I saw this commercial the other day (again, WHY ARE THERE COMMERCIALS ON HULU PLUS?), and I don't know if this occurs to everyone else, but one question just sticks out in my mind every time I see it.
Let's watch.
Sooooo…..am I to understand that this dog is smart enough to turn on a computer, open up an internet browser (let's just presuppose the fact that his owner left the laptop on the sofa, because as smart as this dog might be, I don't see any thumbs on him. Also, how's he going to plug that in when the battery dies?), navigate to the build.com site, order the item he wants, place an order using a credit card and authorization PIN, probably create an account on the Brand.com site with an original password containing a capital letter, a number, and a symbol like this $%^, then he opens the door and signs for the toilet when it comes, pays the contractor (oh, and did he also shut off the water so that toilet could be installed?), and after all this, HE DRINKS OUT OF THE TOILET? WTF? WHY ISN'T HE SMART ENOUGH TO USE THE TOILET FOR HIS BATHROOM? He can use a computer– why can't he go into the kitchen and get a glass of water like the civilized dog he obviously is?
This is another case of "ad agency thought it was funny, I think it's weird and have to now overanalyze because I don't understand how this passed through countless focus groups and production companies, and no focus group person said 'that doesn't make any sense.'" Another thing I think is funny about this commercial is that, in reverse, they are sort of implying that the website is so easy a dog can use it, which I guarantee it is not. I have run user testing groups where people will sit for five minutes staring at the screen, trying to figure out how to get to their shopping cart, so that part is overly simplified (and yet that dog isn't trained to use that toilet).
Also, it is less than easy to get a toilet installed, and ALSO, did that dog think about where the old toilet was going to go, or is this, like a whole additional bathroom that the dog is having put in so he can drink out of the toilet? Did that dog submit plans to the city for that new bathroom, because I doubt his plans are up to code unless that dog also has an engineering degree that we don't know about. What is this dog's motivation? Is he frustrated with the QUALITY of the toilet in his home? Again, I don't see the contractors leaving with a toilet (oh, and also– this ad is assuming that the Build.com guys are going to install the toilet, and I think you need a plumber for that), so is the old toilet maybe just sitting there as his second dog bowl? There is too much left unsaid in this commercial, and it bugs me more every time I see it.
