What was it with the ads that had men trying to affirm that they're really, truly MEN? The Atlantic's Derek Thompson noticed spots for FloTV, Dove body wash and the Dodge Charger as signaling something in the air, though he wasn't sure what. The Flo ad was silly, the Dove ad inconsequential. But the Charger ad definitely had a POV:

A Chysler Dodge Charger ad stares into men's defeated faces as they count off all the ways they've promised to emasculate themselves to please their bosses and wives. "I will be civil to your mother," goes the voice over. "I will put the seat down. I will take my socks off before getting into bed. And because I do this, I will drive the car I want to drive." And the words plastered over the awesome, manly image of a black Dodge zooming down the street: MAN'S. LAST. STAND. In other words: I will be miserable, and because I am miserable, I will drive a Chrysler. No, thank you.

Actually, I found the commercial cavalcade to be a little like going to a stage audition of precocious 12-year-olds, where everyone was desperately trying to outdo the other. After the first quarter, I turned the sound off - the sensory overload was too much to bear, more so than in past years. And none of the commercials - I mean zero - had me any more interested in the product than I would have been before watching the spot. Product awareness is obviously not a top priority here.