More Musings About TV Ads

[Former Member]

This evening, I saw an ad for Yamaha pianos. It started out with a young Asian girl waking and discovering a key. She runs past her parents who look on happily as she unlocks a piano.

 

At first I thought it was an ad for Disneyland or some other fantasy-type holiday gift.  ;–)

 

This was the first time I’ve ever seen a Yamaha TV ad for anything.  ;–)

[Former Member]

And now, during NCIS, I saw an ad for Dyson. Another company I’ve never seen a TV ad for before. I can imagine that NCIS viewers would be a good source of customers for the engineering and design of Dyson products.

 

I remember reading about Dyson vacuum cleaners in a very expensive Japanese design magazine way back in the ‘80s. I thought it was a clever idea and the unique style was very appealing to me. But since it was British and more or less a design proposal at the time, I never expected to be able to buy one. These days, it’s more the price that keeps me from buying one. $180 to vacuum clean a studio apartment seems a little bit much to me since I’m on a very limited income.  ;–)

[Reader1810]

Back when I still had cable (five years ago now), there was a commercial for Dyson vacuums. It was of a grey-haired elegant looking British man - the apparent inventor/owner of Dyson vacuums - lamenting the lack of good quality vacuums, so he set about rectifying that situation by creating a better vacuum - Dyson, of course. 

 

The Dyson inventor/owner came across as a well spoken, but pretentious prat, imo. As for the price tag? Last time I looked, they were all at least $500 to $800 which was a big ‘are you kidding me’ moment for me. 

[Former Member]

1 hour ago, Reader1810 said:

Back when I still had cable (five years ago now), there was a commercial for Dyson vacuums. It was of a grey-haired elegant looking British man - the apparent inventor/owner of Dyson vacuums - lamenting the lack of good quality vacuums, so he set about rectifying that situation by creating a better vacuum - Dyson, of course. 

 

The Dyson inventor/owner came across as a well spoken, but pretentious prat, imo. As for the price tag? Last time I looked, they were all at least $500 to $800 which was a big ‘are you kidding me’ moment for me. 

Prices have come down, but even the factory refurbished models on eBay are well over US$100.

 

I remember in the ‘70s, one of my aunts had a canister vacuum cleaner that had a water tank. Somehow the dirt and dust was captured by the water instead of a filter bag. I never understood how it worked, but it was supposed to be better the filter bag canister model my mother had or the filter bag upright model she got later. I had plenty of experience using my mother’s vacuum cleaners!  ;–)

[Reader1810]

17 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

Prices have come down, but even the factory refurbished models on eBay are well over US$100.

 

I remember in the ‘70s, one of my aunts had a canister vacuum cleaner that had a water tank. Somehow the dirt and dust was captured by the water instead of a filter bag. I never understood how it worked, but it was supposed to be better the filter bag canister model my mother had or the filter bag upright model she got later. I had plenty of experience using my mother’s vacuum cleaners!  ;–)

This topic got me to thinking about the Filter Queen vacuum I inherited from my grandma after she died. This was 33 years ago, and at the time she purchased it (so 33+ years) it was understood to be a high quality vacuum that came with a hefty price tag. I dread thinking how much it would cost to purchase today. 

[blake_logan]

25 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

Prices have come down, but even the factory refurbished models on eBay are well over US$100.

 

I remember in the ‘70s, one of my aunts had a canister vacuum cleaner that had a water tank. Somehow the dirt and dust was captured by the water instead of a filter bag. I never understood how it worked, but it was supposed to be better the filter bag canister model my mother had or the filter bag upright model she got later. I had plenty of experience using my mother’s vacuum cleaners!  ;–)

 

I fell for the TV ads and bought a Dyson upright on sale at Best Buy several years ago.  It really sucked (which is usually a good thing for vacuum cleaners) but it didn't do a very good job of cleaning dog hair from my carpets.

 

The water tank vacuum is probably a Rainbow.  The only way to get one is to have a salesman come to your home and do a demo.  Back in 1980, one of my students had just started as a part time salesman and I agreed to have him come over to do the demo so he could practice his sales pitch.  He vacuumed once over about a square yard of carpet and the clear water that he'd used to fill the tank had turned into sludge when he emptied it out.  I didn't have $1000 to spend on a vacuum cleaner at the time or I would have probably gotten one.  No way I'd spend $2500 today.

[Former Member]

19 minutes ago, Reader1810 said:

This topic got me to thinking about the Filter Queen vacuum I inherited from my grandma after she died. This was 33 years ago, and at the time she purchased it (so 33+ years) it was understood to be a high quality vacuum that came with a hefty price tag. I dread thinking how much it would cost to purchase today. 

My family believes in ‘good enough’ so there aren’t any spectacularly expensive things that any of my other relatives will inherit. Probably the sole exception is my favorite Aunt & Uncle’s house. They bought a nice house in 1961. It just happens to be located in a part of Silicon Valley that has a particularly good school system!  ;–)

 

6 minutes ago, blake_logan said:

I fell for the TV ads and bought a Dyson upright on sale at Best Buy several years ago.  It really sucked (which is usually a good thing for vacuum cleaners) but it didn't do a very good job of cleaning dog hair from my carpets.

Apparently you weren’t the only one to complain about pet hair because they have separate models intended to perform that task better (the ‘Animal’ models).

 

Did you sell yours to a non-pet owner?  ;–)

Edited November 14, 2018 by Former Member

[Mikiesboy]

3 hours ago, droughtquake said:

My family believes in ‘good enough’ so there aren’t any spectacularly expensive things that any of my other relatives will inherit. Probably the sole exception is my favorite Aunt & Uncle’s house. They bought a nice house in 1961. It just happens to be located in a part of Silicon Valley that has a particularly good school system!  ;–)

 

Apparently you weren’t the only one to complain about pet hair because they have separate models intended to perform that task better (the ‘Animal’ models).

 

Did you sell yours to a non-pet owner?  ;–)

We've had an Animal version for 10 years.. works great.  When we had an animal and now that we don't.

[Solivagant]

Judging by these replies, I'm not old enough to answer this question, so...

[Former Member]

59 minutes ago, Solivagant said:

Judging by these replies, I'm not old enough to answer this question, so...

Hmmm. Should I start musing on ads I remember from my childhood in the ‘70s? Would that be better?  ;–)

 

I set this up as a place for me to contemplate current ads. People have been reacting to my musings. But there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t have your own thoughts about ads that you’ve seen! This is your personal invitation to contribute in whatever way you choose, @Solivagant!  ;–)

[Former Member]

This isn’t from my childhood, but it is from my youth…

 

The Acura Integra Hot Wheels ad from 1995!  ;–)

 

The Hot Wheels part reminds me of my childhood though. My younger brother and I had dozens of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and tons of Hot Wheels track. We even had a bunch of Hot Wheels Sizzlers. When we moved we gave the whole collection to one of our younger friends to enjoy.  ;–)

[Solivagant]

17 hours ago, droughtquake said:

Hmmm. Should I start musing on ads I remember from my childhood in the ‘70s? Would that be better?  ;–)

 

I set this up as a place for me to contemplate current ads. People have been reacting to my musings. But there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t have your own thoughts about ads that you’ve seen! This is your personal invitation to contribute in whatever way you choose, @Solivagant!  ;–)

Today, while having lunch with my mother, I watched an ad on television about two boys playing with action figures and building a fort. The first thing that I told my mom was that it had been ages since I saw children playing with actual toys and not electronic devices. I was born in the 1990s, and that ad reminded me of the ones that I used to see while watching Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Fox Kids. I remember how awesome they looked and how badly I wanted the toys that they were advertising. I was obsessed (still am, not going to lie) with "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," "Pokémon," "Saint Seiya," "Sailor Moon," and "Dragon Ball," and I used to collect everything about them. The ad was nostalgic to me: playing with my friends with actual toys. The memories, the innocence, the naïveté... I got sad. Those are moments that are never coming back, you know? Moments when children were all accepting, until they "find out" or are told that you're different and start rejecting and ignoring you. Moments where you actually hand out with your buddies and play silly games like "hide-and-sick" and "tags." When I used to spend hours talking on the telephone with my best friends. Now, it's all so different with children nowadays. I'm sure that you thought the same while observing children of my generation. There is so much that I miss and that I wish that I could have done differently, but the past is in the past. There's nothing that I can do about it. Be grateful for who I am and for what I have. Anyway, that ad brought back all those feelings that I somehow had inside of me, but wasn't aware of. How interesting and fascinating it was to find your question. I genuinely like you, so I read it and tried to be funny, but today something relating to your question happened and it gave me the opportunity to express myself, and share what I had to say (I am a private person and I mostly keep things to myself). 

 

Thank you for always being so kind, respectful, and sweet to me. 

 

[Former Member]

With interests like that (and the age you appear to be), you should meet @Wesley8890. He’s mentioned some of those same characters. My nieces and nephews are around your age too – my parents and brothers married relatively old and my nieces and nephews were born several years after my brothers got married. My nieces and nephews were growing up during the transition from paper gift certificates to plastic gift cards.  ;–)

 

When I was little, only the very youngest toddlers and infants were put into car seats. They were basically boosters that only prevented them from sliding around on the seat. Kids were often held in their parents arms. We used to sit in the cargo area of the numerous station wagons, sliding around when the brakes were applied or when we turned corners. I remember sitting with my brother in the package shelf above the engine in a ‘60s VW Beetle! Seatbelts (mandatory installation, voluntary use in 1968) and padded dashboards were introduced in the ‘60s. Shoulder belts arrived in the ‘70s. New York was the first state to mandate seatbelt use (December 1, 1984) – New Hampshire only mandates that minors wear seatbelts! While it certainly wasn’t a free-for-all, there weren’t as many child safety laws (ie toxicity and choking hazards).  ;–)

[Wesley8890]

3 hours ago, Solivagant said:

Today, while having lunch with my mother, I watched an ad on television about two boys playing with action figures and building a fort. The first thing that I told my mom was that it had been ages since I saw children playing with actual toys and not electronic devices. I was born in the 1990s, and that ad reminded me of the ones that I used to see while watching Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Fox Kids. I remember how awesome they looked and how badly I wanted the toys that they were advertising. I was obsessed (still am, not going to lie) with "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," "Pokémon," "Saint Seiya," "Sailor Moon," and "Dragon Ball," and I used to collect everything about them. The ad was nostalgic to me: playing with my friends with actual toys. The memories, the innocence, the naïveté... I got sad. Those are moments that are never coming back, you know? Moments when children were all accepting, until they "find out" or are told that you're different and start rejecting and ignoring you. Moments where you actually hand out with your buddies and play silly games like "hide-and-sick" and "tags." When I used to spend hours talking on the telephone with my best friends. Now, it's all so different with children nowadays. I'm sure that you thought the same while observing children of my generation. There is so much that I miss and that I wish that I could have done differently, but the past is in the past. There's nothing that I can do about it. Be grateful for who I am and for what I have. Anyway, that ad brought back all those feelings that I somehow had inside of me, but wasn't aware of. How interesting and fascinating it was to find your question. I genuinely like you, so I read it and tried to be funny, but today something relating to your question happened and it gave me the opportunity to express myself, and share what I had to say (I am a private person and I mostly keep things to myself). 

 

Thank you for always being so kind, respectful, and sweet to me. 

 

real toys? Not some crap controlled by a phone?!?!? Omg I'm not going to lie in still obsessed with all those too. I'm a 1990 baby! I still play with my toys from them and still but then too Of course it's under the guise that I'm buying them for my little brother

[Former Member]

23 minutes ago, Wesley8890 said:

real toys? Not some crap controlled by a phone?!?!? Omg I'm not going to lie in still obsessed with all those too. I'm a 1990 baby! I still play with my toys from them and still but then too Of course it's under the guise that I'm buying them for my little brother

I used that excuse to buy Lego for my nieces and nephews. At one point I found out my sister-in-law sold my oldest nephew’s old Lego in a garage sale. I started buying Lego (and Duplo) to keep at my parents’ house so she couldn’t sell it. He and his cousins always had a box of Lego to play with at Grandma & Grandpa’s house!  ;–)

[Solivagant]

14 hours ago, Wesley8890 said:

real toys? Not some crap controlled by a phone?!?!? Omg I'm not going to lie in still obsessed with all those too. I'm a 1990 baby! I still play with my toys from them and still but then too Of course it's under the guise that I'm buying them for my little brother

 

I, too, still purchase toys, but I don't play with most of them anymore: I collect them. Although, I still play with my Pokémon cards, which I collect, and "vintage" Pokémon games: "Blue," "Red," "Yellow," "Gold," "Silver," "Crystal," "Ruby," "Sapphire," "Emerald," "Diamond," "Pearl," "Platinum," etc. 

From time to time, I love playing with my Super Nintendo, N64, Game Cube, and PS 1 and 2. 

The nostalgic feeling they all bring back is addictive, a "natural high."

[Former Member]

I spent hundreds of dollars on my Atari 2600 back in the very late ‘70s and into the ‘80s. Aside from game cartridges, I had special joysticks and even a trackball! I also bought a special cartridge that attached to a cassette tape player to load games – it was supposed to make distributing games cheaper, but only the one company supported the add-on and they soon went out of business…  ;–)

 

 

By the way, my younger brother and I had Lego from the mid ‘60s! I still have the rather small box. We used to split the best parts between us and still managed to build some great stuff!  ;–)

[Former Member]

There was a not-an ad promo on PBS for the upcoming episode of The Durrells in Corfu. I don’t watch the show, so I don’t know the characters. A young woman demonstrates twisting her body into unusual positions and announces that she’s a contortionist. A young man (presumably a main character) begs her to be his girlfriend just based on her physical abilities. I know men like that.  ;–)

[Thorn Wilde]

This dropped the other day, and I'm still shaking my head in bewilderment, because wtf, Celine Dion??

 

 

[Former Member]

4 hours ago, Thorn Wilde said:

This dropped the other day, and I'm still shaking my head in bewilderment, because wtf, Celine Dion??

I’m still trying to get Celine Dion deported along with Justin Bieber. Oh, and Robin Thicke. I’m fine with most of the other Canadian imports though.  ;–)

[Thorn Wilde]

23 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

I’m still trying to get Celine Dion deported along with Justin Bieber. Oh, and Robin Thicke. I’m fine with most of the other Canadian imports though.  ;–)

 

Agree on Bieber and Thicke (Blurred Lines is the bane of my existence and that man ought to be shot. Just kidding. Not really. Yes, really. I think.). Celine Dion is . . . complicated. I mean, suddenly discovering that she has a sense of humour has made me like her a bit more. The Deadpool thing. This ad, which, while bewildering, is actually kind of funny and shows that she's perfectly capable of self-deprecation. I remember when she never even spoke to her fans and was just this silent diva. Now she's making fun of herself for it, and I can respect that. But her music stopped being remotely interesting in the late nineties.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Thorn Wilde

[Former Member]

Honda has a new ad using Care Bears (I miss seeing the blue Care Bear avatar here on GA). And one featuring the Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure. I’ve officially aged out of Honda’s target market for their nostalgia-themed ads…  ;–)