Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Not just bad writing, it's bad thinking

Some ads don't make sense.

The Rexona commecial asking why there aren't any male cheerleaders is not just bad, it's plain false. First, there ARE male cheerleaders. And while their jobs are usually limited to throwing the females around in routines or leading the crowd in shouting, they do exist. Second, the reason the women get all the attention is because the athletes are usually men. The cheerleaders are there to inspire the men who play (and those who watch as well).

To claim that men don't cheer because they sweat a lot is lazy writing, probably meant to justify the silly visual of sweaty, bearded men doing a cheerdance routine.

Kris Aquino's ad for Maggi Sinigang Mix is no better. In it she tells how her mom suggested she use said product. Now does anyone actually believe that Cory Aquino, former president, widow to a national hero, and one of the wealthiest people in the country (with or without Ninoy) actually cooks her own meals AND USES CHEAP ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING?

An ad is basically an argument. And while people may not boycott a product because of a silly, illogical ad (I think we still use Maggi Sinigang at home), it's a matter of integrity for the creative director and copywriter to insist on a script that makes sense.

2 comments:

FNF said...

Hehehe. Yes, that Rexona Men commercial is so silly. I don't even know what entered their brains to actually think that the commercial will convince men! I've asked the men in our house if they'll use Rexona men -- none said yes, and my youngest brother said "ayoko magpaspray ng kili-kili!" :)

missingpoints said...

It would've been funnier if the whole ad just pretended that it's normal and that the cheering squad's only problem was excessive sweat.

Instead they treated the question as the big idea and tried to craft a commercial around that.

And aren't most deodorants really geared toward men (because we sweat more)? It's the deodorants for women that need to be positioned.