Cable Company Wants to End Creepy Rob Lowe Ads

Much can be said about those Rob Lowe commercials for DirecTV: They're offbeat, feature a high-profile star and truth be told, they're pretty hilarious. But according to DirecTV competitor Comcast, the ads feature exaggerated claims.

According to TIME, Comcast feels that the campaign makes misleading statements, including that simply upgrading to DirecTV will drastically improve the quality of someone's life. The Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that polices unfair business practices, reportedly backs Comcast's complaints.

BBB's National Advertising Division says that the ads must be changed — specifically the ads' promise of "up to 1080p" in picture quality. That, they say, is misleading as very few programs are broadcast in such high resolution.

For those unfamiliar with the commercials, they star Rob Lowe and ... Rob Lowe. The actor plays himself — a handsome, charming man who has a great life, thanks, in part, to his DirecTV subscription — and various less appealing versions of himself. There's Poor Decision making Rob Lowe, Peaked in High School Rob Lowe, Total Deadbeat Rob Lowe, Overly Paranoid Rob Lowe, Crazy Hairy Rob Lowe, Meathead Rob Lowe, Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe, Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe and Super Creepy Rob Lowe. Each of these sad incarnations suffers a humiliating existence by virtue of his chosen cable TV provider.

What do you think? Do these ads cross the line from creative advertising to downright deception?

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