Why are we getting bombarded with some TV ads?
It’s that time again.
Super Bowl 58, er LVIII is heading our way.
That means those of us who’ll watch that big (overhyped) event will get treated to some spectacular TV spots costing advertisers an estimated $7 million per 30-second ad.
I hope I don’t disappoint you when I tell you that this column isn’t about any of those ads.
I’m writing about some ads that I’ve seen enough of – that thoroughly annoy me.
Question: Who thinks it’s a good idea to incessantly remind me that I need my bathroom remodeled?
I swear there must be 100 companies showing me showers with seats, showers with hold bars, “glamorous” showers, and luxuriously upgraded showers with people collapsing in euphoria – because they got their showers completely remodeled in one day.
Who needs a bathroom so beautiful that it’ll cause you to sit in it, instead of going on a Caribbean cruise?
There’s that old fallback – insurance.
All kinds of insurance.
Geico has a little lizard that first appeared during the 2000 television season. Then, the Geico Gecko started sharing his stardom with a Geico Caveman in 2004. Recently, Caveman has returned after being in mothballs for years.
Liberty has “LiMu” the emu. (I had no idea what an emu was until it appeared in all of those Liberty ads.) I can’t figure out what a large bird has to do with insurance. But there it is – co-starring in dozens of Liberty (or should I say “Limberty-Biberty”) commercials.
Liberty likes to diversify. These days they’re also featuring a baby whose only function is to keep saying the word “Liberty.”
That was funny the first 50 times I saw it. No longer.
Progressive has made Flo and her crew famous.
Aflac has that roaming duck.
Allstate has a fellow (Dean Winters) who enjoys dispensing mayhem wherever he goes.
And State Farm likes to feature pro athletes like the NBA’s Chris Paul, and the NFL’s Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs teammate – Travis Kelce.
Why pro athletes are appearing in more and more insurance commercials is beyond me.
Oh! And I forgot future NFL Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski in those USAA commercials.
Of course, hardly any program can exist these days, without there being at least a couple of hamburger, chicken, or pizza commercials airing.
I have no idea what Burger King and McDonald’s will do next to try to get me to run out and buy one of their hamburgers.
But I’m not excited about getting my hands on the goo of a “stuffed crust” pizza from Pizza Hut or Domino’s.
I’m sure they must be selling lots of them, though.
Here’s a name you might not be familiar with – M.D. Shannon Klingman. She’s that lady who tells everybody about our “stinky parts,” with her ads for something called “Lume.”
She’s hawking deodorant creams, soaps, and wipes that have been designed (she claims she designed them) to do away with odors.
Just seeing her in one of her commercials nowadays makes me want to hold my nose.
She’s now pushing an entirely new line of de-smellers called Mando.
Mando, I suppose, does what Lume does. But Mando does it for men.
This isn’t a critique of the products. I’ve never tried them. It’s about the frequency of those TV ads.
I can remember a time when professional sports wanted to steer clear of any form of wagering.
Just ask Pete Rose.
Flash forward to 2024.
There’s sports betting everywhere. And there are TV ads enticing people to make use of an increasing number of betting apps that will allow people to bet on just about every sporting event.
A clear sign betting and pro sports are being tied together? Las Vegas has an NHL hockey team – the Golden Knights. The NFL has the Las Vegas Raiders. And this year’s Super Bowl is in Las Vegas.
Step right up and place your bet on any one of more than a dozen betting apps you can learn about on TV.
Al Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.