Parody taken to a new level: Funny or Offensive?
April 11, 2009
Not sure how I feel about this. It is funny - I laughed. But, it's also on the "riske´" side...to this old Baby Boomer gal. Maybe for today's young woman, it's appropriate humor. I could see those of us from the old Laugh-In days getting a kick out it. (check out the comments - they say a lot about the sexual mores of today's young people, IMHO).
But, it makes me - uncomfortable, somehow. Like - is nothing sacred anymore?
My question is: do YOU find it funny? Does it make you want to run out and buy Wilkinson Sword shavers? And, would YOU participate in a commercial like this? Or, if your daughter did a commercial like this - would it bother you? Would you tell YOUR mother about it?
All I can say is "wow!" This would not make me interested in buying the shaver, and it actually a little creepy.
I would be uncomfortable actually seeing this on tv... especially in mixed sex or age company!
Posted by: Katie | May 10, 2009 at 12:57 AM
ok.. i'm 21 and just saw this commercial for the first time on this blog. while the song is annoyingly catchy.. i dislike the ad entirely. i understand that they are trying the humor approach but its completely immature. i do not think its offensive at all.. just plain stupid. nothing about it would sway me to actually buy the product, i'd probably end up changing the channel.
Posted by: DAW | May 03, 2009 at 11:32 PM
I'm young and I saw this commercial. It's clever but at the same time I'm not inclined to buy their products. It's just not something I want to see. I liked the new Pamprin commercial with the lady comedian. That was HYSTERICAL and made me want to go on their website to see if they had more clips. That worked!
Posted by: Aura | April 28, 2009 at 04:43 PM
Interesting ad, cleverly done but nonetheless a little over the top. Sex sells unfortunately and is so prevalent in our culture. At least this one was done with a little humor. I notice that the ad on this blog site, to the right of these comments features a woman in a bikini: an ad for laser hair removal? Message is consistent, different presentation.
Posted by: delicate flower | April 18, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Wow......
For starters, I agree with Marita's comment that I would have thought this was an SNL parody if I didn't know it was a real ad.
As a real ad, no I wouldn't buy these razors, and I find it offensive on many levels. It's incredibly racist at the beginning to not-so-subtly hint that a black woman would be hairier than an Asian woman.
Beyond that, although I may never have understood being a girly-girl, I can't imagine that even women who do actually want their pubic hair compared to weeds needing to be trimmed. But hey, that's me.
And no, I didn't find it cute, clever, or amusing. I found it irritating. But the Brits do tend to have different standards for their commercials then we do, so maybe it's a cultural thing too.
Anyways, long story short, my overall impression is "ugh."
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 12, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Talk about a double-edged sword, uh, shaver, uh, message.
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or choke. It is very clever, and memorable (one of the most important components of advertising), but will it bring in the customers and the big bucks? Hmmm, I'd be interested in finding out.
Posted by: Carol White Llewellyn | April 12, 2009 at 08:29 AM
I can't believe this is a real ad...it seems like something I'd see on Saturday Night Live. If it were on SNL I'd laugh because those skits are meant to be silly...as a real ad I think it's a no no.
Posted by: Marita Greenidge | April 11, 2009 at 09:22 PM
I think this is pretty clever and got a chuckle out of it! I probably won't make me go buy it, but I would be more likely to notice the brand now! I will be passing it along... which is just what they want.
Posted by: Amy | April 11, 2009 at 08:45 PM
I can't say this would make me buy this shaver (trimmer?). I have to say it makes me a little uncomfortable. Wouldn't like to be watching that with my sons in the same room, but in all fairness there are a lot of ads out there that are even more explicit about some personal problems (that also make me feel uncomfortable). It was clever as Mary said.
Pat
Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings
www.patriciarose-apotpourri.com
www.patriciarose-apotourriof.blogspot.com
Posted by: Pat Morello | April 11, 2009 at 05:42 PM
This seems kind of tame, visually, compared to, say, a Victoria's Secret catalog. But then, I guess those are meant as much to "market" to men, as they are to women.
This one appears to focus specifically on women consumers, so I'm probably genetically unqualified to comment on how well it works. ;-D
I am curious to see what women think of it, though.
Posted by: Tom | April 11, 2009 at 11:53 AM