CommercialClack – Don’t worry: You’ll survive Black Friday

Some commercials are straightforward.

Others use subtle hints and tricks to grab our attention.

Still others beg for our attention with comedy … or suggestion … or coercion … or necessity … or by pandering to our base desires.

But — just like the ones below — some commercials do none of these things. Because, ladies and gentlemen, sometimes commercials are just plain dumb.

For your consideration, I offer several Target ads for you to cringe at … then I have some questions for you:

So … I ask you: Is there something about this woman that raises the hackles on the back of your neck? Yeah … I thought so. Me, too. (And for more fun and frolickry, take a look at the background scenes of this woman’s ‘house’ … there’re some strange things going on back there.)

We encounter these people in all walks of life in our day to day. Usually while giving them a wide berth. (I don’t know about Keith, but I meet many of them at Comic-Con in San Diego every year.) They’re just plain weird.

But wait … here’s a better question: What drove Target to put out this series of commercials in the first place? (Believe me — there are quite a few more out there just like the ones above … many of them much, much worse.) I’m thinking some goofball in the Target advertising bunker thought it would be a brilliant idea to get his friend Sheila to put her “trademark” persona on video for all the world to see. The result is what you see above.

The bottom line is this: You don’t need to do a single thing The Target Woman mentions to get through Black Friday. (Better yet, there isn’t a single reason to offer a “Merry Grspamas!” to anyone, either. No … I don’t understand that one at all.) If you decide to venture out and brave the elements, the lines and the herds of people you will no doubt encounter, you’ll be just fine. You’ll survive, you’ll get most of the stuff you’ve searched for in your newspaper ads and on-line … and you’ll have the weekend to recuperate.

Promise.

I Black Friday shop every year. And have for years. I’m no worse for wear. It’s exhilarating and fun and you just might get a thrill from snagging that 65% off deal you’ve been eying.

So, live a little. Grab an industrial size vat of coffee, dress warmly, don’t forget a folding chair and leave your inhibitions behind. And, come lunchtime, not only will you have the majority of your holiday shopping complete, you’ll be ready for a leftover turkey sandwich when you collapse through the door.

(Oh. And in case you’re wondering where Tara is, she’s standing in a line somewhere stocking up on DVD deals and other booty. She’s currently in line #3, behind 37 other shoppers … many with multiple shopping carts filled to the brim with toys and hand mixers.)

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Nov 25, 2010 @ 11:00 EST5EDT