HEADON! Apply directly to the forehead!
You already know what to say.
HeadOn was a brand of homeopathic medicine by Miralus Healthcare which is believed to relieve headaches. It was introduced in 2006, with this infamous commercial.
Synopsis[]
The commercial features a brunette woman in a red top superimposed against a grid-like, monochromatic blue background, and an alternate version of the same commercial with a green background, rubbing the product on her forehead, with a female voiceover repeating the tagline HeadOn! Apply directly to the forehead! thrice. After that, the announcer says HeadOn is available at retailers nationwide.
Why It's Cursed[]
The lack of information regarding the product, low production value of the commercial, and loud repetition of "HeadOn! Apply directly to the forehead!" got annoying for many people very quickly. It's even rumored that the reason why the ad deliberately repeats itself over and over is that it'll eventually give you a headache, and thus having you buy this product.
Miralus responded to this backlash by airing versions of the repetitive commercials in a form of defecating self-parody that start the same as the original versions with the model applying HeadOn to her forehead and the tagline "HeadOn! Apply directly to the forehead!", only for the commercial to fizzle out mid-sentence and become interrupted by people walking onscreen, mocking the commercial and exclaiming how much they dislike HeadOn's commercials but enjoy their product.
The critical, interrupted versions of the "blue version" feature a bald, middle-aged black man in a beige shirt saying HeadOn, I can't stand your commercial, but your product is amazing!, and a young blonde woman in a white blouse saying HeadOn, your commercial is so annoying, but you've got a great product.
Whereas the "green version" features a young frizzy-haired brunette woman in a black sweater saying HeadOn, I hate your commercial, but I love your product. These commercials end with the announcer saying that HeadOn is available without a prescription, and were better received due to their critical nature of the original repetitive commercial and the fourth wall-breaking, bait-and-switch editing.
The HeadOn commercials eventually became a popular internet meme all across the web, from being used in YouTube Poops, making even longer extensions, parodies (one being in the 2008 film Disaster Movie), and etc.
Trivia[]
- Apparently, the vice president of sales and marketing of Miralus Healthcare, Dar Charron, had no idea that the commercials were going viral. He claimed that the focus groups never told him that the ads were annoying.