Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Lighten up, ladies.


(adnews.com.au)

A letter to the entertainment guide of our local newspaper
was a letter of complaint regarding the Libra feminine hygeine pads advertisment.

The one where someone's boyfriend is acting out with pads as props.

You know the one, don't you?

(designculturelab.org)


Mrs Adams is annoyed as she considers this ad degrading to women.

I have assumed by the formality of her signature that Mrs Adams may well be of an older generation.
With that may well come a more conservative viewpoint.

But I still think, given the limited range of options that advertisers are willing to use when it comes to
menstruation ads, this is a beauty.

I think it is one of the most amusing ads on telly in a long time and I cack myself everytime it comes on.
I never get sick of it.

I think annoying is seeing another "let's pour some bright cleansing blue fluid
onto our products so that women (and probably men) everywhere won't be offended
by, hmmmm, let's say, red fluid" ad.

Mind you, I am a woman who wasn't too upset by the "beaver" ad.


(mockingwords.blogspot.com)

But I can see why some people would be.

I was more puzzled by the idea that Aussie woman would identify
with an American slang term for their pink bits.

Someone, somewhere, sitting in an office, obviously thought it was worth a try.
(Bet it wasn't a woman)

Annoying is when they try to sell chocolate-coated sugar as a healthy breakfast cereal for kids.

Degrading when a woman in a bikini is hovering over a bench to sell frying pans or power tools.

I can see why men might be interested in that power tool
but I am not going to run out and buy that eight litre anodised saucepan
because a leggy blond wearing red lipstick and not much else
pouts at me.
I will admit that I am a marketing person's nightmare.
I rarely see an advert and actually register who is selling.
I make a point of noticing if that advert is annoying or boring or dumb or patronising
so I know whom not to buy from.

So, I'll put my hand up and say that this advert is one of the best.
In this day and age, I think that it is as good as we are going to get at the moment, ladies.

(campaignbrief.com)

Do people think the same?
Or does Mrs Adams have a point?

8 comments:

Partito y Monito said...

Some people are serial complainers as they have nothing better to do with their time!

I think the ads are hilarious and am waiting for the day my kids to come out of the bathroom in sanitary pad armor, ready for battle!

CurlyPops said...

I think everyone should lighten up. We've all lost our sense of humour (and I find that ad hilarious too)!
I never really GOT the beaver one - probably because of the americanism

Karen said...

I love this ad too! I wasn't mad on the beaver one for the reason you mentioned - where do we live??
I too avoid products who have ads that annoy me - this all said I can't stand seeing a billboard with a sexually provocative picture on full display to the three kids in my backseat.
The tv and radio I can turn off, I feel billboards are not censored well enough.

JulieT said...

LOL I love that ad and your right it is a breath of fresh air after all those others I think pouring blue liquid on one is degrading to women especially their intelligence!

willow and moo said...

That Libra ad cracks me up too.

I have to admit that I am cynical about ads. It doesn't help that I have had exposure to a company that is responsible for lots of those ads! I love it when the ad people get it right, but so many times they just miss the mark.

Hmmm, wonder who is going to get lambasted on The Gruen Transfer tonight?

Anonymous said...

I have a laugh at the ad your talking about - though as a reusables lady, it annoys me that he wastes alot of $ and landfill on his dressups LOL. I think the beaver ads are absolutely hilarious, but then, I sell reusable menstration products - so I have a high threshold I guess about period and vagina talk/jokes ;). Yes, very American, but still very funny.

Tasha said...

I lurrrrve this ad!! It is something I see my lesser half doing actually ;P

Mary said...

we could hang out in marketing nightmare land together. I still won't buy lipstick/windsor smith shoes because of an ad campaign they ran well over 10 years ago.
Love this ad, no idea what brand it is, irrelvant for me anyway but good entertainment ;)