Jan 08 2009
National Body Challenge
I have previously blogged about how cleaning products are now being presented in advertising like gigolos, luring us away from our boring husband (or old boyfriend?) products (mops, none-skin-softening dish soap etc). Apparently adultery metaphors are hot in the advertising world. Now the Health Discovery channel is in on the act. Trying to lure us away from bad foots and seduce us with nutrition. But, um…
Seduced by a carrot, really? Is this co-sponsored by the American Carrot Council trying to subliminally push the appeal of the dual purpose vegetable? Also, isn’t the whole problem with junk food the short-term thrill of “attractive” tastes and, um, “mouth feel” leading to unbalanced and/or excessive food intake? That is, we need to stay with reliable, good-for-us carrot rather than jump out the window into the fluffy white-bread arms of Mr. Sexyburger? (Not the other way around).
The site has a photo feature titled, disparagingly, “weight Loss Fads”. This apparently includes the title thumbnail, a women boxing (obviously for weight loss? Obviously a hilarious fad?) and Gloria Swanson* (excerpted here)using hand-weights (ditto?). If women exercising is innately hilarious I do wonder about the overall goal of the program and why Bally fitness are apparently so deeply involved in it (as advertisers).
I also find the absence of any real science rather patronising. Informational articles like this piece about soda never do more than non-specific hand-wave at ”stacks of research”, “new research” and “a study, out of the University of Texas”. The reader is assumed to not want to, or be able to, understand the source material? Would a citation in a foot note be that bad, if only because the people who did the research probably deserve some credit? (Let alone because I might not trust the copy-writer’s interpretation of their data).
* Gloria Swanson was a dedicated and influential proponent of healthy nutrition, including rather progressive attitudes about natural foods, vegetarianism and yoga–she lobbied for the first American law limited pesticide levels in foods. She was also an astounding actress and founded successful companies producing make-up and clothing. Frankly, she deserves more respect than this.
Oh, i am not suggesting it is offensive, but counterintuitive to suggest the healthy foods are sexy and seductive :)
How I would approach the concept of that commercial….
It’s night; dark. A woman in a celery costume walks into frame, carrying a suitcase. She flips on a light and enthusiastically says, “I’m home, honey! Did you miss me?” She looks up and sees a man in bed with a woman dressed in a hamburger outfit. The man, completely startled, whimpers out a pathetic, “Hi…. I… didn’t expect you home so–” Celery-woman runs out of the room, a hand to her face, trying to hold back tears. The man, dressed in a wife-beater and boxer shorts, chases her outside while trying to get her attention. “Honey? Honey, come back!”
Outside, we see celery-woman crying, arms crossed and standing against the wall of the house. The man comes out and runs to her. “It’s not what it looks like. She was–”
Celery-woman socks the man in the eye.
“How dare you!?” she says through gritted teeth. “How could you do this? How could you do this to me?”
Awkward silence.
“How many times, Jerry?” she asks.
“Oh, Sheila, that’s–”
“Don’t lie to me…. How many times?”
“Look, I–” The man tries to put his arms around her, but she slaps his hands away.
“No!” She yells at him. “Don’t you even touch me!”
The two stare at each other, the man seeing in her eyes the pain he caused her. She holds back her tears and breathes in.
“You’re sick, Jerry,” she says defiantly. “You’re a pig. And you need help.”
Celery-woman walks to her car and drives away. The man collapses to his knees and starts sobbing. The screen fades to black, and white letters appear on the screen: “Vegetables are good to you. They don’t deserve this.”
i was stunned when i saw the ad, i thought now what CARROT?? come on what is there taget marketing, women or men??
however i should admit they make me smile sometimes LOL