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March 6, 2009

Comcast Dream Big, Or The Most Annoying Commercials In The World

Somebody at Comcast took mushrooms and watched Juno, you guys:

It's not Kimya Dawson, it's a ripoff. Four more equally annoying commercials from this campaign that will be going through our heads for months, after the jump.


On the bright side, next time someone asks me what's up, I'm going to say "Not much, just ROTFLOLing." In a monotone singsong-robot voice. So that will be fun.

Posted by Lindsay at 3:00 PM in ,
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49 Comments

That commercial is the most shameless pandering to the "youth"-ish demographic I have ever seen.

And it really unsuccessfully tries to jump on the isometric pixel art bandwagon.

So much :(

Posted by: HateGrime profile link at 03/06/09 3:19 PM  | Reply
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I can almost see myself liking these commercials, but there is just something about them that infuriates me.

Posted by: meANDmy_mONKEY profile link at 03/06/09 3:34 PM  | Reply
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haha i saw this the other day and was hoping you would notice it. it's always funny when a somewhat obscure band has a song in a film and then every commercial tries to imitate it, take devotchka in little miss sunshine for instance. the kimya dawson/moldy peaches imitations really need to end though.

Posted by: jbooogie at 03/06/09 3:40 PM  | Reply
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I must have missed the devotchka ripoffs. Do tell.

Posted by: bingo gas station profile link  in reply to  jbooogie's comment at 03/06/09 4:28 PM  | Reply
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i think it was gerbers baby commercial or something. i remember a few others that sounded similar too i just cant remember what they were for hah.

Posted by: jboogie  in reply to  bingo gas station's comment at 03/06/09 7:20 PM  | Reply
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I knew you would be writing about these. They are terrible.

Posted by: njoy at 03/06/09 3:48 PM  | Reply
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There are radio ads too. Kill me now.

Posted by: Bella at 03/06/09 4:00 PM  | Reply
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FUCK YOUNG PEOPLE

Posted by: Erin at 03/06/09 4:04 PM  | Reply
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There are radio ads too. Kill me now.

Posted by: Bella at 03/06/09 4:08 PM  | Reply
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These are a) horrifying and b)on EVERY 5 minutes. I feel like I saw 1,000 times last night. Unbearable.

Posted by: ohmy at 03/06/09 4:14 PM  | Reply
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This had to be an interesting pre-launch meeting with marketing and the dinosaur (presumed) execs.

Execs: Why is everyone so sad?
25-yeard old Marketing/Ad Agency kid: It's not sad. It's how young people talk these days. Shows clip from Juno.
Execs: Okay, go with it. At least it's pretty. Meeting adjured. Jumps off building.

Posted by: bingo gas station profile link at 03/06/09 4:26 PM  | Reply
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When I first heard the first one, I was thinking more Daft Punk rip-off than Juno rip-off, but the apathetic black girl in the later videos proves that I'm wrong.

Posted by: CarolineA profile link at 03/06/09 5:02 PM  | Reply
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The representatives here at Comcast know you've complained about our terrible customer service. Well, we've been busy listening to Kimya Dawson and watching that one Royksopp music video for a while now trying to develop this incredible commercial. Here, take it! It's our gift to you. If you have any complaints about it, remember, we don't make mistakes.

Posted by: Comcast at 03/06/09 5:34 PM  | Reply
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It is extremely overwhelming to play them at the same time.

Posted by: drew at 03/06/09 5:57 PM  | Reply
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Playing them all at once sounds like a theater troop running over their individual lines all at the same time and in the same room.

Posted by: Adam profile link  in reply to  drew's comment at 03/07/09 12:50 AM  | Reply
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Worst ever. Their other commercials include a lot of turtles. Turtles talking at a bus station. One of the turtles is flipped over and immobile. Because yes, you are advertising your speed-of-light internet service (not) so you choose to associate your company with IMMOBILE DRONING TURTLES WAITING AT A BUS STATION what.

My mom and brother work at Comcast. They confirm the company's status as the worst.

Posted by: jessibooks profile link at 03/06/09 6:34 PM  | Reply
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The monotone made me think of that drrrty Liz Phair song Flower. Except I'm slightly less turned on by Comcast.

Posted by: JMAC at 03/06/09 9:15 PM  | Reply
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I'm sorry, but the hungry popcorn at 0:15 in the last commercial made me laugh. I think I will make that my new icon.

Posted by: Funtastik profile link at 03/06/09 9:46 PM  | Reply
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Funny how the analogy for the internet is no longer the Super Highway (speed), but instead people slowly meandering through town (slow).
Also, seems more like an ad for Batteries Not Included. Now there was a classic film!

Posted by: Michael at 03/07/09 1:18 AM  | Reply
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Look.

I'm not going to watch all of those.

I'm way too busy, and they are way too terrible.

Posted by: Ben profile link at 03/07/09 8:51 AM  | Reply
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I HATE TESE COMMERCIALS!! if this is comcast's attempt to try and get in touch with the youth demographic then i would have to say they failed ... terribly.

Posted by: Shelby at 03/07/09 9:07 AM  | Reply
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you guys are just a bunch of snobs ! you will complain just because is the cool thing to do. who cares! these commercials make me laugh and i think is cool that they are imitating the moldy peaches .... Look at me i am hipster let me complain about a company trying to reach my demographic , you guys are lame.

Posted by: poldy47 at 03/07/09 4:03 PM  | Reply
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you guys are just a bunch of snobs ! you will complain just because is the cool thing to do. who cares! these commercials make me laugh and i think is cool that they are imitating the moldy peaches .... Look at me i am hipster let me complain about a company trying to reach my demographic , you guys are lame.

Posted by: poldy47 at 03/07/09 4:04 PM  | Reply
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I enjoy them. I like them even better than the slowskys. I may get sick of them soon, but my immediate reaction is that they look cool and the songs are catchy. But I am not predisposed to hat everything but Paul Rudd, so what do I know.

Posted by: Trouble Downstream profile link at 03/07/09 5:31 PM  | Reply
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Why is someone talking shit on the Slowski commercials? Those things are amazing. These aren't bad either. I think maybe you all finally realized at the same time that Juno was actually a steaming pile and you are taking it out on Comcast.

Posted by: Dan at 03/07/09 7:54 PM  | Reply
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I seriously doubt I am in the target demographic....BUT I LOVE THIS COMMERICAIL! Can't get enough of it. After hearing it the first time I came home and surfed to find it just so I could listen again.

Posted by: iyamwhoiyam at 03/07/09 8:37 PM  | Reply
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I seriously doubt I am in the target demographic....BUT I LOVE THIS COMMERICAIL! Can't get enough of it. After hearing it the first time I came home and surfed to find it just so I could listen again.

Posted by: iyamwhoiyam at 03/07/09 8:37 PM  | Reply
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I don't think it's about comcast and the commercials... it's that they are totally copying Kimya Dawson that sucks! Granted, I don't think that comcast is liable or anything, but think about how you would feel if something that is signature to you was stolen and then exploited all over cable television... yeah, the tunes are catchy and made me happy feeling, but then when I listened to them it was like... wth... so then I had to go listen to some Kimya Dawson to feel happy for real.. oh well, this is just another way that somebody is getting ripped by the man, we should really get used to it I guess...

Posted by: Allison at 03/08/09 1:33 AM  | Reply
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Why are commercials like this/people who create them allowed to exist?

Posted by: starrynights profile link at 03/08/09 10:01 AM  | Reply
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I thought the exact same thing. The first one is more like a rip of Technologic

Posted by: SJ at 03/08/09 4:43 PM  | Reply
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oh I just love these commercials! every time one comes on tv I get up and dance! they really get ME

Posted by: mitchellantoinette profile link at 03/09/09 12:11 AM  | Reply
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These ads certainly capture the ennui of contemporary western civilization. I suppose the dream is that we might escape it. The proposed solution is one wire - presumably around our collective middle-class necks.

Posted by: realpaid at 03/09/09 2:59 PM  | Reply
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Does anyone know the actress they used in this commercial? She looks familiar but I don't know why.

Posted by: Nicole at 03/09/09 11:10 PM  | Reply
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Damn dial-up won't let me watch these videos

Posted by: tymoneymoney profile link at 03/09/09 11:27 PM  | Reply
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Do you seriously have a Pete & Pete picture up in here?

Coincidence?

Posted by: John Ham profile link  in reply to  tymoneymoney's comment at 03/11/09 5:57 PM  | Reply
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nostalgia at its best!

Posted by: tymoneymoney profile link  in reply to  John Ham's comment at 04/17/09 1:45 AM  | Reply
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In the "Rule of Law Accg. to JohnHam", 'Attempted Juno' is much less severe transgression than 'Juno' itself. These are in NO WAY as annoying as the saved by zero commercials. I had a literal nightmare about that shit.

I will also freely admit that I loved the Slowskys, and I do not know why.

Posted by: John Ham profile link at 03/11/09 5:53 PM  | Reply
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I'm an aristocrat-manque Baby Boomer who usually despises trendy youth pop-culture and the people to pander to them. Yet I enjoy the Comcast commercials. Go figure. The only thing I can come up with is that they present a kind of friendly, human-scale urban environment that I like. Sort of like "Turnerville," that imaginary, computer-generated urban environment Turner Broadcasting used to have before their movies, where happy, diverse, seemingly unstressed urbanites walked about freely and then all went into a non-metroplex neighborhood theater. Also that Comcast song is infectious. Whether a good infection or not I can't figure out.

Posted by: Bilwick at 03/12/09 10:49 AM  | Reply
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I saw a commercial a min ago and instantly got online, im am annoyed and pissed that tahy would copy someone so great these commercials suck and need to be taken of the air

Posted by: corri at 03/12/09 9:31 PM  | Reply
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I'm confused by the people who consider these songs "catchy". Do you guys also find Ben Stein's speaking voice catchy?

Posted by: Ross D at 03/17/09 11:58 PM  | Reply
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I am so grateful for the MUTE button. It goes on everytime one of these crappy commercials come on. People singing out of tune drives me buggy! The cartoon graphics are cool tho.

Posted by: Peggy at 03/20/09 6:07 PM  | Reply
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I ALSO LOVE THESE COMMERCIALS. I am actually tring to memorize the lobg 1 minute one. Love it.

And yea, I do like Bensteins' voice too. I recently watched a documentary he made called "Expelled", which is quite moving. Check it out.

Posted by: isaiah at 03/30/09 11:29 PM  | Reply
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I love these ads. Anyone who thinks these ads are annoying need help.

They are catchy, and now I sit around thinking "C-o-m-c-a-s-t!" all the time... I can't get it out of my head, It's amazing! I need to get an MP3 version, and burn it onto CD and blast it in my car!

Posted by: Ostrich at 04/09/09 8:54 PM  | Reply
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This is more a copy of DAFT PUNK TECHNOLOGIC. Seriously, listen to that song. These commercials fail in an artsy way, and that's the worst failure ever.

Posted by: Zach at 04/20/09 4:41 PM  | Reply
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I hate to tell you this but actually it is Kimya Dawson, who wrote the new jingles for Comcast. Sorry. You need to change this from ripoff to sellout.

Posted by: teek at 05/17/09 12:11 AM  | Reply
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I hate to tell you this but actually it is Kimya Dawson, who wrote the new jingles for Comcast. Sorry. You need to change this from ripoff to sellout.

Posted by: teek at 05/17/09 12:11 AM  | Reply
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Correct -- Kimya Dawson might not have produced the ads, as the link correctly states, but did write the lyrics for Comcast and Comcast is proud of it. Just saying.

Posted by: Layla at 05/17/09 12:17 AM  | Reply
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I like these commercials too. I love how the monotoning switching to harmonizing later in the jingle. Also, I crack up about how it reminds me of "Waiting for Guffman" with the "Always dreaming, Never stopping." Which was originally, "Working, /Building, /Never stopping, /Never sleeping" in WfG. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WtJbXEN-a0

Posted by: Chris at 05/18/09 7:01 PM  | Reply
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PLEASE, COMCAST, GET RID OF THESE HORRIBLE COMMERCIALS. THEY ARE SO ANNOYING I TURN DOWN THE VOLUME SO AS NOT TO HEAR THEM!!!!

Posted by: Anne at 08/03/09 8:26 PM  | Reply
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