Posted on 02/17/2005 1:26:35 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
In this PC age of advertising, there is one group who can still be made the butt of jokes with total impunity: middle-aged white guys.
The latest installment was on display in a commercial I just caught. A befuddled guy is sitting on the couch, fiddling with the TV remote. His roughly 11-year old daughter enters, and he tells her he can't seem to switch to a given channel.
"Of course not," she curtly informs him, "it's been blocked." She goes on to inform the ignoramus that most channels can be blocked via the remote or by calling the cable company.
He asks whether channels can be unblocked, and once again she condescendingly explains they can, then snidely adds:
"But you're going to have to get Mom's permission."
He calls out for his wife. She enters, and he imploringly asks her if he can watch the channel. She glances at the screen, gives a curt "No!" then exits.
Another day in the life of Bumbling, Stumbling White Guy.
Yes, yes, I know: "don't be so touchy. I thought it was funny. Chill out. Relax." etc. Look, I have no problem if this was an equal-opportunity thing. But it does bug me that if the tables were turned cries of outrage would echo throughout the land.
Toilet bowl cleaners, the Tampon isle in the supermarket, the chick flick section in the video store, the films," why you should leave the toilet seat down," or "Sports isn't a religion," or "Belching is not cool," . . .. the list goes on and on. Love it. :)
On those, it's all guys, not just white guys.
It isn't "balkanizing" of commercials, it's the advertisers drilling in toward ever more specific demographics. The accuracy with which they target their ads is scary...
I think the next phase of advertising will be to not only target advertising to a specific demographic but to avoid OTHER demographics from seeing the advertisement.
Thus the AmEx Ellen Degenerat commercial will only be seen by f*g h*gs and other homosexuals BUT not be seen by those who would avoid the product or service BECAUSE of the association.
It is easy with magazines (or websites) which are demographic specific. How to do this an avoid the casual channel surfers.
You mean like ads above urinals, which are becoming more widespread?
I wouldn't attribute any sinister motives to the advertisers, they just want to make the most of their dollars.
However, in regards to so-called "gay advertising" it already exists, as does black advertising, spanish advertising, etc. complete with companies that specializes in such things...however, to see something really scary, check out the company Buzzmetrics for what they do...
I am in agreement.
The Urinal ad is a good example of an ad that is seen by men but not women.
I am just saying the next step is going to be negative targeting, IOW making sure you ads are NOT seen by certain groups.
Can't boycott or be offended by what you don't know about.
It's the old question -- if a tree falls in the forest, etc...if an advertiser does something offensive and you don't know about it, is it still offensive?
If you still buy the product then no, it is not offensive.
Well, here's the inside scoop -- there are few luxury items, upscale products, including liquor, cars, clothing, beer, hotels, airlines etc. that don't market to gays one way or another. And there are virtually no products with any significant ad budget that doesn't market to blue state liberals...
There is a difference between running the exact same ad in all magazines and creating a specific themed ad.
(I find it histerical that AmEx is marketing using a homosexual given that homosexuals die so young and american express has to be paid in full each month)
For the forseeable future I don't see how any straight man can drink a pepsi after their explicitly "gay" commercial during the superbowl.
It really is too bad that all the "madison avenue" ad power is concentrated in NY.
The "exact same ads" don't work in all magazines or tv shows. For instance, Harley Davidson will run a different ad in Rolling Stone magazine than they'll run in Popular Mechanics.
The only motivation these companies have is to sell product. They don't care who buys the product, just as long as they pay for it. They're not in business to promote a political agenda, they're in business to build a thing and then sell it to people who have enough money to afford it. As for American Express -- since gay populations tend to be centered in urban areas, such as NYC, San francisco, etc. -- they tend to be somewhat affluent with lots of ready cash. A gay guy will go out and buy a $200 pair of pants or a $500 dinner.
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