'Saved by Zero' Makes Viewers into Victims

"Saved by Zero," a spot for the Toyota Tundra, has run in "seemingly every ad break during NCAA Football, MLB Playoffs and NFL games," claims Rohit Thawani of MediaVest. I suppose that wouldn't be terrible if the ad were good, or even innocuous, but -- get this -- it has a repetitive jingle with an audacious country twang.

You know you're fucked then.

To save his sanity, Rohit created a Facebook Group called "Get Toyota's 'Saved By Zero' commercial off the air before I harm myself." Gotta love a good suicide threat. Adamant text on the description page reads:

"You're telling me that this trash somehow was supported by a creative director?? You're telling me that a powerhouse client said "Wow, this is a great spot! Lets buy 3,000 units and play it all day, everday!"? [sic] You're telling me these people still have jobs?"

That's some serious rage, but I guess it's shared. Over a hundred people have joined so far. (Though if I had to put money on it, I'd say most of them are just respondents to a mass group invite from Rohit.) Toyota probably won't flinch, but I guess Thawani's labor of love leaves us something to ponder: Does your ad make people want to slash their wrists?

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Tags: rohit thawani, saved by zero, toyota, tundra

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Comment by April McCarty on November 10, 2008 at 2:12pm: Honestly, I have turned off whatever network/channel/show/station I have heard this horrible spot play more than once in the same commercial break and have vowed to NEVER return to any net that played it more than once in immediate succession.

At this time, I may have to reconsider that declaration, as the only vieweing choices I have left appear to be History and PBS....

Comment by Arch Stanton on November 9, 2008 at 11:50am: from espn:

We are reaching the point that I am two weeks away from stopping by my local Toyota dealership, buying a brand-new Toyota Tundra with zero APR financing, driving the car off the lot, doing a U-turn, then plowing it through the front window of the dealership at 60 mph while screaming, "SAVED BY ZERO," like the guys from "Red Dawn" screamed, "WOLVERINES!" Cut down on the ads, Toyota. We're not kidding. You know why you haven't see John Mellencamp in two years? He's trapped in the basement of some frustrated baseball fan who dressed him like the Gimp and keeps him in a trunk after hearing "Our Country" for the 700,000th time. Look, we're all ecstatic that the guys from the Fixx are getting royalties again. Just tone it down. We get it. Zero APR financing. Heard you loud and clear.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/081107