I've got the winner of the Brown Bear giveaway... but it's at the bottom of this post... sneaky me, trying to get you to read everything else first!
Every kiss begins with...
...are you Kidding me???
Each year leading up to the holidays, we're bombarded by over the top commercials designed to play on our heartstrings.
Kay Jewelers, you win my fictitious award for...
Each year, the marketing folks at Kay come up with a new, sappy way of telling me that if I don't get a pricy piece of jewelry under the tree this year, DH has failed in his role as a husband and I will be completely and utterly unsatisfied for the next 364 days. One year, it was the mandate that I must get a journey necklace to signify all the milestones of my life (ok, I will admit-- the part where the parents give the baby a "sandwich" kiss made me tear up). Last year, it was a man giving his hearing-impaired girlfriend a new watch while stumbling through sign language.
But this year's edition of the corny Kay commercial goes over the top. It depicts a couple (husband and wife? boyfriend and girlfriend? coworkers? I'm not really sure) at a mountain retreat during a vicious thunderstorm (it's the winter marketing geniuses, I think a snowstorm would have worked a teensy bit better, but I'm a journalist, not a marketer... marketist?... marketing person). The thunder claps, and the woman turns fleeing from the super-scary window into the arms of her waiting man as he proclaims:
...And I always will be."
He pops out the new "Love's Embrace" necklace, which as apparently surplanted the journey necklace and infinity necklace as this year's "must have" jewelry item.
Then, the voiceover begins, the familiar marketing melody,
...as in "Kay" Jewelers.
A great marketing campaign in a way, I suppose, because here I am blogging about it... and in an era where "There's no such thing as bad publicity", I guess I am milking the proverbial cow and giving the folks at Kay just what they want: attention.
C'mon Kay, let's level here. What women want isn't the necklace du jour, the piece that will proclaim to all who see it, "My husband bought this for me for Christmas 20__". We want something as unique and individual as we are. We want something that our husbands thought would be ideal for us, not mass-produced for every woman in America. We want something that will make us stand out, something that will make us shine like the singular stars that each one of us is! We want something that will not reek of the increasing commercialism and consumerism of the holidays.
This is one of my pet peeves of the Christmas season...
...What's yours?
And now (drumroll, please), the winner of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" is...
Congrats, Kimberly! You have 48 hours to email me at my.confessions@live.com to claim your prize!
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on Monday, December 21, 2009
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I agree with you, those stupid Kay commercials are way too sappy and dumb. Any woman over the age of 5 who is that afraid of a thunderstorm should be considered for a padded room! I myself hate the stupid folgers commercial: The long-lost brother comes home to find his sister brewing a "special" cup of coffee and adorns him with a gift bow claiming that he is her present this year! A little incestious don't you think?!
Well said! Personally, I hate sappy. I hate the songs that have no relevance to Christmas but are trying to play on my emotions (Christmas Shoes anyone?). I get annoyed with emotionally manipulative things. Bah.
omg i totally agree. kay jewelers are beyond corny.
i hate the mall music.
The new one with the couple and their first baby, celebrating their first christmas as a family....where she is rocking the baby to sleep and he comes in and gives her jewerly.......
Sap city!
i totally agree I hate those commercials. Seriously, my DH should buy me a car or jewlery for Christmas. Please, if my DH bought me jewlery after I had been up all night with the baby, I think I would kill him!!!!!
Karen
Yeees! I have to agree with you. Those commercials or so stinkin cheesy. When my hubby and I saw the latest one we looked at each other rolled our eyes and busted out laughing. Of course he proceeded to make fun.
I hate that corny Kay commercial with the thunderstorm! But I will admit that I did get a journey necklace the year that those were the big thing.
those lexus ads w/ the bow on the top have to be the worst. the other thing is the "sales" that stores are advertising on commercials. half the time they aren't really all that great of a sale, but they make you think you have to run out right now and buy it!!
although, there was one commercial (was it Kay) where the mom was up rocking baby to sleep and the hubby came down at 2am and said, it's christmas! and handed her a beatiful something or other while the baby slept in her arms. that one was kinda sweet... i'm a sucker for babies
OMG! Those Kay ads ARE so lame...but I have one that may even top, "Every kiss begins with Kay..." Ready? It's that Jared commercial, I don't even know the actual company name, but it's the girls getting all excited over the jewelry from JARED. SO cheezy!!!
Have a wonderful holiday!
My all time pet peeve is overspending just because it's Christmas.
Okay, I'm so glad I've not seen that Kay Jeweler's commercial, I mean how lame is that.. Pass the barf bucket please!
I'm so glad to see someone else who hates the Kay/Jarad/Zales/whatever jewelry store is making this year's mass-produced must-have trinket!!! My husband and I have a running joke about the journey necklaces; he always points them out when we're in public places, ridiculing the "sheep" who buy them! We both agree jewelry should be not only custom but also less frequently given. I tend to stick to a few classic pieces, not wear "this year's" piece for a few months before tiring of it.
Other commercials that drive me batty: "He went to Jarad!", the one where Tyler Hanasborough helps a girl find her lost dog thanks to the miracle of technology, and any pharmaceutical commercial that has to list a litany of potential side-effects! I think you chose well in bestowing your worst CHRISTMAS commercial award, though.
Best commercials of all time: Budweiser! I just saw one from them yesterday that made me laugh outloud. In my next life, I'm working on their creative team.
Yes - it's a terribly - TERRIBLY cheesy ad. There are so many of those. But you know what I do love this season? There were some GREAT ads - I loved the Gap and Target ones. But I think I like them every year.
Thanks for stopping by my place - I will sign up as a follower.
Kiran
haha. this cracks me up. you're so right. totally lame. Thanks for visiting me today. Come back soon ;) Enjoy your holidays!
xoxo
Danielle
LOVE your blog! Thanks for stopping by mine. I am now a follower and can't wait to go back through and get caught up. Happy Holidays!!
My husband and I saw that commercial for the first time the other night. We just looked at each other and laughed. Definitely one of the dumbest commercials I've ever seen!
Yep, those adds are covered in cheese! And the jewelery is kinda ugly...
Ugh...I agree!! I very much dislike this commercial - puffy black hearts and sad faces!!
~WM
We laughed at the new Kay's commercial, too! Hey, with this economy, they have to try something. Guess it got US talkin, huh? ;)
I tried responding to your comments you left for me earlier, but you have a block.
Snopes is still showing "undertermined" on the status of the Craig's List mugger story. :) Sounded like he was really from Texas, though! ;) hehe
Merry Christmas!
We were just making fun of the Kay commercial with the couple with the new baby who's up in the middle of the night. "It's our first Christmas as a family..." the commercial says, and I said, "So I got you this ugly watch, so you can see what time it is that you get up with the baby while I'm snoozing away in bed."
We also make fun of the Kay commercials. The other jewelry commercial that drives us nuts is the "He went to Jared's" one.
(Jared Jewelry)
At Christmas those ones + the car ones are crazy. Happiness cannot be bought...
Hubby and I were just laughing at that commercial, what is she 2 getting scared like that. Please and you are so right about wanting something umm as unique as us. I mean hubby use to buy me stuff from Tiffany when we were dating because well he thought that was cool. And yea in high school it made the others jealous but we are not in high school anymore and going to a store like that is just as thoughtful as a gift card, kwim? Just to easy. So I told him no more. I rather him go to a no name jewlery store, spend half as much and pick out something special. He doesn't listen though.
I am right there with ya! I hate Kay Jewelers commercials!!
Very cheesy ads but the little song/jingle "every kiss begins with K" is going through my head now. So, I guess it works!!
Elizabeth, thanks for stopping by my blog today from SITZ. I agree with you about those ads. I will tell you, I own one diamond; only one. It is situated atop my wedding band. I love it. My husband's word and his good name and how he treats me and others counts way more than a new piece of jewelry. Bless you Sweetie and have a wonderful holiday. Kathi
hahahah great post!!!!! (even tho I didn't win the book!) and I totally have to agree!! They're dumb dumb DUMB!!!! My fave Christmas commercial this year is the girl one from GAP...where they do that cheer...love it!
Also, the marketing seems to work on men...my hubby comments every year how he'd like the freedom (financially that is) to buy me something "expensive" like that...ha!
Amen! I Agree 100%. I hate that one with the man & hearing impaired girl. It makes me want to hurl.
I don't even do diamonds. If my husband gave me diamonds for Christmas, I'd make him take them back! ha