Do we promote affairs in our ads? Without a doubt, I say the answer is yes. I see at least one ad a day telling me to 'cheat' on my regular product, or 'dump' my old product. Ads using common relationship terminology to get their message across. We definitely use it to promote shock value, humour, and interest in our advertisements. But does it mean that it's right? To be honest, I never really gave it much thought until now. It's something I always saw in ads, and because of that, I've been desensitized from it. But now, with the question raised, I have to say that I don't agree with the message.
Cheating and affairs are extremely serious in relationships. It's not something to be taken lightly. It can completely destroy a relationship, and destroy a person involved. In almost all situations, it's an unwanted and awful offence. So why are we making light of it in advertisements? The message could easily be translated into making light of all affairs, or making it seem like it's a normal thing to do.
It does happen a lot, but I don't feel that that justifies cheating as right. I know I would never ever want it to happen to me, or to inflict that kind of hurt onto my partner. Even if I could get away with it, the guilt and regret I would experience after would not make it worth it.
Should we be exposing people to these ads, which make a mockery of cheating and relationships? I don't really know. I suppose people with the intent of cheating will cheat on their partners anyway, if they see and ad or not. Most people may not be swayed directly be an ad, but it may give people a (subliminal) idea that cheating an affairs aren't as serious. Impressionable children, youth, and teenagers may be affected by these ads as well. After all, after being exposed to something for so long, it's only natural that you become desensitized to the content.
Business Insider released a post detailing one of Reebok's ads which was pulled after much controversy. The ad displays the message "Cheat on your girlfriend, not your workout". I personally think this is the most offensive and absurd example of promoting of affairs in ads. The website also makes a great point. They say that if an ad is to be offensive, it should also be clever, which this ad is not. Blatantly stating you should cheat on your girlfriend instead of your workout is not a very clever or funny statement. It almost insults the viewer's intelligence. This could be part of the reason it was pulled, yet I do believe the statement is rude on its own and should never have been published in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment