The advertisers have probably won (or why I dislike the Simon Baker ANZ ad)

I've been thinking for a little while now how much I hate the ANZ ad with Simon Baker that's on TV at the moment. Dana is probably sick of hearing me whinge every time it comes on the box (I don't know why I still call the TV the box, it's not a box anymore, it's a big flat plasma panel - habit I guess). I'm not sure what it is that really grabs me about it, I seem to be able to ignore most advertisements and let them wash over me mindlessly, but this one always annoys me enough to speak out/mute/change the channel.

I think initially it was that he says he knows what I'm thinking, and then proceeds to tell me what he thinks I'm thinking about banks while failing to make eye contact with the camera. This annoys me, and it's completely off the mark as well - I'm not thinking about banks at all. I'm thinking about how much I dislike being told what I'm thinking and WHY WON'T HE LOOK ME IN THE EYE?! I'm also thinking 'why is an Australian doing an advert for Australians, about an Australian bank, filmed in the US with an American accent? And while we're at it, is he supposed to be his character from the "The Mentalist" or what?'.

If I were thinking about banks, it would probably be more like 'I wish I didn't have to put up with bloody incompetents to get our mortgage - is it that hard to have a mortgage package that is highly competitive AND not be useless bastards?', but that really is beside the point, because I can't think about banks when the advert is on. I'm too busy thinking about how much I hate Simon Baker and his annoying commercial.

It turns out someone on the internet is at least part of the way there with me already, as the parody of the ad I bumped into on YouTube this afternoon evidences.


I find it immensely satisfying that someone somewhere in the great wide internet has come to the same conclusions as me without ever having met me.

My message to advertisers: please don't tell me what I'm thinking. I don't like it. And it is disconcerting when someone is talking to me but doesn't make eye contact. Please don't do it.

PS: Those whole post and the amount of thought I've put into this ad has probably been exactly what the advertisers wanted. I understand this. It doesn't mean I like it.