Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Epiduo: Know What this kid could use? Some parents!

I saw the last thirty seconds of this commercial about a dozen times before I saw the FIRST thirty seconds, and was ready to write it up before I ever saw the whole thing. When I finally saw the first thirty seconds, I realized that it was even more stupid than I had originally thought.

The commercial is for an acne medication called Epiduo, and it opens with this teenaged kid apparently living out of a tent in his neighborhood grocery store. We are told that this kid has been in this store for EIGHTEEN MONTHS "waiting" for the right acne medication to come around. He's wearing the ugliest ski cap I've ever seen- and never takes it off during the entire commercial, which rankles me for some reason.

Already, this commercial has serious issues. This kid is living in a store, waiting for medication to jump off the shelf into his lap? And this makes more sense than asking the pharmacist, does it?

Oh, but it just gets better. A disembodied voice urges the clueless, pimply little twerp to see his doctor about his acne- because, you see, "Acne is a medical condition." Ah, yes, of course! A Doctor! That's a GREAT idea! Why didn't this kid think of that before! All he has to do is call a doctor and make an appointment to discuss his complexion issues!

Now we get to the part I've seen a dozen times or more: the next thing we know, the kid's face has cleared up, and he's moved his tent to the sidewalk, where instead of waiting for medication to magically appear, he's on line to buy tickets to something or another (all we are shown is a sign which says "tickets on sale at 8 AM.") He's still wearing that stupid ugly skicap. But now, thanks to his doctor and Epiduo, he's chatting away with two cute girls who suddenly find him really, really interesting.

Except, darn it, check out the look on the faces of these girls as they gab with formerly pockmarked stupid skicap boy. I've never seen such phony smiles. It couldn't be more obvious that they are humoring this idiot to cut into the line. I mean, think about it. This kid spent a year and a half living out of that tent, in a store aisle, because he had acne and was too damned stupid to ask someone for help. Suddenly he's a facinating conversationalist? I really doubt it.

One last thing: It sure was great of that doctor to prescribe Epiduo for his acne. But it would have been even more helpful for the doctor to suggest that maybe, just maybe, wearing a tight-fitting, dirty skicap nonstop might be contributing to the clogged pores as much as anything else. That advice doesn't help sell medication though, does it?


  1. Yeah, those girls are obvuously playing that shmuck!

  2. Good to know that I wasn't the only person who wanted the doctor to say "Take off the hat, genius!" Idiocy like this makes me mourn the presence of prescription drug ads on TV; I hate having to see spots that say "You need this drug but it'll kill you" all the time.

  3. This kid is really going to camp out in the lobby of the store and the manager doesn't evict him or call the cops? An extended period passes without it ever occurring to an acne-stricken kid to go to a doctor? The entire premise of the ad makes no sense.

  4. Heh--the first time I saw this commercial I immediately thought about your blog. Camping out in the acne-treatment aisle? WHAT? :)

  5. I think you people need to get a life, or seek some counseling if a commercial (albeit a stupid one) bothers you that much. By the way, he does take the skicap off when he sees the doctor, and also did you consider that the girls' smiles look fake because they are ACTING in a commercial and just aren't good at it. Damn, if you want to write so much about a commercial that pisses you off, please write about that *#$@ing factory one for those phones or whatever where those fu#@*^s are singing that lolipop song,I turn the TV off when it comes on, that bothers me even more than this one bothers you, but I'm too busy to spend 30 mins writing it, so could you do it for me since you don't seem to have much going on, and please get the facts strtaight on this one

  6. So basically, you're pissed that I haven't blogged about a commercial YOU dislike.

    You suggest you are too busy to waste time blogging about a commercial you dislike, but you aren't too busy to seek out someone else's blog and try to dictate what is worthy of writing about.

    Seriously, get a life. Don't like the blog? DON'T READ IT.

  7. 1) John, ITA, why make the kid in the commercial look even more like an outcast?


    2) ITA with your response to the last comment above--if people don't like the blog, why read it? I'm a Top Reviewer on Amazon, and I'll never understand why people take the time to make comments solely for the purpose of spreading negativity. :(

  8. btobey- I don't mind negative comments at all. What I don't get is people who write things like "get a life, this blog is stupid"- as if there aren't ten million other blogs out there if this one isn't to your taste. I wonder if there are really people out there who spend all their time hunting down blogs, reading through them, and then passing judgment on their subject matter. It's just weird.

  9. yeah and the doctor saying "Get a life!" WTF? I would have slapped him in the face instead of saying "I'm trying." What is he, my mother?