this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2025
566 points (99.0% liked)

Showerthoughts

37716 readers
1105 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I've seen others recently, but the two I saw today are a Capital One commercial and a Progressive commercial.

In the first, the Capital One guy is talking to a couple of people. He is asked what he does for fun, and he does not know what to say. Then, they cut to him getting ready to sleep at the bank.

Another is the Progressive commercial where Flo talks with another woman about vacations. The other woman doesn't seem to know what a vacation is. Flo begins describing what one is. In the end, she says she doesn't really know, gives up, and says she's never been on one either.

I was thinking about them while driving and came to the title thought.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 36 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (6 children)

I notice more and more ads just try to be my friend.

They don't advertise anything about their product, I have nfi what they do. They're just trying to align with me in the weirdest generic way.

"This is Sam. Sam works hard every day. Sam likes their family. Sam laughs with their friends. Sam enjoys a movie on the couch with their partner. Sam uses Product1234."

I first noticed this tactic specifically aiming at women. They just show footage of girls doing girl things and the product is there. What does the product do? Why is it worth my money? What makes it better than other ones? Who the fuck knows?

But now that seems to be the same targeting for men just as much, if not more.

Like, this shit is happening and apparently working when it should be making people feel massively patronised and insulted.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

The dressing has THC in it

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think because ads just want to be that product you remember when you see it. You dont have to know why you remember it, but if you remember seeing it, you may pick it in front of competing products because you have seen it before.

When I go the shop, I do buy the same brands i ate when I grew up over 30 years ago. So I guess it works...

Ask me why I buy those brands? Because I like them. Could be competing brands i like also but that means I have to take a chance to try them out. The incentive to do that is often not so big if you already have a product you like right in front of you.

I guess thats why they bombard us with dumb ads. Just seeing it means we may pick it later. And if we like it, we will probably keep buying it for decades.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

"Oh hey, its that product that interrupted what i was watching. FUCK THAT PRODUCT!"

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 1 points 22 hours ago

Thats the correct reaction :)

[–] n0respect@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Advertising is insidious. Whatever you do don't think about Charmin, soft for your bottom!

[–] n0respect@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Remember the Bill Gates / Seinfeld ad campaign? I've always known that came too soon. Keep people entertained and emotionally satisfied, while stuffing your brand in their face, and they will buy your brand.

This describes popular politics pretty well too.

I think the future will be AI-generated show-vertisements on our parlor walls. Our Family will know what's best for us and tells us what's best.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Old news.

🎵 You know we have more prescription drugs now

Every commercial that comes on TV is a prescription drug ad

I can't watch TV for four minutes without thinking I have five serious diseases

Like: "Do you ever wake up tired in the mornings?"

Oh my god, I have this! Write this down. Whatever it is, I have it

Half the time I don't even know what the commercial is:

There's people running in fields or flying kites or swimming in the ocean

Like: "That is the greatest disease ever. How do you get that?

That disease comes with a hot chick and a puppy." 🎶

As relevant as it was 20-years ago.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We don't really get drug and insurance stuff in my country like the US. Product1234, if it can actually be determined, is often some sort of web service that helps by doing something "all in the one place" or some shit.

But as I said, often literally nfi. Like maybe their plan is to have their isolating commercial cause me to go to the effort of Googling them.

I do find US ads funny, though. Its like they're made by non-humans trying to do humans. Fake children laughter, soft voices, lots of smiles and well-ironed light clothes. Often ends with a slightly slow-mo shot of someone turning to camera and smiling, like that person has anything to do with anything and I know them, a voiceover trying to me like, "Because we're in this together" or some weird shit.

Like, "Wow. I didn't know Super United Allied Mega Insurance cared." sniffle

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

OMFG that's great! We never got cool ads like that in America. Too racy.

[–] bus_factor@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ads don't need to make you explicitly go out to buy the product to be effective. All they need to do is make you feel more familiar with the brand next time they and a competitor are next to each other in the store, and you need to decide which one to pick.

TL;DR: For stuff you'll need to buy anyway, brand awareness is all the ad needs to do.

[–] qqq@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

A lot of people claiming advertising doesn't work on them don't grasp this. I realized how hard it is to get around this when I first went to buy car insurance.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

I would love to ditch my car insurance company, but my discount from being with them so long makes their quotes the lowest. I've looked several times over my life.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

But now that seems to be the same targeting for men just as much, if not more.

sigh

Advertising to men is super easy, barely an inconvenience! Just show a big tittied blond bimbo saying "Hehehehe, guys who drink this disgusting product will get their dick sucked by girls like me!!!"

Sales SKYROCKET!!! Just throw some fine print that guys won't actually get their dick sucked. Their eyes won't be at the bottom of the screen. They'll be in the middle. Watching big boobs in a bikini.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Which product were you talking about? I dont think you mentioned it.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

if there's too much boobage they might miss the product. it's a fine line to toe

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

Youre right about the toe thing. Some guys are in the foot clan.