Tuesday, August 10, 2010
"Hello ladies...
...Look at your man, now back to me. Now back at your man, now back to me... I'm on a horse." I'm sure we have all heard of or seen the new Old Spice deodorant commercial. Sure it's clever and humorous, but what does the advertising actually have to do with the product's effectiveness against body odor? Towards the end of Chapter 6 in Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman says that television has changed society since everything and everyone takes on attributes of entertainers to become successful. Old Spice deodorant must be enjoying good sales currently and the other companies must be jealous. Gillete's, Arm & Hammer's, and Arrid's advertising and publicity departments are probably brainstorming for new and clever ways to advertise their products to 1-UP Old Spice. But... are any of them actually IMPROVING their deodorant formulas to knock Old Spice out of the top spot? No. They are just trying to "out-showbiz" them. So basically, whoever amuses the masses the best gets the most sales. So what do you want? Quality deodorant, or amusing deodorant?
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Back in the 19080s and 90s, before I was a teacher, I was a marketing and corporate communications maven for a packaging firm.
ReplyDeleteMany private label companies formulate their products -- shampoo, deodorant, body wash, floor cleaner, etc. -- and then put the products into different bottles that are then labeled differently, priced differently, and sold at different stores. What is inside the bottle is the SAME STUFF. It's the packaging, marketing focus and price point that changes.
I happen to like that Old Spice campaign because it is gently mocking itself; in its approach, it demonstrates an awareness of the absurdity of similar campaigns, such as Axe and Hai Karate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE
ReplyDeleteAmusing Deodorant.
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ReplyDeleteAnd I disbelieve that just because a commercial is entertaining it is an unqualified product. Are you trying to say just because one is funny, one is no good? But one that is bland is one that will prosper? If so, I disagree, Mark. Nice post though, it actually made my day!
ReplyDeleteI remember a friend showing me the Old Spice commercials from YouTube not so long ago. That is how people earn money and prosper, by using "out-showbiz"ing. It does catch attentions, and people do try them. (Old Spice does smell good by the way...)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Breahna on how better advertising do not make the product unjustifiable to be sold to the customers. Old Spice deodorants' smells are distinguishable from other deodorant smells for guys.
Breanha and Diane, I'm not discrediting the quality of deodorant because it has good advertising. I should've added "Or both?" at the end. Because, not going to lie, I've been using Old Spice for over a year now :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a very silly Question, And I say this with the best intention's, But any reasonable person would say " Quality deodorant," but i believe it's more than that a deodorant has to be both appealing and smell good in order to get my vote. I personally would not by quality deodorant if it came in a poorly manufactured container, but i would not buy a amusing deodorant if it smelled horrible.
ReplyDeleteIt was like Ms. Fletcher said, a lot of products are virtually the SAME. How the advertising companies market their products depend on their sales. It depends on how they make their products stick out, whether it's a distinct scent or funny advertising. So it's not a silly question. Because if you bought Old Spice in the past six months for the first time, you have just become a tool of pop culture since your deodorant is both... quality... and amusing.
ReplyDelete