Damn Smug Canadian Tire Family

The Canadian Tire ads are infuriatingly close to being good advertising. They're informative. They show the products in realistic situations. They give clear pictures of the products. They show how the products are different and better from other similar products. The people in the ads are not idiots.

The Canadian Tire ads satisfy many of the criteria that should make them good advertising. But still, they annoy me immensely.

Quite simply, it all comes down to the problem that the family presenting the products are just so, so smug. They can't wait for every opportunity to show off to the neighbours. They lord their Canadian Tire product line over those around them, and to each other. And the whole time, they have creepy smiles; it's as if their lives depend on always keeping a cheery disposition.

All Canadian Tire would have to do to make their advertising good is to simply change the people presenting the product, and change them frequently. Then, I would never start to loathe the smugness of any particular product presenter.