Ally - Frustrating Kids Since 2009
Judging from some message boards (yes, message boards dedicated to commercials do exist) the Ally commercials cause some contention. A lot of people complain about how much they would like to punch the grown-up in the face – I think that’s kind of the point. Some people say it makes them feel so bad for the children – erm, like I said…
I personally think they’re great. At least I think they’re funny, I’m undecided as to how effective they are.
Normally I intensely dislike commercials with children in them, and I generally like children. They’re saccharin sweet and boring. I particularly dislike any that focus on a child’s success in the bathroom. I know it must be awesome when your kid finally learns how to take themselves to the bathroom rather than presenting it to you in a diaper, but still, the jumps of joy and slow-motion grins belie the fact that there’s going to be a mess for you to clean up in the bathroom anyway, at least for the next few years. I don’t like the googly, sweet way children speak in commercials – the acting is so, so bad, which is understandable, given that they’re toddlers and have yet to grasp the nuances of true character acting, dahling.
The reason I like the children in the Ally commercials is simply because they’re not acting. Or if they are, blow me down with a feather and hand them each an Oscar, because it’s great. Their emotions are simple ones - pleasure, surprise, frustration, disappointment, confusion – and they wear them so clearly on their faces. There are no dead eyes here. What a difference to those kids who sing with delight that the adhesive on their band-aids works. I highly doubt that is a top priority for three-year-olds.
Despite being all grown up (supposedly) I can completely relate to the Ally kids. Even though I should be thinking “where the hell would I put it?” about the real life pony, I’d still be mad about not getting offered it at all. And I love the brutal honesty of the boy who is given the shiny red truck to play with only to have it swapped for a cardboard cutout two seconds later. “It’s a piece of junk! I want the red truck.” Ahh, if only social etiquette didn’t stop me expressing my feelings so honestly every time I was presented with a piece of junk.
Yet, despite my clear enjoyment of the commercials, which I think the Germans refer to as schadenfreude, and even though I've mentioned "Ally" a dozen times in this post (you're welcome), I couldn't remember what the bank's name was without looking it up, in fact I wasn't even certain it was a bank. It is a bank right? I suppose that I wanted to blog about them lends something to the effectiveness of the commercials, but if I had been walking down the street and suddenly thought, "I must open a checking account," as you do, I wouldn't have considered anyone who didn't have a storefront to remind me of their existence.
Anyway, what's your take on the commercials? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I personally think they’re great. At least I think they’re funny, I’m undecided as to how effective they are.
Normally I intensely dislike commercials with children in them, and I generally like children. They’re saccharin sweet and boring. I particularly dislike any that focus on a child’s success in the bathroom. I know it must be awesome when your kid finally learns how to take themselves to the bathroom rather than presenting it to you in a diaper, but still, the jumps of joy and slow-motion grins belie the fact that there’s going to be a mess for you to clean up in the bathroom anyway, at least for the next few years. I don’t like the googly, sweet way children speak in commercials – the acting is so, so bad, which is understandable, given that they’re toddlers and have yet to grasp the nuances of true character acting, dahling.
The reason I like the children in the Ally commercials is simply because they’re not acting. Or if they are, blow me down with a feather and hand them each an Oscar, because it’s great. Their emotions are simple ones - pleasure, surprise, frustration, disappointment, confusion – and they wear them so clearly on their faces. There are no dead eyes here. What a difference to those kids who sing with delight that the adhesive on their band-aids works. I highly doubt that is a top priority for three-year-olds.
Despite being all grown up (supposedly) I can completely relate to the Ally kids. Even though I should be thinking “where the hell would I put it?” about the real life pony, I’d still be mad about not getting offered it at all. And I love the brutal honesty of the boy who is given the shiny red truck to play with only to have it swapped for a cardboard cutout two seconds later. “It’s a piece of junk! I want the red truck.” Ahh, if only social etiquette didn’t stop me expressing my feelings so honestly every time I was presented with a piece of junk.
Yet, despite my clear enjoyment of the commercials, which I think the Germans refer to as schadenfreude, and even though I've mentioned "Ally" a dozen times in this post (you're welcome), I couldn't remember what the bank's name was without looking it up, in fact I wasn't even certain it was a bank. It is a bank right? I suppose that I wanted to blog about them lends something to the effectiveness of the commercials, but if I had been walking down the street and suddenly thought, "I must open a checking account," as you do, I wouldn't have considered anyone who didn't have a storefront to remind me of their existence.
Anyway, what's your take on the commercials? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
posted by Rebecca at
4:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home