Crazy Commercials

Tonight I watched some of that crap TV that’s sucked me in. And yeah, it was not so great, but it was the commercials that really left me scratching my head, including:

  1. MetLife car insurance. Right after boasting you get “full replacement cost” for your car, they’re noting there’s no “depreciation deductible.” Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but the replacement cost of your vehicle will go down each year because of depreciation. So isn’t that already priced in to your benefit — by definition?
  2. Canon Digital Rebel XT. Quick, what’s the official truck of the NFL? Give up? I have no idea, either — and I couldn’t care less. Why do companies continue to spend money on these deals? Unless it’s some sort of cross-promotional requirement with the NFL, I’m baffled as to why companies like Canon would use their own commercials to boast they’re the “official camera of the NFL.” Really, who cares? Is there any research that says being the “official” anything converts sales? (Other than jerseys and such, of course.)
  3. Tide Coldwater. Tide makes a big deal about how you could save “up to $63 a year” in energy costs by washing your clothes in cold instead of hot. They even have a savings calculator to help you estimate how much! Except how about this math: Tide’s $63/yr figure is based on 7 loads/wk. So that’s 7×52 = 364 loads/yr. A 50 fl. oz regular Tide goes for $6 (the cold water version may be more) and lasts for 16 loads. So you’ll need 364/16 =~ 23 bottles ($138.) Compare this to something like All “Small & Mighty”, which is a more concentrated liquid. The same $6 gets you enough for 32 loads, so you can do your 364 loads with ~12 bottles for $72. That’s a savings of $66 — more than Tide’s “up to” $63.

See, this is why I shouldn’t watch TV.

One Response to “Crazy Commercials”

  1. The rebellious Mr Pech Says:

    I suspect the “official” business is more about defense. I’m guessing it means that Nikon, Minolta, etc are not allowed to advertise on NFL games, maybe not even at stadiums. I also think it’s probably a big package sort of deal, where they made a deal to do all kinds of promotional crap in all sorts of stupid ways all in one big package.

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