With Mother’s Day only a couple months away, this commercial offers a funny reminder to women of the hit and misses that we suffer from our husbands’ gift selections. I’m lucky. My husband has a real knack for picking out gifts. I’ve received beautiful jewellery, gorgeous purses, and stylish clothes. Although the commercial is, essentially, an ad for JC Penney, it’s a funny, satirical commentary on the opposing perspectives of men and women. The biggest question I have is… even if we all had a man-sized doghouse in our backyard, would any husband really be willing to enter it on our command? Don’t think so.
I don’t often have wonderful things to say about television’s impact on kids, however the Olympic Games are a clear exception to my usual rant against the boob tube. Canada’s spirited display of a country bursting with pride at not only their stellar athletes, but the nation itself has been an inspiring experience for all of us who have been watching. The television has managed to spread that indefatigable thrill of seeing fellow Canadians push their physical and mental strengths to the limits. And succeed.
My kids now have a new aspiration to add to their list of things they want to be when they grow up. In fact, my 7-year old son came home today with a fill-in-the-blanks activity that he’d completed at school. He was asked to describe himself as a person in a community. Here’s what he wrote:
I am a… Olympic skier.
Here are three things I do in my work.
- I ski
- I use poles
- I start at a mini hut
Something hard about my work is… trying not to crash into trees
Something satisfying about my work is… people watching me on tv.
My work helps make God’s world a good home by… letting people watch their own country skier ski.
Look out firefighters - there’s a new career in town.
Just loving this commercial.
Once again, Coca-Cola creates that feel-good aura in a 60-second package. Those marketing gurus are even smarter than we give them credit for. That warm and cozy feeling we get every time we watch the fizzy elixir’s commercials resides somewhere inside our sub-conscious so that when it’s time to walk down the drink aisle of the grocery store, we automatically reach for the Coke. Pepsi just doesn’t have the same tug on our emotions as its competitor. After all, there is no stockpile of nostalgia and “aw, shucks” goodness in the recess of our minds to compel our hands to reach for the Pepsi.
In his book, Buyology, Martin Lindstrom writes about this brilliant branding tactic by marketers to elicit certain emotions when consumers come face to face with a product. The emotive response is, unfortunately, well beyond our control. In fact, most times consumers don’t even realize they’re selecting a product based on years of brand messaging.
Of course, it’s possible for anyone to avoid buying soda completely. But, whether it’s a birthday party, a family gathering, or a picky milk-avoiding nephew, pop has to be purchased by every family eventually. And what are you going to pick? I’m betting it’s gonna be the soda that makes you feel good (even if you don’t realize it!)
I know this ad is supposed to be funny, but I just couldn’t laugh. Maybe it’s because I’m a mother and I take my children’s health and happiness too seriously. Or maybe it’s because this commercial just isn’t as funny as it should be. My children love Skittles, regardless of the quality of their marketing plans. So, perhaps that’s why their latest ad isn’t really aimed at young kids who are far more likely to appreciate a Danny Phantom quip than the grumblings of an unhappy teenager who is being forced to sacrifice his happiness for his family’s insatiable appetite for small coloured candies. In any event, they’d think the exact same thing that I did when I saw this. I don’t get it.
And frankly, that’s not such a bad thing if it’s going to turn my kids off of a teeth-decaying sweet.
You’ve got to feel a little sorry for Hollywood these days. Recession times, such as they are, have hurt them as much as any other business out there. Did you see the Golden Globes? Clearly, they’re on a budget - why else would they have hired a Brit to host? Cheap overseas labour is something every business needs to consider when tough times hit.
The moviemakers have not exerted much effort into improving the quality of their product - that would just be wasteful spending. But rather they’ve brilliantly concentrated on marketing to an expanded audience for each movie produced. Understandably, this is to make up for cheap consumers who’d prefer to buy a week’s worth of groceries than spend a night at the movies. The cinema’s failed poster campaign featuring George Clooney in a three-piece suit (the bubble above his head saying “Aren’t I worth $15 to you?”) gave me pause, but ultimately was not persuasive enough to entice throngs of patrons, such as myself, to the theatres. You are worth fifteen dollars, I said to George’s dapper image, but who was I kidding? As a youngish 37-year old woman, I was still a decade too old to even fantasize about fantasizing about being his main squeeze - we’ve all seen his cocktail waitresses, er, girlfriends. And if it’s fantasy that Hollywood is trying to sell - I’d rather see Twilight.
In fact, it was during New Moon’s opening night, sitting among angst-ridden teenage girls that I realized I’d been manipulated by the latest of Hollywood’s marketing strategies - make a movie that appeals to a “broad”er audience, that is, offer a little something to everyone. The Twilight movies attract both teenagers and women who want to still look like teenagers. Pure genius.
These efforts have also worked fabulously with children. Walk into any grade one class at Halloween and what do you see? Girls dressed as princesses and boys dressed as superheroes. That must have been the big wigs’ inspiration to jump on the superhero blockbuster wagon. The Hulk, Batman, Superman, X-Men… I can almost hear the chorus of little boys begging Mom and Dad to take them to the movies. But those Hollywood executives aren’t suckers. Sure, movies like Kung Fu Panda do all right, but why not think bigger? And George Clooney needs another pay raise. The PR folks, between plastic surgery appointments, concocted a fail-proof plan to pack the theatres. Draw in the kids with the superhero title, yet pack the flick with violence (plus a small sex scene without the nudity) to attract the older guys. It’s a win-win. The kids get to see Batman save the world and the grown ups get to see a thriller featuring a psychopathic killer.
Of course, Tinseltown had enough foresight to consider hardened parents who aren’t so easily swayed by the incessant begging of their children. They realized such parents are either too cheap to shell out the hundred dollars for a pleasant family night out or are too paranoid to allow their kids to be exposed by some wholesome “violence.” That’s why they created movie merchandise to stock every toy store’s shelves. The Gotham Knight pickings were especially tantalizing. With every purchase of a Batman figure, kids received a free figurine pack of blood-covered corpses. Christmas was very special that year.
Apparently there’s some parent-led movement across North America trying to put a stop to this Hollywood practice. Of course, Hollywood is fighting this madness. America is, after all, the land of the free. Free - not as in free movie tickets, but as in free to make and sell movies as we please. They quickly silenced the ever growing demands of BAM (Babysitters Against Movies) whose complaints of job loss were assuaged with free tickets to - you guessed it - New Moon.
Hollywood is just trying to keep itself afloat in uncertain economic times. Yet some people are unconvinced, saying they’re putting profits ahead of child safety and welfare. To these naysayers, the big studios are offering a free showing of the popular movie The Hangover during which they will slash the price of popcorn by half. Should that fail, they will be forced to consider giving George Clooney a pay cut.
