Let me set the record straight- WE SUPPORT SMALL & LOCAL BUSINESSES! There isn’t an iota of doubt as far as our support for small businesses is concerned; we are one of them too! But sometimes commercials from local businesses are ridiculous. Whether it’s awful dialogues or ridiculous acting, the truth is that the lack of adequate marketing budgets often makes these commercials come out pretty stupid, and sometimes they are so bad that they are funny.
So, in today’s #FunnyFriday segment, let us take you through some of these unintentionally funny commercials, which will make you think twice about the marketing strategy of your small business. You can thank us later!
1. The Slomin’s Shield
The Slomin’s Shield deals in home security systems and has built quite a reputation for itself for its cheesy commercials. However, this one is my all-time favorite.
The commercial depicts three different situations wherein we come to know what life could be like with and without the Slomin Shield. What you will see is a trifecta of horrible acting. My wife is 7 months pregnant and I am sure my unborn baby acts better than that. Okay, that’s an exaggeration! But I saw my 9-year-old kid in a school play last month and those kids showcased much better acting than this.
2. Mo Money Taxes
I know I don’t speak for everyone but I would never trust my taxes to a firm that calls itself “Mo Money Taxes”, especially after they released this ad which does nothing to address my concerns and fears.
The ad adds up to black stereotypes with its rap music, flashy cars, and the most important element of local commercials i.e., bad acting. While all this may sound funny, the funniest part of this advert never made it to the 30-second spot. As of 2016, two tax return preparers from Mo Money Taxes were sentenced to prison after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. tax authorities and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Honestly, if you saw this commercial and still trusted these guys with your taxes, you surely deserve to lose out on your tax refund.
3. The Red House Furniture
Based in North Carolina where racial tensions are unusually high, Red House tried to fight racism with this hilarious 90-second spot- except that they never intended it to be hilarious.
The entire commercial is full of unintentionally funny scenes. Whether it’s the two young guys singing the annoying jingle with no clue what their advisor has set them up for, the white woman reluctantly shaking hands with the large black man fearing that she’ll be mugged if she doesn’t do so, the black guy throwing in the last minute marketing punch by welcoming Hispanics, or the awkward physical contacts, this commercial is a cesspool of bad acting and embarrassing moments.
Also, what’s with the long handshakes? By the end of the ad, it almost felt like the ad was trying to tackle the stigma around homosexuality instead of fighting racism.
4. Hassan Computers
I watched this Pakistani commercial about 6 years ago and it still induces in me fits of laughter every time I watch it.
The ad starts in a school and abruptly shifts to a scene shot in rural Punjab where a grown-up man is shown wrestling a boy who is half his age and size. Just when he is about to get his ass whooped by the young chap, his son arrives and asks him to get him a computer. And that’s when we find out that the wrestler’s acting skills are even worse than his wrestling. What follows next is a pure mix of bad acting, poor editing, and a background narration that would have been booked under abetment to suicide had it been a person. I won’t blame you if you avoid using computers altogether after watching this ad.
5. Trojan Vibrations
And here’s the pick of the lot. The ad is about Trojan vibrators and shows a bride-to-be receiving vibrators from three of her friends. Well, it looks like they were dead sure that she would need them after getting married to her guy!
While much of this ad is hilarious, I felt that at least the acting was okay compared to the other commercials on this list- until I got to the last part. When the woman tells her fiancee that she got three vibrators, the guy seems to be even more excited than the woman. If anything he should be worried. Well, no wonder the woman’s friends thought of gifting her vibrators; they knew she would be needing those!
Also, if this ad aired on TV, young kids must have seen it too. I can only laugh imagining the response to the question “Mommy, what’s a vibrator?”😂
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of yet another #FunnyFridays segment. It’s not possible for every business to come up with a fancy advert featuring top celebrities. New and local businesses barely have any marketing budgets. But the least that you can do is find people who can act well. Throw in a good plot and you can have a decent commercial on your hands. In case you can’t find these, keep your marketing restricted to social media platforms until you have the means to come up with a good advert. Making half-hearted attempts at advertising will only land you up on our #FunnyFridays segments.😉
We’ll be back with more awesome commercials. Till then, stay tuned!