Best marketing ploy ever Nov 10, 2008
When I turned 18, I received a package in the mail.  It was from Gillette.  It was a Mach3 razor.  It's now more than 8 years later, and I still use this razor when I shave (which admittedly isn't very often).  This razor uses replaceable blades, which I've purchased several times throughout the lifetime of the product.  This might be the product I've owned for the longest amount of time, aside from my guitar (and my toothbrush [kidding]).  In my opinion, this was the best marketing ploy ever. #entertainment
Always wanted to Nov 10, 2008
I remember a year or two ago when that girl Jordin Sparks won American Idol.  When asked how she felt about being in the finals, she said, "...it's something I always wanted to do..."  I remember thinking how stupid it sounded:  A 17-year-old, saying something dreamy about a competition that had only been around for a few years.  For one, I tend to discount teenagers who think they know what they want, or what they've always wanted.  Teenagers are idiots.  That's why high school sweethearts break up.  Second, I tend to discount people who say they've always wanted something when that something hasn't been around very long.  "I've always wanted to be an American Idol, ever since I first saw it on TV two years ago." 

I guess my argument is about semantics.  It's trivial, obviously, but that's how I am.  I think that in order to say something about always wanting to do something, it needs to at least cover 50% of your lifetime.  So if you're 17 and you've always wanted to win American Idol, you better have been thinking about it since you were 8 or 9, which isn't possible because that was 1998 and it wasn't invented yet.  Sometimes I think about some of my desires like having fewer neighbors or driving across country on a motorcycle and I'm tempted to think, "Well, I've always wanted that."  But it's not true at all.  I've really only wanted it for maybe a few years.  I mean, heck, I actually wanted the exact opposite just a few years before I started really wanting this.  Yes, it's a matter of semantics, but I think it helps show how fickle our interests are and how we shouldn't get so caught up in our flavor of the week. #psychology
Recent annoying ads (4) Nov 10, 2008
That "Saved by Zero" commercial for Toyota is probably the most painfully annoying piece of advertising ever created.  I assume some advertising jerk achieved his goal of getting an idea stuck in the heads of millions of people, but it begs the question:  Will I buy something because a song is stuck in my head, or will I purposefully never buy anything from Toyota ever again because they ruined my entire fall 2008 football season with the most annoying commercial ever?  Thankfully, as Consumerist points out, the ad has failed, seeing that Toyota's sales numbers continue to drop. 

Also, on the subject of automobile advertising, who exactly responds by purchasing a new vehicle?  I mean, it's one thing if you're ready to buy a new car and you're just waiting around for a good deal.  But what about the rest of us who don't have $20k sitting around just asking to be wasted on a new car?  I for one can't see myself ever deciding to buy a new car simply because I see a commercial for 0% financing.  That's just me. 

The other annoying ad I wanted to point out was that "Five Dollar Foot-Long" one for Subway.  I have to give them credit:  (1) I know exactly how much a foot-long sandwich costs, (2) I know exactly how long of a sandwich $5 can get me, and (3) I have an easy-to-remember song that will never cease to remind me of the facts stated in (1) and (2). #entertainment