This vitamin commercial

There is a commercial I’ve seen a lot about a multivitamin from One A Day called Fruiti-ssentials. First, I hate cutesy spellings like that. The vitamin is meant for adults so why not just call it Fruit Essentials? Did a focus group decide that was not “fun” enough?

Anyway, in the commercial a somewhat goofy but pleasant-looking man named Tom demonstrates how fun this vitamin is by smiling and chewing something while looking at the camera. He could be chewing anything — the vitamin, a glob of tobacco, his own tongue — since we never see him eat the vitamin. The reason why I remember this commercial is not because of Tom’s lovable mug or my desire for all things gummy but rather in the way the numbers presented all contradict each other:

  • the brand is called One a Day
  • the commercial shows three gummy vitamins being plopped from the bottle into a hand
  • the text onscreen advises to take two of these per day

It just stood out, is all.