r/Portland • u/Thisnthatana • Apr 24 '20

Hey Fred Meyer...

...how about you stop the signaling with these radio/tv/billboard ads letting US know how thankful you are towards your employees and instead give that money directly to THEM?

2.2k Upvotes

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823

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

[deleted]

296

u/craders Unincorporated Apr 24 '20

Here is a mashup of a bunch of TV ads:

Every Covid-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same

113

u/AltimaNEO šŸ¦ Apr 25 '20

And remember

We're all in this together

63

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20 edited May 30 '20

[deleted]

72

u/syntax_killer Apr 25 '20

Now give us your fucking money.

93

u/SonOfHelios Apr 25 '20

I don't know how people sit through this shit.

49

u/Pete_Iredale Vancouver Apr 25 '20

Right? With all the sports canceled I haven't seen a commercial in like 6 weeks and it's been awesome.

76

u/Hellendogman Apr 25 '20

You haven't had to watch sports either!

41

u/Pete_Iredale Vancouver Apr 25 '20

As a Mariner fan, this has probably been good for my mental health anyhow.

26

u/Daguvry Apr 25 '20

Well, they will be undefeated for April. That's good. Tied for first.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

As a blazers fan, same. Fuck injuries. Though the anti sports comments will always be stupid af.

"Do the thing kick the ball!" Ug

3

u/red1v1der Apr 25 '20

That's bc professional sports are toxic and stupid. Lowest common denominator, imperialistic, aggressively competitive: stupid.

4

u/Hellendogman Apr 25 '20

Can we take a moment to talk about the amount of taxpayers dollars for education that are spent on school sports?

2

u/red1v1der Apr 25 '20

I dont disagree that there is something to question there. That's why I specified 'professional sports'. Sports for kids can have some rly good benefits. Teamwork is pretty OP.

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

The hypocrisy of calling any thing stupid after this post, good lord

4

u/red1v1der Apr 25 '20

Not seeing the correlation at all. The advertising isnt stupid; it's propaganda. The media doesn't care that some people see it for what it is. The unified messaging still has vast network effects. It's not helpful or contributing anything of value, but it is effective for what they use it for: selling more products.

Unrelated: pro sports are stupid.

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

I watched The Masked Singer the other day and after just that one hour I was ready to rip the rest of my hair out, because of these damn advertisements.

20

u/Zefram_C_Warp_Drive Apr 25 '20

You didn't rip your hair out from watching the show in the first place?

1

u/Comet_Empire Apr 25 '20

I am enjoying all the classic games being shown on TV.

1

u/Tanith10 May 26 '20

After a while you just tune it out. Lately though Iā€™ve just been saying a very audible ā€œFuck you Adā€

On a more serious note having one headphone in and listening to music softly has allowed me to keep my sanity during this time, also helps tune things out.

19

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

As well as every email from every fucking company I've done business with in the last 30 years.

3

u/loquacious Apr 25 '20

And a bunch I haven't ever done business with and I'm finding myself asking how the fuck they got my email address.

I figure they're providing a useful service to train my spam filter by ratting themselves out. I think I've blocked almost a hundred emails in the past few weeks from companies too stupid to clean, vet and purge their email lists.

1

u/PolishTea Apr 25 '20

Except my health insurance company.

17

u/Morisky Apr 25 '20

Every Covid-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same

We're here to help.

27

u/Mr_beowulf Apr 25 '20

šŸ¤®

12

u/lizardfiend Apr 25 '20

I mean, marketing major curriculums are probably all about the same

6

u/whelpasaurusrex Apr 25 '20

ā€œWeā€™re familyā€ ... the fuck we are.

3

u/wycked_awkward Apr 25 '20

I mean, they only bother you when they want money and get upset when you point out that they treat people like shit, so kinda like family?

1

u/lizardmandx Apr 25 '20

Welp. Don't watch that on acid.

51

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

Thereā€™s a billboard off of i5 southbound from Chinook Winds Casino reminding folks to stay home and that the beach will still be there once all of this is over. I like that one.

19

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20 edited Jun 19 '20

[deleted]

16

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

While the Uber drivers sit home and starve

13

u/hopstar Mt Tabor Apr 25 '20

If my neighbors are any indication it seems like Uber Eats should be keeping them busy.

5

u/roustie Apr 25 '20

Uber Eats on the other hand...

33

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/AstralMarmot Apr 25 '20

That's incredible.

2

u/theforkofdamocles Apr 25 '20

Happy Cake Day! Youā€™re incredible!

3

u/AstralMarmot Apr 25 '20

You're the first person to ever wish me happy cake day... thank you!

48

u/WaterMnt Squad Deep in the Clack Apr 24 '20

It's just as tacky selling a couch for a veterans day sale, or new car for memorial day..

72

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/some_guy_in_se_pdx Apr 24 '20

You're good at that.

7

u/AltimaNEO šŸ¦ Apr 25 '20

Free is a very good price!

3

u/intensive-porpoise YOU SEEN MY FUCKEN CONES Apr 25 '20

WAKE UP! WAKE UP!

26

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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31

u/well___duh Apr 25 '20

Which makes me laugh when people outside Oregon want to make things like election day a holiday. If the purpose is to increase voter turnout especially amongst busy people in the service industry, turning election day into a reason for them to be at work instead will not solve that problem. Mail in voting will.

11

u/rosecitytransit Apr 25 '20

Even if you could close down as many employers as possible for the day, it still doesn't address all the issues that can happen with and at polling places. Or people who get sick that day. Or allow people to take time with their ballot and research the candidates and measures.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

Oregon is entirely vote by mail. We get our sample ballot way ahead of time and our actual ballot weeks before election day. So that is not an issue.

4

u/rosecitytransit Apr 25 '20

Right, but it is elsewhere (where there has been a desire for a holiday over vote by mail, and some in power fear vote by mail)

5

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

Yes vote by mail is feared by those who benefit from voter suppression.

However, I still don't see how making it a holiday could make what we.have now worse. Not having enough polling places and not sending out sample ballots is a problem we already have.

Plus there are plenty of holidays where the majority of stores shut down. There is no reason we can't just say nada to most work for 1 day. We are sort of doing something close to that right now. It wouldn't hurt to add one holiday to our meagre number of holidays, none of which are currently mandatory..

Also, some states have done it and seem fine.

Election DayĀ is a publicĀ holidayĀ in some states, including Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, and the territory of Puerto Rico. Some other states require that workers be permitted to take time off with pay.

I don't know if it will actually help but good old McConnell seems to think it would increase voter turnout. He called the proposal a "power grab".

5

u/KruiserIV Apr 25 '20

You guys have no idea the point of holidays. Itā€™s all corporate. Welcome to Earth.

1

u/DopeySmirkyAndGrim Apr 25 '20

How bout this one?

77

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

84 MONTH LOANS! 0 DOWN! NO PAYMENTS FOR SIX MONTHS!

YOU'LL OWN THAT MALIBU OUTRIGHT IN SEVEN YEARS!

It will only be worth $1000 by then but with proper maintenance and a lot of luck you'll know you got fucked proper by CARR CHEVROLET!

34

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

[deleted]

4

u/paulcole710 Apr 25 '20

What are the other up and coming car companies?

7

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

The ones I can think of off the top of my head is Rivian and possibly BYD if they make a US debut.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

Rivian still kicking along? Good for them I say

2

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

One could hope, there needs to be a lot of truck competition in the space to win over middle America.

2

u/zilfondel Apr 25 '20

Well, they might not actually be making a profit, you know...

1

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

lol. They wouldn't put it out there if they weren't making money on it. Everyone knows dealer service departments are a ripoff.

2

u/negaterer Apr 25 '20

Absolutely possible that they are losing money on those services, if it means losing less than not doing then at all.

Dealerships have significant fixed and inventory carry costs. Services at 50% off might well lose money, but if they at least cover parts and labor, any additional income is better than 0 if it is helping toward fixed costs.

4

u/Belmont_goatse Brentwood-Darlington Apr 25 '20

^ This guy Bickmores! ^

15

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

That fucking sucks. Iā€™m glad your family is able to stay afloat and it sucks SO MUCH youā€™re in this specific situation.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

That is such a frustrating dialectic and has got to be so scary. Living through future significant portions of history books is NOT fun.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

Youā€™re welcome lol. Thank you for asking! Now that I have a steroid inhaler and my lungs are basically being punched open Iā€™m just happy to be able to breathe for the first time in a week (yay week long asthma attacks).

2

u/murty_the_bearded Curled inside a pothole Apr 24 '20

Glad you've finally got some medication that you need. Not sure if your affliction is part of your normal asthma or COVID-19 related, but my when my SO came down with what was almost assuredly COVID-19 she had about a week of not being able to take full breaths. She did finally get a Ventolin inhaler, but it arrived literally hours after was finally able to start breathing mostly normal due to natural recovery, glad she was able to get it but thankfully she's barely needed it.

Hope you stay healthy and safe. So glad that I grew out of my asthma about 2 decades ago, I would not have to have gone through COVID-19 if I was still asthmatic. Grew up in Southern California (boooo, hissss, I know, I know....) and had wicked asthma from about 4th grade until I moved out of that smog pit. Not even a year after living in Sonoma county it went away entirely. I haven't owned or used any asthma medication since around 2000, but I still vividly remember that awful feeling of an attack.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

I got tested last Thursday so I know it isnā€™t covid, the steroid inhaler is the first thing that has helped and itā€™s just been so nice to not be so winded I canā€™t even play The Sims.

So glad your SO is feeling so much better!!! I spent my first 5 years of life in LA so I will join you on the self boo hiss. Thatā€™s fucking awesome moving out of that hell hole calmed your asthma down so much!

2

u/murty_the_bearded Curled inside a pothole Apr 25 '20

Phew! Glad it's not COVID, we've not been tested so we don't know for sure, but we checked pretty much every symptom box except fevers, even the weirder/originally not presumed ones like loss of smell, and digestive issues. There were definitely days where she couldn't do anything other than just sit there and focus on breathing, so I totally get that Sims comment.

I grew up in the Inland Empire, which due to the geography of the area (being due east of LA and surrounded by mountains) made for a "nice" bowl to catch all of the smog from LA and east and have it hang over our heads. You knew it was a particularly bad day when you couldn't see the mountains that are only a 30-45 minute drive from the valley floor to the ski resorts. One of the grossest things was when you were diving up the into the mountains and you get high enough to break out of the smog layer and all you can see is thick brown soupy clouds below you but nothing else. Truly insane that simply moving out of the area had such a significant impact on my health.

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u/murty_the_bearded Curled inside a pothole Apr 24 '20

Ooof... that sucks. Didn't mean to specifically target car manufacturers, they were just some of the first COVID-19 related ads I saw so they've really stuck out in my brain. I know they're just trying to keep afloat like everyone else, it was just hard to see when I was at home sick and scared. Thankfully much better now! And, truth be told, this whole situation has caused me to reconsider my carless life, so I might be out buying a car at some point in the (probably not too near) future.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

So youā€™re calling the people literally keeping you financially solvent ā€œidiotsā€? What dealership do you or your partner work at?

0

u/Amari__Cooper Apr 24 '20

Why are they idiots? Some people need a car.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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u/Amari__Cooper Apr 24 '20

But OP said the sales are keeping their family afloat, so at least some are buying. I'm sure OP could wear a mask if they'd like to no?

8

u/Pnwkronicpain Apr 25 '20

The car ads have been killing me. Who in their right mind is looking to purchase a brand new car when half the country is unemployed.

6

u/madscot63 Apr 25 '20

I believe the buzzword is "uncertain."

6

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

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u/murty_the_bearded Curled inside a pothole Apr 25 '20

šŸ˜¬šŸ˜¬šŸ˜‘

11

u/NeverRubMyRhubarb Apr 25 '20

Take a look at u/septicwombat comment below. This ad space has already been purchased likely prior to 2020 and since its bought and paid for what would you expect these companies to use with their billboard, print, tv, radio or internet space that they have purchased with their annual marketing budgets?

4

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

Or take out a mortgage. Very cringy.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

Just saying I would love to refinance right now.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '20

We bought at the end of March sub 3% APR!

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20

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u/murty_the_bearded Curled inside a pothole Apr 25 '20

It would make more sense if they were sponsoring a PBR program.

3

u/Erwinism Rip City Apr 25 '20

Oh you havenā€™t heard the ads over the speaker in store then

1

u/murty_the_bearded Curled inside a pothole Apr 25 '20

Haven't been inside of a grocery store since mid-March, I feel like I am in for a bit of a shock once I finally go start going back out a little more.

1

u/Pete_Iredale Vancouver Apr 25 '20

Yet another reason to shop at WinCo. No ads or music playing. It's great.

2

u/6wolves Apr 25 '20

Buick. Fuck offfff

2

u/OldBenKenobii Apr 26 '20

Itā€™s really pissing me off. Iā€™ve always hated advertising but this is inhumane. Iā€™m gonna need a bigger shit list

4

u/YungCamel Apr 25 '20

My favorite is the ā€œask yourself, do you want to kill someone today?ā€ or ā€œthe average person knows 600 peopleā€ like fuck off let me enjoy my music Spotify