Thursday, March 4, 2010

/FAWM

FAWM is over. I have thus relinquished control of this blog from updates of the FAWM (That, coincidentally, I did not 'win'--getting only 10 songs done) and turn my attention back to the satirical thoughts that come up.

For instance, am I the only one completely annoyed by those 'Ask Gary' commercials? I know I'm not. No other human being can possibly build up such a tolerance level that they can get through those commercials without thinking ill of the company (or in some cases, the spokesperson... I'm talking to you, Roz).

The commercials themselves don't even make that much sense. Here's the gist, in case you haven't watched a lick of television in the last couple of years: A paid spokesperson (and they actually come out and identify themselves that way, verbally) is driving a car and mentions that, should they get into an accident, they wouldn't know who to call, expressing a line similar to 'I'm no doctor or lawyer'. Thus they tell the audience that they would want to call Ask Gary to be referred to a lawyer and/or doctor.

First... really? Is this the best way to advertise your service? Have someone come out and say, 'I'm not an expert in this field, but...' It's like I'm watching a commercial for a car dealership, presented with a goofy man in a polka dot tie, bouncing around and stating 'I'm no expert on cars, but if I needed a car, I'd come here.' If the spokesperson is not an expert, why are they the spokesperson? If you owned a company, would you want your PR to come out and say they know nothing of the service? "Come to Domino's. I don't know the first thing about making pizzas, but they're good, aren't they?" Workable? Sure. Smart? Not exactly.

Second, in the commercials, the spokespeople are always looking at the camera while they drive. IF they get into an accident? I think everyone who's done a commercial for Ask Gary GOT into an accident while filming! That's a horrible way to sell a service--when the representatives themselves are lackadaisical about their own driving skills. "Do you suck at driving? You'll probably get into an accident like I no doubt will. So when that happens, you should call Ask Gary."