Perhaps you've seen them. (Actually, how could you avoid them?) I'm talking about those annoying Omnaris commercials with the crappy computer animation in which a bunch of military-looking men in helmets ram an Omnaris sprayer into the woman's nose to fix her nasal allergies:
Something's always bugged me about that commercial, more than the amateurish computer animation and the cheesy, "Omnaris, to the nose!" battle cry of the mini-white troops. Yes, I see the obvious (and lame) homage to Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). Even so, something bugged me about the commercial. Now I think I know what it is, and revere (actually, Mrs. revere) has shown me:
Maybe I am just a clueless male, but now that it's been pointed out to me, I think Mrs. R nailed it. It's so obvious. A bunch of militaristic "soldiers" jamming a big phallic object into an orifice. Yeah, that just about sums it up. It's either nose sex or nose rape.
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The manufacturer of this product and the marketing people responsible for this advert are clueless. After I see and ad like this, I make sure to remember the name of the product as one NEVER to buy.
Easy-peasy: Don't live in the USA and don't have a TV.
Clueless is the word. I can't believe anyone in marketing actually thought this commercial was a good idea. A bunch of men ramming something into a nose doesn't send quite the right message.
I've managed to avoid them thanks to dumping cable TV in favor of Netflix.
Just in case anyone wants an alternative to blf's suggestions.
As Blf @2 said - live in a country where pharmaceutical advertising is heavily restricted. Then you just get the usual mindless crap without the insult of listening to haemorroid treatments during dinner.
And at least they haven't done a similar commercial with of Eneman being jammed into a differing orifice (and where has he been lately anyway?).
Annoying and obnoxious but not clueless.
You remember the commercial. You remember the product name. You understand that it has to do with the nose and congestion. That was the goal.
The commercial is a great success. Expect to see more like it.
I don't have TV, but borrowed one for the Olympics, which is when I saw this ad. I immediately told my husband that it looked as if the little men were shoving a big penis up the woman's nose and thought it was a ridiculous ad. He laughed and agreed. I am not prone to sexual innuendo and often reprimand my sons for "toilet humor", but this ad was just completely over the top and hilariously stupid.
I envy those commenters who live in civilized countries that prohibit rx ads. I avoid most of it by not having TV, but when I watch the news somewhere else I see that it is nothing but Viagra, Cialis and all sorts of OTC "remedies".
Unprotected nose sex can lead to post-nasal drip.
I am actually reminded of the Korean folklore about why people get colds.
And if you think I'm going into that here, you might well be wrong.
I love the Cialis commercials. Or maybe they are Viagra. I can't tell. The one with the guy carrying on a conversation with his reflection in a window has much bigger problems than his limp little fireman.
Then there is the man who is practicing to give the "I have a friend" excuse. "I have a friend who can't get my peepee hard." What??? This guy also spends to much time talking to himself. He should see someone about that.
Sometimes a nasal spray bottle is just a nasal spray bottle. But maybe I've been inured by the thousands of ads for deep penetrating moisturizers.
Certainly force is implied, and an object being inserted into an orifice is shown. It's a wee bit Freudian for me.
As for actual rape -- we can't know if the woman (animated presumptively female nose in this case) has consented to having the animated object inserted. . . Oh man I can't believe I just wasted 10 minutes on this.
blf (2) nailed it. Don't have a tv set. It was commercials that finally drove me to get rid of the tv set a 15 years ago. If want to watch shows I'll watch them on the computer, or borrow the DVD set from the library (burned through 4 seasons of Dexter in a week--I hated that last episode!! No more watching that show now), or be nice to someone with a bit-torrent account. TV is so 20th century.
--dan
Is she wasn't looking for a little nasal spray action, then what was she doing flaring her nostrils wide open in public like that? She could have sniffed.
We had/have a similarly dodgy one here in the UK for Gaviscon, as commented on in the Guardian. I hasten to add that I'm entirely innocent and naive, and only "got it" because it was commented on on another blog...
DLC - Inserting an object into an orifice is not necessarily representative of sex. And I really don't see the implication of force. If anything, the little guys are having severe trouble getting the spray to the nose.
"And I really don't see the implication of force."
The implication of force comes in the form of the number of men participating and their very military-like appearance.
Not quite as clueless as the pharma that thought "Aciphex" was a good name, but close.
I was JUST this very weekend remarking to Mrs. Maxx that I derive specific pleasure from the DVR and its ability to fast forward through the more noxious commercials... and I found myself citing THREE glaring examples:
1]the OMNARiS spot (perhaps even MORE annoying to me with a background in military medicine),
2]THAT tragically rude AXE (i think... I deliberately dont want to recall the product) deodorant commercial with the firehouse flow of water from the armpits,
3] the truly grating recent series of HP commercials with the witless British persona... I love the British, but you now know what commercial I am referring to!!
When I grow up, I want to invent a mute button on the remote that automatically silences the commercials for 60 second intervals...
That's a really creepy ad.
I got some samples of Omnaris a while back and it gave me hideous nosebleeds.
Unpleasant rapey imagery and nose miscarriages that make me look like a cokehead. Thanks, Omnaris.
Worse, it's GANG nose-rape.
Actually, what bugs me more about Omnaris is that it's advertised as new and different, but it's just another nasal corticosteroid.
OleaderTea: HERESY HERESY I SAY
Omnaris is NOT just another nasal corticsteroid. They tell you that in the commercial. IT IS BIGGER, BETTER, STRONGER, MORE COSTLY, MORE EFFECTIVE, likely smells a little like grandma's holiday cookies, and backed by a PARAMILITARY Allergy Strike Team.
Gotta Wonder what sort of white suit, white boot camp themed goodies they would give out with their sales force, if they were still permitted to distribute those little mind controlling pharm trinkets, like pens, post it notes, desk clocks... and other tools of the BIGPHARMA Conspiracy.
But it does make me want to dig out a copy of Woody Allen's SLEEPER for a viewing!
Well, the side effects put me off the most.
As it states in the advert, the military are fighting her allergies, so its a bit of a stretch to talk nose rape.
Unfortunately it's a painfully dumb advert that doesn't realise stereotypes often have more than one dimension to them.
Thw woman in the commercial says, "....now I can smell the roses!" BUT the flowers in front of her nose are NOT ROSES!!!! How stupid do you think we are?
If anyone ever makes it this far into the comment limbo.......has anyone thought the ensimination of the nose to impregnate the brain with more mind control?