Do TV commercials create SCs?

[ReverendBSB]

I love booing Cena, I was at No Mercy last year when he faced Edge in Toronto. Oh man that was fun.

That was Unforgiven.

But back to the thread topic, I just saw a new commercial that, as a former pizza delivery man, really pissed me off.

Two drunk guys come into a pizza place. The clerk asks "Carryout or Dine In?" The guys reply "Delivery." Cuts to the pizza guy driving with the two guys riding with him. They get to the house, he follows them to the door. They slam it in his face, and he has to knock. They open the door "Oh, the pizzas here." Take it, and slam the door in his face again. Inside they do the Captain Morgans pose while the voice over says to always have a designated driver. I know some morons are going to try this. I would have loved to have someone try this on me when I was on the job.

[Broomjockey]

I know some morons are going to try this. I would have loved to have someone try this on me when I was on the job.

A friend and I joked about doing that on our way home one night. We were waiting for the bus, and there was a pizza place across the way. We both agreed we'd not mind pizza, then we joked about getting it delivered and it showing up before we did, and then we had the brainstorm about actually hitching a ride with the driver.

Not that we'd ever do it, but it was a funny thought.

[Andara Bledin]

A friend and I joked about doing that on our way home one night. We were waiting for the bus, and there was a pizza place across the way. We both agreed we'd not mind pizza, then we joked about getting it delivered and it showing up before we did, and then we had the brainstorm about actually hitching a ride with the driver.

Not that we'd ever do it, but it was a funny thought.

And that right there is what separates rational people from SCs.

I honestly can't comprehend where most marketing agencies are coming from. They seem to be completely out of touch with the real world and work really hard to make people think that what they're selling is the real world.

^-.-^

[ReverendBSB]

If some people came in and asked me to drive them home with a pizza, gave me a nice tip, and the manager was okay with it I would be cool and drive them home (as long as they were in our delivery area). I have been in that situation and know what its like. Besides, anything to keep drunk drivers off the street. Its the guys in the commercial that piss me off. They were jackasses to the driver that was helping them out. Thats what the commercial is saying. Treat people that are serving you beyond the call of duty like crap, and its cool and funny.

[MrSunshineState]

Treat people that are serving you beyond the call of duty like crap, and its cool and funny.

It's the American Way!!!



PS and with Axe's new ingredient, it really will get you laid this time, we promise!

[Rapscallion]

Indeed! *does Shane-O-Mac dance*

I now pronounce you forumer and forumer. You may kiss.

Rapscallion

[Rocko]

I'm surprised that nobody has brought up this one Lowe's commercial I saw a while back.

So there's this Lowe's employee answering questions from a few different customers, seems to know what he's talking about. Then it shows walking in the parking lot, assumably clocked out and on his way to his car, when a customer walks up, asks him about something, and he goes "sure I'll take you over there" and walks back into the store with the customer

Cut to later when he's waiting in line at an ice cream truck, still in the Lowe's uniform, and someone else asks him a question about home improvement, and he answers.

Then it shows him pulling into his driveway, getting out of his car, and having his neighbor ask him a question about his (the neighbor's) hedges or something like that, to which the employee, still in the Lowe's uniform, says "What would you like to know?"

Yeah I'm sure a store employee is going to be that patient with people asking him stuff like that when he's not even working.

[journochick]

Like WHShit, I've seen that supermarket-tantrum ad and it annoys the hell out of me for the same reason as it did the other poster. I can't freakin' STAND it when people don't pick up their stuff. And people do it all the time. I've been in stores where people just knock stuff off the shelves/rails, look down at it, and leave it there. Like WTF?

However, whereas ads aren't meant to be taken that seriously, I do agree that they can encourage SCs to some extent. Because it's basically saying that being sucky is right.

[Sableonblonde]

I agree about those pizza commercials, they always tick me off and I've never even delivered pizza or worked at a pizza place. The thing that annoys me is how in the commercials, the delivery driver NEVER gets tipped. The driver comes to the door with a great big bemused smile for whichever "wacky or cute" people are inside, someone takes the pizza, usually while barely acknowledging the delivery person, door closes, no tip, everything is normal, delivery person is still grinning away. I mean, pizza drivers depend on tips, and these commercials make it look like they don't require them. I don't know why that gets to me, but it always does.

[Namrepus221]

I don't know about making an SC but an AC (annoying customer) I've had experience with.

When I worked at Chili's - they came out with that stupid commercial for their Baby Back Ribs - the singing one ----

I want my Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back
I want my Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back
Chili's Baby Back Ribs...

I can't tell you how many people thought it was SOOOOOOOO freakin' funny to sing that when they came in. Oh yeah, AS IF I haven't heard that 5,000 freakin' times JUST TODAY!

The killer was when I was out for the evening and would meet someone and tell them I was working for Chili's and THEY'D sing the freakin' song!


GAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It reminds me of that one episode of Scrubs,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Transition

Basically "The Worthless Peons" (an acapella band in the show) tortures a guy by doing the Chili's jingle...and never saying "ribs" they just repeat the same thing over and over and over..

In the context of the show it's hilarious....

But I understand where you are coming from and how it could really be annoying.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

This is all new to me, I go without seeing a commercial for months at a time. The only place I watch TV is at my boyfriend's house...and usually I do something else *ahem* during that time. I swear his eyes light up, his ears perk, and he grins REAL BIG when I say, "Oh look, another commercial break."

[Reyneth]

This one wouldn't directly create SCs, but it will create huge unreasonable expectations - leading to SCs.

The Canon commercial for whichever new digital SLR they're hyping. Soccer mom is at big football game with her camera standing behind all of the pros with their sports cameras and huge lenses. It's not said but it is certainly implied that anyone with that camera can take photos as good as the pros.

I've spent years gaining experience and thousands my equipment. And I'm not at the level of many pro sports photographers.

For Canon to even imply that just anyone can pick up this new camera for like $700 or whatever and be better than even someone like me, let alone a professional disgusts me. They are misrepresenting their camera and it's abilities and insulting people who spend years and tons of money to do what they do.

And to think that people will fall for it - which they will - and then get upset with the person at the camera store because the photos suck really makes me

[DannyboyO1]

I wouldn't worry about commercials indirectly creating sucky customers. That's like when the overly uptight religious folks get after pornography for creating sexual thoughts. Cart before horse, folks. There have always been lousy customers. Of course, once upon a time, we also haggled and bartered. And these days, sales and SCs whining.

When I was initially hired by MCI, the trainers horror story about how things were in the old days revolved around something the "news" did to them. Specifically, a story instructed people to insist on speaking to a supervisor when calling a call center, as the front line reps weren't worth anything. Ludicrous, of course... the "managers" that took phone calls were a team of... basically front-line associates. A very small team. With outrageous hold times.

Generally, what gums up the works the most is bad information. Whether it's a commercial that plays two days early (in which case... why on EARTH is management not honoring the effin' thing?) or a mis-heard ad an SC misinterpreted... you get people insisting that they were promised a mountain would be under Mohammed an hour ago, and why are you balking at a simple request to perform a miracle?

[DesignFox]

What about the Haggar Pants commercial? How this has to do with pants, I have no idea, but some guy is walking out in his front yard talking to another guy. The guy asks where the cable guy is and the first man says "up on the roof" then proceeds to kick the ladder down so the cable guy is stuck on the roof.

Cable Guy: Hey! Let me down
Homeowner: Oh I will. Sometime between 8 and 5, but in reality, closer to 7:30.

gah. I saw that commercial last night for the first time...

While I don't think the commercials mean to create sucky people- I think certain commercials- like that one- go too far. That's not funny. It's mean. And yes, there are people out there who will try that shit, or threaten to do so thinking they are being funny because they saw it on TV. People need to know that that kind of thing is not cool. It's not even right to joke about it.

As for the Canon commercial- I didn't see that one, yet. But then, I don't watch much TV (for reasons like the one mentioned above). I find that insulting also. Actually, I won't get into that because it infuriates me way too much. Anyone who wants to banter about it can feel free to PM me, though.

[CancelMyService]

I talk to people every day who don't want me to send a tech out to fix their problem because they "know" the cable company makes them wait all day and never shows up for appointments. Of course the truth is that the appointments are 4 hours for installs and 2 hours for repairs, and neither one takes the whole time allotted. It doesn't matter, you have commercials like the Haggar one that reinforces all the stereotypes and we're back to square one.

Now I don't think they make those commericals on purpose, they're just done by marketing types who have never dealt with customers and don't see anything wrong with making ads that create unreasonable expectations. Even if they are aware of it on some level, it's not like SCs are going to call the marketing company so it's not going to be a problem they have to worry about.