Is the boy in the Moschino Barbie ad a leap forward?

That wasn't a rhetorical question. While I applaud gender diversity in a traditionally female toy category, the portrayal of the boy seems a little... umm... stereotyped?

FRIDAY IS FIERCE LIKE #MOSCHINOBARBIE

A video posted by Jeremy Scott (@itsjeremyscott) on Nov 20, 2015 at 5:00pm PST

Not that there's any problem whatsoever with implying that the little boy is gay, but did they have to do it with such a cartoonish cliché?

People seem pretty happy with this development (at least the Buzzfeed set) but I'm not sure this is as progressive as it seems. The idea that Barbie is an obsession for gay men is not exactly new, nor is the conspicuous presence of gay men in the fashion industry.

Making the only male character in the ad a miniature Jeremy Scott is a big wink to insiders, but what is it doing to transcend stereotypes? Heterosexual — or less stereotypically gay — boys who want to play with dolls in this sexist, homophobic world won't be helped by this stereotype. They might even be hurt by it.

Scottish anti-independence ad goes "bad" viral #PatronisingBTlady

Last one. This is too funny. @_Pandy storyboards #PatronisingBTLady ad. @robertflorence pic.twitter.com/Oq4IsIqSVs
— James Lees (@jamesvsburger) August 26, 2014

You might wonder what they were thinking.

The "no" movement in the Scottish independence referendum, Better Together, recently released this video ad featuring a woman soliloquizing at home after sending off her husband and kids:



Almost immediately, a backlash began. Under the hashtag #PatronisingBTlady, an explosion of memes started circulating to criticize the gendered clichés around a stay-at-home housewife who finds politics confusing:

Perfect summary of the new @UK_Together campaign video. Targeted at woman - but so patronising? #PatronisingBTLady pic.twitter.com/FePthazKYB
— Greg indyref (@YesIndyref) August 26, 2014

MISSING: Brow-beaten male, late 30s-early 40s, last seen in Co-op buying "Ricicles"... #indyref #PatronisingBTLady pic.twitter.com/uEUIp6nZ4s
— Oisean (@OssiansDream) September 1, 2014

Better Together's new ad sees ridicule and #PatronisingBTLady meme backlash on Twitter http://t.co/UIZHIv16M0 pic.twitter.com/1J8njhFIXw
— The Drum (@TheDrum) August 27, 2014

I had to… #PatronisingBTLady pic.twitter.com/oCOEimOgHU
— CakeQuestEdin (@CakeQuestEdin) August 26, 2014

The viral activity has since spilled over into mainstream media in the UK. However, the people behind the campaign defend it:

Despite the fact the film has created a vociferous internet response punctuated by a series of caustic retaliatory memes, campaign director Blair McDougall has defended the piece’s cinematic integrity. McDougall suggests the piece is flavored with social realism. 

The ad uses words“taken verbatim from conversations on doorstops with undecided women voters,”and from the“opinion of women in dozens of focus groups around the country,”he claimed. While the ad has heightened the campaign’s profile considerably, the precise nature of publicity it has garnered may not be warmly welcomed.

Certainly, there are individual women in Scotland who resemble the stereotype. But does that mean it's something that should be reinforced in a national advertising campaign?

Scottish social anthropologist (and "Yes" man) weighed in with a meme of his own:

#patronisingBTlady #indyref pic.twitter.com/shpcb5vt8O
— Michael Swann (@notarealswan) August 26, 2014

But the real question is whether this ad will sway any voters. And moreover, which way will it sway them?

Retailer suggests that your daughters learn "the importance of looking nice"

Facebook humour group Condescending Corporate Brand Page shared this status update from Lazada Super Moms, the targeted outreach of the Lazada Online Shopping Mall in the Philippines. 

And what do they have for boys?

Girls look nice, boys get respected. And that's how the gender roles are policed.

Billboard celebrating "remarkable women" shows only men

According to Halifax's Chronicle Herald:

The billboard promotes a Mount Saint Vincent University campaign for its Women’s Wall of Honour project, a tribute that will be erected outside the new Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research when it opens in December 2014. 

For a donation of $1,200, honourees’ names will be included in the Wall of Honour and their stories will be shared on an associated website.

The men are all donors to the campaign. Which is great. And the campaign itself is a good one. But the paternalism of the billboard, even if unintentional, is baffling.

Multilevel Marketing a homophobic sausage fest

Are you man enough to host a themed party for your bros that's been described as "Mary Kay on Steroids"?

Welcome to the world of Man Cave, a company that promises to help you reclaim your man card by inviting your man friends over for beer, brats and manly games like oversized Jenga blocks and Hammerschlagen.

Yes, really.

From the site:

How It Works.

1. Organize home parties for guys called MEATings (at other peoples homes).

2. Guys eat, drink, and be manly while Guides showcase legendary Man Cave products at MEATings.

3. Guys place orders and Guides earn great money - 25% commission.

No B.S. Guarantee.

A company made so simple even a guy can get it. No hooks. Period.

Men are dumb, you know? And we're also definitely not gay. The "no homo" vibe permeates one of Man Cave's main pieces of MEATing collateral, the "Man Laws":

No man shall ever turn down free beer... for any reason. Never. Ever. Seriously, Never.
Grilling, regardless of weather, is always the first choice for cooking.
Hiding your beer in the fridge is strictly forbidden. Besides...sharing is caring.
A man should never be denied the right to adjust himself or place his hands down his pants under any circumstances.
A man should never tell another man that his zipper is down. It's his own damn problem and you never looked "there" to begin with.
A man may be seen tearing up only when:
A. His first child is born (and it's a boy),
B. he has received a devastating blow to the groin,
C. Carmen Electra is unbuttoning her shirt...scratch that, your shirt.
While at a sporting event, you must walk "B to F" (BUTT TO FACE) when leaving your seat. This is so you do not miss any of the cheerleaders' performance (since you obviously never get up to pee while the ball is in play).
No man shall ever cancel plans with his buddies at the last minute. Exceptions: You win free tickets to the Super Bowl, Carmen Electra is unbuttoning your shirt, or in cases of death (your own).
If you are placed on the Jumbotron at a sporting event, you are to offer a simple wave or raise of your glass. Acting like an idiot is strictly forbidden. A man should act like Barry Sanders... you've been there before and will be there again - show some class. Exception: You have more body paint on than clothing. In that case - go for it.
A man is permitted to build his "Man Cave" in anyway he wishes. However NO "Man Cave" shall ever include: A fridge incapable of holding a case of beer, "Fat Free" potato chips, and any variation of the color pink.
A man purse is still a purse.
The following skills must be mastered by all men prior to death: making a bonfire, playing some form of poker, replacing a flat tire, throwing a spiral, and the ability to pick up laundry with one’s feet.
If a man leaves his chair for a refill, his chair is not to be touched or claimed by anyone. If he does not return by the end of the commercial break, assume he has gone missing or been killed. You can call the police when the game is over.
No man shall shave his chest hair. Exception: he is an Olympic swimmer. In that case – he should shave his entire body, win the Gold medal, and make America proud.
When settling a dispute physically, all forms of contact are permissible (pushing, wrestling, tackling), EXCEPT any direct blows to the groin. This is the un-manliest of tactics and should be saved only for defending oneself from more than two opponents or more than one wild animal.
A man must read sports news at least once per day, if not multiple times per day, to develop thorough knowledge in order to win any sports related arguments that may arise at any given time.
Official manliness is judged by these five traits: chest hair length, total horsepower owned, biggest fish ever caught, number of cheeseburgers eaten in a single sitting, and complete dedication to all Man Laws.

Got it, bro? This has nothing to do with selling crappy beer and sausages to your friends while hitting nails and bonding in a totally heteronormative way. We're talking about protecting the very essence of manliness here.

Tip via Cracked

Bad Valentine's Marketing #6: bearded women

This one was kind of unexpected. First of all, I thought beards were back in style. Second, I was under the impression that some straight women really dig the whiskers. 

But beyond that, there's the assumption that straight men and women want their partners to be just like them. Which is absurd. You might as well show these women with penises between their pegs and ask, "would you have sex with you"? I don't personally rock a beard, but it's a matter of personal choices. I guess a razor company has an interest in making people feel disgust towards all forms of body hair. Which isn't exactly contributing anything positive to the general anxiety young people feel about their appearance these days.

Finally, there's the whole transphobia thing raising its ugly head again...

Via Ads of The World.

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.

Finally! A computer for women!

WARNING: Post may contain sarcasm

Braving ignoring all backlash, big brands just keep coming out with increasingly gendered products for women.

So if the Bic women's pen is too low-tech for you, Fujitsu has introduced Floral Kiss:

The Floral Kiss series features a unified design sensibility that has been developed for the female consumer—from the PC's design to accessories, such as the mouse and case, and optional add-ons. Users can select their favorite color from among three variations: Elegant White, Feminine Pink and Luxury Brown. 

The top casing has been constructed with an elegant and refined gradation with gold trim, and it features a flip latch that can easily open the display—even by users with long fingernails. The power button is adorned with a pearl-like accent, and the power status LED and Caps Lock key are decorated with diamond-cut stone for a sophisticated look. An exquisite gold ring frames each key on the transparent keyboard, highlighting its elegant style. In addition, the outtake and intake vents all feature a floral motif design.

Get it, ladies? You won't even have to worry about breaking your nails when you open it to read Jezebel, or Cafe Mom, or whatever damn thing their market researchers tell them you do.

The computer also has built-in scrapbooking, a diary app, and horoscopes included with the operating system!

No word yet on whether it will help track your menstrual cycles, or feature a personal digital assistant with a voice like Ryan Gosling, but when technology is on the march — in heels, no less — you never know where it will take you.

You can find out more about this product at their Facebook Page. Have fun.

Tip via Daily Mail

Cadbury introduces chocolates just for women (and German men)

Via The Guardian

Cadbury recently announced, in the UK, that they will be launching their first new chocolate bar of the 21st Century. But the marketing strategy is very old-fashioned. This chocolate bar is aimed specifically at women.

So, what makes a chocolate bar feminine? (And why didn't they call it "Crispella"?

The Daily Mail quotes a Cadbury spokesman:

"The mix of wafer and chocolate is a lighter way to eat chocolate and we know from experience that women are attracted to this particular format. 

It will also appeal to women because it is in three separate portions so they can consume a little at a time rather than in one go."

In other words, "we know that women love chocolate, but are afraid to be perceived as fat. So we'll use those body anxieties to sell them portion-controlled candy snacking."

It's hardly progressive. It's actually kind of insulting. But it is part of an emerging trend of sex-specific product marketing that reinforces stereotypes. Remember "Be." wine? Or Dr. Pepper 10? We actually seem to be getting more gender-typed in this millenium. That is, if we buy those products.

The marketing isn't the only thing backwards about the new Cadbury offering. They couldn't even come up with an new brand.

"Crispello" has been marketed before, but in mainland Europe. (By another Kraft brand, Milka.) And in this ad, it's aimed at men:



It also has a different filling. In the UK, it's chocolate. In Germany, custard.

If you live within its range, soon you won't be able to escape the gendered marketing blitz. Starting October 8, the sweets will be launched with a £7m marketing campaign in "women’s press", outdoor advertising and point of sale (POS), with the tagline "A little treat for you"

Aren't you lucky, toots?

Bic Cristal for Her Ball Pens now has a TV ad

"Finally! A pen for girls!"

What the hell is going on with Bic pens? I posted earlier this week about the Canadian ad they pulled of its Asian stereotypes and insensitivity towards condemned prisoners.

But the bigger story, which I skipped since others had it well-covered, was its disastrous launch of a pretty line of Bic Cristal for Her Ball Pens.

Yeah, products that target gender stereotypes are nothing new, but mocking this particular one became a kind of sport for amateur feminist wits on Amazon, which caused the hilarious fail to go viral.

Here's an example:

Someone has answered my gentle prayers and FINALLY designed a pen that I can use all month long! I use it when I'm swimming, riding a horse, walking on the beach and doing yoga. It's comfortable, leak-proof, non-slip and it makes me feel so feminine and pretty! Since I've begun using these pens, men have found me more attractive and approchable. It has given me soft skin and manageable hair and it has really given me the self-esteem I needed to start a book club and flirt with the bag-boy at my local market. My drawings of kittens and ponies have improved, and now that I'm writing my last name hyphenated with the Robert Pattinson's last name, I really believe he may some day marry me! I'm positively giddy. Those smart men in marketing have come up with a pen that my lady parts can really identify with. 

Where has this pen been all my life???

Now, to add fuel to the fire, they've released a TV campaign:



Hey, at least people are talking about these issues now.

"Sleeping Beauty" art installation is kinda creepy

Design Taxi reports that right now (Aug 22 - Sept 9, 2012), Ukrainian women are lying in a museum, pretending to be asleep, waiting for a male vistor brave enough to "wake them" with a kiss and marry them.

What?

Ukrainian-Canadian artist Taras Polataiko, with support from the Art Foundation of Alberta and the University of Lethbridge, created the installation to examine “The tension of the performance" in the "seductiveness and fear of the ultimate moment.”

This is no kissing booth. Before puckering up, the men must sign a contract, promising to marry the woman if she opens her eyes during the kiss. The women have previously agreed to the marriage as well— unless the keep their eyes closed.

There are many things here to be disturbed about, including the nature of male-female relations in the Ukraine (including bride trafficking), but I guess that what "art" does.

What I find particularly unsettling is the fact that the "kiss" in Sleeping Beauty was a bowdlerization by Charles Perrault, whose version is the basis for modern fairy tales. The "kiss" was originally an act of rape.

Here's a synopsis of the original 1634 story, Sole, Luna, e Talia, by Giambattista Basile:

After the birth of a great lord's daughter, Talia, wise men and astrologers cast the child's horoscope and told the lord that Talia would be later endangered by a splinter of flax. To protect his daughter, the father commands that no flax would ever be brought into his house. 

Years later, Talia sees an old woman spinning flax on a spindle. She asks the woman if she can stretch the flax herself, but as soon as she begins to spin, a splinter of flax goes under her fingernail, and she drops to the ground, apparently dead. Unable to stand the thought of burying his child, the lord puts Talia in one of his country estates. 

Some time later, a king, hunting in nearby woods, follows his falcon into the house. He finds Talia, tries unsuccessfully to wake her up, then has sex with her while she is unconscious. Afterwards, he leaves the girl on the bed and returns to his own city. 

Still deep in sleep, she gives birth to twins (a boy and a girl). One day, the boy cannot find his mother's breast; and instead he begins to suck on Talia's finger and draws the flax splinter out. Talia awakens immediately. She names them "Sun" and "Moon" and lives with them in the house. 

The king returns and finds Talia is awake – and a mother of twins. However, he is already married. He calls out the names of Talia, Sun and Moon in his sleep, and his wife, the queen, hears him. She forces the king's secretary to tell her everything, and then, using a forged message, has Talia's children brought to court. She orders the cook to kill the children and serve them to the king. But the cook hides them, and cooks two lambs instead. The queen taunts the king while he eats. 

Then the queen has Talia brought to court. She commands that a huge fire be lit in the courtyard, and that Talia be thrown into the flames. 

Talia asks to take off her fine garments first. The queen agrees. Talia undresses and utters screams of grief with each piece of clothing. The king hears Talia's screams. His wife tells him that Talia would be burned and that he had unknowingly eaten his own children. 

The king commands that his wife, his secretary, and the cook be thrown into the fire instead. The cook explains how he had saved Sun and Moon. The king and Talia marry; and the cook is rewarded with the title of royal chamberlain. 

The last line of the fairy tale – its moral – is as follows: "Lucky people, so 'tis said, He who has luck may go to bed, And bliss will rain upon his head."

The symbolic rape is still there, in this art installation, as far as I am concerned, with its dangerous game of sexual power struggle and marital stakes. But whether that potent message ends up enlightening people or taking them into the dark side is up for debate.

Axe says men are their hair, women are their cleavage

This Axe ad is extra weird: a disembodied male haircut falls in lust with some disembodied breasts:



But is its message true?

A 2012 study by Think Eye Tracking showed men and women these two photos:

Here's a "heat map"which shows how women stared at the image:

Here's the same, for men:

Red is "hot," meaning that those parts were stared at most intensely. Green is just a glance. (And I have no idea why they couldn't use a shot of a man looking at the camera.)

Here is the conclusion:

Women pay more attention to his left hand; he is wearing a wedding ring. Men are less interested in the marital status of the young lady and pay more attention to her face, breasts and stomach. 

Whereas the women looked at her bikini the men are frankly just not interested in what she is wearing! This level of detail would be impossible to gain from traditional market research techniques of asking people what they remember looking. 

As I said, people don’t always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Few men would have volunteered that they looked at the man’s assets partly because it’s a social taboo but also because glances can happen so quickly that they simply did not register in the conscious mind. 

In the same way that participants who take part in research often don’t have clear insight into why they make decisions.

Interestingly, another study using sexually explicit images, found:

...men are more likely than women to first look at a woman's face before other parts of the body, and women focused longer on photographs of men performing sexual acts with women than did the males. 

Gender stereotyping: it's complicated.

Tip via AdFreak

"Will do dishes for sext"

Sir Richard's Condoms, always a cheeky marketer, has rolled out a new app for men who can only be motivated by their loved one's T&A.

"Pretty Please," according to the Denver Egotist, "challenges the recipient to agree to complete a task before they’re granted permission to view a photo — a photo uploaded by a lover that's presumably sexy and worth doing said chore in order to unlock." It will also auto-delete the picture before the woman ends up as the next Scarlett Johansson. (Interestingly, the screen caps at the Apple App Store no longer feature the boudoir shot as seen at the top of this post.)

I know it's all in fun, however it's kind of a depressing stereotype that women use sex as currency and men are lazy slobs who are only in it for the orgasm.

I suppose the sexting could go both ways, in theory, but to be honest I doubt I could convince my spouse to take out the garbage by promising her a photo of my junk.

No girls allowed in LEGO Middle Earth

There has been quite a lot of talk lately about how LEGO went from a gender-neutral building toy to a series of highly-gendered play sets for boys and girls.

Well, Casey recently alerted me to the latest in the "boy" play sets: LEGO Lord of The Rings.

Clearly based on the movies, rather than the books, it features a number of scanarios from Galdalf's arrival in Hobbiton to Sauron's subterranean orc factory.

What it doesn't feature is any female characters. No Arwen, no Galadriel, no Éowyn. Not even female Hobbits. The only female in the entire set, apparently, is Shelob the horrible giant spider.

The sets focus on battle and brutality, but the complete lack of female characters is striking. In the Peter Jackson movie franchise, some effort was made to give some appeal to female viewers, apart from all Tolkien's old-school unattainable princessy characters, by making the character of Éowyn more prominent as a warrior. But even the crusty old author, with his medieval worldview, gave the "shield-maiden" a front-line role in killing the Witch-King. Why miss the opportunity for at least a token kick-ass woman?

This just goes to show how increasingly ut-of-touch the LEGO designers are getting. They may claim to be appealing to boys' demands for gross and violent battle toys. But even my vintage Star Wars action figures had a kickass Leia. Not the gold bikini one, the "Someone has to save our skins!" bun-headed Rebel spy from the original film. (You know, the one LEGO put into its classic Star Wars collection?"

LEGO is entirely within its rights to tell girls to forget about fantasy and adventure and get back to the kitchen, I suppose. But I also get to call them on it.

I miss the good old days of ugly Lego

This Lego ad, from about 1981, is immensely popular on the internet circa 2012. It, and two others of the same vintage, were recently featured on the academic blog Sociological Images as examples of gender-neutral marketing of children's toys.

SI's Lisa Wade contrasts the Lego of her childhood with today's more gendered Lego sets for girls that put women back in the kitchen:

Or the beauty shop:

Granted, there are lots of different Legos for kids, but this is the one Mastermind Toys lists as "a brand new LEGO world for girls!"

I get it. I only have a son myself, but all of his little girl friends have totally bought into this whole "princess" thing — even though their parents are socially progressive yuppies like me. Kids should be able to (safely and responsibly) play however they want with whatever they have (my son has started making "spy weapons" out of cardboard tubes) so is there really a problem here?

Lisa writes, "In the circles I run in, it’s being roundly criticized for reproducing stereotypes of girls and women: domesticity, vanity, materialism, and an obsession with everything being pastel."

By the way, this controversy is a few months old already. What inspired me to weigh in was an even older Lego image, from a 1973 catalogue, that was featured on Retronaut:

This was around the time when I started playing with the iconic blocks, almost 40 years ago. Note that the craptacular ambulance built by 5-year-old "Maria" could have just as easily been built by "Mario".

And then it hit me what the real problem is.

Lego stopped being a "blank slate" imagination toy sometime in the '80s. While you can still buy plain blocks if you look hard enough, Lego is now much more about getting kids to act out branded and scripted narratives than asking them to start from scratch.

Here's an example. It's the bio of "Emma", one of the Lego Friends:

Favorite animal: Horse, Robin
Hair color: Black
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite food: Fruits and veggies. And chocolate. And cupcakes. And pizza…
I love: Designing clothes and jewelry, crafts, interior decorating, remodeling and horseback jumping.
I’m also good at: Yoga, giving makeovers, martial arts, making origami animals.
My friends think I’m sometimes: Forgetful, but I never forget to accessorize.
I want to be: A designer
Motto: “That’s SO you!”
I would never: Leave home in clothes and accessories that don’t match!
I like to hang out: At the beauty salon and my design studio.

There is literally nothing left to the imagination here.

Toys representing fictional characters with complex backstories existed when I was a kid, too, but not in Lego form. Instead they were "dolls" and "action figures".

I still have mine.

So my question is, should Lego be held to account for defining and gendering the play narrative for its dolls and action figures more than any other toy company?

To be fair, no. Parents do not have to buy these sets for their daughters, and they could well buy kitchen sets for their sons. It's just another company in the business of making money by giving kids (and parents) what they say they want.

I think the real shame here is that a classic toy that engaged children in unique imagination exercises 30 or 40 years ago has become just another product tie-in to increasingly monotonous children's entertainment. And part of this monotony is the cute girlie-girl thing.

I just miss my ugly, impractical Lego machines and houses. And I miss ads that sell nothing more than imagination. But then again, I miss being able to lose myself in a bucket of plastic bricks for an entire afternoon.

There is hope, though. In some places, Lego and its advertising still rock.

Check out this German campaign that shows retro lego geniuses. And this amazing Russian campaign that turns Lego kits into something else. And this fantastically minimalist American one from 2006.

The Amazing Spider-Pram: Redefining gendered toys

(Image via Fru K blog)

This image, from the recent toy catalogue of Swedish retailer Leklust, is getting a lot of play on social media right now for its image of a kid in a Spider-Man costume pushing a pink doll carriage.

As reported in The Local, Leklust CEO Kaj Wiberg told Metro, "Gender roles are an outdated thing... I'm 71 years old, and those of us who have worked in this industry for a while know that boys play with doll houses. We know that boys can play with Barbie dolls."

The catalogue has other non-stereotypical images as well:

Nice to see. I'd love to see more of it.

Tide: For psycho moms with control issues

It's actually a very charming comercial. The question is, who is the hero here? The mom comes off as neurotic about her daughter's tomboyishness, while the daughter doesn't seem to care.

So, is the viewer mom supposed to empathize with uptight mom, or is she supposed to think to herself "Hey! If Tide satisfies that obviously OCD woman with its cleaning powers, I'm sure it'll do for me!"

Either way, I'll bet that girl is going to grow up cool.

In other news, Tide is a great way to get your girlfriend's head in your lap:



And to help your husband loosen up:



Is there anything it can't do?

Tip Via Sociological Images.

Men: put yourself in a woman's position

Kel shared this awesome Flikr set called "Men-Ups!" that shows guys posing in traditional pin-up girl poses:

So smart, using straight male stereotypes, too, rather than the more metro (or even extremely feminine) look of male fashion models. It heightens the sense of absurdity. This idea must have been used for an ad campaign by now, but my memory fails me. Anyone have an example?

IKEA now provides in-store daycare for husbands and boyfriends?

Yes, it's obviously a clever PR gag.



From news.com.au:

"You've probably seen the 'boyfriend chair' in clothing stores for bored shopping companions.

Now IKEA has taken the concept one step further by creating a “crèche” for retail-weary men, complete with Xbox consoles, pinball machines, continuous televised sport and free hot dogs.
MÄNLAND is being trialled for four days this Father's Day weekend [Sept 2 in Aus.] as a male-only play space to hang out in while wives and girlfriends peruse the aisles.

Publicity manager Jude Leon said the idea was modelled on the Swedish furniture giant’s existing child play area, SMALAND.

Ms Leon said women were given a buzzer to remind them to collect their other half after 30 minutes of shopping."

Although I have to admit, sexism aside, I can only stand shopping with my beloved for maximum 20 minutes per store. But that's what shopping mall bars are for...

Are you offended by this? Or is it just good-natured payback for centuries of putting the women down?

(Tip from Tastefully Offensive)

Marketing grooming product to real men

Why are men's grooming products so hard to sell? I guess it's a sign that the whole metrosexual thing is long gone that we're now at a point of parodying the "real men" who are supposed to use these products.



This one is from an Argentinian agency agency called (without irony) "Ponce". Argentina is apparently a pretty rough neighbourhood. It's funny, though, and won a Cannes Silver Lion for "best use of music".



This one's  from Los & Co in Oslo, Norway. It's also pretty funny, but may be trying a little too hard. It won a Bronze Lion in the "Film" category.

The moral of the story? Male self-deprecation wins awards. Now let's see if it moved product.

(Both tips via Copyranter)