Olympic Commercials? No Thank You!


My own little Olympian running for the camera.
We love the Olympics. Watching TV, especially cable television, isn't something we do on a regular basis. However, I kind of think the Olympics are a national vacation. Everyone in America stops what they are doing at 7:00pm and zones out in front of the TV for  3-4 hours. How could we miss that? But don't think that this time isn't productive! It is. These athletes inspire normal people like me to greatness. I mean how else am I ever going to learn to run a mile or do a cartwheel or race my husband in a canoe if I'm never inspired to dream big!

Okay, I may never be a Carmelita Jeter (a. I'm not black and b. I don't run), but then again I bet she doesn't make biscuits and gravy from scratch. I'm not judging. She made her decisions in life, and I've made mine.  You decide what's really important. 

Not all parts of watching the Olympics are a positive experience though, like commercials. Most of them are just ridiculous!

For instance, I don't care what kind of music you play in the background, Coca-cola did not help that sprinter run faster. 

I'm also pretty sure that Glade scented oils won't make my house as clean and perfect looking as the one in the commercial. Why don't they ever shoot air freshener commercials in a house that actually needs it? You know, one where the smell of burnt supper has mixed with the stench of dirty diapers and sweaty shoes to create an all too unpleasant aroma.  

The only commercial I take seriously is the Subway commercial. I'm pretty sure Olympic athletes eat at Subway. I mean who wouldn't want to eat at Subway???

And while some commercials just annoy me a little, others actually make me mad. 

Like car commercials that try to sell you the car without actually telling you how much it costs. "Now is the right time to buy!" they claim. Don't worry about how much money you'll be spending! Just send us $200 a month for the next 3 years, and we'll call it even. 

Ummm...no thank you. 

While I appreciate your generosity, I'm a very informed consumer who knows my best financial decision to not to buy the new car I want now, but to wait until I have enough money to pay for it. Otherwise, I won't just be buying a new car.  I'll also be lining your pockets with the tons of money I paid out in interest. I'm generous but not that generous. 

Oh, and when I've finally saved enough to buy that new car, I'll probably get a used one. Just sayin'. 

So while the Olympics might inspire me to great athletic feats like sprinting to the mail box, I think I'll pass on all the propaganda. I don't need it. Plain and simple. 

Gold Medal!

P.S. Since when is ribbon twirling a sport? This is where tolerance has gotten us. So sad...


  1. Love this! I was just thinking of how I'm thankful for my DVR for allowing me to fast forward such commercials. One that I can't stand is an ad for a new sitcom this fall called "The New Normal." Not sure what the premise of the show is, but in the commercial, it shows a surrogate carrying a baby for a gay male couple. The New Normal? I don't think so! Far from normal, but unfortunately, a majority of society DO see it as normal.

    And I agree, ribbon twirling? Really? Or dancing around with a ball or hoop? Once again thankful for my DVR and the fast forward button!

  2. It's not ribbon twirling...it's rhythmic gymnastics! Get it right! :)

  3. As a marketer myself, I'll say this in defense of those "pesky" commercials: Good marketers don't sell products, they sell brands. That's why you don't get pricing all the time and why you see products associated with things that don't seem related at first glance, like a clean house with air fresheners. It's not that the product will make it a clean house, it's that they are marketing to clean people.

    Why do people buy Coca Cola over Mr. Cola when Mr. Cola is cheaper and tastes the same? It's because of the brand. Some brands tout quality, some an unforgettable experience, and still others focus on merely being modest. But people aren't simply pragmatic thinkers weighing only costs and quantity at every time. We are emotional beings. We want to associate with brands that have values similar to our own. For example, most people wouldn't buy a product that advertised itself as "We're cheap like you are." I mean, maybe they would because they thought it was funny, but in most situations it has a negative connotation. If someone came to your house and saw that product that might get an idea bout you and you wouldn't want that.

    However, you might buy Mr. Cola not because it's "cheap" but because it makes you look 'modest in your spending.' In any sense, you bought a product because of a value associated with yourself and a need/want you had to fulfill.

    Here's a better example. You want to buy a dress. There are two dresses you can choose from: One is $5 the other $10. The $5 has an obscene illustration on it. The $10 one does not. Which are you going to buy?

    My point in this rather long rant is that it's not about merely about prices. It's about values. We buy things that relate to us.

    1. Furthermore, the reason you get annoyed and frustrated with certain brands is that they don't share the same values you personally have. :P



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