Five Commercials we LOVE to HATE

SPONSOREDUpdated 4:16PM • 07/10/13

Marketing a product or brand correctly and effectively is a hard thing to do now-a-days, and the pressure to make commercials entertaining and humorous is at an all-time high in order to spark and retain the audience’s interest. Brands are constantly pushing boundaries by trying out new strategies to make their advertisements most memorable. Below is a list of the top five commercials that we love to hate: 1. Geico - Three Little Pigs: In this Geico commercial, the little pig did cry “wee, wee, wee” all the way home, and it was annoying. Since its inception, this commercial received many mixed reviews. Geico loves to feature talking animals as their ad mascots, and switching from a lizard to a pig may have taken things too far. Although it is irritating to listen to, it is entertaining to watch, making it a memorable commercial, but not a strong brand message. 2.Progressive Insurance - Flo:

No one likes to buy insurance in the first place, so if you’re going to run an ad campaign, you better use someone better than Flo. Flo has been seen as the most bubbly and annoying spokeswoman of all time, making her a character we love to hate. Although the company thinks Flo has been a hit, she has not been for some of Progressive’s target audience. Flo’s over-the-top cheery-ness and fake smile can easily be found irritating after one viewing of the commercial, and her name alone is constantly subject to bad jokes since it is associated to a specific time of month for women. 3. Orbit Chewing Gum - Dirty Mouth: “Fabulous!” has been the tagline for Orbit’s “Dirty Mouth” campaign for over a decade. Although the commercial has been somewhat controversial, most love the toilet humor. Orbit’s play on words makes it an entertaining commercial to watch. But in the end, consumers need to remember gum can cover up a dirty mouth, not actually clean it, like the brand portrays. 4. State Farm - New Boyfriend: State Farm has continued to stick with their classic jingle, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” which is catchy, but overused. Although their commercials can be humorous, they are also overdone. In this commercial in particular, the State Farm agent acts as a genie by magically appearing and changing the main characters into stereotypical “hot bodies,” which spices things up from their traditional approach, making a commercial most love to hate. 5. Kia - Dancing Hamsters: Since most would agree having a hamster as a pet is bad enough, we don’t need them attempting to sell us Kia cars, especially while fighting robots and breakdancing to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.” Everything about this Kia commercial makes it memorable, but what do Hip-Hop Hamsters who look and act like 21st Century fur-ball versions of the Village People have to do with selling cars? Since this ad had a positive consumer reaction, it appears wacky can be effective.