commercials

Obviously it’s not always possible to tell when the dad in an ad is a primary caregiver, but there’s been an increase in dad-centric TV commercials this year, with a move away from the doofus archetype of the past. This echoes the trend for more capable, hands-on fathers in movies and TV shows, but some brands have been slow to recognize that this is what viewers want.

Earlier this year, Huggies launched a series of TV spots that showed moms putting their products to the “dad test” —the implication being that if those big dopes could use ‘em, anyone could. The backlash was swift and vocal, with both moms and dads taking to the brand’s Facebook page to complain that the ads played on out of date stereotypes. Huggies was clearly panicked by the strength of the negative response: they yanked one of the ads, emphasized that they featured real couples rather than a fictionalized idea of what fathers are like, and even rushed to a daddy blogging conference to issue an “our bad”.

What’s interesting is that this criticism didn't come from the media or the feminist blogosphere but the intended audience, suggesting a real-world shift in attitudes towards stay-at-home dads (and hands-on fathers in general). But while Huggies’ campaign was unimaginative and hackneyed, it’s understandable: for years, the Homer Simpson-esque clueless papa has been a reliable and uncontroversial target for humor. He still features in many ads, like Kroger’s current Christmas commercial, where a woman informs us that her husband helps out at this time of year by doing his own wrapping (just like a grown-up!) — and then we see said wrapping, and it’s atrocious.

If the incessant loop of "Baby It's Cold Outside" playing at the grocery store hasn't tipped you off yet, allow me: The holiday shopping season is upon us. And if you celebrate this time of year, this means you have approximately one month to buy everyone in your life a meaningful gift—and retailers won't let you forget it. Hence, the holiday shoppings ads, which are now playing at a rate of approximately one thousand per minute. While some of these spots are kinda clever, others are downright terrible. That's why were reprising an age-old Bitch blogs tradition, as timeless and hairy as Santa's beard. It's the Offensive Commercials Holiday Showdown!

Here in the feminist blogosphere, we spend a lot of time calling out sexism in the media, especially in advertising. Contrary to popular belief, this is not because we are screeching harridans, but because most mainstream advertising is hella sexist. That’s why I was extra-psyched to see this new Acer electronics ad featuring Megan Fox as a budding marine biologist who is not, at any point, reduced to a piece of ass.

Say what you will about Old Navy, its ad team knows their audience. They got the attention of late-twenty-early-thirtysomethings with a Blossom reunion, a 90210 reunion, and now they've brought America's Sweethearts: 1997 Edition to the small screen and crammed 'em inside of a boombox. That's right—Backstreet's Back!


Alright!

Oh "light" beverages. When will you stop freaking out and shoving your unnecessarily constructed masculinity in our faces? The latest in this long line of I'm-so-manly-it's-sexist diet drinks (predecessors include Miller Lite, Pepsi Max, and Coke Zero) is none other than Dr. Pepper 10, with a new ad campaign that screams IT'S NOT FOR WOMEN.


What makes a calorie manly? A tiny patch of chest hair and a miniature disdain for womanly calories? Read on to find out!

This commercial campaign leaves me conFUZEd. Read on for discussion of genderless fruit, fat-shaming and the marketing of rebellion.

Klondike rolled out a new ad campaign last week called "5 Seconds to Glory." The premise: You must complete a five-second challenge in order to get your hands on a Klondike Bar (a square of chocolate-covered ice cream). Why you can't just bypass the challenge and go straight to the bar itself is beyond me, but the real kicker here is the misogynistic, homophobic challenges Klondike presents.

Let's talk about Bounce. Specifically, let's talk about the "Sheets or Bar" campaign, the only ad series I've seen lately that can compete with the obnoxiousness of Virgin Mobile's stalker humor.

It seems that irrelevant talking animals are not the height of commercial vogue, leaving extra room for the gems Virgin Mobile has been bombarding me with at every break. And by "gems," I mean they're abso-freaking-lutely awful in every way. Take a look:

Those of you who have cable may have seen a new product advertised recently: the Trojan Tri-Phoria. Now, TV ads for vibrators aren't exactly headline news (in fact, we ran a charticle on vibrator commercials in our Buzz issue last year), but this new sex toy ad is airing during cable primetime shows like The Daily Show, and some networks (VH1, Spike) are running it during the day as well. Sex toy ads! In the daytime! What do we make of this? Let's watch the ad and find out: