History Main / ProductSwitcherooAd

** [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Magnificently spoofed]] on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in [[http://youtu.be/ELvRWY4uQtI this sketch]] where Chris Farley [[BerserkButton goes batshit]] after the reveal.

* ''TheGruenTransfer'' discussed this kind of ad, particularly the Pizza Hut example, in the second season. One panellist insisted that the situation shown must be real, because it is illegal to claim something was filmed with a hidden camera when it is actually scripted. He did, however, observe that the only patrons you see on the ad are those who are being the most positive, and anyone who had anything less than glowing to say ended up on the cutting room floor.

** These ads were so popular at the time, they were actually spoofed by a vacuum cleaner company.
---> '''Announcer:''' We've just replaced their usual coffee with sand and ground-up clamshells. Let's see if they notice. ''*cut to people spitting coffee out on the floor, while someone demonstrates how well the vacuum cleans it up*''

To more savvy consumers, the whole thing comes off as [[ViewersAreMorons extremely condescending.]] We know that the "chefs" in the back are putting a lot more effort into that burger than they are at Burger Chain X down the street. We know the fake staff is working extra hard to provide excellent service, so the patron is in an unbelievably good mood.

* In late Summer of 2011, a group of food bloggers were invited to a lasagna dinner they were told was prepared by celebrity chef George Duran. After dinner, which the diners presumably enjoyed, it was revealed to them that the lasagna was actually a frozen dinner by Marie Callender. The diners, after spending part of the dinner railing against processed foods on a hidden camera, were [[IAteWhat not amused]]. The footage was likely to be used for an ad, which was cancelled after the InternetBacklash from the bloggers. Full story [[http://consumerist.com/2011/09/marie-callenders-tricks-bloggers-with-lasagna-they-thought-was-made-by-a-chef.html here]].

** [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Magnificently spoofed]] on ''SaturdayNightLive'' in [[http://youtu.be/ELvRWY4uQtI this sketch]] where Chris Farley [[BerserkButton goes batshit]] after the reveal.

---> '''Announcer:''' We've just replaced their usual coffee with sand and ground-up clamshells. Let's see if they notice. ''*cut to people spitting coffee out on the floor, while someone demonstrates how well the vaccuum cleans it up*''

** Used more than once in MST3K jokes

** Also seen in ''{{Foxtrot}}'' where Jason replaces the ground coffee with mud. Roger doesn't notice the difference.

** Also referenced in the USAcres cartoon "Roy Gets Sacked", where Roy replaces Lanolin's regular coffee with soap crystals.

** [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/3/25/ And in]] ''Webcomic/PennyArcade''.

* A recent one that's been making the rounds as of summer 2012; patrons at a seemingly high-end steakhouse are being served steaks that they are later told came from Wal-mart's meat department. The customers whose comments aired appeared to be very pleasantly surprised.
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<<|CommercialsTropes|>>

->By the way, I'll bet you thought this site was TVTropes. But it's not. It's actually 4Chan! [[BlatantLies Aren't you surprised?]]

** These particular ones have GOT to be staged. Who would go to a high-end Italian restaurant and order Macaroni And Cheese With Bacon?!?

* Folger's coffee had a series of commercials where they did this. They put their instant coffee into a silver decanter, then served it to customers at a fancy restaurant. The customers, at least the ones whose comments they aired, all had good things to say about the coffee.

* [[PennAndTellerBullshit Penn and Teller]] explored this in an episode (The Best), that featured an entire fake restaurant, with supposedly haute cuisine that was actually being prepared in the back alley from ingredients bought at a convenience store.

The most popular example of this is the "fake restaurant" premise. Patrons think they are in a high-end restaurant, eating high-end food, and at the end of the meal they are told that they amazing burger they just had is actually just a $4 burger from Burger Chain X. Sometimes prior to the reveal, they will ask the patron how much they think the burger is worth. Expect the consumer to say a price somewhere between 3 and 4 times the actual price of the meal.

->By the way, I'll bet you thought this site was TVTropes. But it's not. It's actually 4Chan! [[BlatantLies Aren't you surprised?]]

The most popular example of this is the "fake restaurant" premise. Patrons think they are in a high-end restaurant, eating high-end food, and at the end of the meal they are told that they amazing burger they just had is actually just a $4 burger from [insert fast-food restaurant here]. Sometimes prior to the reveal, they will ask the patron how much they think the burger is worth. Expect the consumer to say a price somewhere between 3 and 4 times the actual price of the meal.

To more savvy consumers, the whole thing comes off as [[ViewersAreMorons extremely condescending.]] We know that the "chefs" in the back are putting a lot more effort into that burger than they are at the [insert fast-food restaurant here] place down the street from our house. We know the fake staff is working extra hard to provide excellent service, so the patron is in an unbelievably good mood.

Then there's the whole possibility that it's fully scripted and a room full of actors or semi-staged using employees or company shareholders who get a free meal. Multiple camera angles, dialogue sounding too scripted. But if that has yet to be proven, the less cynical mind sitting closer to the shiny side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, might be able to dismiss that possibility.

* A recent one that's been making the rounds as of summer 2012; patrons at a seemingly high-end steakhouse are being served steaks that they are later told came from Walmart's meat department. The customers whose comments aired appeared to be very pleasantly surprised.

->By the way, I'll bet you thought this site was TVTropes. But it's not. It's actually 4Chan! Aren't you surprised?

** [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Magificently spoofed]] on ''SaturdayNightLive'' in [[http://youtu.be/ELvRWY4uQtI this sketch]] where Chris Farley [[BerserkButton goes batshit]] after the reveal.

* In late Summer of 2011, a group of food bloggers were invited to a lasagna dinner they were told was prepared by celebrity chef George Duran. After dinner, which the diners presumably enjoyed, it was revealed to them that the lasagna was actually a frozen dinner by Marie Callender. The diners, after spending part of the dinner railing against processed foods on a hidden camera, were [[IAteWhat not amused]]. Full story [[http://consumerist.com/2011/09/marie-callenders-tricks-bloggers-with-lasagna-they-thought-was-made-by-a-chef.html here]].

** [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/3/25/ And in]] ''PennyArcade''.

* Also seen in ''{{Foxtrot}}'' where Jason replaces the ground coffee with mud. Roger doesn't notice the difference.

* A classic started in TheSeventies and run into TheEighties was for Folger's instant coffee, with the oft-parodied opening line:
-->-"We've replaced the fine coffee normally served here with Folger's Crystals. Let's see what people have to say..."