Commercials That Annoy Me (Part One)

I've been meaning to mention this for some time.  Two commercials on TV really bug the crap out of me and should be put out of their misery immediately.

The Runner-Up in this category is the latest from AOL.  Now, I've liked the AOL ads where people are "asking" for the latest computer virus.  They're funny.  Not so this latest with some dude at a cafeteria throwing jello on some other dude's sandwich, in order to illustrate to jello-covered-food-man how important virus protection is.  Two reasons this commercial is a bad idea:

First, it suggests that the only reason AOL is better than a regular broadband connection is that it comes with virus protection.  You know, you can go out and buy yourself some McAfee Anti-Virus for about $45.  That's, what? about 3 months of AOL (on the bring-your-own-access pricing).  Anyone who would cough up $15 a MONTH for virus protection is a total dork.  AOL has got to have more to offer than a subscription to virus protection.  (Don't get me wrong.  I like that AOL comes with McAfee.  It's saving me the money I used to pay for my McAfee subscription.  But it doesn't justify the expense of AOL.)  You've gotta emphasize the OTHER stuff that makes AOL worthwhile -- like the proprietary content and the fact you can have a zillion screen names.

Second, it makes AOL users/shills seem like total jerks.  Yeah, when I'm telling someone about the advantages of AOL, I pull all sorts of stuff off a cafeteria line, cover their food (and shoes) with jello, and then stick them with the bill.  Boy, that makes me (and the product I'm trying to convince my friends to buy) seem really loveable, doesn't it?