Thursday, September 07, 2006

Apply directly to the forehead!

Have you seen the Head On commercials? I have, and for some time. I eat lunch at home (what I lose in gas money going home I'm gaining eating cheap... I think...) I usually turn on the TV and watch... whatever. Since network TV is all about soap operas during the day, I end up going up the band to cable commercials.

A couple of months ago (Wikipedia lists it as launching in June) I first came across the Head On commercial.

Here it is, in its entirety:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Is3icfcbmbs&search=HeadOn

Yep, it consists of someone rubbing a glue stick on their forehead, with the mantra, "Head On! Apply directly to the forehead," repeated three times. Then it ends by saying it's available at Walgreen's, or wherever.

It's annoying, but it's short. I'll give it that. And as annoying as it is, you can't help but snicker at it.

Apparently it is now an internet meme. According to Wikipedia: An Internet phenomenon (sometimes called an Internet meme) occurs when something relatively unknown becomes hugely popular, often quite suddenly, through the mass propagation of media content made feasible by the Internet. The RPG.Net motivational poster thread refers to this commercial. It was even parodied on The Daily Show.

So, what is Head On? Well, they don't actually... promise anything. You just put it on your forehead. The commercial sort of implies it's for headaches, but it doesn't actually say it's for headaches. That's good, because it would be sued. According to the Wikipedia Head On article, it is a homeopathic product which consists almost entirely of wax. There are two active ingredients, white bryony — a plant — diluted to 0.000001 parts per million, and potassium dichromate at 1 part per million.

It appears that the only thing you'll get from this product is a waxy build up on your forehead...

The big news about the product is the ad itself. It's simple, it's repetitive, it's... cheap. In short, it works. Unlike the product... assuming the product is for headaches, as they don't actually say it is. Maybe it's for putting Post It Notes on your forehead.

At least, for once, I was ahead of the curve in noticing an internet meme. Unfortunately I didn't tell anyone so as to prove it. Maybe the next time I'll be smart enough to post it to the blog.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been seeing those annoying ads for months. They are on the news and Weather channels during the day. If I can reach a remote I can usually mute the set before they start repeating that damnable line. Their other products are advertised in a similar manner. ActivOn is apparently for body pain: "Apply directly where it hurts." Interestingly, their ads for their hemorrhoid cream, FREEdHEM, don't urge you to "Apply directly to the hemorrhoid", but instead repeat the line "Freedom from hemorrhoids" the usual three times. I think some variation of the former would be more entertaining.

Unknown said...

I've been seeing those annoying ads for months.

As a D&D player, you need to look at this motivational poster. It's not the original post, but it has a funny comment so it's better!


Their other products are advertised in a similar manner.

I didn't mention ActiveOn, which isn't nearly as insidious as HeadOn, and I haven't seen the hemorrhoid cream ads.