Ads That Wore Out Their Welcome

Scott Hardie | December 20, 2022
For me, it's the M&Ms "movie trailer" commercial, which came out nine years ago.

For Kelly, it's the Hershey Kisses "ringing bell" commercial, which first debuted back in 1989.

Which long-running commercial bugs you whenever it continues to appear, long after it should have been retired?

Steve West | December 20, 2022
Believe it or not, about 6 months ago I was channel surfing and came across a re-run type station and watched Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell doing "Hey, Vern" in a local commercial.

Erik Bates | January 1, 2023
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | January 1, 2023
I'm sure I'm being a Grinch. I just want our culture to get new things before it ossifies. But I shouldn't expect companies that have been cranking out the same candy for generations to approve new ad campaigns.

The corresponding TV commercials didn't last long as far as I know, but if we're counting other mediums, I also tire of Chick-Fil-A's "cows painting billboards" ad campaign. I've been seeing it endlessly on road trips since the nineties, and seeing it far more since I moved to the South, and it just feels like retelling the same joke forever and ever. It's a good joke and the idea is cute, but there are now managers at Chick-Fil-A restaurants who weren't born yet when that campaign started.