Modern TV Commercials

[Quasqueton]

Actors in TV commercials are really good, nowadays. Much better than I remember even 10 years ago. I've seen some acting in commercials that I'd rate right up there with movie superstars. (Some are much better.) There are several commercials that are actually entertaining and fun to watch (the first or second time, at least).

I've also noticed that there seems to be a good racial mix in commercial roles. It used to be that the only time you saw a black guy in a TV commercial was for "black-targeted" products (during "black-audience" programs). And you never saw asians for any product. Not anymore. You now see non-whites as "leads" for just about any product. You even see non-whites as the butt of jokes -- something that would have been seen as insensitive and insulting just 10 years ago. You also see non-white characters making fun of or "picking" on white characters in commercials now adays -- something that would have been seen as insulting in the opposite direction.

Isn't this cool? Is this a good sign? Is this a reflection of the real world? Or are commercials ahead of society in general?

Quasqueton

 

[der_kluge]

There aren't enough midgets in commercials.

Oh wait, there is one in Richmond. It's totally degrading. It's for a car dealership in Richmond somewhere. And this ad, this midget drives up in a little motorized kid car, with a fist full of cash talking about the great deals. He looks so stupid. So, I stand corrected. There are midgets on TV.

I like commercials. There was a funny one a while back with this guy who was all sexy and all these women kept staring at him, and then they put Carson from Queer Eye in there who was totally checking out his butt. It was funny.

 

[Rel]

Actors in TV commercials are really good, nowadays. Much better than I remember even 10 years ago. I've seen some acting in commercials that I'd rate right up there with movie superstars. (Some are much better.)

I agree in general but remember that the actors in commercials only have to do their thing for (at absolute most) 30 seconds. Movie and television actors must maintain the excellence of their performance over much longer periods of time and (in most cases) through a wider range of emotions/situations.

 

[EricNoah]

Commercials suck, period, end of discussion!!!!1!!1!

It is kind of interesting -- we're living in a time when some kinds of advertising are totally optional. A $30 investment means I never see an ad on the Internet. Some folks have time-shifting devices to help them avoid TV commercials (I do it the old fashioned way -- I tape the shows I like then zip through the commercials -- I don't watch live TV at all any more). Advertisers are going to have to come up with very clever ways to reach audiences.

And on a totally unrelated note -- I dream of a day when I can "buy" ONLY the cable channels I want, and no others. Adding 3 or 4 select stations to my local stations would be great. Adding 100 channels ... not gonna happen.

 

[warlord]

EN how can you not watch live TV?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I don't think all commercials suck, just the VAST majority of them. Some are, in fact, better than the TV you're watching!

Advertising is all about making a connection with the customer, about bridging that gap between what the business is offering and what I want. They are designed to, as effectively as possible, make me want what they're giving.

Advertising is the public face. It has to be informative, entertaining, engaging, and interesting. It takes a real skill and talent to produce a commercial that sticks in people's heads, and perhaps some psychological manipulation to produce one that makes you want a pizza RIGHT NOW....

....I know I've felt that way before.

 

[EricNoah]

EN how can you not watch live TV?

It helps that there's hardly anything good on nowadays.

The only thing that really "requires" you to watch live is sports (I mean, ick, even a sports fan doesn't want to watch an "old" game, right?), and I'm no sports fan.

I don't watch TV news, I read it online.

I guess you could say that reality TV (particularly timebound stuff that's like a "must-see" contest ala Survivor) is best served live, but again I have no interest in reality TV.

I watch a lot of DVDs, and I tape the 2 or 3 shows I like, and that's about it. I don't have cable, so that's 90% of my problem solved right there.

 

[Henry]

There was a funny one a while back with this guy who was all sexy and all these women kept staring at him, and then they put Carson from Queer Eye in there who was totally checking out his butt. It was funny.

Pepsi commercial, I think, and it was the BeeGees' "Stayin Alive".

Commercials I think are mirroring society more and more, the reason I say this is because marketers know the groups they are targeting. You can tell more about the wants of society in general by marketing & businesses than by any other resource. Why else were reality TV shows so darned popular from about 2001 to current, only recently slacking off slightly? Why else are there 5 gas stations/car dealerships/cash advance places for every hobby store or bookstore?

You can also tell what businesses and interests are slacking off. When there's a glut of one business, and in two years every one is either sold to another business or simply closed and abandoned, you can tell what used to be more popular. I can't find a third of the tanning salons I would have been able to find in our tri-city area just five years ago.

 

[EricNoah]

perhaps some psychological manipulation

Maybe a little more than "some". Most commercials are so unsubtle ... they almost directly say things like "food is love", "your choice of car reflects your sexual virility and preference", "you can have eternal youth" etc.

 

[glass]

EN how can you not watch live TV?

I don't either, if I can avoid it, expecially on commercial channels. BBC doesn't matter so much because there are no adds, but I likethe freedom of being able to watch programmes at the time to suit me too.

Of course, it's relatively easy for me now, as I have a HDD recorder but I used to do the same thing (to a slightly lesser extent) with good old fashioned VHS tape.

EDIT: Having said all that, since Star Gate: Atlantis started on Five last Friday at the same time as Scrubbs is on Channel 4 I might have to get used to it a bit more now


glass.