I heard a radio commercial this morning for an international BBQ chicken chain. The commercial went something along these general lines:
Female Voice: Honey, I’m leaving you.Cue tagline.
Male Voice: Wuh? (Incomprehensible gurgling and sadness.)
Female Voice: For your brother.
Male Voice: Huh? (More gurgling and sadness.)
Female Voice: And I’m keeping the ring.
Male Voice: Buh… Wuh…
Rake in the dough.
Unbelievable.
This commercial follows a trend I’ve noticed in advertising lately… one that seems to coincide with the Judd-Apatow-all-men-are-complete-douches revolution that’s made it hip to be an idiot.
It seems to me that many companies are trying to make a buck, and get a memorable laugh, by portraying their male customers as stupid, lazy and ignorant… capable of nothing more than fumbling through their days at the mercy of the women in their lives.
Now, I would have assumed that the aforementioned BBQ chicken chain would value my demographic (30-something males) for our constant hunger for BBQ’ed meat, not to mention our disposable income.
However, having heard this commercial, I can only assume that they believe I am meek, stupid, bumbling and incapable of defending myself. If this is true, how could I possibly be expected to drive myself to their restaurant for some food…after all, dat dere driving test is mighty tuff to pass, and bus schedules are awfully tuff to read.
(Ok, the logical explanation must be that this BBQ chicken chain is after the female demographic. Not so fast. The female in this commercial doesn’t have it any easier, does she? She’s sleazy, whorish, cold and callous. Women like that don’t eat BBQ’ed chicken; they eat red meat right off the bone. She’s more likely steal the meal from a senior than pay for it.)
Am I wrong here? Does this company just have a bad advertising department, or are companies increasingly making fun of the very people they want to buy their product?
To test my theory, I’m introducing Ricochay’s ‘We’re all Morons’ Commercial Challenge. Your mission: watch 30 minutes of prime time TV, and tell me that there isn’t at least 1.5 minutes of commercials (three 30-second spots) that portray men as stupid and ignorant in an attempt to demonstrate a product’s value.
What’s in it for you? The chance to restore my faith in advertising and humanity. What more could you ask for? And besides, I have no money for prizes.
I may not know what I want my Pea to become, but I hope she doesn’t forever link men with stupidity.
You know, I've been watching TV for almost 2 hours and I tune out the commercials. I keep forgetting to actually focus on the ads.
ReplyDeleteMs. Chronicles... I was worried that my post would be misconstrued... I am not advocating for a return to a time when women were equally portrayed as sad, subservient maids. I'm asking for advertisers to give both genders the credit they deserve and compose scripts that are funny, poignant without the need to consistently mock anyone.
ReplyDeleteAre you the one writing all the complaint e-mails about how men are protrayed in the ads that your wife and I work on? (I get a l lot of those e-mails!) This subject has come up a lot around the office for at least a year. We're working on being better. But you guys are just such easy targets, it's hard to resist...
ReplyDeletekath
I complain about this to my unsympathetic wife all the time. Television advertising in general is terrible but I cannot think of a single commercial where the male subject is no better than a lobotomized moron. An since we're on the topic of bad commercials, who does the advertising for Tim Hortons ... the ads are brutal !!
ReplyDelete