F'd Ad Fridays: Rover, gently run over

Ad by Bates, Singapore for for ACDelco "ultrasoft" shock absorbers.

Isn't that cute! I guess all the car did to him was turn his insides into paté. But at least the driver didn't feel it.

Via Copyranter

BFs Vs. the Third R

This Norwegian social marketing ad (via Ads of The World) about proper recycling procedures is pretty amusing on first viewing:



But then, of course, the whole "double standard" thing ran through my brain. Can you imagine this ad with the gender roles reversed? With a man handling a woman like that, and discarding her when she's "used up"? It would be torch and pitchfork time in Oslo.



But you wouldn't see that version of the ad, because the fact is it's still okay to pick on "the man". Even in the modern Western World, there is enough perceived power disparity between man and women that men are expected to be able to take a little satirical abuse. Hence all the dufus husbands and boyfriends that are a staple of advertising aimed at adult women.

What do you think? Harmless fun, or sexism against men? Or both?


UPDATE: Adfreak's post of their take of this ad on Facebook provoked one fan to offer a link to this Czech ad that does, in fact, switch the gender roles in a similar situation (but much less violent):