You can cure your wife’s PMS by getting her to drink some milk. You, of course, can enjoy your Dr Pepper 10.
Milk and Dr Pepper are just two brands that recently have caused controversy because of advertising blatantly targeted toward men and offensive to some women.
Dr Pepper angered women with its “sexist” Dr Pepper 10 campaign, which launched in October.
The Milk Processor Board pulled its Got Milk? campaign, which suggested that milk could lessen the effects of PMS, in July.
Students in my Legal and Ethical Principals for Mass Communication class will address this issue during today’s Ethics Friday discussion.
Students were asked to take a stance on whether the Milk Processor Board should have pulled its campaign. The students will then make an ethical argument to support their stance.
Let’s Talk Nerdy!
What do you think? Should the Milk Processor Board have pulled its campaign? Is this advertising different than any other campaign targeted toward a specific gender? I would love for you to add to the discussion!
AmyMccTobin says
I just don’t get why you have to offend certain sectors to market to a specific one. Smart brands don’t have to.
profkrg says
@AmyMccTobin I can certainly agree there, Amy.
deleted_2698155_BruceSallan1 says
What is YOUR position, Prof? What is wrong with targeting ads for a specific need/market? Isn’t that just smart? Of course, we dads have felt under-represented in advertising across-the-board but that is happily changing, albeit slowly…
profkrg says
@BruceSallan1 I am not offended by the ads. I think it was risky for them to launch a campaign based on data from a single study. I mean, you can find a single study to support anything, right? We certainly always have marketed toward genders, stereotypes, cultures, etc. However, I also agree with @AmyMccTobin ‘s comment below that smart brands can do this in a more subtle way, as not to alienate one portion of the market in an attempt to attract another.
AmyMccTobin says
@profkrg@BruceSallan1 Or you can do it with Humor. I actually think that men take the brunt of derision in advertising…. but it’s so incredibly silly to use the ‘anti’ women stance to appeal to men, and vs versa.
profkrg says
@AmyMccTobin @BruceSallan1 I agree with you about men taking the brunt of it. Why do you think that is? Perhaps because they don’t respond in this manner?
AmyMccTobin says
@profkrg@BruceSallan1 I don’t know – remember the Ragu debacle where CC Chapman, Jason Falls et al were REALLY offended? I think perhaps men are just used to it, but the number of “Man behaves like a dunce, woman rolls eyes” type of commercials is staggering to me.
profkrg says
@AmyMccTobin @BruceSallan1 I actually have a colleague who did some research on this type of sexism. One of his studies was about male depictions in comedies. He coded the context of men being injured, specifically in their private parts, as a form of comedic entertainment. It was astounding. Maybe I don’t “get” it?
ellies58 says
Hmmm…RT @janetcallaway Ad Campaigns Milk Gender Targeting http://t.co/4PKYyxWK via @profkrg
link building service says
Very smart post. Looks great…..
TraceePersiko says
@tedcoine hope you’re having a great Sunday!
prosperitygal says
Well isn’t one of the things a good ad does is polarize their audience?
profkrg says
@prosperitygal Polarize? I think it certainly targets a group, but I wouldn’t think it would do so at the expense of alienating another potential market.