Waaaa! That's not the sound of E*Trade's talking baby crying from hunger or diaper rash. (It's a talking baby, after all, so it could simply say, "Jeez, am I hungry!" or "Ow, this diaper rash is a pain in the ass!") That's me crying, because the insufferable brat is back in another Super Bowl spot by Grey. I know these ads are popular, but I can feel my brain cells dying each time that stock-savvy cherub pops onto the screen. This year, the crib-based assault is spilling over like a bottle of formula into Facebook, Twitter and online videos. Waaaa! That's the sound of everyone who's tired of this cutesy, lowest-common-denominator approach and longs for something better—like another spot from GoDaddy, which is high-concept by comparison. It's also, alas, the wail of countless investors, from E*Trade and elsewhere, who are seeking a few hours of escape by watching the Big Game only to be faced once more by that precocious preschooler looking to pick our pockets as the market continues to slide. Waaaaa!

—Posted by David Gianatasio