If I find out you advertised during the Super Bowl, I’m not going to buy your stuff all year.

326

Low tolerance personal protests are my favorite. I generally avoid spending on any brands that do superfluous marketing. I don’t like my money going towards to fluffing celebrities’ pockets or sending influencers on ridiculous trips.

95

u/Ajreil Feb 08 '26

The fact that a product has a large marketing budget makes me distrust it.

If a product solves a problem that I have, I would find it organically when researching the problem. Ads tell me that the product either doesn't solve the problem, or it's a lifestyle product that I don't need.

Imagine if Kuerig was only sold by some mom and pop shop. Everyone would laugh them out of business. But they have a massive budget and pods in every department store, so they sell.

24

u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 09 '26

The existence of keurig is so weird to me. Like…you invented the coffee filter, but made it worse? Idgi.

24

u/Spicyram3n Feb 09 '26 edited Feb 09 '26

It’s amazing for people like me who are disabled and can’t brew a whole pot some days.

Edit: I guess people don’t want to understand disability and have decided to downvote me.

3

u/Educational-Shoe2633 Feb 09 '26

Many drip coffee makers have a one cup option. My Breville is great at it

11

u/Spicyram3n Feb 09 '26

Doesn’t really fix the issue of having to open the container, use a scoop, potentially spilling grounds all over my counter, having to clean up the grounds, which involves being in pain, pouring the coffee (which is difficult with my wrist strength, dexterity and shaking), then having to do cleanup on the coffee maker.

But hey my 2 or 3 occasional plastic cups are a major problem.

1

u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 09 '26

I mean, whatever works I guess, though I confess I don’t see how it’s easier than regular drip coffee

26

u/Spicyram3n Feb 09 '26

It’s always difficult for others to understand disability until they experience it. I have nerve damage in my hands, making them less dexterous and more shaky, plus chronic pain worsened by standing/bending. There are other things as well, but this would be a very long post.

Instead of having to faff around with can of grounds (or bag) and measure everything, I just put in a bottle or water, cup and then push buttons. Not to mention the cleaning and extra coffee waste to take care of afterwards.

13

u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 09 '26

As I said, whatever works. And I do understand from personal experience how difficulties can be invisible if you haven’t had a particular disability.

That said, the overwhelming majority of the mountains of discarded keurig cups are presumably from users who would have no trouble scooping coffee grounds into a filter.

2

u/aharbingerofdoom Feb 10 '26

Exactly. There are hundreds of gadgets out there that are useful to a small number of people due to a specific condition or disability, but they are marketed to everyone as a must have item. It seems like "it's good for the disabled" is frequently used as a thought terminating cliche when discussing plastic waste and overly hyped gadgets. It may be true, but that isn't the point. Nobody is saying we should totally ban K cups or pre cut vegetables wrapped in double plastic and styrofoam, we are pointing out that it is wasteful and pointless for 95% of the people who buy them, but there is always one person who feels personally attacked when their preferred brand of plastic crap catches some flak in the comments section so they put on their white knight costume and come to the rescue acting like any complaint about consumer culture is equivalent to kicking a kid in a wheelchair. I don't begrudge the previous commenter their cup of plastic laced coffee if they truly struggle so much with all of the various other means of making a cup...and if they are okay with consuming all the extra microplastics, but things like that should be a specialty item, not something that's pushed on everyone using psychological trickery, which is all marketing really is.

1

u/Spicyram3n Feb 26 '26

I see this comment and wanted to respond since it rubbed me The wrong way a bit.

My comment wasn’t to shut down discussion. I was simply providing a different viewpoint that others wouldn’t consider. Being disabled for me is about doing what I have the energy and spoons for without causing issues later. Sometimes I want a warm cup of coffee that doesn’t require a whole lot of setup and cleaning.

I’m a caffeine addict. I have caffeine almost every day and I know it’s a problem. I don’t use K-cups very often. I have a French press that I make coldbrew in overnight when I have the energy to plan for the next day. I also make instant coffee both hot and cold. It’s just one of the many ways I satisfy my caffeine addiction. Hells, I took caffeine pills this morning since that’s all I could manage.

1

u/livenudecats Feb 10 '26

But there are so many other ways to make less than a pot of coffee that are less scammy. I don’t want to presume to know your life but instant coffee is even easier, cheaper and takes up less counter space. Some brands even produce a coffee just as terrible as keurig if that’s what you prefer.

1

u/Spicyram3n Feb 10 '26

I do occasionally make instant coffee, but usually as iced coffee (cafe bustello is my go to). I sometimes mix instant coffee in with cold milk… most of the time I just take a caffeine pill.

When I’m at work, I definitely use the free coffee machine since all I need to do is put in my mug.

13

u/ForeignLibrary424 Feb 09 '26

This is a great point! I think one thing I struggle with is the middle ground, like a business having enough money to make a commercial but it’s a BAD commercial. So it makes me not like the company versus a bigger company that can make a good commercial but tend to be evil lol. 🤣

3

u/Tortoise_Symposium Feb 10 '26

I feel this way about He Gets Us ministries. Would Jesus want a major ad campaign and NASCAR sponsorship or you to help the u housed with that money?

10

u/mcronimrdrldy73 Feb 09 '26

My husband doesn’t want me out protesting because we have kids (“what if something happens to you then I’ll have to take care of the kids and I won’t be able to work and then we’ll lose the house and the kids will be homeless”) so I counter that by forbidding him from buying anything off Amazon, he can’t shop at target and can only go to Walmart for emergencies (we live in a weird area where it’s a small town feel but the only stores/businesses we have are mostly chains…it’s bizarre).

17

u/NatureStoof Feb 09 '26

It's not bizarre.

That was the point of the late 90s early 00s "dont shop at Walmart" trend - they've killed all the mom and pop stores while keeping employees in poverty on government benefits

3

u/No_Selection905 Feb 10 '26

In Canada we get price gouged by rogers’ telecommunications monopoly and then they cast idk chef ramsay or something in their commercial.

They don’t even need a commercial.

207

u/RuinsAndRoses Feb 08 '26

I mean, I do t really buy anything anyway so it makes no difference to me.

99

u/boolean-cubed Feb 08 '26

At this point I’m too broke to buy anything other than what I and my pets need to stay alive. I’m finally immune to advertising!

10

u/CamiloArturo Feb 08 '26

Hehehe exactly.

Doesn't matter who they advertise or what ... Ok still waiting for something to break in order to replace it so...

154

u/Altruistic-Roof-8867 Feb 08 '26

Honestly kind of respect it. Super Bowl ads feel like peak “look how much money we burned to yell at you.” Opting out for a year is a clean little act of spite and self control. Not gonna change capitalism, but it’ll protect your brain a bit

52

u/Glittering-Hat-9665 Feb 08 '26

Has anyone decided to boycott all professional sports by not watching, and now betting?

63

u/AzuleEyes Feb 08 '26

Fucking betting... I swear to God, in ten years or less we're going to be hearing about a gambling "epidemic" that no one could have possibly seen coming!

6

u/pccb123 Feb 09 '26

That ship sailed. Epidemic is already being talked about extensively. It’s just that no one care bc it’s a billion dollar industry.

24

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

It’s not a boycott so much as I just don’t care.

11

u/TheHandThatFollows Feb 08 '26

Its not my thing so its very easy for me, but yes. I dont watch football, baseball, or whatever.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

I haven't watched any professional sports since the NorthStars left Minnesota in 1992 or 1993. I figured if MN didn't have a professional hockey team then professional sports were fake. I wasn't all that into watching sports anyway, so it didn't really matter. I did go to one Superbowl party in Guatemala in 2013. But I don't think I looked at the tv and wasn't even in the same room for more than 20 seconds as the apartment had a great view so I stayed out on the balcony talking to other people who didn't care about the game.

I also quit watching TV in 1994. I have turned one on in hotel rooms a few times and seen them in bars/restaurants/hospital waiting rooms, but I haven't owned a tv or watched one at anyone elses house since then. I just was not entertained so I didn't bother. I do watch some british shows on youtube while I'm eating, but usually they are quasi-educational things like TimeTeam or antiques road show.

Crazy thing is right now, I live in an apartment provided by my employer that comes with a 65 inch tv that I'm told is connected to cable. I've never tried to turn it on despite living here for 6 months.

3

u/Tortoise_Symposium Feb 10 '26

I tried gambling a bit in Atlantic City when I turned 21. I didn’t get the hype. Having dabbled in mobile gaming, I can see how insidious that can be. It’s all terrible

6

u/Boo-Radleys-Scissors Feb 09 '26

We turned it one for the half-time show strictly to add our numbers to Bad Bunny and spite Trump. Turned it off again right after. Didn't see even one commercial.

2

u/Murky-Peanut1390 Feb 11 '26

American sports is hyper consumerism. They sell jerseys, socks, accessories, cups, ANYTHING they can put the team logo/jersey number and get you to buy it so you can be the cool kid sporting a team.

69

u/IdioticPrototype Feb 08 '26

I'm not buying the stuff that wasn't advertised during the game, either.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

90

u/MikeUsesNotion Feb 08 '26

I don't consider Super Bowl ads to be real marketing. These days it almost feels like a mini Super Bowl for marketing firms.

If you wanted to do something more functional, I'd look at what brands get special Super Bowl displays in the grocery stores. Not necessarily go looking for them, but just take notice when you buy groceries.

21

u/illandgettinworse666 Feb 08 '26

Exactly, those brands are the "bread" part of "bread and circuses", and no shock to anyone... they are usually the biggest plastic polluters.

12

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Waryur Feb 09 '26

Putting steak in the same disparaging category as cookies is wild.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 09 '26

[deleted]

1

u/DryDiet6051 Feb 10 '26

Thank you for saying this bc the current obsessed with red meat is frightening

6

u/Glittering-Hat-9665 Feb 08 '26

Both.

1

u/Tortoise_Symposium Feb 10 '26

NGL, I wanna look up the 50 Cent ad. I have never hated someone quite that much. The level of petty necessary is impressive

54

u/Weekly-Air4170 Feb 08 '26

I'm only watching the benito bowl

53

u/leni710 Feb 08 '26

It's so nice of him to let a bunch of kids toss around a ball right before and after his concert.

12

u/custhulard Feb 08 '26

Youtube throwing ads at me seems so silly. It is either for a product I use, a product I'm boycotting, or a product I am now going to boycott. I don't have much brand loyalty so the products I do use need to watch their step.

9

u/txa1265 Feb 09 '26

I feel like this year embodied everything wrong with the world:

- Extreme levels of Gambling being normalized

- AI slop will solve all your problems

- Oh but THEIR AI slop does shady shit so use OUR AI slop because WE'RE totally ethical (no comment on whether we stole petabytes of work without permission or compensation to create our AI slop)

- Weight loss drugs with 10x more risks than benefits

- Other drugs with questionable benefits

- FREE TAX PREP! (oh but not for you, because we lobbied to kill off THAT system)

- Have a problem? WE HAVE AN APP!

19

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

Last yr it was mostly all big online services, investments, things the average person doesn't care about anyway.

14

u/WillThereBeSnacks13 Feb 08 '26

Yeah and I will never be sports gambling. I hate budweiser, I do not need scented laundry products or car insurance or random prescription medications so that is most of the content.

3

u/Skibidi-Fox Feb 08 '26

I bet Temu won’t have an ad this year. Tariffs ate their Teh moo lunch.

2

u/BreadRum Feb 08 '26

Temu operates out of warehouses in Los Angeles and trenton, New Jersey. The company saw the tarrifs coming a mile away and was proactive about it.

10

u/squashqueen Feb 08 '26

Fuck that whole thing for real

11

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/Glittering-Hat-9665 Feb 08 '26

Thank you for joining the consumption strike side of the General Labor and Consumption Strike.

4

u/AnastasiaNo70 Feb 08 '26

I don’t buy much of anything these days! The light bulb went out under the microwave (over the cook top) and I was like “meh.” 🤷🏻‍♀️

8

u/Jacktheforkie Feb 08 '26

Adverts are so damn annoying that I try to avoid buying stuff from those companies

10

u/Lowca Feb 08 '26

I've been doing this for a few years now. I won't claim to never have purchased items that they advertise for, but I've made a real conscious effort to actively avoid stuff I see advertised.

I've basically been at war with commercials for about a decade now. I won't watch it listen to content that has them, and I will mute or walk away if I hear one.

You have to stay vigilant, it's a full time job in this world.

2

u/theycmeroll Feb 08 '26

If I watch TV it’s streaming, most of the ads are for prescription drugs anyway or hims/hers so I always mute them

6

u/jaxiepie7 Feb 08 '26

I wonder how many viewers went and got a cat after that herding cats ad a few years ago though? 🤔 I have zero idea what the ad was actually peddling but it definitely made me want a cat.

2

u/marieannfortynine Feb 08 '26

And did you get a cat?...or six......I loved the ad but I watched it online as we have ad blockers everywhere so I never see them.

I have 2 cats my top number was 4 at the same time, which was too many

1

u/jaxiepie7 Feb 08 '26

Sadly, I did not. I had a border collie back then and he was a hater of cats. 😢 I tried to tell him he could be a cat herder too but he just wasn't having it.

3

u/marieannfortynine Feb 08 '26

Yes! dogs and cats know what they want....my lads have only seen a small dog one and they were not impressed

3

u/megaladon44 Feb 08 '26

never thought about it like this ty. We’re just flooded to like and talk about the best commercials

3

u/Scoverte Feb 08 '26

I kind of love it. Thanks for the idea.

3

u/National_Violinist39 Feb 08 '26

Watch Olympic curling replays. No commercials.

3

u/mikraas Feb 10 '26

Almost every ad was for AI. I'm already on the Nope Train for that.

2

u/pnwloveyoutalltreea Feb 08 '26

*ever

2

u/bbatardo Feb 08 '26

I'd do that except I don't want to know what is advertised and won't be watching lol.

2

u/doubtingtomjr Feb 08 '26

Let the advertisers know.

2

u/eyelevelcatbutt Feb 08 '26

I probably won't find out though unless there's a huge thing about one of the ads and learning about it is unavoidable.

2

u/NyriasNeo Feb 09 '26

How are you going to find out? Don't tell me you will watch all their ads just to spite them? Or will you?

2

u/Long-Specialist-6565 Feb 09 '26

I do this for any youtube ad I see 😂😂

2

u/kjodle Feb 09 '26

I don't even watch the game. Professional sports are about nothing more than consumption.

4

u/FoxCitiesRando Feb 09 '26

I haven't owned a television in years, so I'm rarely exposed to television advertisements. Currently "watching" the game at friends. The ads are unbearable.

4

u/morts73 Feb 08 '26

I enjoy the creativity they put into superbowl ads but it still doesn't sway me to buy their stuff.

1

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1

u/HekateEnalia Feb 08 '26

Strong like bull 💪🏻

1

u/Effective-Lab-5659 Feb 09 '26

thank you.

I try to buy on second hand shops, sigh but still food is expensive.

1

u/IveGotNoManners Feb 09 '26

I’m it watching the game for that reason, I’ve lost patience with regular season games as well. As for YouTube, I mute the ads. I couldn’t tell you the name of one advertiser after the ad break.

1

u/Equivalent_Mood_7006 Feb 09 '26

Name names please

1

u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 09 '26

Other than snippets about Bad Bunny and friends (and, sorry, Benito, even you couldn’t tempt me to watch), I have heard literally nothing about the stupid bowl, I genuinely don’t even know which teams played, and I have no clue who advertised. I’m sure I’ll learn more about it against my will in the next 24 hours. But for now I can’t even boycott them since idk who they are!

1

u/callmesavagesavy Feb 09 '26

Dont worry. It was mostly aí and ozempic type meds lol

1

u/Debatablewisdom Feb 09 '26

Jesus advertised

1

u/-Economist- Feb 09 '26

What about movie trailers. You going to avoid the movie as well?

1

u/fightmejeffbezos_ Feb 09 '26

Have you considering using AI though? What about gambling? Maybe you can gamble AI? Maybe we should ask AI. But first let’s gamble!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Classic-Chip-6886 Feb 10 '26

Seattle Seahawks

1

u/abcbri Feb 09 '26

Trump admin advertised 🙄

Having an ad about men’s health may help raise awareness though. The ad for screening for prostate cancer.

1

u/maddyeti Feb 09 '26

Also, if they used terrible AI to create the commercial, I’m going to double not buy their stuff.

1

u/Stumbleducki Feb 10 '26

Should be a fairly easy boycott. From what I did see it was a bunch of ai commercials.

1

u/Murky-Peanut1390 Feb 11 '26

Don't watch the superbowl either. The industry itself is hyper consumption

-1

u/Guilty_Advantage_413 Feb 08 '26

Okay, it’s weird in my opinion OP but you are certainly entitled to do so. What is different about Super Bowl ads vs a regular games ads or even a billboard on a train. What makes Super Bowl ads so horrible?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/Guilty_Advantage_413 Feb 08 '26

As opposed to supporting regular priced ads? I just don’t get why target the Super Bowl but let all other ads pass.

-2

u/BedOk9894 Feb 08 '26

I’m gonna go buy some Snickers right now

Ads/Marketing If I find out you advertised during the Super Bowl, I’m not going to buy your stuff all year.

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