and the screen just says "BUDWEISER" or something like that. there are also lots of truck commercials that are full of the same kind of thing...patriotic country music, mud splashes, semi-rugged terrain, and american flags flying all over the place. oh....and who really thinks banks are supposed to be all family-oriented and stuff? life insurance commercials, alright, the family-playing-in-the-backyard template (although overdone) does fit the product. but a bank doesn't need to convince me that they love my family. what you never EVER see in bank commercials is how secure they are. i'm just thinking, do you have locks on your doors? a good safe? is my cash underground, or like sitting out in the open? people assume that just because a bank is freely giving of their friendly small-town smiles, they know how to keep money safe. i just want to know that when i send in my dollaz, they're not going anywhere. when you go looking for a new bank, you don't tell yourself "i need someone who can take care of me throughout the various stages of my life" or "i just want someone who will understand me and my family." no. for those things, you need a therapist, not a bank.

do you people like commercials? which ones are your favorites? un-favorites? general and specific thoughts?