Car Insurance

Now we all know that car insurance is mandatory for drivers in America, so there's no point in arguing the merits of insurance programs in this post. However, car insurance ads have been particularly interesting, entertaining and outrageously silly in recent years.

Of particular interest to me, have been Geico ads featuring their iconic characters the cavemen, the gecko and money stack. The gecko has been around for years and has become a cute American icon of advertising, despite his foreign accent. He has been in too many commercials to mention all of them here, but most recently, his meetings with the supposed head of the company have been hilarious. From falling trust excercises, to the gecko mistakenly using his boss's first dollar, the gecko has remained endearing as an ad character.

The caveman capaign, trying to show the ease of Geicko's services, was a personal favorite of mine, especially the original airport ad. With the words "always something to remind me" as background music, it created a funny sort of sympathy for the caveman's plight, while reinforcing the brand's character.

Most recently, the money stack has had some entertaining commercials ranging from the set of a homacidal hillbilly movie to an office to a diner. The googly eyes of the this simple, yet satirical character always seem to be staring at you when you move around the room and leave a lasting impression.

All this advertising, however, leads to a big question. If a company spends so much time and investment on such elaborate and well done ad campaigns consistently over years of doing business, how is it that they can still claim to save you some arbitrary percentage over your current car insurance company? It doesn't seem possible, yet that is the claim of every car ad. They all claim to save you money over the other guy. Follow the logic of this argument. If Geicko saves say 15% over Allstate, but Allstate claims to save you over Geicko, then that means you just reduced your payments by 15% then further by Allstate, then further by the next guy, say Prudential. It's impossible to continuously follow that pattern or else you would be getting car insurance for free. Follow that further and you would be paid to use your insurance company.

Simply stated, any company that claims that they can absolutly save you money over your current insurance company is making a dangerous claim. Even Geicko says you "might save". Also don't be fooled by companies who simply advertise a lot about their supposed savings. That advertising costs usually gets passed on to customers. Furthermore, don't be tricked into thiking that companies like Allstate, who advertise a bit less, cost a whole lot more simply because of their reputation for providing more comprehensive coverage than many others. Never forget that commercials are trying to convince you that their product or servfice is the best choice and that you shouldn't even bother researching the competition.

One exception to all this is Progressive insurance with their new character, Flo. This kinda creepy, kinda cute, sales lady has become a mainstay in progressive ads, which traditionally focuses on the ability to compare their rates to others for the same coverage option. Despite the openness and fair play that these ads would lead youto belive, it is certainly possible that ocverage information and/or prices could have been changed to makes Progressive always look like the best choice. Had they been an independent third party who weren't paid by the insurance companies ti gather this information, it would have been much more believable.

I know there are many more ads to comment on by various others, but I think this gives you a reeasonable idea of what insurance companies are saying and doing, along with some highly regarded remembrances of 30 second chunks of entertainment.

Home Security Commercials, Part 2

In part 2 of my critique of Broadview Home Security commercials, I'd like to discuss the Idiot in a Hoodie ad, commonly known on YouTube as "Backyard".

The ad begins with a mother and daughter playing out in a beautifully manicured yard with perfect hedges serving as most of the fencing. What they don't realize is that an idiot wearing a hoodie style work jacket is peering through a gap in the fence at them; stupid move number one. After the pair go in for lunch, the idiot in a hoodie decides now is the time to break down yet another ridiculously fragile door; dumb move number 2. This home is definately several hundred thousand dollars. They seriously can't build decent doors and frames? I also need to mention that the mother sets the alarm when they go inside. The alarm trips with the break-in, after standing and screaming in shock for a moment, the mother daughter duo run up the steps to answer a phone call from Broadview and the police are sent.

As with all the commercials in this series I have to ask myself why the doors in these homes are so weak. Why didn't the neighbors call the cops when they saw an unfamiliar man weating unseasonal clothing pearing for a time through the fence? Why did he choose a home in which he knew there were people home, even if he tohught they were in the backyard? Why did the mother set the alarm when the doors were locked and she was home in it active and awake? Should we all be terrified to be in our homes to the point of needing an alarm to be set just because we went indoors? What about the yard? Someone could easily hop the fence or pass through the shrubs to get at you and your property ladies. Why didn't you have an alarm for that eventuality?

This commercial is just dumb in every way. It reinforces the stereotype of women belonging in the home and being too weak to defend themselves. As I view other ads in this series, I see the frail woman and child archetype being displayed over and over. What about stay at home dads or single dads or old people or young strong men or even young strong women? Do these people not exist? Do people who can defend themselves not own homes? I know the first thing I'd do if an threat like this hoodie wearing moron entered my home, grab the nearest and most deadly weapon I could find, or prepare to beat the living snot out of the intruder. Perhaps these ads shoudl show someone failing to gain entrance into the house, just to be more realistic, and then having the alarm go off anyway.

People, you have a right to defend your home and not be afraid. I understand the peace of mind that a security system can brong, especially in the dead of night. I certainly don't advocate not taking basic or thorough measures to adequately protect your property. Just see this commercial for what it is; a poorly concieved pile of trash filled with logical flaws and unlikely events. Shame on you Broadview for furthering negative stereotypes about people's roles and how they behave.

PS: MEN AREN'T THE ONLY ONES WHO BREAK INTO HOMES, COMMIT MURDER, RAPE AND OTHERWISE ANNOY!!! FYI!!!

Movie Trailers

Movie trailers today have really changed the way in which people enjoy movies. Trailers, like most movies themselves have fallen into a formula. So called chick flicks are the worst offenders in this respect. Man meets woman under some odd circumstance, man and woman fall in love. Then some horrible secret is revealed causing the man and woman to fight and split. After some soul searching and learning the whole story of the lie and how it really had no effect on their love, they get back together. The End.

Movie trailers also are incredibly formulaic in this fashion. Some clips that sum up the story are shown sometimes in sequence and sometimes out. In the end, the plot is largely revealed, taking away the need to see the movie in some cases. However, this is where I'd like to reveal a trailer that falls outside of this boring repetitive structure.

The trailer for District 9, a new innovative science fiction film directed by Peter Jackson, takes a unique approach to a movie trailer. It seems to depict the movie in the usual way, however the movie is not usual. The first half is shot as a documentary and only that latter half plays out like a traditionally shot film. You wouldn't know this from the trailer. Also, the face of the aliens depicted in the trailer was blurred for a long time in the teaser trailers and even regular TV spots until the movie released. The plot isn't really revealed, just a sense of that there are aliens living on Earth and being held against their will somehow, despite advanced technologies.

From these trailers, I'm excited that I'll be seeing it this week. So far, the reviews have been incredibly positive. Happy viewing!

Home Security Systems

If you like the History Channel as I do, then you've undoubtedly seen the series of recent Brinks Broadview Security ads. The two that come to mind immediately are The Ex-Boyfriend and Idiot in a Hoodie. These commercials are the epitome of nonsensicle situations that would probably never happen.

The Ex Boyfriend
The ad begins with a young woman saying goodnight after what appears to be a first date. The young man respectfully kisses her on the cheek after she tell him she just ended a bad relationship. The date leaves and her ex-boyfriend runs up to the front door (which was already closed and locked) and kicks it open before glaring dumbfounded at his ex while here security alarm goes off. She young woman recieves a call from the security company and she explains what just happened, followed by police being dispatched to her home.

The first obvious question is how does this woman afford the almost half-million dollar home she's living in on her income alone at only around her late 20s? WHy was her door so fragile that any jerk could just kick it in with one try? You'd think a home as luxurious and elaborate as hers would have a stronger door and frame. If the ex wanted to murder her on the spot, he certainly could have despite an alarm or phone call, leaving enough time to run before the police arrived. The question burning in my mind during this whole event is why is she already dating someone new if she just ended her old relationship? Is there something programmed into some people that when a relationship is failing the thing to do is find someone new then break up? I've seen this happen to several friends and I really don't think it's the appropriate way to handle the situation.

Next post, I'll talk about Idiot in a Hoodie. Stay tuned!

Edit: After viewing the commercial a second time, the woman's home appears to be a town house, so the estimated value is probably way off. However, I've seen town homes and twins with stronger doors.

Batteries

Duracell's long-running campaign to convince you that their batteries are superior to the competition's is just plain silly. The ads open up at some kind of rescue or disaster scene with EMS, firemen, or military squads doing their duty. Then, a voice over comes on trying to convince you that not all batteries are the same because these men and women use Duracell to power their battery operated equipment.

There are several problems with these claims. First, the night vision goggles pictured in the military ad are extremely unlikely to use AA or D batteries that the ad insinuates are a one use product. They are more likely to use rechargeable Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer batteries with long lives and the ability to be recharged several hundred times before needing replacement. Second, if the EMS unit really uses Duracell batteries, it is probably because of liability issues. If your loved one died because a battery failed to operate a medical device and you found out that a generic brand was being used to power it, a lawsuit would probably result. There are only about 3 big name brands on the market right now, Duracell being one. A 1 in 3 chance to be chosen isn't bad. Also, the people buying the batteries aren't buying them for personal use or with their own money. Why not buy one of the most expensive brands possible?

As to the most important point; I don't use nor will I likely ever use any of the products featured on these commercials. I'm not going into the military or emergency rescue positions. I'll never have a need for these types of battery powered machines. Also, the electronics I do use that require batteries, I don't use often. I've also read studies in the past comparing the name brands with the generics that have indicated that the generics are just the name brands with a different label and in some cases were even manufactured by Duracell or Energizer.

The next time you hear Think all batteries are the same? Consider this... remember what you use batteries for and what you don't use them for, then decide whether the cost of the name on the battery is justified.

A Busy Week

It was my hope to create a post several times a week, but I find myself exceptionally busy this week followed by a vacation next week. I'll keep them coming as often as I can. :-)

AC Moore

As Halloween is my favorite holiday, I went searching today for the same thing I always search for as the fall holiday season approaches, decorations. I've wanted some figurines for display for some times now, some 3 to 4 years. You know, those little haunted housed with lights and animated skeletons and such.

Instead of analyzing an ad for AC Moore, I'd like to write about the absence of one. AC Moore may post ads in the Sunday paper, but I can't say how long it's been since I've seen a TV spot. Fortunately I was passing by on my way home from another town 45 minutes away when I decided to stop in (with the suggestion of my wonderful girlfriend). To my surprise I found exactly what I was looking for and they had figurines left over from 2008. I was delighted and overjoyed as I found out the prices were up to 75% off the original prices or more. It's a shame that AC Moore has not pushed such great deals in their ads, however, I'm glad they didn't because the selection was outstanding for a 2008 leftover collection. I'll definately be going there again a month or so prior to Christmas to see what they have in store for me then. What a deal!

McDonald's Fillet of Fish

Let me begin by saying I love this commercial. It's truly an example of how being silly and entertaining can help sell your product. McDonald's seasonal promotion of its fillet of fish sandwich coincided with most other fast food restaurants this past Easter. It still boggles my mind that the flesh of one animal is considered to be meat and yet the flesh of just about any sea creature is considered to be, well, fish. I really don't see the difference and think it's somewhat hypocritical to fast from meat during the holiday only to eat the flesh of fish. The fish has many of the same parts of any other source of land based meat and is treated as something totally differently for some reason.

Despite getting food poisoning in the 5th grade from undercooked McDonald's fries and vowing never to eat there again (It's been more than 10 years since I've eaten from that dirty place run by children), I love this commercial. A lot of McDonald's commercials brightly discuss promotions for sandwiches or some other kind of deal including movie and toy tie-ins, but they often lack creativity or any lasting appeal. Ending with their favorite catch phrase of the decade "I'm loving it", most commercials leave me wondering, "What am I loving? Life, McDonald's food? Working with a bunch of 14 year olds who are immature, filled with attitude and irresponsible as well as a 16 year old shift manager who is little better?" As catch phrases and slogans go, this is the most vague expression I've seen since Nike's "Just Do It" slogan of the 90s.

The jingle of McDonald's fillet of fish commercial is catchy, the idea fresh and the actors way more genuine than the typical McDonald's ad. I forgot the mention I've watched this ad many times and it still makes me laugh. To whoever conceived this commercial, way to go! :-)

I'm a Mac, I'm a PC Part 2

Continuing the discussion of Mac and PC commercials, here is part 2.

Study #2 I'm a Mac
Because no one goes to a store and makes a Mac purchase in Apple's commercial series, and the overall lack of any other brands to choose from in them, it is less important to rehash all the technical buying decisions of the PC market. Mac commercials focus on what people like to do with their computer. They make sure to compliment PCs on their productivity, efficiency and overall good business sense. However, that's where the kindness ends. The young, hip Mac guy talks about life stuff and says the PC in his late 40s is good at work stuff. I guess he forgot that part of life is working. Also, what about games? The vast majority of computer games are only available on a PC. Now it is true that there are a multitude of terrible titles out there, so many in fact that the term shovelware was coined because of the shovel fulls of terrible software. A point to remember, however, is that the largest PC games on the market, those triple A titles like World of Warcraft, the Halo series and others are also available on Macs. So are other important work stuff programs like Adobe products (Photoshop, Acrobat ect.), internet browsers and Microsoft Office.

Another thing is that Windows can now run on Macs, if the consumer must have the best of both worlds. Boot Camp allows a Mac user to natively boot up in Windows. This is not an emulation, just simply a computer that can run both systems.

Mac commercials go on to talk about how PCs crash to the infamous Blue Screen of Death, freeze, lock up, or otherwise fail. My personal experience with Macs has been that they hardly ever crash, if ever (my old iMac never has and it's about 7 years old), and are ridiculously easy to use. To someone who has used PCs all their life and maybe only saw an old beat up mac in high school that may not be true, but in general, both systems are easy to use if you take the time to play with them. Mac commercials also unfairly portray PCs asw somewhat dumb when it comes to life skills such as being up with current news and also portray Microsoft as being generally uncaring about its customers.

In the end, buying a computer in general comes down to your preference. Personally, I currently use a custom built PC (yes I built it) as my main gaming, internet browsing and chatting machine. I also use a white Macbook 13" for my schoolwork and other things. In the past I've used a mac tower, an iMac and countless PCs at college. Not everyone has the cash for both, so maybe an upgraded Mac notebook with both operating systems would be a good choice for those who feel they need both. Otherwise, stick to what you know, but do some research before you hand over close to $1000 and make sure you're getting the machine that will do what you want.

I'm a Mac, I'm a PC

As someone who has used both platforms successfully for many years, I'd like to take a moment to talk about Mac and PC ads. Both claim to represent a better product and both criticize their main competitors.

Study #1 I'm a PC
The series of "Laptop Hunters" ads have become a particular favorite of mine when it comes to outright propaganda full of lies, missing information and full of opinion statements. Besides being poorly directed (note the position of the cars and clouds haven't changed before and after the purchase), the customers looking for new notebook computers don't have a clue as to what they are looking for. Screen size and price are some of the last things you should look at when buying a computer.

Question 1: What do you want your computer to do?
Question 1a: Gaming? Basic word processing and internet browsing only? Web publishing and graphic design? These questions will help determine the type of processor, memory, hard drive and graphics chip sets you will need.
Question 2: How important is reliability and durability to you?
Question 3: Do you have a bag to carry it safely and will you have access to outlets often enough to not run out of a charge? If not, you may need a longer battery life.
Now we get to the rest.
Question 4: How big do you want the screen to be and what size keyboard is right for you?
Question 5: After considering the value of the PCs you've seen (that is, what you get for the money you spend) how much are you looking to spend?

You may have noticed that this list is much larger than what you see in the commercial. That's because those cheap $699 and $799 HPs the customer often lands on are pretty much junk in the world of notebooks. They use a 3rd party lithium ion battery manufactured by 1 of many different companies, a screen by another 3rd party, a motherboard by another, memory by another, and so on. Wasn't the computer supposed to be an HP though? Well it is in a way. The version of Windows is custom for their machine with HP added software. The casing is certainly custom for the parts they chose as is, well, their logo.

So here's the problem with these commercials. They assume that most people know little about what they get for their money when it comes to computers and, unfortunately, they are mostly right. Because of durability issues and stupidity/cheapness, a lot of customers will just look at the price and buy that $699 notebook that will last about a year or two before needing a new battery or another major expensive part replaced. They just don't last under heavy use. The over $1000 Alienware, Dell XPS and other great, durable PCs will last much longer before breaking down or becoming obsolete. The claim of not being cool enough for Macs is just silly. Macs aren't just about style or coolness. It's about the whole user experience. PCs understood that when Microsoft released Vista to majorly spruce up the look and functionality of Windows. Most Macs are priced competitively to their PC competition for what you get. Apple has chosen not to get into what is referred to as the discount notebook market, that is computers priced round about $800 or less, and they have excelled. Recently, a few models of Macs fell to below $900 and Apple may file suit against Microsoft for their claim that there were not machines available in certain sizes and configurations at certain prices. It's been a while since I've seen a Laptop Hunters ad.

Also, notice i keep calling them notebooks, not laptops. Not long ago, some idiot complained to Apple about the machine getting hot while sitting in their lap claiming a laptop computer shouldn't burn their legs. Apple responded by saying their machine was not mean to sit on bare laps as it wasn't a laptop, but a notebook computer. Notice how they all open and close like a notebook? Come now. That one was obvious.
To be continued in Part 2...

240 Hz? 600 Hz? What the heck? I thought I was trying to buy a TV!

This post is a bit technical, but keep reading. The ending will not disappoint. :-)

As a lot of people are looking into a new TV these days, I thought it might be interesting to talk about the signs you see in the electronics stores and on electronics websites. More specifically, what the heck is a Hz and why should I care? A Hz is measurement abreviation used on both current plasma and LCD displays. On a plasma, it refers to how many sub fields of pixel lines make up the screen. Each of those fields blinks 60 time in one second so thus a 600 Hz plasma has 10 sets of lines that blink 60 times in one second. LCDs are a bit different because they don't blink. An LCD has continuous light from the screen and the picture changes by the liquid crystal pixel hardening or softening when an electric current is run through it. Liquid crystal sometimes is slow to turn off and on and therefore can create an issue of motion blur on fat moving complex objects such as water or a high speed chase.

So what is 240 Hz then? On a plasma it refers to sub-fields of lines, but on an LCD it refers to frames per second (fps). So wait a minute, how does changing the frame rate affect the motion blur created by slow pixels? Well, it doesn't. A standard LCD runs at 60 Hz, or 60 fps. A 120 Hz tv runs at 120 fps and 240Hz runs at 240 fps and so on. The circuitry in the TV "predicts" what the frames in between the original 60 would look like and inserts a frame there. A 240 Hz inserts 2 frames in that space and so on. All of this to trick the eye into thinking its not seeing slow pixels.

So how many frames per second can the human eye see? Some say around 100, some say way more and other say way less. From what I can gather, the human eye sees light as a continuous wave pattern that does not change with distinct frames or flashes. Therefore, a true measurement is hard to get.

So here you are in an electronics store with all these Hz measurements and salespeople eager to earn a commission. Which TV do you think they want to sell you? You might be surprised. Salespeople are little more that a walking, talking advertisement for the products they sell. They are there to facilitate the purchasing process by advocating the product that suits your needs best. Here's the thing. Some salespeople are very knowledgeable and really want you to be happy with your purchase in order to avoid returns and a loss of their commission (bet you didn't know it get taken back). Others want to sell a product that will just make them a lot of money and take the risk that you may change your mind because the product you purchased was not for you and you probably knew that at the store except for that pesky sales guy who kept showing you the top of the line 65" TV that you knew wouldn't fit your room.... whew!!

What it all comes down to is this; look at the TV and stop looking at all the features!!! You may want to concider them as part of your overall purchase, but really just look at the picture. Do you like the colors, the blacks, the whites? Is it too bright for your room or maybe too dark? WIll it look elegent when turned off or will it be an eyesore? Can everyone who needs to use it understand how and can they all see it from all angles in the room? There are many things to consider so do yourself a favor and stop worrying about Hz.

By the way, movies at the theater are projected at only 24Hz. When's the last time you went away from seeing a movie in the theater and said, "I wonder how many Hz they were running that movie at? I bet it would look better with 120." I'm just saying...

Life insurance

You have to appreciate Select Quote's term life insurance commercials. They always start with an extremely upstanding citizen in the community hearing about a friend or relative's death and how affordable life insurance is these days. "No life insurance." (OH NO!! FOR SHAME!!!) I forgot to mention that most of these ads say that the person they are speaking about had life insurance before calling them.

It is true that many people may not have the life insurance coverage they would need to pay for the expenses of death such as funerals, the government's Death Tax (yes taxes are paid if you die) and living expenses for a family with one less income. Scaring people about how they could die at any moment is not the way to sell insurance. Also, if more families actually had some savings rather than living every day with tens of thousands of dollars of debts, maybe they could actually afford to pay for at least a nice service for their loved one. I'm certainly not saying that a family can save enough to make up for the eventual loss of an income, certainly not. What I am saying is how much coverage does your primary life insurance give you? How much is your premium every month. In the course of 10 years, how much will you have paid your insurance company? How many thousands could have been put in a retirement account or funeral account instead? Food for thought.

Infomercials

With the recent incarceration (and release) of the ShamWOW guy and the death of Billy Mays, I figured it's a good time to talk about infomercials. There have been many internet videos making fun of the two thus far so I will not beat a dead horse. However, there are too many late night infomercials that I could spend hours writing about. I'll keep it to just one for now. Some weeks ago on a particularly sleepless night I remember having the privilege of watching an infomercial on network TV about Oreck vacuums. The commercial actually wasn't so bad other than the product looking like it came straight out of the late 80s! Don't get me wrong. I know little about vacuums and Orecks may be great products, but as someone who has little room to store big bulky cleaning tools, I'd like my vacuum to look at least slightly contemporary. Plus, where are all the great features like swivel, low profile handles and modern accessories like bagless collection? I love how they always show consumers that their vacuum will pick up all kinds of large objects that should never be sucked off the floor into a plastic impeller such as marbles, coins, tacs and other damaging items. Sure, the vacuum picked them up, but now that the impeller has been chipped and pierced to pieces, you likely have no suction left!

To make matters worse, they boast about how light their product is, which reminded me of every Swivel Sweeper commercial I've ever seen showing some idiot trying to carry their big bulky vacuum up a flight of stairs. Why are they and idiot you say? I'm sure it has nothing to do with how they are carrying the product by the wrong handle or left the cord unwrapped as to trip on it, or that the man or woman carrying it has apparently never done a lick of exercise in their life and can't manage to lift an amazingly heavy 10+ pounds! By all means, please show me the consumer the dumbest and weakest example of a human being so that I can be impressed by the relative light weight of your product! What happens when I'm carrying their 5 pound lightweight vacuum up some steps and forget to wrap the cord resulting in a bad fall? Two surgeries and a hip replacement later (and yet the people they show are clearly in their 40s, but are so frail they would probably break a hip) I guess I could sue for them making the claim that some malnourished, atrophied idiot could carry their product up a flight of steps without incident. Oh well, I guess I'm just dreaming....

Six Flags commercials

Am I the only one who finds the Six Flags old man dancer to be grossly inappropriate? That little old man with the innocent looking glasses and increasingly fake looking face mask is supposed to be promoting a family friendly park for folks of all walks of life young and old. Yet his dance at the end of each commercial is a blatant simulation of anal sex. Watch it a few times and see if it doesn't remind you of the days in elementary school when kids didn't know what sex was, but they knew these odd movements simulating it. Has anyone seen a rap video or stand up comic in the last decade? I'm sure at least one of them have made those same motions simulating "waxing and slapping" hindquarters during a certain type of intercourse. I find it to be interesting that a dance like that would be chosen to promote a theme park to children and mothers. Just search the web for a recent commercial and you will see what I mean.

PS: I don't personally enjoy coaster parks and therefore would rate Six Flags as 1 flag on their fun scale. Also, the mom in that one commercial must have been some kind of club dancer in her younger years. Hooray for defying age!

An introduction

As this is my first blog I'd like to introduce it's purpose. Ads are everywhere in our society. They fund television, radio and newspapers. Our entertainment is filled with it to the point of advertising overload. As a young guy born in the 80s, I've seen all kinds of ads from toys, to food, to big pharmaceuticals. Ads have only gotten more ridiculous and exaggerated over time, especially those pesky infomercials. My aim is to expose the overt and subtle lies, inaccuracies and gross misinformation that the ads I see contain. I won't claim to have an opinion of every ad ever created, just those that particularly stick out in my mind. I may also occasionally write about some other things that are particularly interesting or exceptionally irritating. All I ask is that you read, reflect and enjoy. Whether or not you agree is up to you. :-)