More Slimy Insurance Ads

We've all seen the Select Quote ads by now. They're annoying. The woman is always only about 75% of the man's life insurance value (not Select Quote's fault, a reflection of a larger issue). The catch? They all had a friend or relative WHO RECENTLY DIED. How morbid! As for the commercial quality - what's with the stills? If you're paying for airtime, use the airtime. If you're publishing photos, go to print.
Ratings: 1 (low) to 4 (high)
Stickiness: 1
Quality: 1
Hit/Miss: Miss
Overall: 1
Comments: LOWEST RATING AVAILABLE!!

Tsk, tsk, CNN.....for thinking on the Fly

This posting is an exception, because it's not so much about an ad as it is about a news teaser. Oh, even without trying this is full of innuendo. When the story broke (on CNN, anyway, months after everyone else knew) that John Edwards had a mistress, the teaser line prior to going to commercial break - on multiple occasions - was:
"John Edwards has admitted to having an affair in 2006, but denies he's the father of his mistress' child. What was going through his head?"
Oh......lots of things. None of which were thoughts. Oh, which head were you talking about??
Unfortunately I didn't record that. I'm hoping someone did......

Slimy Insurance Ad

I'm in the market for Health Insurance. I think I'll follow the advise of that annoying infomercial guy for bathroom cleaners: Billy Mays! This is his second appearance on this blog. I think the title clearly displays my thoughts here, but here's what is even MORE annoying about this ad. Billy Mays still doesn't seem to realize usage of an indoor voice. He's very out of market, which - even if ican is a good product, seems incongruent. It looks like he's trying to combo sign / mime the ad to the viewer. A hand gesture here and there often goes unnoticed. Not in this case - it's as though he's doing semaphore.

Ratings: 1 (low) to 4 (high)
Stickiness: 2
Quality: 2
Hit/Miss: Miss
Overall: 1
Comments: Somebody stop this man. Or coach him.

Who is 'We'?

So, We Belong.....at the Sheraton. I'm wondering who the target audience is for this ad. In theory, Sheraton would like us to believe it could be anyone. I find it odd. Does anyone else notice that approximately 75% of the people showcased in their commercial would likely never afford, or choose to spend as much as a night at the Sheraton requires? Are these your target demographics - the Buddhist Monks greeting in a cave, the rural farmers, the Yanomamo (or similar appearing) tribe members, the young boy in Rio, Asian schoolchildren, surfers, and teenagers? Or perhaps I misunderstood the message about Sheraton launching a global hostel. I'm guessing not.

Ratings: 1 (low) to 4 (high)
Stickiness: 3
Quality: 4
Hit/Miss: Miss
Overall: 3
Comments: Damn their usage of a catchy Pat Benetar song, all softened up! Can't get it out of my head.

ITT Technical Institute

For an educational resource, ITT didn't put much thought into their tagline: "Education for the Future". Well, let's hope so. What are the alternatives?



Ratings: 1 (low) to 4 (high)
Stickiness: 3
Quality: 3
Hit/Miss: Miss
Overall: 2
Comments: ...as opposed to the past?