Due to losing their monopoly in Western Canada over the sale of wheat and barley, the Canadian Wheat Board has had to become quite creative in order to attract their customers. Their latest advertisement, which features a scantily dressed cowgirl on top of a fence with the slogan “Still on the Fence?” has received quite a lot of attention. The slogan was targeted at those farmers who are unsure if they should keep using CWB’s services or start selling grain on their own, but all the focus has shifted to the lovely pin-up girl portrayed with her red boots and long legs.
Ranchers across the west coast have responded negatively to the advertisement, saying it is “in such bad taste” and not “the way farm women want to be portrayed.”
Professors who have analyzed the ad have concluded that the problem lies in targeting the wrong audience. They state that farmers are generally conservative, family-oriented people and this ad doesn’t align with their ethics. As Professor Barbara Phillips from the University of Saskatchewan stated, “the ad is better suited for advertising a rib-night at a Montana’s restaurant.”
Dayna Spiring, the chief strategy officer of CWB fought back with her own remarks, claiming that they wanted something “that caught people’s attention and got people talking.” Good or bad, it has done just that.
Although there hasn’t been enough time since the advertisement has launched to observe its success rate, I think people are over-reacting to this whole situation. The Canadian Wheat Board is new to this department of their business and for them to test the waters of their advertising campaign is completely reasonable. My suggestion is that they partake in more market research to acquire a full analysis of their target market. This will ensure they are appropriately marketing with the right idea in mind, as to possibly avoid what has happened with this advertisement.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/the-canadian-wheat-boards-still-on-the-fence-ad/article8012256/?from=8011826