Sunnythebright

So I stumbled upon my friend Ashley Collin’s blog and found it super entertaining so I thought I would share it with the rest of you out there just in case you miss her blog this week.  She had blogged about a condom commercial she found on Youtube. I completely agree with her on that any topic revolving around sex are usually uncomfortable, disapproving and inappropriate and may offend audiences. Durex has clearly identify this as a weakness for their products and has cleverly come up with a marketing commercial that is eye catching, more appropriate for viewers and that provides a comic relief. Ashley mentioned most condom commercials are hot and steamy, I would like to add confusing and indirect into that category. Condom companies tries not be so direct about what they selling in order to avoid offending any potential viewers and I’ve found it to be very ineffective because by the end of the commercial the viewer is left confused and uncertain about what the company is trying to pitch to them. Durex took a different approach and simply had their product (condoms) in view throughout the whole commercial but disguised it in a way that only older audiences (young adults – which happens to be their target market) may understand its context. I personally believe it’s a great commercial and it completely caught my attention because it was so different from the usual ones I have seen before. I can definately see how Durex’s marketing team consists of very creative people and hope to see more commercials as creative and attractive as theirs.

The Youtube video is worth watching, it is really cute and entertaining!

I realize that his topic may be brought up and talked about a lot but I strongly feel that it is a topic that can be looked at more.

In our society today, the way ads and commericals portray both women and men are extremely disrespectful and demeaning. Our exposure to all the media around us has implanted in our minds this image of ‘what a beautiful women’ should appear like or ‘what a real man’ should look like. There are several ads out there that exploit both genders as you can see below. My questions are: Is this what we preceive all men and women should look like? Why is it that majority of men in society not appear as they do in the Calvin Klein ads then? If ordinary men do not replicate the models in Calvin Klein’s ads does that mean they are inferior? Are women supposed to be a size zero in order to be categorized as beautiful or pretty?

Although most people may not take great offence to these ads. I personally feel that they are subconsciously hurting us. Women wonder “if they are too fat to be liked” and men feel emasculated by not meeting the society’s standards of ‘a man.’ I don’t believe men have to be strong, buff or extremely fit to be attractive and manly. I don’t believe women have to be thin, tall, lean to be pretty. Why can’t there just be ads with “normal people” portrayed in it? How much percent of our population even looks like “the ideal man or woman”? We shouldn’t have to feel bad about ourselves just because some advertising company decided to project their views on what a woman or man should look like. We should be happy to be who we are in every aspect. This is why I believe Dove has been so successful in getting support for their campaign. They promote “real beauty” and being comfortable in your own skin. I recently came across a blogger and her opinions on the Dove campaign.

http://theworldofads.wordpress.com/2007/03/22/doves-campaign-for-real-beauty/

I completely agree with her on how Dove has been successful in reaching out to their target groups because they promote the real aspect of beauty. They don’t hire people that fits into the sterotype of “The perfect women” but rather base all their ads and commercials on everyday average people like you and I. The ad doesn’t suggest what women should LOOK LIKE to be beautiful but rather delivers the message that everyone is beautiful and unique in their own way and that we should all be proud of we are. The message I get from Dove is so much more positive than the ones I get from everyday ads I see in magazines or on television. It’s a tough adjustment for our society and it’s even harder for everyone to change their way of thinking. It may take hundreds of years before we can all come to a realization that we are all different and beautiful in our own ways and that there are many defintions of beauty, not just one. Maybe, just maybe I’ll live to see that day.