Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Playtex figures out why childless adults buy baby wipes



Playtex has caught on to the fact that people have been using baby wipes to clean up before and after sex, and is now marketing them as "Fresh + Sexy". (Reminds me of the story of how Kleenex became a disposable handkerchief.)

But since grown-ups can't discuss sex with straight faces, they've based their entire marketing campaign on really childish wordplay:






Jezebel has dismissed this as more body-shaming marketing aimed at women, akin to the great Summer's Eve "dirty vagina" fiasco of 2010. I wouldn't go that far. Yes, they are part of a general trend in advertising, since the 1920s, to make women feel insecure about the cleanliness of their intimate parts. 

But I think most people do some kind of clean-up before and after sex. (Mostly women, perhaps, but men are often advised to be less "not so fresh" as well, these days.) A healthy soap and water regimen is ideal, as the unnecessary fragrance and other chemicals in wipes are always a concern. But for the out-of-home hookup, are these really such a bad idea?

Update: The campaign is by Grey NY. Read more about it at Adfreak.

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