Is Old Spice's 'Mandroid' a Sexist Ad Campaign or a Satire of Sexist Ads?

As Old Spice and agency Wieden + Kennedy continue to roll out ads featuring their chronically malfunctioning spokes-bot, it’s hard to decide if they’re succumbing to one of the most tired cliches in advertising or if they’re skewering it. 

The gag, which competitor Axe spent years building its marketing around, is that using the brand’s grooming products will make any man irresistible to women. Old Spice took the trope to its logical extreme, creating a mandroid who can score a hot date even when his face is falling off or he’s crushing a woman’s ribs with the weight of his industrial endoskeleton.

In the campaign’s newest spot, the robot has made the mechanically unwise decision to lounge in a hot tub, surrounded by women so enraptured by his scent that they seem to have lost the common sense to leave a body of water that contains a sparking, error-spouting electrical device.

The campaign’s ads definitely are good for a few laughs, but their portrayal of vapid women is also a departure for the brand.

A major factor in the success of Old Spice’s already legendary “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign was that it spoke directly to women (“Hello, ladies.”) and recognized that they played a big role in household purchases like body wash and soap.

Later campaigns switched back to focusing on men, but they did so through oddly charming non-sequiturs like a screaming Terry Crews or a watermelon shower basketball

But now, as it strives for a bigger slice of the lucrative male grooming category, Old Spice has dropped to the lowest common denominator: Use this product, and nothing else will matter. Women will hump you.

Turning women into mindless nymphomaniacs is the epitome of sexist advertising, but with one of the world’s top agencies behind the campaign, one has to wonder if the whole thing is just a meta parody of how dumb most male-oriented advertising is. 

We asked Wieden + Kennedy whether they view the campaign as satire, though they deferred to the client:

“Much like all of our TV commercials, the new spots with the Old Spice robot illustrate the transformational powers of our products in the most ridiculous, over-the-top fashion,” says Kate DiCarlo, Procter & Gamble’s communications manager for Old Spice.

“In this case, we were looking to bring to life the concept that when you use the combination of Old Spice body wash, deodorant and shampoo, the result is a manly, irresistible freshness from head to toes–regardless of your biological composition.” 

In the end, it’s hard to get upset about an ad campaign that’s this knowingly, gloriously dumb. The gags are so well delivered and head-shakingly odd, they make other “this will make you hot” ads seem flacid by comparison.

And if that’s not a definition for satirical advertising, what is? 



Construction Workers Yell Messages of Empowerment to Women in Snickers Stunt

Australian construction workers simply aren't themselves in this amusing stunt from Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne. In fact, they're actors who shout empowering statements to women on the street in a real-world extension of Snickers' "You're not you when you're hungry" campaign.

Instead of sexist catcalls, the hardhats yell, "I'd like to show you the respect you deserve!" and, "A woman's place is where she chooses!" Best of all: "You know what I'd like to see? A society in which the objectification of women makes way for gender-neutral interaction free from assumptions and expectations."

According to Snickers exec Brad Cole, "There were a few nervous moments while we were filming the reactions, but the public took the experiment in the spirit in which it was intended—to charm and amuse them."

There is, of course, a negative way to interpret this execution. By saying blue-collar guys "aren't themselves" when they're being polite, it pretty clearly implies they're otherwise a bunch of misogynistic boors. This seems to be more of an insult to guys than women, but it's still rubbing some the wrong way, like this YouTube commenter: 

"So wait, men are only respectful and decent human beings when they're 'not being themselves'? Men should eat a snickers to 'be themselves again' so that they can be sexist, ignorant douchebags that harass women? Great, Snickers. This kind of sexist perpetuation of masculinity is just what our world needs. ?"


    



Watch This Woman Become a Man to Protest Unequal Pay in Sweden

We've seen plenty of women get makeovers in advertising lately—either in pursuit of some market-driven ideal of beauty, or in critique of same. In this video, though, a woman is transformed for a different purpose.

Annelie Nordström, chairwoman of Kommunal, Sweden's biggest union, was made over as a man to protest unequal salaries between men and women in the country. It's all a stunt for International Women's Day this Saturday. At the website, BeAMan.se, women can also connect to a Facebook app and become men themselves through some photo manipulation.

The campaign is by ad agency Volontaire, which won the Grand Prix in the Cyber Lions at Cannes in 2012 for its "Curators of Sweden" campaign—a fascinating experiment in which ordinary Swedes took turns running the country's official Twitter account.


    



Pre-Owned Idea / Vierge de toute nouveauté

NotTheFirst2000BatesBelgium NotTheFirst2008BBDOAthens NottheFirst2011Canada_OntarioFEMME
THE ORIGINAL? 
Mercedes-Benz – 2008
« Would you mind not being the first? »
Agency : Bates (Belgium)
THE ORIGINAL?
BMW Premium Selection – 2008
« You know you’re not the first… »
Agency : BBDO Athens (Greece)
LESS ORIGINAL
Dale Wurfel – 2011
« You know you’re not… »
In-House, Ontario (Canada)

Indian Ad Challenges Men to See How Stupid They Look Ogling Women

Objectification and rape go hand in hand—it's easier, after all, to take advantage of a person if you don't see her as a person. But what if you catch a glimpse of yourself in the act of objectifying someone? Would you like what you saw?

A recent spot from India titled "Dekh Le" (meaning "look" or "see" in Hindi) suggests that maybe if men saw how creepy (and stupid) they look when ogling a woman, they'd try to be less creepy.

The video, already viewed nearly 2.5 million times, was uploaded by Whistling Woods International Institute, an arts and film school in Mumbai, on Dec. 16. That date marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal Delhi gang rape that touched off a firestorm of protest all over India, a country that has some of the worst violent sexual crime stats in the world. (Just this past New Year's Eve, a woman in West Bengal was set on fire and killed after filing charges against two men accused of raping her on two consecutive days.)

It's key that Whistling Woods isn't just showing matronly women being ogled, but a woman in a short skirt on a moped and a woman with a tattoo over her butt, which we in America like to call a "tramp stamp." The progressive ad suggests it's not OK to perv, even if ladies choose to dress provocatively or tattoo their lower backs with butterflies.

So will this video make a difference? It's hard to say. It's a worthy cause, but it's also up against a deep-set, worldwide issue that many men will continue to believe is harmless. In a similar effort, U.S. photographer Hannah Price tried the same tactic of showing men how foolish they look when they cat-call and made headlines by turning her lens on the same men who made her feel exposed. But as headline-grabbing as the stunt was, Price has said she doesn't think it will make any of the men change their behavior.

As for Whistling Woods' piece, I'm surprised at the fact that the only kind of unwanted attention depicted in the ad is creepy staring. There's clearly something wrong with my perspective and our culture if these guys seem fairly harmless to me in the face of the cat-callers and the booty-grabbers. I guess it's not just those guys who need to look at themselves; it's all of us

In one way, it's successful because it brings up so many questions. Why do we accept sexually aggressive behavior on a daily basis? Why is it so prevalent in our society? And do I really look that stupid when I stare at dudes with nice abs?


    

The 10 Most Sexist Ads of 2013

In a lot of ways, 2013 was an amazing year for the portrayal of women in advertising. Ogilvy's "Real Beauty Sketches" for Dove sparked a massive discussion of self-image and the definition of beauty. UN Women's "Autocomplete Truth" campaign brilliantly highlighted inequality worldwide. GoldieBlox created a viral anthem for girl empowerment (while admittedly fostering some avoidable ill will along the way). And a Pantene ad from the Philippines took issue with gender hypocrisy in the workplace.

But not every ad in 2013 was a coup for feminism. Today, we look back at some of the more egregious examples of negative stereotypes about women from ads around the world this year. Some might bother you more than others, but either way, it's a debate worth having.


    

D.C. Metro Ad Says Women Care More About Shoes Than Train Reliability

The D.C. Metro's newest ad campaign, dubbed "Metro Forward," took a giant step backward recently with a sexist print ad that suggests women would rather talk about shoes than public transport reliability. The not-so-subtle subtext, according to critics, is that women (specifically the Metro's riders) are too vapid to care about matters of import.

"The point of the ad is to get people talking about Metro's massive rebuilding effort by juxtaposing technical facts with a variety of light responses in conversation between friends," a Metro spokesperson tells DCist.com.

In a version of the campaign featuring two men, when asked whether he'd noticed some new hardware installed on the train, the guy's punch line is, "No, Billy, not so much." What, no mention of beer, power tools or watching some sports last night?

The sexism of the women-oriented ad is particularly egregious and laughable because it's so lazy. "Ladies and their shoes" is a punch line you'd hear on late-night TV 25 years ago, and it wasn't funny then, either. Luckily for us, this is one of those advertising blunders where the parodies will be much better executed because more thought will have been put into them than in the original.


    

Dating App Lets Guys Bribe Women With Jewelry, Travel or Plastic Surgery

"You can have anyone! All you have to do is dangle the right carrot." That's the promise of a new app, Carrot Dating, which allows users to bribe potential love connections into going on dates with them. The word "bribe" might sound a little harsh, but that's actually the terminology Carrot Dating uses.

"Messaging may get her interested, but bribery will get you a date. Don't waste time contacting countless singles in hopes that one will say 'yes.' The Carrot Dating app gives you the power to date your first choice, not settle for only the ones who replied."

The bribes range anywhere from flowers to jewelry to plastic surgery. If this sounds like thinly veiled prostitution, well, bingo. Carrot Dating is presenting women as gold-digging idiots just waiting to exchange amorous meetups for Botox. If Carrot Dating's website weren't sketchy enough, there's the promo video below, which really takes it past the line of "so gross I need to shower."

Of course, the founder disagrees. In an interview with the New York Daily News, entrepreneur Brandon Wade says, "It’s like a pickup line, but more classy and interesting." And if there's one man who knows classy, it's definitely the guy who created another dating site called WhatsYourPrice.com.


    

TrueCar.com Ad Rescues Clueless Women Who Could Never Buy a Car Without a Man Around

Remember back when advertisers would blatantly mock women for being helpless without men? I mean, you're probably not old enou … wait, never mind, still happening. A recent ad for used-car pricing service TrueCar.com features women explaining how the site helped them purchase a vehicle without the help of a man. Because apparently women have to research pricing, while men have the magical ability to guess it on the nose like they're securing a spot on The Price Is Right.

"TrueCar makes it a lot easier to go in by yourself," notes one of the testimonials. Another woman lays out the service's benefit even more bluntly: "I don't need to bring a dude with me." The ad has earned its share of critics on YouTube and Facebook. "The most sexist commercial out there," notes one woman on TrueCar's Facebook page. "Wow. I guess all women are just scared, meek, docile little creatures that get intimidated by car dealerships." Here's another Facebook comment from a man named Richard: "As a man, you're [sic] commercials embarrass me. The notion that women need a 'dude' to navigate the apparent labyrinth that is the automotive market is not only incorrect, its out-dated and offensive."

TrueCar has responded to a few of the complaints with a boilerplate response saying the ad was about leveling the playing field for every car buyer, not just women: "We apologize if our ad came across the wrong way. Transparency is a core part of our business and we aim to improve the car buying experience for everyone by helping consumers make an informed buying decision." Hat tip to blogger Kelby Carr for sharing this ad on Facebook.

UPDATE: TrueCar's PR firm, PGCCampbell, sent us the following response, attributed to TrueCar founder and CEO Scott Painter:

"Regardless of race or gender, being a more informed car buyer benefits consumers. TrueCar supplies a hassle-free experience for both men and women by providing car-buying information the public can't get elsewhere.

"This particular ad is pro-consumer and pro-women. It was developed by our creative director, who is a woman, and it addresses a real consumer issue in the marketplace."

    

Lego Under Fire for Sticker Set Featuring Leering Construction Worker

You can build almost anything with Legos—even controversy!

The company came under fire this week for a licensed sticker set that includes a leering, waving male construction worker and the caption, "Hey Babe!" Journalist Josh Stearns set off a mini firestorm after spying the stickers in a store and calling out Lego on his Tumblr. "I was stunned … street harassment is the most prevalent form of sexual violence for both men and women in the United States," he writes. (He also pointed to a great Lego ad with a girl from 1981 to show "how far they have fallen" in their treatment of gender issues.) Some also noted that the stickers are exclusionary—no women on that crew—and generally portray construction workers as insensitive loafers.

Lego initially responded by saying, "We firmly believe in the play experience we offer, a system that lends itself to years of unlimited play possibilities for any child. To communicate the Lego experience to children we typically use humor and we are sorry that you were unhappy with the way a minifigure was portrayed here." (The "humor" remark subsequently came under fire.) Turns out the product was discontinued in 2010, and the company that made it, Creative Imagination, tanked two years later. Ultimately, Lego told Stearns, "We would not approve such a product again." That's good news, and to its credit, Lego has built up plenty of goodwill through the years, particularly recently. Still, even before stickergate, the company was taking heat for reinforcing gender stereotypes, and they need to do more to counteract that or risk looking like a bunch of blockheads.

    

U.K. Journalist Sues His Gym Over ‘Sexist’ Female-Only Hours

A British copywriter and journalist says he’s suing his local gym for “women-only hours,” intended to help females feel more comfortable while exercising. In a 1,300-word column published in the Daily Mail, Peter Lloyd argues that Kentish Town Sports Centre’s decision to exclude men and boys for 442 hours a year—while still charging them full price—is a sexist policy that sends a “toxic” message about males. Lloyd’s write-up is compelling and thought-provoking, even for those who might find his opinions whiny and insensitive. Although he lays out an array of complaints, he focuses on the fact that it’s simply unfair (and possibly illegal) to charge two different genders the same amount for different hours of service. He says he requested the gym offer one of three remedies: create male-only hours to compensate, charge men less per year or end the female-only hours. The gym reportedly declined, telling Lloyd in an email, “A report by the Women Sport and Fitness Foundation showed that a significant proportion of women (26 percent) ‘hate the way they look when they exercise.’” (A comment that seems perfectly timed with the debate over Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” this week.) In some of his less-diplomatic moments, Lloyd responds, “That's like trying to clean a dirty face by rubbing a mirror,” and “If these women have issues with their bodies, I truly sympathise—but it's their problem, not mine.” His column is generating praise from male advocacy groups in Britain and even here in America, but the aggresiveness of his tone could also be seen as an argument in favor of keeping guys out of the gym on occasion. Will he be part of the solution or part of the problem? Via Reddit.