Christine Cheung’s blog post “Online ads: What makes them successful?” brought Oreo’s “Daily Twist” ad to my attention.  The ad, posted on Kraft Food’s U.S. Facebook page, features a six-layered Oreo cookie that is rainbow-coloured in support of the gay rights movement in the United States. Christine regards the ad as very successful: despite its simplicity, it carries a much deeper social message. I would agree; the “Gay Oreo” has got over 140,000 likes and 19,000 comments on Facebook.  However, the ad campaign faced harsh criticism with comments such as “gays need to leave America” and “this is absolutely disgusting”.

Let’s look at a few other examples of LGBT-friendly ads:

American Apparel’s “Legalize Gay” T-shirts

Originally in opposition of Prop 8 in November 2008, which provided that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California”, American Apparel starting printing t-shirts reading “Legalize Gay”. Since then, it has given away over 50,000 of these shirts. On its website, American Apparel states that it “believes in freedom, expression and equality, things that are inherently condemned in the prohibition of gay marriage”.

Amazon’s “Husbands” Ad

In a television commercial for its Kindle e-reader, Amazon sends a gay-friendly message that has been generating both positive and negative buzz, other than the usual conservative criticisms. In the ad, a man and a woman sit on the beach and compare the iPad to the “superior” Kindle. The man proclaims that he’s just ordered a Kindle Paperwhite, and suggests they “celebrate”. The woman replies that her husband is already buying her a drink, and the man responds “so is mine!”. Some critics argue that the punch line is underwhelming or that it does not really fit with the plot of the commercial. However, the fact that the punch line is unsurprising means that LGBT-friendly marketing has been making progress.

Sources:

Online ads: What makes them successful?

http://www.thestar.com/life/2012/06/27/pridethemed_oreo_unleashes_cookie_controversy.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_8

http://www.americanapparel.net/legalizegay/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/american-apparel-legalize-gay-marriage-france-t-shirts_n_2272608.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnmDlk6F3d0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/amazon-kindle-gay-marriage-commercial-_n_2732827.html#slide=2114281

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/amazons-gay-kindle-spot-nice-surprise-or-little-forced-147758

http://www.policymic.com/articles/28450/new-kindle-gay-marriage-commercial-paperwhite-ad-signals-changing-times

VS.

Dove has centered its advertising campaigns on criticizing the beauty industry for giving unrealistic expectations of beauty.  In the popular “Evolution” video, Dove showed how Photoshop can transform a woman’s face to have model looks by manipulating the image to have a slimmer face, exaggerated lips and doe eyes.  The Dove has also launched the “Campaign for Real Beauty” which is an educational program to build self-esteem in young woman.  The video’s caption reads: “Dove invites all women to join us in creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety.”

However, Unilever has been criticized for the hypocrisy of Dove’s advertising campaigns, as the company also owns the Axe brand. Axe has been accused of having sexist themes in its advertisements. The ads are used to endorse the idea that if a man uses Axe products, he will become more attractive to women. In its Superbowl ad this year, a handsome lifeguard rescues a helpless woman from a shark attack, but she ends up leaving the lifeguard when a male astronaut turns up. The ad was designed to promote the launch of Axe’s Apollo products, which is promoted by a contest promising to send 22 winners to space. The contest’s tagline reads: “Leave a man; return a hero”. This gives the impression that only men can enter the contest, despite the fact that officially, women are welcome to enter. This has most definitely ruffled some feathers, considering that there is a gender gap in scientific careers. Others argue that because Axe is a men’s brand, it is acceptable that the contest would be open to only male competitors. However, despite any sexism present, the ads have been undeniably successful, making Axe the market leader in its category.

Unilever has delivered very different and conflicting messages about women, and the inconsistency of its message devalues the legitimacy of the Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty”.  Unilever has dismissed the Axe advertisements as simply joking and “not to be taken literally”. But undoubtedly, the hypocrisy of Unilever’s ad campaigns makes the consumer question if Dove’s objective of building self-esteem in women is truly sincere.

Sources:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/whats-behind-the-culture-of-photoshop-in-advertising/article10111740/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mahaatal/2013/02/04/axes-super-bowl-ad-fail-when-sexism-doesnt-sell/

http://seattletimes.com/html/living/2004050655_axeads03.html

15 years of Axe Effect: the world’s most sexist advertising campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omBfg3UwkYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rSY7zpINa4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWpNTNjyzr8