Friday
Mar042011
Do advertisers just think parents are this stupid? Or are they?
Friday, March 4, 2011
We all like to laugh at advertisements that are so ridiculous that they are funny. But are they really harmless? Advertising Standards Canada doesn't think so and it has launched a public service announcement on truth in advertising. The campaign is called Dressing it Up Doesn't Make it True and they've created this great television ad to go along with it.
I think this is an important message. But how many companies do? It is easy to come up with a list of misleading advertisements that have "dressed up" products as something they are not. Some of these are even from companies that are members of Advertising Standards Canada.
I hope that most parents are laughing instead of being convinced (consciously or unconsciously) when watching ads as ridiculous as these...
Yes, babies are fussy sometimes. No, switching to formula will not magically make the witching hour go away and turn your baby into a non-stop giggling machine.
Nutella would like you to believe that it is a key ingredient in a nutritious breakfast and that it is made up of "wholesome quality ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of delicious cocoa."
They would like desperately to hide the fact that the first two ingredients are sugar and palm oil.
People think germs are really scary. Lysol wants to convince parents that they should spray their baby's toys with toxins. Who cares about the long-term effects of nasty toxins, if we can avoid getting a virus this week, then WIN!
Why worry about the environment when you can stuff the landfill full of more disposable towels?
What do you think of these ads? Do you have any favourite (or not so favourite) misleading ads? Is truth in advertising too lofty a goal?
Thank you to Rebecca from A Little Bit of Momsense for suggesting a couple of the videos.
I think this is an important message. But how many companies do? It is easy to come up with a list of misleading advertisements that have "dressed up" products as something they are not. Some of these are even from companies that are members of Advertising Standards Canada.
I hope that most parents are laughing instead of being convinced (consciously or unconsciously) when watching ads as ridiculous as these...
Probiotics in Formula Make Babies Laugh Uncontrollably
Yes, babies are fussy sometimes. No, switching to formula will not magically make the witching hour go away and turn your baby into a non-stop giggling machine.
Ignore the First Two Ingredients
Nutella would like you to believe that it is a key ingredient in a nutritious breakfast and that it is made up of "wholesome quality ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of delicious cocoa."
They would like desperately to hide the fact that the first two ingredients are sugar and palm oil.
Spray Your Baby's Toys with Chemicals
People think germs are really scary. Lysol wants to convince parents that they should spray their baby's toys with toxins. Who cares about the long-term effects of nasty toxins, if we can avoid getting a virus this week, then WIN!
Sharing Towels is Gross
Why worry about the environment when you can stuff the landfill full of more disposable towels?
What do you think?
What do you think of these ads? Do you have any favourite (or not so favourite) misleading ads? Is truth in advertising too lofty a goal?
Thank you to Rebecca from A Little Bit of Momsense for suggesting a couple of the videos.
Reader Comments (74)
Well.. the Nutella one has always bothered me because they not only SAY "no artificial colors or preservatives" but they even put it in print. Yet, they use artificial flavoring. They are all about conveniently leaving out the things they don't want to talk about, eh?
The lysol commercial is beyond disgusting. I can't imagine anyone. ANYONE. would spray their child's lovey with chemicals before putting him to bed with the baby. My son carries around his lovey everywhere, and we just put him in the wash. Also, for those unwashable loveys (lovies?) the freezer will kill germs as well.
I'm not so sure about the hand towel commercial... obviously their main message isn't one of environmental concerns. I think it's trying to convey the message of germ-spreading. I do question the wisdom of suggesting that cold germs WITHIN A FAMILY LIVING IN THE SAME HOUSE (as suggested by the commerical) are transferred from a towel being used (presumably) after drying CLEAN hands. I do appreciate the idea of frequently changing towels when there are a lot of different folks using them - particularly those with colds (as the sneezing in the soundtrack suggests) - and I wouldn't consider using fabric hand towels at the office. Yet, at home, EVEN when we're sick, I don't change out our fabric towels for paper towels. I just change the towel more often. We're all sharing the same small space, plates, cups, toothbrush areas, etc. Handtowels aren't causing us to get sick.
Sigh on the formula commercial. Fussy babies are fussy babies. Formula doesn't magically make fussy babies giggly. I appreciate it shows in print breastfeeding is best for your baby... but I do wish some more MENTION of breastfeeding & naturally occurring probiotics would have been included. Of course, that could be used in a way less-than-kosher... suggesting, as I've seen before, that because it HAS probiotics, that formula is JUST AS GOOD as breastfeeding. It's a losing proposition. Really, formula shouldn't be advertised at all.
YES!! commercials drive me all sorts of crazy. i get an interesting perspective lately since my husband is now a promotions and commercial producer, writer, shooter & editor so he has been chatting with me a lot about the legalities on what you can and can not claim when writing a commercial for tv.
those all big me - big time
formula commercial is sad. you know, i travelled to see my family in Ukraine last fall and in all the formula commercials ive seen there, they are required to say it's inferior to breast milk and that formula is an adequate substitute for when you CAN'T breastfeed...
there is a law suit filed against nutella for those commercials because ... well... because the flat LIE...
The Kleenex hand towel commercial makes me throw things at the television; I was thinking of it before I even scrolled down to see it at the end. I always scream, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN?!?" when I see it (yes, apparently I am teaching my nine-month-old to swear, but I think that's better than teaching him to wantonly waste paper and forests in the process). Then I feel guilty for being an American for a few minutes, and then I strengthen my resolve to use cloth wipies and dishrags on EVERYTHING--high chair trays, butts, cat barf (well, okay, maybe I've used paper towels on really nasty cat barf), the egg I dropped in the floor, and so on. And then I feel a little bit better. Until I see that damned commerical again.
I think it horrible that we have such misleading ads. It is one of the reasons that I stopped paying attention to ads. I did study graphic design so at time when it is essential for me to sit and watch an ad I will strictly for research only. I would like to say that Nutella does a good job of hiding the first two ingredients. I congratulate Advertising Standards in Canada for making the service announcement for the truth in advertisers.
I don't know if they showed these commercials in Canada, but the series of commercials about high fructose corn syrup DROVE ME BONKERS!
The link didn't embed. :-P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0
The PSA made me laugh out loud. The Lysol commercial made me cringe (EW EW EW! The thought of spraying that stuff on something my child cuddles that much?!). I only just saw the Kleenex hand towel ad the other day and my first thought was "UGh what a WASTE!" =(
I remember hearing once that commercials for cough & cold meds were very different in the US versus in Europe. That in the US the ads made it seem like the medicine will restore you completely to your non-sick self, or even better, whereas the ads overseas just showed a still-sick person feeling a little bit more miserable. Don't know how true that is/was... but yes, commercials are ridiculous these days. Then again, considering that (at least here in the US) NEWS broadcasters are under NO obligation to actually TELL THE TRUTH, it doesn't surprise me that corporations would make whatever promises they felt like when advertising their products...
The Kleenex one bothered me from the first time I saw it. Especially where I live because paper isn't recycled here, so you're just asking us to add MORE paper to the stuff we already have. Growing up, we had stacks on stacks of hand towels, so if one got a little grimy, we'd just throw it in the wash and get a clean one. Not that hard and way less wasteful doing a load of towels than throwing away a trashbag full of non-recyclable paper once a week.
And despite the fact that sprays can aggravate asthma, which is increasing in incidence in children, oh yeah! Go ahead and spray away! God forbid your child catch A GERM. /sarcasm. I mean really. Get two, wash one and pass off the other. Or just wash the one. Your child can live for an hour or two without it.
I am thankful I can find my way through these advertisements. I understand that companies are trying to make profits. I am overwhelmed by the amount if stuff available for purchase and the advertising tactics used to convince society that it is all necessary. In addition to the ads you showcased in your post, I'd like to include the touchless soap pump. Not only are we to be afraid of germs outside our homes, we should be afraid of our soap dispensers; you know, the ones holding the soap we'll be washing our hands with AFTER we touch the dispenser. I don't have a link to the video, and others may have better examples, but a little common sense tells me I certainly don't need a handsfree soap dispenser for my home. Fear sells!
All of the commercials/products you mentioned drive me crazy, too. I should stop watching TV!
Have you seen the spoofs of those commercials from the guys from King Corn? Great stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyj2N-AspqU
The "corn sugar" ads make me the most angry. But those are all pretty bad. The towel one is admittedly disgusting, but as someone said above, there are much better solutions to the problem than paper towels. I hope the do something similar to the PSA you posted in the States.
What? You mean it's NOT a good idea to spread Nutella on absolutely everything? Sooooo shocked to hear that. Seriously, I laughed when I saw one of their ads implying it was a healthy everyday choice, and kind of wondered--"THAT'S the angle you're going with, Nutella? Um, okay...."
The misleading ads, and labeling, INFURIATE me. Especially when it comes to food for kids. Because a mom at the grocery store with two kids in tow simply does not have the time to read and compare nutrition labels and ingredient lists on 26 boxes of granola bars in order to make an informed decision because all the propaganda about the product on the televison/print ads and front of the box are so tricky.
In answer to your question, truth in advertising is NOT too lofty a goal. If you are selling a product, feel free to sell it on its merits: Nutella is an awesomely delicious, once-in-a-while treat. Formula is a common, viable option for nourishing your baby. There is no need to jump on every bandwagon (probiotics, etc) to get an edge on the competition. As far as the Lysol ad and the disposable towels, I'm with you, but would argue that it isn't a truth in advertising issue, more an issue of public opinion on big bad GERMS, and that is preyed upon for profit.
As for your other question--my least favorite misleading ad is for Your Baby Can Read. Talk about preying on our society of overachieving, misinformed parents! Hon, your baby's not SUPPOSED to be reading! She's supposed to be wiggling her fingers, trying to fit her foot into her mouth, and obsessing over those brightly colored flowers in the garden! AAARGH!
Happy weekend; love your blog, Allie
www.miamibabymama.com
@miamibabymama
The Nutella and Lysol commercials drive me crazy!
Yes parents are that stupid, but they aren't. Fortunately few people take acommercial at its word (though I've heard some people...) Even if you can rationally say that the commercial is ridiculous your mind has still been invaded by the message and due to the vagaries of human psychology, the power of suggestion has been triggered.
I remember the time it dawned on me that Weyerhauser weren't "the tree growing people" they are loggers, and while they do plant trees, that isn't their business.
Truth in advertising is a good goal, but I doubt it will every truly come about. I try as hard as I can to not be advertised to.
Thank you for this post...we are all subjected to so much advertising and at times we all are somewhat taken-in by them because we really want to believe what we hear as true.
We need to be reminded of the deceptive practices that marketing and advertising use to make money. I really appreciate the reminders.
In addition to the ones already mentioned, I really hate the commercial for refrigerator cookie dough. I don't remember exactly with company it is but their tag line is "So you can spend more time with your kids." I'm sorry but what kids do not like making cookies, seriously. You can spend time with your kids making cookies from scratch and actually teaching them life skills.
Lysol advertisements have been driving me crazy for a long time. I particularly hate the one that has the nerve to say that cleaning with a sponge is as bad as wiping raw chicken all over your kitchen.
The entirety of the "Gerber Generation" commercials drive me up the wall. I blogged about it here: http://contentedlycrunchy.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-boycott-nestle-im-not-even-sure-my.html#disqus_thread
That baby squeal and the music still make me cringe!
The current ads being run by the American Beverage Council saying that they've made it easier to tell how many calories are in each drink by putting it right on the front of the label in larger print. It sounds like they're doing it out of the benevolence of their hearts when in reality they did it because the state of California made them with a law that went into affect at the beginning of the years stating that calorie counts need to be easy to find.
I can't stand those ads that were posted, nor the ones others have mentioned. While I don't think truth in advertising is too lofty of a goal in theory it is too lofty in reality.
have you seen those romanticized Rice Krispies commercials with parents and their kids making rice krispies treats...it is kinda cute and 'real' looking when I get that gross feeling when they are really out to sell you crap to your kids. The tag line 'Childhood is Calling' like your kids won't have a real childhood if you don't eat rice Krispies... I know it is weak, but I still hate it because my usually aware husband is totally unbothered by it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uset5-5pabo&feature=related
Oh thank goodness. I thought I was the only one psychoanalyzing each commercial to weed on the gender issues, formula issues, big scary germ stuff.. I'll have to share this with my partner so he 'gets it'. All the commentary is so spot on, it makes me sad that there are people with this playing in the background, catching a second of it and then thinking that way about the product.
It was my gender studies class that got me actually LOOKING at the things I was exposed to everyday. Actually listening, watching, and reacting.. it's not something everyone does! This post will hopefully make some new people aware of things. Great job!
I'm so glad you wrote about this. I saw that Kleenex commercial today while watching TV for the first time in months. And remembered why I don't watch TV.
The Gerber goodstart commercials have got to be the most hideous set of lies I've ever seen a company put on TV.
But another that made me absolutely furious for it predation of parents and children is this Tyson, "I hate everything" commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM8oyrKY_ZE
Seems Tyson cares about the health of children as much as they do their chickens.
Smash your TV!
Damn, there's still internets :/ And billboards. And flyers. And...
There are a couple that drive me crazy - the Secret Clinical strenght ads. The secret is how they undermine your confidence and make you think that you need their 'clinical strenght' product.
What really drove me around the bend the otherday was Nesquick being sampled at Loblaws (grocery store). The woman kept telling the shoppers that it was a 'great source of vitatmin D'. The Sun is a great source of vitamin D. Nesquick is just another sugary drink that contributes to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. Don't even get me started on the fact that Neste is still using a cartoon rabbit to market to children.
"I appreciate it shows in print breastfeeding is best for your baby" ---> OMG, I didn't even see that in the ad!!!
I agree with all your points. I've always hated the Nutella commercial and every time I saw it I made a comment. I just couldn't believe how misleading they were. Though, I never imagined anyone took them seriously... I was proven wrong (after finding out about the lawsuit against them_.
It's been ages since I watched real TV, like on a television where you have to sit through the commercials. The commercial that I remember is for SunnyD. They marketed orange flavored sugar water like it was a health supplement. Not cool.
OMG - those commercials are horrible. This is why we don't, and won't, subscribe to cable TV.
'“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN?!?” when I see it (yes, apparently I am teaching my nine-month-old to swear, but I think that’s better than teaching him to wantonly waste paper and forests in the process). "
Amen Sister!
Sadly adults do believe this stuff. I know many people who believe that Nutella is healthy. It's really frustrating to be around.
But we still watch TV. I'm too much of a drama addict to want to stop. However, on the rare occasion my children see a commercial they ask questions the entire time (since they're always sensationalized or in some way different than what my kids are used to seeing every day in some irrational way). While I take answering my kids' questions very seriously usually, I have two stock answers for typical commercial questions- "Junk!" and "don't pay any attention to that, nothing on commercials makes any sense." "Junk!" is mostly in response to the typical "can we get that?" question. I've pretty much conditioned them to disregard and distrust commercials. Mission accomplished:)
The handsfree soap dispenser ad is one that gets the TV yelled at in our house too.
I remember the first time the commercial for the Kleenex hand towels came on, my 2 year old had just puked on the floor, the three year old was freaking out and my 18 year old said "I think we have bigger problems than wasting money and paper pretending we live in a bus station!" Amen, my boy, aaaamen.
The one that's always made me want to scream and throw things, though, is the water filter commercial with the glass of water on the counter, you hear a toilet flush, and the water swirls out of the glass. I'm insulted that someone thinks I'm dumb enough to believe that I have 2 main water sources in my house, one for the taps and one for the toilet. It says more about our wasteful attitude about potable water than anything else.
I wrote my own entire post about the Kleenex hand towels. We yell at the TV in my house, especially me, and I will explain to anyone listening what is wrong with every commercial I don't agree with, which has included almost all of the ones you mentioned.
In Australia, false advertising is strictly illegal with very high standards, so the advertisers use half-truths and misdirection to get what they want. So although there's no outright lying, there's still a lot of falsehood. There's actually a show in ABC (currently in hiatus) about how ads are made and some of the claims in them: The Gruen Transfer. I don't watch TV so it's been a while since I've seen an ad "properly", but I do remember Nutri-Grain being among the worst offenders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKTtJ_GEZAA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
And now because I'm grumpy, have a PSA from the ABA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnReJeQrK0k&feature=youtube_gdata_player
the "corn sugar" commercial are the worst by far--but i'm no fan of klenex's planet-destroying and fear-mongering, either.
i don't share your outrage over nutella, however. it is a chocolate spread--glorified chocolate icing. a delicious treat, but parents are stupid if they can't figure out that sugar is a primary ingredient in chocolate or be bothered to read the label.
Yes, but there are plenty of parents who don't allow their children in the kitchen when cooking is going on. Very detrimental, because so many people grow up never seeing their parents cook, and therefore never really learning any cooking skills, thus explaining why boxed mixes are so popular.
I think the fact I watched my mom cook so much growing up is probably why I have had very few mishaps in my own kitchen.
ha! My 3y/o is so familiar with the kitchen and we cook so much from scratch that he questions purchases at the store - "can't we make ____ ourselves?" The horror when I bought orange juice!
all I can say is "gahhhhhh"
Don't forget the product that is "10% real fruit juice" never mind that the rest is sugar, water, and flavoring...oh and some added vitamins to make it "healthy."
You'd think that anyone could see through such garbage, but then who knows...
The Nutella commercial has bugged me since I first saw it, and even more so after I taught my friend's 13 year old daughter how to read nutrition labels when we were snacking on some at my house and she quoted to me about how its a "good breakfast food." All I can say is, way to go for a perfect teachable moment!
whats sad is that there are people who will see these and think, "disposable towels?" what an awesome idea! "nutella for breakfast?", why didnt i think of that???? it is not that these ads are irritating, it is that there are people who will actually DO what the ad says which is oh so horrible.
This? This is why I don't watch commercials if I can avoid it. And thanks to the magic of being TV-free for a couple of years, and then getting a PVR with a "skip" button when we got a TV again, I pretty much can be.
Beyond that, I have to say that I'm OK with being marketed to myself. What really irks me is when they start marketing to my KIDS. If I see a commercial, as a grown woman, I understand what's happening. My 2 1/2 year old is, obviously, not quite as savvy.
Wow, those ads were awful! I thought that the Nutella ones were most dishonest and misleading, since even many intelligent, highly educated people (including MY HUSBAND, God help me, even after all my training) just aren't good at / don't bother reading ingredients and nutrition facts. I could totally picture intelligent people serving Nutella for breakfast after seeing that ad... ugh.
I found the formula ad - though I wish formula products weren't advertised at all - least dishonest. It looked like every commercial for a beer or soft drink that shows its drinkers surrounded by friends and fun; just like your average person knows that drinking a certain brand of beer won't make you instantly cool and popular, I'm sure they can figure out that formula with probiotics isn't going to make your baby happy 24/7.
We don't have a TV, so I don't see mainstream commercials. I find out about them from the 12-year-old I nanny (I'm not a mom). She and I both love Nutella. We broke it out for a snack one day and she said, "Have you seen those silly commercials? The one where the mom is putting Nutella on the kids breakfast food? They say it has nuts and skim milk, but it's really a bunch of sugar!" I realized she was parroting her mother when I broke out plain 'ole peanut butter to compare with Nutella. As I read aloud the amount of sugar in each, her eyes got bigger and bigger and it was clear this was a ratio beyond what she imagined. Nutella is dessert. Period.
I just read an article today linking daily use of spray disinfectants with higher incidence of infant diarrhea. I am certain that is a symptom of many, many, many other things hurting your little one's body by spraying toxins in the air.
Advertisers always seem to be tapping in to the emotional side of the brain. I'm not a neuro specialist but I'm guessing that if they can make you have an emotional reaction to a product that might suspend your logical side.... and create an emotional need for you to buy. I think about all the beer commercials which try to make certain beers help guys attract hot girls.... ha ha! When it comes to the food commercials, advertisers are banking on the fact that so many people are uneducated when it comes to nutrition. When they create a marketing message they target the emotional reason to buy a food instead of nutrition reason... and that's just plain WRONG!!!!!
I keep wondering how I can teach my kids about nutrition and reading labels. I guess I just need to start, during mealtimes, talking about why I picked the foods on the table and how they help your body!
Alina:
I probably sound like a huge food snob when I am grocery shopping with my kids. I talk the whole time about what we are choosing and why we are choosing it. When they ask for something that I'm not going to buy, I explain why. If they pick up something and I think something else is better (less expensive, local, organic, no HFCS, etc.) then I explain that to them.
I've had other people put back the product they have in their hands as they listen to me talking to my kids. Not sure if that is something I should be proud of or embarrassed about, but I'm not doing it for their benefit, I'm doing it for my kids.
Shopping at the Farmer's Market is easier...everyone there seems to be a food snob.
We shop similarly. I actually really enjoy grocery shopping with my 3-year-old. He has made ME put things back! He asks if things can be made at home (we make a ridiculous number of things from scratch because of my dietary restrictions and our budget), he asks what's in things. And when I give him free reign and ask what sort of treat he wants, it's usually a fruit he hasn't had in awhile.
I tell him when things have too much sodium (I tell him "salt") and that we can't bring them home because they could make me very sick. I have started to explain to him that, though they may not make him quite as noticeably sick as they could make me, they're not very good for him either. He asks, "is this good for me?"
I don't want to raise kids that are all hung up on food, and I'm sort of tempted to one day just give him the freedom to eat crap until it makes him sick. I've done that with dried fruit (he wouldn't listen when we told him it would upset his stomach...now he remembers why we're warning him!). The effects of things like sugar are so much more subtle, though - I think he needs to be a little older so he can realize that his energy is tanking and he is cranky!
Essentially, rather than a label-reader in the sense of nutrition labels, I want my kids to always demand to know what they're actually eating!
You've hit some of my favorite commercials (and by favorite, I mean favorite to yell about - ick!) My husband and I routinely turn to each other with a "WTF?!" face when watching TV commercials - I swear, some of them lower my IQ, most just make me angry. The nutella one just makes me laugh because it's nutella which by definition to me is not healthy (and really, what parent is giving their child a plain piece of toast for breakfast?! I mean really.) The hand towel one makes no sense - your towel will not be covered in supposed icky bacteria IF YOU JUST WASHED YOUR HANDS. And don't even get me started on any Lysol or Fabreeze commercials...ugh. I especially hated the commercials that were coming out during the H1N1 scare, gosh...
The sad reality is that these commercials do speak to people. I know other individuals/moms who believe and have quoted "facts" that they have "learned" from commercials back to me! I think part of the issue here is clearly a lack of critical thinking skills (sad but true).
I think that truth in advertising is paramount. I still think they should institute a better commercial vetting process (where one would have to answer, "Does this commercial melt your brain?!")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGGy6qz5hXg&playnext=1&list=PLEC9D87961E18AC63
I think that's why I enjoyed the Old Spice commercial because it pokes fun at the claims and images in ads. Ultimately it is still a gimmick.
On the whole, most advertising drives me crazy! There needs to be tighter control over the claims that companies can make for their products. The lack of critical thinking on the part of consumers is pretty scary as well... Perhaps the school system is the best place to tackle that one, and from an early grade.
The Nutella ad bugs me because even though I like it, I know it's not "part of nutritious breakfast". And the Kleenex disposable hand towels? Just, gah! It's bad enough to use all that paper in public restrooms. Really, if your towels get that dirty, maybe you should wash them more often. You could even *gasp* put out a fresh towel daily.
A Lysol ad I hate is one for the automated hand soap dispenser. "There are so many germs on the soap dispenser, you need a motion activated one." So there are germs on the dispenser, okay, but then you wash your hands after touching it. Duh!
I hate those "your baby can read" commercials, too. Why on earth would I want to drill my BABY with flash cards. Also, they aren't reading, they are memorizing. Big difference.