Ads for the kind of food that college students eat have reached the point where they are aimed at college students mostly by going for the style of humor where you don't really need a joke, you just need to be weird.
But this is pretty terrible, even by those admittedly low standards. First of all, there are gaps in this commercial you could steer the QE2 through - the first ten seconds are silent, and then there's a further 7-8 seconds of staring after the Hot Pockets enter the frame. It's pretty brutal to watch. And that's before you get around to discussing the Asian caricature (I didn't realize we were suddenly back in 1985), the fact that the ad makes no real sense of any kind, and the fact that Hot Pockets are actually pretty disgusting and anyone who would choose them over making out probably needs professional help.
Does anyone out there think it's terribly wrong for some old guy to be trying the "make out" move on a teen girl?
ReplyDeleteThe manufacturer's executives must have put their brains in the microwave instead of their HotPockets that day.
When sexual abuse and sexual predators are highlighted all over the media (recently 29K predators removed from MySpace.com)it just seems like this company is "Asking for it" when they put out media like that. No teenage girl I know would feel comfortable if some strange old guy broke into her home, lured away her date with (hideous) food and then proceeded to try to make out on her couch with her.
Yes marketing ads are not supposed to reflect reality, but what in the world are they trying to say here?
It's just plain gross, disgusting,
and not very funny.
I just saw the ad on TV, and couldn't believe my eyes. So I did a web search on "Hot Pocket Ad" and lo and behold a lot of people find this repulsive.
I actually bought a couple of hot pockets for my teen son a while back, (He said they were "OK") but I'll never buy them again just because of the lewd insinuation that this ad represents.
Good grief.
Thank goodness I have TIVO and I can fast forward through the commercial if it ever shows up again.
Am I way off?
Missing something deeper?
:-(
You're dead on. Besides just being a stupid ad, it's also not setting any good example here. Another good reason not to buy Hot Pockets again for your son is that they are repulsive and full of sodium, even the "Lean Pockets." Check out comedian Jim Gaffigan's riotous routine about Hot Pockets on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteNot that you're checking back on this, since this comment was made in July. But I'm procrastinating by reading old posts, so whatever.