The REALLY Disturbing Super Bowl Ad

[Plaid Adder]

I found the Snickers ad weird in an undecidable way. So I am not going to weigh in on that. But I'll tell you what I thought the most disturbing Super Bowl ad was: that GM ad starring the automated assembly robot.

You can see the ad here on iFilm. For everyone else, here's the narrative:

The ad has no dialogue; just sound effects, music, and text. It starts when one of those automated mechanical arms that screws in rivets--which has enough vaguely anthropomorphic parts that it can sort of 'act' human--accidentally drops a rivet on the assembly room floor. The machine is then shown out of the plant by sad but firmly disapproving human GM employees. The ad then shows the poor machine, having been fired for its one fuck-up, trying to get other jobs, all of which suck and leave the machine visibly dispirited (one reason this ad is disturbing is that they actually do a pretty good job of anthropomorphizing the machine). Finally, the poor machine rolls up to the edge of a bridge and pushes itself over the edge into the river. Just as the machine is sinking beneath the waves, we cut to the machine 'waking up' from its robot nightmare.

The tagline: At GM, *everyone* is obsessed with quality.

I think that this was supposed to be funny. I found it horrifying, for the following reasons:

1) What the robot goes through is something that is actually happening to blue-collar workers all over the country. The robot is so successfully anthropomorphized that it's impossible not to make that connection as you watch it suffer through its downsizing and finally decide to end it all. So, you're watching the robot, but you're imagining a human in its place. Why is that amusing? Is GM assuming we're all psychopaths, or what? Or didn't anyone on their ad team or in their marketing department realize that people wouldn't enjoy watching the plight of the downsized worker turned into this weirdly cutesy-tragic vignette?

2)Apparently, we are supposed to think it's a _good_ thing that GM is so obsessed with quality that even its _robot_ employees are having nightmares like this--and that, no doubt, GM employees are in fact fired for one screw-up...after which they hit the downward slope into suicide just like this robot?

3) What is with the weird interchangeability between human and robot employees on which the entire ad is based?

Anyway. Perhaps I'm the only person who noticed this ad, or was bothered by it. But really, I think this has to be the worst Super Bowl ad I've ever seen--not just in terms of offensiveness, but in terms of what it does "for" the advertised product. What's the message? "Buy GM cars--so our employees don't commit suicide"? "Buy GM cars--BECAUSE our employees are so obsessed with quality that they are willing to commit suicide over one mistake?" "Buy GM cars--because we treat our human employees just as shittily as we treat our robot employees?"

It just makes you wonder what they are smoking in that boardroom.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Pathwalker]

1. I found the one with the men hitting each other the most

offensive, but the robot committing suicide was freaky too. GM doesn't care about its employees, or its robots, or the quality of their cars, either.

[unpossibles]

2. agreed. have you seen this?

Others seem to agree with you.

http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSL0549647620070205?src=020507_1043_FEATURES_super_bowl_xli

...Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles scanned the brains of five men and five women between the ages of 18 and 34 as they watched Super Bowl ads to measure the emotional impact. Participants viewed the commercials through goggles as they lay inside a donut-shaped machine called a functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, machine.

The fMRI images show increased blood flow to specific areas of the brain that are activated by outside stimuli. Dr. Josh Freedman, one of the researchers who conducted the brain scans, said he saw a lot of activity in the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with anxiety and fear.
...
Among the top anxiety-producing ads, he said, was one for General Motors aimed at drawing attention to the automaker's 100,000 mile warranty. The ad features a robot working on the line at an assembly plant until he drops a screw forcing the line to shut down. Angry workers kick the robot off the line, rendering the robot jobless. "It's got everyone at GM obsessed with quality," the ad concluded.

"That one got people's attention. But they did not feel good about the message. It produced big spikes of anxiety and perhaps ... feelings of economic insecurity," Freedman said.

[devilgrrl]

4. Says a lot about GM doesn't it?

Not only can't they build decent vehicles - they can't come up with a decent ad campaign to get people to buy their products. Losers!

[Clark2008]

50. Actually, they do build decent vehicles - despite the sucky ad.

I just don't live in the late 1980s anymore.

[jaksavage]

116. They do build good cars

But they market to maximize profit. Which tries to pump our ego to buy the big truck the bigger engine and the extra room. Because fuel is still cheap in the US, we had little motivation to cease consuming it. Then with a 2nd mortgages the spenders pay off their credit cards and buy big cars.
So they will look like 'joe average in america today'. Just another sign of the chaos which underlies modern consumerism.

[Caoimhe]

22. Wow see that's how it made me feel too

Why does it not surprise me that people had a physical reaction to it?

[DaveJ]

45. Really interesting study, but sad they actually need research to show it

The topic of the ad is not something the ad makers should consider a joke by a long shot.

The fact that they actually needed research to show this shows out out of touch corporate America is.

How long will it be before they stop thinking of us as, and behaving like, robots?

[Bluebear]

3. .

.

[spoony]

5. Thank you, thank you truly.

Yes, the ad you're talking about was horrifying. Not funny, not cute, but horrifying. Not only is the loss of jobs treated like a joke, so is the idea of a laid-off worker killing themself.

K & R your post!

[orleans]

92. i totally agree. i thought that ad was horrifying also. suicide? i thought

it wasn't a good idea to put out suicide images like that because it has some type of negative effect on people who are suicidal.

i didn't get it that the cars were so good they don't need machines or people to repair them. i had the impression that the machine made a mistake (dropped a screw) and was fired and then committed suicide. by the voice over at the end i was too busy being shocked to pay much attention to what the hell their point was.

email to gm:
saw your superbowl suicide ad and i'd rather kill myself than buy g.m. (but apparently you have no problem with suicide) signed: horrified viewer

[neuvocat]

6. It was disturbing.

No doubt it was greenlit by boardroom execs who never had to deal with unemployment or losing their homes, so to them its really funny. Har-de-har-har.

[cui bono]

53. For them unemployment is a good thing with those severance packages. nt

[mconvente]

102. Indeed it was disturbing

I figured it would be ok if the robot decided to hitch a ride with the cars at the very end - maybe like it's saved or something. But I was visibly disturbed when the robot jumped - I mean seriously, are you fucking kidding me? People need to write to their papers and call GM and tell them what a really completely shitty and offensive ad they did.

[muntrv]

7. I found the robot committing suicide disturbing, even though it was a dream.

[Cobalt-60]

88. After I saw it on You Tube

I wanted to loan the 'Bot my MAK 90 and send him into Executive Country,

[Caoimhe]

8. I found a few of them disgusting

many seemed to promote violence for the sake of pleasure (for beer, boobies, whatever) It's like they want to portray men as testosterone meatheads with no further depth. Of course the women they portrayed weren't even as deep as that.

I saw the commercial you mentioned and got the same message. Why is it funny that a robot is so paranoid about losing his job that he dreams of being jobless and committing suicide? I really came out the other end angry at the company for making light of something that is a serious thing for so many people. Sure it was cute they made a robot look human, but that's not impressive anymore.

The Snickers commercial just really confused me. I am not sure what their message was, but it seemed demeaning and idiotic.

Probably my favorite was the Coke commercial with the video game feel of the guy walking down the street and doing positive things (tripping a purse snatcher, giving his coat to a homeless guy, etc) It was the most positive commercial of the whole lot, and it had a sortof Grand Theft Auto look to it, so maybe it hit home with some who might not otherwise pay attention to such a message.

[lse7581011]

9. I Liked The Little Dog

who became the Budweiser dalmatian! Yes, I'm a sucker for animals! Especially dejected ones!

[Caoimhe]

18. crap I missed that one

dang

[lse7581011]

26. 2nd Quarter

You can watch it on aol.com-absolutely adorable-as are your cats!

[Caoimhe]

28. hey thanks :)

welcome to DU :hi:

[Caoimhe]

31. oops thought you only had 42 posts... my bad

welcome anyway :freak:

[lse7581011]

35. In Comparison!

I'm still a newbie!

[lse7581011]

33. Thanks for the Kind Welcome!

I really like it here!

[yasmina27]

74. I thought it sent the wrong message

At first, I loved it because of the poor underdog. But then when he got splattered w/ mud and got to sit with the beauty queen and people were cheering...well, I thought it just emphasized people's obsession with personal appearance.

[janetle]

110. My favorite, too! Loved it.

[smalll]

52. Adder was right on the GM one, and I agree with you there was too much VIOLENCE -

The GM one started OK enough, the admakers at least had shown some good skills in designing the "robot" and having it "act" human-like, but the suicide was a bridge too far, and the whole message, as I said to someone when I saw it was, "So they're saying they're obsessed with quality at GM because they're all scared of losing their jobs??"

I missed many of them, I missed the homophobic one. But I did see a theme I didn't like: way too many of them were about violence being allegedly hilarious in really cool way.

There was one, (right in the first break after the kickoff-touchdown?) where two young men both wanted something, and decided to do rock/paper/scissors -- but when they did it, one of the guys assaulted the other one - he threw a rock at him. Ha. Ha. Ha. That "mouse" one (about using a mouse to go online to get movies from Blockbuster.) Again, good technical skills, it looked so real, that it looked viscerally cruel and painful (using the "real" mouse like a computer mouse, drag and click, drag and click.) The men-slapping-each-other one I could take, because I assume that slapping each others' faces must be a new way for football players to do a hive-five type action with each other (like bumping chests or something.) So that one I could deal with. But it struck me there were others too that were all about, "violence, isn't it funny"?

This is worse than the old stuff in that genre. Think about The Three Stooges as a prime example. Sure, those three sure did assault each other rather harshly. And people sure did laugh, and were "laughing at." But with the Stooges, we were laughing at ALL of them -- the three Stooges, the victim and the victimizer. All three of them were supposed to be moronic clownish low-lifes. So even though people could rightfully laugh at the slapstick of it, we also were laughing at their mindless, violent ways. We were also, as it were, laughing AT violence.

But with this new stuff, (rock/paper/scissors, mouse) the set-up doesn't come across like "send in the clowns" -- its more like normal or even "cool" people, with one of them getting it hard. The victimizers still seem cool, the victim doesn't because of his loss of dignity which the suffering of violence engenders, so we laugh AT him -- we laugh WITH the violence.

So where's this coming from? Sure, there are points to be made about Bush and his cronies coarsening the culture - the a-hole frat-boy President, etc. And they are valid, cogent points. (Somehow, I DON'T think the spirit of the ads we saw last evening are coming from the Fundies in particular.) So yes, blame Bush, but there are those who are allegedly on "our side" who we have to blame as well - the well-educated trustafarian NYU film-major type who maybe hangs out in Williamsburg for a couple of years then gets hired up into Madison Avenue - the ad business. This is kool kid culture. And what's so annoying to me is that there ARE still milieus in this country (like the Bronx, where I teach) where real violence, usually on a very low level, actually does permeate the life of young people. These kool kids from Westchester have probably faced far less violence in their lives from their families and from their peers than the average American kid is used to. They're not morons, they're today's Ivy League - and these young sophisticates think violence is the ne plus ultra of the comedic arts. I just think it's sad.

[Catfight]

96. It wasn't just men slapping each other, women were slapping each other

in the face, everyone was, it was absolutely sickening. I don't even RECALL what the ad was about, just the violence. Then that was followed by the 'heart' being beat up by 'heartless' hero's? WTF?
All the ads had some violence to them, yes football is a violent sport, but the ads representing your product shouldn't be based on violent reactions. I pretty much think most of those ads missed the point and were a waste of time. The slapping faces and the rock/scissor/paper ads were at the top of the 'ick' factor. And again, I don't remember the product so that tells me, it was a bunch of white rich men trying to make a video that appeals to a target audience they know nothing about.

[Pawel K]

113. I liked that one

it was a new high five, it was kind of funny.

I totally agree with the OP, the GM ad was not only cruel but also sick.

[Individualist]

66. violence for the sake of pleasure...

I have cardiovascular disease and, IMO, the one with the heart being attacked by high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. was about as funny as... a heart attack.

[Plaid Adder]

82. Yeah, I didn't like that one either.

It's like they couldn't decide whether to go with funny or menacing. Just came out weird.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[LizW]

67. The violence was palpable in several of them

I HATED the one where the two guys are going to do rock, paper, scissors for the last beer. One guy hits the other in the head with a rock and takes the beer. It was chilling. No remorse. The guy who got the beer was obviously the "winner" and the guy lying on the ground holding his head was the "loser". This is supposed to be funny??????

What kind of screwed up world are we living in????

[Chimichurri]

97. They made it look like Grand Theft Auto - it was great. The most creative

one of the bunch.

[fidgeting wildly]

98. "My god, is that how they treat their human workers?"

"At least, the few that they have left?" That's what I thought when I saw the robot ad. Who wants to buy a car from a company that fires people for dropping a bolt? I know it's pretend, it's just a commercial, but that's the impression the ad gave me. It was disturbing and actually made me feel sad. Very poorly done, GM.

LIke you, I enjoyed the Coke ad, but the funny thing about that ad is that it's not new. That ad has been around for months, maybe a year or more, playing in movie theaters. I can't remember the first time I saw it, but it was a long time ago. And I liked it then. Very clever, and a nice "Stop the Violence" message in the midst of several very violent commercials.

[Bluerthanblue]

10. you and

I are on the same wave length-
It struck me as very sad- and I was waiting to find an ad that wasn't violent, or cruel or angry-
The bud lobsters, and the NFL "it's hard to say goodbye" were pretty ok- but there seemed to be a real undertone of destruction, harm and violence...

I agree about the super-bowl too- I figured it was just me...

It's good to know I'm in such good company- :silly:

Very well spoken Plaid Adder


happy to recommend-

[chelsea0011]

11. Sorry, I just didn't see it like that.

Looked to me like humans triumphing over machines. But I can see your point. But godaddy.com wins offensive again. Spraying champagne on women posing for men always wins as offensive to me.

[Caoimhe]

20. Agreed, that was pretty retarded.

Did you notice that in general tv commercials started getting like this late in the week last week. It was like they were trying to dumb everyone down and prime the testosterone pumps for the Super Bowl.

[bbgrunt]

86. I think it started well before last week. That vonage

set of commercials is really bizarro. People getting hit in the head or two guys having a gun drawing match. Violence for violence sake and no remorse. It seems like a subliminal campaign to turn us all into sociopaths--that's the new cool--just like b***.

There is definitely something weird going on. It's like the the proof that the fish rots from the head down.

[cosmicdot]

124. agree

I've mentioned my observations to others for some time now.

Matter of fact, I wrote to Mike's Hard Lemonade and the, then, British owners (pre-2002) of Burger King. This does goes back a number of years. I think it was Mike's very first TV ad which had someone falling off a building-under-construction only to get skewered by a metal rod. Doesn't that make you want an alco-pop? Of course, Mike didn't see any concern. I believe he had another one after that whereby a pedestrian got hit by a car while crossing the street. Let's party.

Burger King's ad was set on an airplane. One person had a Burger King hamburger the other the airline fare, and the passenger in the next seat just brutally took the burger. If you want something, just take it, right? That's what Bu$h did in 2000, and more subtlety in 2004. I wrote asking what kind of values does this ad suggest. Interestingly, I never saw the ad again.

The first time I saw the recent VW ad where the passengers are cruising along only to get real-time broadsided by an oncoming car practically made me jump out of my skin. Yes, the passengers lived to see another day. I just don't think I needed to simulate the shock, too. Post-traumatic syndrome must be a great seller.

Would you fall off a rainbow to your death for a Skittle?

How far will you fall off a cliff, hitting everything to the ultimate bottom, because you won't let go of a Mountain Dew addiction? No pain no gain.

I've noticed the Vonage ads, too.

Hopefully, more people will begin noticing.

The process of ad making starts before its airing. Perhaps Sociologists can help explain what has influenced the thinking behind these ads and the mindsets of those accepting them, i.e., "This is great stuff. Here are millions of dollars. Do more."? Regardless of intent, the increase of sadistic, brutal, bullying, selfish, etc., ads must have conditioning effect on some viewers. Torture isn't so bad, is it?

Of course, the ad industry will give awards to the creators reinforcing the negativity and the motivation to produce more of the same. Repeat and rinse.

If there's one beer left, why not share it. Sharing is good. Let's go buy some more. Share a Snickers bar? That's so Gay. I'd rather poison myself with anti-freeze (but, don't try this at home).

Pardon me, I think I'll go now to con some naive customer sitting at the bar into buying me a beer which I'll take back to my friends at the billiard table. Suckers are born every minute. Plus, crime seems to pay. No harm done. Look at the Bu$h Administration. Look at Nixon. So what if I get caught, I'll get pardoned. Lie, cheat, abuse, mistreat, steal ... it's the American way. Corporate values. Let's reinforce it through advertising. Who knows, perhaps 'the deciders' got their positions via those values, and that's just the way they 'think'?

[bbgrunt]

135. you say that so well.......total agreement.

[femrap]

24. I'm glad you mentioned that one....

I don't even know who 'daddy' is...but I'm sure mommy is pissed off at him.

[chelsea0011]

32. And what is sick about it was the guy saying that's why "everyone wants

to be in marketing" after closing the door. Completely disturbing.

[sakabatou]

12. .

:wow:

[sandnsea]

13. We all gasped at that one

We didn't get the message either. But it was really bad. It was like #5 committing suicide, just awful. Most of the commercials were awful this year. I think it's some sort of generational humor gap or something.

[Plaid Adder]

15. That's exactly it. The robot looks just like Number Five

from Short Circuit. I was wondering why it seemed familiar.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[lse7581011]

Then I'm Officially....

OLD!

[Chichiri]

14. Thank heavens -- I thought I was the only one who felt that way!

I was absolutely horrified by that commercial -- I still can't get the horror out of my mind. I struggle with clinical depression which, thank goodness, is currently somewhat under control, but that commercial brought back a number of images that I could do the rest of my life without. I don't think I'll ever be buying a GM car.

[stanwyck]

Me, too. Very dark. I guess those with six figure

incomes in the ad world don't realize their little scenario is just too real to millions of Americans. Technically, I thought the ad was very well done. But the impact was depressing. I'm sure Joe Sixpack, who was just trying to forget about how the middle-class is losing more and more ground every day, had his Super Bowl high deflated by that downer of a commercial. Yeah, foreclosures are at an all time high and savings are at an all time low.
Let's interrupt the Super Bowl to show what losing your job does to your life.
That's what's funny to the suits on Madison Avenue.

[janetle]

106. Disturbing article about "suicide bridge" in Seattle

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_suicide_bridge.html

Seattle's Aurora Bridge is known for the number of suicides that take place there. Unfortunately, the people below who witness the results have a tough time, too. As soon as I saw this commercial on Sunday, I thought about the recent article in the Seattle PI about this and how the numbers are increasing.

It just doesn't seem to be an appropriate topic for a "funny" Super Bowl commercial.

Yep, bothered me, too.

[stanwyck]

117. We had a couple of family suicide/murders

here in Atlanta after Dad lost his job. In both cases, middle-class fathers had lost their jobs after over twenty years with their respective companies. They couldn't face the loss and, in each case, killed their families before taking their own lives.

[janetle]

130. And the Colts' coach's son committed suicide.....

....this makes it even more in bad taste.

[Pithlet]

16. Agreed.

I grew up in Flint, Michigan, and have family and friends who worked for GM and have known many families devastated by lay offs, and have watched my hometown's death spiral, and I was absolutely disgusted by that commercial. It's no surprise to me that they would air such a thoughtless commercial. They simply do not care about the lives and communities they have devastated, and have no problem making a cutesy commercial based on it, even insinuating that those who lose their jobs bring it on themselves. Yeah, the ghost communities GM have left in their wake were a casualty of quality control. GM employees have nothing to fear as long as their work is top notch. Whatever, GM.

[NYC]

83. Roger and Me by Michael Moore.

Memorable.

[Crabby Appleton]

17. Beleive it or not, the morons that run GM actually still

have that video on their homepage. Completely tone deaf.

http://www.gm.com/

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

19. Really? I Laughed My Ass Of At It. I Thought It Was Amazingly Creative And Well Done, And Give

them kudos for it.

So funny to me how different people's perceptions can be watching the same thing.

[Bluerthanblue]

30. have you ever

lost anyone to suicide? Ever been suicidal yourself?

I can laugh at some pretty strange things- desperation and despair, hopelessness... and the reality that there is no way through is just not one of them- especially these days.....

Sorry- guess this world is getting to me- and to those i love

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

38. Yes, And Yes. I've Had Several Good Friends Pass Over The Years In Such Ways, Including One That

was heart wrenchingly tragic and that I still have dreams about.

Yes, there was a time many years ago that I was as well. In fact, I was committed to doing so and attempted it, but in the end was stopped short by one thing and one thing only: Too fucking cold. (long story).

Even with all of that, I still found the commercial to be quite funny and creative, and couldn't imagine going through life so jaded and heavy hearted that I had to relate everything I saw or read to something personal in my life and judge it solely on those merits. Sorry.

[Bluerthanblue]

49. I'm glad you've

come through the tough times-

I hope you never have to face them again- and if you do, I hope no one uses your pain as the butt of a joke- or if they do, that your pain isn't re-opened.

I've got too many friends and three relatives that aren't bothered by things like this anymore. I am, and that is something I'm not ashamed of- when I'm not disturbed by this, and i'm sure that day is coming, this kind of humor won't bother me one bit-

Its hard to laugh at the suffering of others- even when the 'other' is disguised as a "Robot"-

The pawns on our chessboard aren't expendable to me either-
bleeding heart liberal that i am-

I liked the lobsters- and I've never eaten lobster in my life- nor will I.-:dunce:

peace-
blu

[Irishonly]

107. Thank you

I was horrified when watching the Robot commercial. Actually, I didn't like very many of them this year.

[scarletwoman]

42. Heh. It doesn't surprise me in the least that YOU liked that ad.

Yes, people's perceptions certainly can be different. I think it may have to do with differing depths of empathy and compassion.

sw

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

46. ROFL. Oh Spare Me The Drama

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

So goddamn silly.

:crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[scarletwoman]

56. Like I said. Heh. (nt)

[Morereason]

80. Not funny unless you have become desensitized

[Pithlet]

62. What bothered me

was they were depicting a scenario they as a corporation have actually perpetrate themselves for thousands and thousands of people, and not just because the workers are lazy, unskilled and make mistakes. I've laughed at commercials that made light of things that generally aren't pleasant, but the companies making the ads usually weren't making light of a problem they themselves are actually responsible for. Many people have and continue to walk out of GM plants the way it was depicted in the commercial, completely devastated and dejected, knowing what is likely in store for themselves and their families because they've known others that have gone before them, and thinking about how they're going to tell their family when they get home that they no longer have a job. I have no doubt that there have been times when suicide was the ultimate result, from the depression and hopelessness.

That they would even consider using that in a commercial, even if they masked it by using a robot, says a lot about how they feel about the damage they are doing when they institute mass layoffs. I realize that people who have never been affected probably won't understand. I just personally found it pretty twisted. I realize it's a very complex issue, and that there are many factors going into why GM finds themselves downsizing frequently. Even if they feel they have no choice, they could show a bit more sensitivity to the lives involved. It looks bad, and I don't think they thought that one out at all.

[Catherine Vincent]

21. I didn't catch that one.

The one I thought was funny were the two guys standing in line to pay for groceries and the elderly lady in front of them dropped something. One of the guys was trying out a new candy or gum just as the lady was bending over to pick up what she dropped, he made some howling noise because he liked the candy but the lady thought he was making the noise at her. She called him a pervert and decked him. LOL!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. I thought some suicide advocates would be upset over it.

Hadn't thought of the anthropomorphic, or work performance angles.

Frankly, I think robots committing suicide is hilarious.

[Plaid Adder]

41. It might have been funny

if the ad weren't bringing up this human history of lost jobs and depression (and, who knows, maybe suicide) for which GM is itself responsible, and playing it for comedy. There's something just really cold, and weird, about that aspect of it, to me.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Lisa]

76. or if the robot were trying to improve its skills to match the human employees

Which would have sent the message that the GM workforce, including the robots, have great morale and are highly valued by the company (something I am not at all certain about, but isn't advertising supposed to incorporate some fantasy elements ... or at least wishful thinking?).

[piedmont]

85. I really thought that was where they were going to go with it...

when the robot left the plant, I thought we were going to see a "Rocky" style training sequence. What we got instead was just crass.

[tom_paine]

25. Advertising is designed to create purposeful tension, disharmony

with one's self.

This is from the initial design of subconscious "deep penetration" advertising (which is to say 90% of it).

It is meant to create tension in the heart of the viewer's subconscious, thus creating a subconscious "itch" which can be "scratched" by the purchase of the item being advertised.

Read Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders" for a history of advertising from the moment they made a deal with the devil and decided to use the budding science of psychology to augment straightforward, informational advertising.

And if you can stomach it, for it is nauseating in the extreme, read Advertising Age or some other industry publication for a year to learnw hat these people are up to, how they think, and what their "targets" (all of us Americans) are to them.

:puke:

But good to know, anyway. The better to defend one's self, loved ones, and society from this pernicious evil.

[redqueen]

51. Thanks for the recommendations...

always willing to do some reading to back up my opinion that advertising is evil.

[NewHampshireDem]

27. All I could think about when I saw that ad was the scene from Roger & Me

When Moore's friend is singing "Wouldn't it be nice" and can barely contain himself. Yeah, funny indeed GM.

The other one I had some trouble with was the Coke commercial comparing Tony Dungee and Lovey Smith to Rosa Parks, MLK, and Jackie Robinson. Believe me, I am overjoyed to see Tony win the Superbowl and shatter the glass ceiling for black coaches in the NFL, but I don't think his life was ever in danger. Before you flame me, all I mean is that it is a matter of perspective and hyperbole--we're not going to have Tony Dungee day and his number won't be retired in every ballpark in the country.

[MrSlayer]

29. I wasn't offended by any of the ads.

I was offended by the horribly played game and the gift MVP to Manning.

[Plaid Adder]

34. Yes, well, the Bears offense was VERY offensive.

That's certainly true. But, we can all rejoice in the fact that we don't have to be Rex Grossman today. Most unpopular man in Chicago.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[chelsea0011]

37. Rhodes was screwed. He made the biggggggg plays all game.

With help from the unsung heroes...the offensive line.

[rockymountaindem]

36. I felt bad for the robot

Although I was relieved that it was just a robot "dream", the first thought in my mind was "that's why the robots need unions".

As for what they're smoking in the boardroom, my guess is big fat super-expensive stogies bought with the savings of all those layoffs.

[TexasLawyer]

39. My hubby and I looked at each other in stunned disbelief

when that ad was over.

For all the reasons listed here, this ad was horrifying, tasteless, dumb and non-funny.

Another facet of the ad-- GM was a sponsor of the Super Bowl and obviously paid a very pretty penny to run those ads and be a primary sponsor. Given their tough financial times, isn't their advertising money better spent in other more targeted venues?

[femrap]

40. I agree with you, Plain Adder.

I found it sadistic. The robot was just a little too human for me...or maybe petlike is more like it. I hope I never have to buy a GM car. They must have spent a fortune on ads yesterday though...should have spent that $ on an electric car, which I believe their Saturn division manufactured.

What's happening to our culture? I didn't even watch the second half. I found reruns of 'The Closer.' This is a pretty good series...I hadn't seen it before. I don't watch much TV due to the state of our culture.

[Marie26]

43. That sounds absolutely awful. nt

[Bucky]

44. Good riddance to bad robots, I say!. They are our enemy.

None of this mamby pamby make common cause with the machines that are taking OUR jobs! They are not like us. They are unfit to live among us. I say the only good robot is a dismantled robot! I'm grabbin' my pitchfork! Who's with me?!!

[Plaid Adder]

47. The comments on iFilm are interesting

Those who liked it cite 2 things: 1) They thought it was impressive that the ad made them "feel" for the yellow robot. 2) They thought it was funny.

Those who didn't are more likely to mention the irony of GM using an ad like this when their management practices have landed so many of their own workers in this exact predicament. Maybe being able to see the irony makes "feeling" for the robot painful rather than enjoyable.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[glitch]

48. Truly creepy people cannot even imagine what it is like to not be creepy.

So yes, I think they do expect Americans to be psychopaths and think their "joke" is as funny as they do.

[pink-o]

57. Hmmm...you could be right....

Darth Cheney is the apotheosis of your statement, I think.

[redqueen]

54. I didn't see it, and I'm glad I didn't.

How blind to the misfortunes of others' does one need to be to not see that kind of thing for what it is?

Truly heartless...

[madrchsod]

55. the japanese fire their managers and ceo`s if they screw up

in america the workers get fired. is it any wonder why the board would approve this ad.it`s interesting that we make better automobiles in the usa for japanese auto manufactures than ford or gm

[NuttyFluffers]

94. actually, they are far more clever... they *keep* the ceos, but don't pay them

japan is very insistent to rarely use the option of firing an employee. they will go out of their way to do anything else before doing so. they consider each and every hire a lifetime hire and a direct investment into the corporate body. but they expect you to give as much to the company as they will give to you.

so, if you are an ineffectual CEO, then they will keep you in the same position, tell you that you will not get a salary for this year, and tell you what you must do to improve the company's position. if you can successfully fulfill the improvement of the company's position, then you will no longer be punished and will be allowed to get a salary again. this also applies to poor workers of all layers. if you are just an unqualified boob, then you will not advance with your peer group. instead you will get a corner office -- a corner office is bad in japan. basically, all you'll be called on to do is do menial paper shuffling jobs and picking up the coffee and pastries for celebrations. but you get a pretty window to stare out of and daydream! this is useful because you always need someone to run the most menial of errands, such as supplies for social events, and won't take up the time of more useful people. also, it keeps this incompetent person from causing more damage to the company. also, that person becomes a reminder to everyone else in 2 ways: 1) if you really aren't up to snuff, you'll be left behind 2) no matter how bad you are firing is an absolute last resort, so always do your best without fear.

[Frank Cannon]

58. I found MOST of the ads cruel, violent, and/or depressing

My wife and I sat pretty much slackjawed through every commercial break. From the slapping ad, to the rock-scissors-paper, to the guy eating Doritos who gets in a car wreck and the woman who falls in the street, to the office guys being attacked in the jungle, to the suicidal robot...and many, many more...we just couldn't believe that advertisers think people want to see that stuff. It REALLY depresses me that advertisers have done a lot of research and found that we actually DO.

That robot ad was the worst of a sordid lot, though. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I liked the ad with the dog and the Bud Light auctioneer wedding. Every other ad, frankly, blew.

[piedmont]

71. But hey, no breasts exposed this year-- so it's safe for our kids to watch.

right?

[NashVegas]

77. Not All of Us Do

I was the sole person (of 6) who was repelled by most of what I saw during the commercials.

It seems like it's only in the last 5-7 years that the commercials have gotten so uniformly aggressive. It wasn't all that long ago that most were very creative in one way or another.

When Bush and Cheney are finally given the door, perhaps things will change.

[Frank Cannon]

100. I used to look forward to seeing the Super Bowl ads

What's up for next year, Madison Avenue? Severed limbs? Eyeballs gouged out? How creative and hilarious of you. Makes me want to run right out there and buy your products.

Good Lord, it looks like I might have to start listening to the Super Bowl on the radio again.

[Marie26]

136. You're not the only one

The NY Times wrote a big story about all the violence & humiliation in this year's Super Bowl ads. The reporter speculates that all the violence is a subconcious representation of the Iraq War.

Super Bowl Ads of Cartoonish Violence, Perhaps Reflecting Toll of War - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/business/media/05adcol.html?pagewanted=print

[Canuckistanian]

59. It's like the scene in 'Roger and Me'

Where the animatronic GM worker is singing praises to an assembly-line robot.

[bullwinkle428]

104. I thought of that scene IMMEDIATELY when the commercial aired!!

I could not believe that GM would want to air a "tribute" to something that they had probably hoped everyone had forgotten by now...

[warrior1]

60. I got that too.

[JackRiddler]

61. hey I forgot this one...

Yeah, that was sick - the robot being eliminated for "not being good enough," going through the horror of unemployment and poverty to the point of suicide, exactly like so many GM workers, and it's supposed to be funny.

[Berry Cool]

64. Maybe it would be better if they fired all the robots

and brought the people back.

[yowzayowzayowza]

63. My response exactly.

"WTF is GM thinking!" I'm not even sure how to describe it: gratuitous?

ROFL over The Map Monsters, tho. Garmin?

[Rex]

65. I was thinking 'Skynet'.

Those were the WORST ads in Superbowl history!!!

[tabasco]

68. Holy cow! I was thinking that's pretty weird showing a shut-down plant.

I mean, most factories operate 24 hours a day to meet demand. I didn't pay attention to the dream thing but I did think it was very odd to show a shut down factory, as if they want us to think factories shut down at night.

[Igel]

69. Thought it was funny.

Don't know why--probably because it was a dream, and not a real downward spiral followed by suicide. But the idea of the robot offing itself is too unexpected and at odds with reality.

My kid loves it--an anthropomorphized robot (he anthropomorphizes all his toy trucks and diggers) and carsm what's not to love when you're 3;1? I don't like football, but we must have watched it 20 times since I read your post.

[HughBeaumont]

70. It's almost as if Bewsh himself authored that commercial.

"That there cute little robot . .. looky how he's a'gettin' shitcanned . . . HAW! Oh, here comes the good one . .. HAAA HA HA HA!! He's workin' at Mickey D's!! BWAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! Should've gone to Harvard like I did, robot! Then you wouldn't be askin' 'would you like fries with . . . oh, wait, it's about to jump! JUMP, BASTARD, JUMP!! BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA! Yeah! Ok, here's the punch line, here's the money moment: 'Obsessed with quality', yep, thought that one up muhself. Means if you fuck up and drop the screw . . YOU'RE FIRED!!! Heh heh heh heh heh heh! Hey, where's y'all goin'? You don't think that's funny? Come ON, the cute robot only had a nightmare . . . it didn't really lose its job . . . guess I did it agin, didn't ah?"

I guess it's shit-all hilarious if you're a Reaganite and believe this sort of thing doesn't happen to real-life people practically every week. And if you think mean-spirited humor is da shiznit.

[knitter4democracy]

72. I thought the same thing. 'Course, I live in Michigan.

I don't give a crap about their robots--but I sure care about their human employees they treat just as callously. Sad.

[NashVegas]

73. I Wondered If the Ad Creators Were Subversively Delivering a Slap to GM

On MySpace's "superspots" page, it received a huge thumbs down.

[DawgHouse]

75. At first I thought, "awwwww how cute" and I felt so warm and

fuzzy for the little robot that when he wanted to commit suicide I was bummed out. It definitely made me think about real autoworkers losing their jobs. :(

[Morgana LaFey]

78. Or didn't anyone on their ad team or in their mktg dept realize

that people would rather not be compared to robots, or be objectified and dehumanized that way, or thought of as just so many replaceable non-human parts? That's what I find the most objectionable.

[rockymountaindem]

79. I just had a thought: This is the same company that was doing promos with Hannity

They had that "you're a great American" car giveaway with his radio show. Maybe there's some kind of pattern of RW idiocy emerging here.

[AikidoSoul]

81. That's a vivid description of the commercial. Though I didn't see it

your words brought it alive for me.

To me that's one more example of the dog-eat-dog theme that increasingly permeates our culture. This is is just another indication that it's being normalized -- so much so that the cruelty element of the robot's situation is ignored. There's a lot of this visible in our culture. TV programs like Survivor. The current political and corporate structure where people in power screw everyone beneath them to get more for themselves. There seems to be almost zero compassion for those unfortunate enough to be weak or slow.

[Rex]

84. All it takes is one pissed off robot with a will and a broadband connection.

Think about it.

[Norrin Radd]

89. Ah, yes. Skynet. n/t

[wiley]

87. The Mars Company Sinckers' ad was very disturbing.

Considering the Colts and their recent history of supporting Dobson and his violently homophobic "Family" agenda, the Snickers' ad was much more disturbing and just plain wrong on so many levels.

The entire Republican agenda is based on devaluing workers of all kinds. I was not surprised or disturbed by the GM ad. I've seen it happen in real life many times. The sad part is the lack of public outcry, as always.

[nam78_two]

90. WTF...yes agreed...disturbing indeed.K&R.nt

[Norrin Radd]

91. When GM catches wind of the criticism of this sick ad, this will be their rationalization:

People hate robotic arms anyway, because they take away jobs from peo--uh, I mean, people like to laugh at melancholy robots, like Marvin the Paranoid Android, and C3PO.

[orleans]

93. my email to g.m.

email to gm:
saw your superbowl suicide ad and i'd rather kill myself than buy g.m. (but apparently you have no problem with suicide) signed horrified viewer.

i also found this ad genuinely disturbing

email re advertisements here:
http://www.gm.com/gmcomjsp/contactus/contact_us_form.jsp

[ima_sinnic]

95. could you actually get that form to work?

I wrote a nasty message but when I hit "submit" it didn't seem to do anything. I saw some javascript mumbo-jumbo in the taskbar at the bottom but nothing else happend. It didn't go anywhere.

[orleans]

134. yes. maybe try it again, refresh it first. ? i submitted it and got a

page that said thank you for your blablabla--whatever the hell it said. (i didn't read it. i just saw it went through and thought screw you and clicked off)

[qanda]

99. You most certainly were not the only one disturbed by it

I said something about it to my husband when I first saw it. I actually thought I was the only one but I'm glad that you explained my thoughts better than I ever could.

[HuffleClaw]

101. "Buy GM cars--so our employees don't commit suicide"

bwhaahhahahhahaaaaaaaaaa

[mnhtnbb]

123. That was the message! It was repulsive.

[Beelzebud]

103. The SuperBowl is a capitalist gangbang.

The only thing that disturbs me is how many people here take these ads so damn seriously.

Turn the TV off.

[cdnwannabe]

119. Capitalist gangbang - that's it exactly....

thank you for simplifying and synthesizing my thoughts on the subject. I went to the theater and saw "Babel" instead of watching the game. Amazing film, so much humanity.

[Kablooie]

105. I guarantee that Toyota doesn't get their quality by punishing workers.

They have a system that ENCOURAGES quality, not one that relies on punishing workers for mistakes.

If I were a GM employee, that ad would make me pretty scared.

[Pacifist Patriot]

108. Years ago I used to watch the SuperBowl just for the commercials.

Now it's another free evening to read while everyone else on this planet leaves me alone. It's been a number of years since I found SuperBowl advertising either amusing or thought-provoking.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

109. who are the ad wizards who came up with that one? - nt

[John Gauger]

111. I love you.

The fact that you can something so vapid as a television commercial and deconstruct it to make observations on the human condition shows just how compassionate you are. Most people I know think I'm crazy when I try to do the same, but I think it is admirable. I tried to watch as little of the monstrous spectacle as I could, both the game and the commercials. I was just there to be with my friends, which I don't get a whole lot of opportunity to do. I spent a good amount of the time staring at the ceiling, so I missed that one. I think you are right on, though. However, I am more concerned with the event itself than with any particular commercial. What does it say about our culture that one of the most important events of our year is when we all get together and watch a violent sport interrupted by the most disgustingly overpriced commercials in the history of the world? Pretty disgusting. I tried not to let my friends see my disgust, though.

[Sequoia]

112. From an email today:

Robotic Psychiatrist” Dr. Joanne Pransky concerned over Robot Suicide commercial

Santa Rosa, California - February 6, 2007 - World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist, Dr. Joanne Pransky, comments on the Super Bowl XLI car commercial featuring a robot who dreamt he committed suicide after he caused an auto production line to shut down.

“That poor little robot was having a nightmare in that Super Bowl Ad,” said Pransky. “He will definitely need counseling now!”

Pransky, who was dubbed by Isaac Asimov as the ‘real Susan Calvin’ in 1989, has counseled industrial robots over the years. Most of those sought a job or career change; not once had a robot patient been "kicked off" a manufacturing line.

Robots should not have to live in fear that they will be discarded when something goes wrong. There are many reasons a robot can ‘drop a bolt’, for example, none of these may be the robot's fault. A human worker may modify the programming or adjust its end-effector incorrectly. It's rarely the robot that's the problem on the factory floor - it's typically due to human error."

“Robots will soon be living with us and taking care of us, and thus, we need to ensure they are treated properly.”

Dr. Joanne Pransky, the World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist, has been a marketing pioneer in the robotics industry for 20 years. She was the senior sales and marketing executive for a major industrial robot manufacturer, an official judge on Comedy Central’s BattleBots, and has been an associate editor for Industrial Robot Journal for the past 10 years. Joanne was one of the principals and marketing director of the first medical robotics journal, The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery. She serves as an expert on the future of robotics for think tanks, and is a consultant sought out by international companies and organizations for her expertise in robot marketing, sales, and public relations. For further information, visit www.robot.md.

www.robot.md

[jaksavage]

114. Pity us

Buy our cars.

GM deserves to die.
But they won't. They will get out of a bunch of debt thru bankruptcy and reorganize as a leaner meaner company and 20 years from now crash again. Cause that is big biz.

[BeyondThePale]

115. Most ads were pathetic, but the 3 Stooges fan in me laughed at the...

rock, paper, scissors ad and at the slap replacing the fist bump ad.

No, I do not advocate violence, but physical comedy has a longstanding history including the stooges, chaplin, bugs bunny, etc.

And yes, the snickers and gm ads were poor by all standards

[jdadd]

118. I think it could have been....

Written as a teamwork concept...Robot drops screw and immediatly one of the human workers tosses it another one and helps it keep up....Humans and Robots working harder together to produce Quality automobiles.

I agree this commercial is a piece of shit.

[bleedingheart]

120. I thought I was the only one who was really offended by that ad

it really made me feel sick...it wasn't funny it was horrid.

So many nerves were touched by that ad that I can't even begin to say how upset it made me.

[Flirtus]

121. You are SO right on the money.

The money. Follow the money.

[dsharp88]

122. Very stupid ad indeed, although most of the other ads were disturbingly violent

It was a recurring theme - painful to watch.

[Joe Chi Minh]

125. In effect it's making a joke about the ruthless, indeed psychopathic culture

of corporatism, which rules our lives; a culture in which workers are routinely thrown out of work on the grotesquely misnamed grounds of "rationalisation".

The world is in this parlous state precisely because the far right is so short-sighted, indeed blind, that, contrary to the insight of Einstein, arguably the father of modern science, it operates in accordance with the tenets that everything that can be counted, counts, and that everything that counts can be counted.

Since its leaders, the "snakes in suits" CEOs and directors, have no moral scruples ("by their fruit you shall know them"), if such scruples would trammel the fathomless avarice which serves as the engine for their perverted notion of capitalism, they will be all the readier to cut corners to rise to top of their corporate hierarchy. No wonder history has, for the most part, been a seemingly endless chronicle of the ministrations of psychopaths and extreme sociopaths.

Oh, did I mention the politicians who serve as their puppets? What they've been responsible for in the UK these past 25 years cries to Heaven for vengeance.

[IronLionZion]

126. I agree, that ad really was disturbing

and I'm glad someone else noticed it too. I also wonder if the GM guys caught the irony in that many of their workers did go through exactly that when they closed down plants like Flint. And many workers lost their jobs to robots.


Maybe I ought to re-think whether the Corvette is a good dream car after all. Maybe I should strive to one day own an electric Tesla instead.

[cdnwannabe]

127. Think long and hard....10 years from now...

you may not want to pay for the gas to fill it up. Assuming you are driving it regularly to begin with, that is...

[Thew]

128. was waiting for the punchline...

To me, the most troubling part was getting to the end and expecting a happy or sappy ending... but no, the semi-cute robot commits suicide (ha, ha?)

really really disturbing...

[Marnieworld]

129. I thought the same thing

And I remarked to my hubby at the time that it was straight out of Roger and Me. Remember the scene where he showed GM put on some animatronic display and remarked how they were all enjoying the very symbol of them losing their jobs?

It seemed amazing to me that GM of all companies would then use this imagery again and to try and make the robot sympathetic? They should be smoking more in that boardroom to come up with something better.

[Gman]

131. I'm glad I'm not the only one that got pissed at that ad

I don't know if it was supposed to be funny. If it was, it was in extremely poor taste and highly inappropriate especially coming from one of the Big 3 who have been laying off people left and right.

I often like to watch the end product of the "group think" that comes out of the conference room where this crap is thought up. I can just hear "Oh, and then...! We can have him jump off a bridge and end it all! That would be great! (someone else): Yeah! This is gonna be great.

All this from the confines of their little microcosm conference room where they have a job at least until the end of the year and they're cutting each others' throats to take credit for the idea. what a life they must have trying to keep up with the interest payments on their mortgages and making the minimum payments on their Visa's.

[ceile]

132. I almost cried when I saw it.

Silly I know, but I found disturbingly accurate about today's work force.

[jean]

133. every aspect of that ad upset me, very much.