You know, this ad would have been amusing and entertaining if it had been done in the 1960s.
Today, it is still slickly written and acted, with lots of mayhem.
It also delivers the following messages:
1. Laundry is mom's job
2. Moms are no fun
3. Dads have no responsibilities at home
4. Boys will be boys
5. Men will be boys
6. Girls will be boys (until they grow up, become moms, do laundry and become no fun)
7. Clorox believes that this is the way it should be (and they have a history of telling us that)
It seems nobody is above opportunistic marketing to a germ-frightened population.
Clorox and Lysol clearly had a lot to gain from their products' germophobic appeal. From Google Adwords to cheesy commercials, they were right on it:
The biggest concern for consumers, though, is fake flu cures that promise miracles and yet often do more harm than good.
With that in mind, I was a little shocked to see the following ad on my bus yesterday:
(Sorry for the poor quality — I didn't want to use flash in a bus full of commuters. Click for larger versions.)
I understand that faith is a powerful thing, but is it really appropriate for a religious group to promise unscientific medical benefits from prayer? I don't want to sound bigoted, but I think a line has been crossed. IMHO, religious freedom shouldn't allow anyone to sucker the easily-influenced into giving up medical treatment in the name of faith, any more than a free market should allow snake oil salesmen to sell fake "cures" in mainstream ad venues.
I know I run a lot of ads on this blog that offend people. But now I've finally been offended. Good job, Christian Science!
