Madison Ave starts to listen!

Glenn Reynolds notes: “IN ADVERTISING AGE, a shocking message to advertisers: “Bashing Fathers and Husbands Isn’t the Right Way for Marketers to Sell Products.” Go figure.”

Defenders of the advertising status quo generally put forth the following arguments: Males are “privileged” and “it’s men’s turn,” so it’s OK to portray them this way, and that men simply don’t care how they’re portrayed. Both of these arguments are highly questionable.

Young males certainly aren’t privileged. The vast majority of learning-disabled students are boys, and boys are four times as likely as girls to receive diagnoses of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Girls get better grades than boys and are much more likely than boys to graduate high school and enter college. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, women earn 60% of all bachelor’s degrees and 60% of all master’s degrees.
[…]
How fathers are portrayed matters. Fatherlessness is one of the greatest threats our children face. Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. recently said: “Twenty-eight percent of American kids … are growing up in fatherless homes, heir to all the struggle and dysfunction that condition portends. … Who can deny those [are] appalling numbers[?]”

Yeppers. I am so glad to see this. And when I think of all the snotty emails I got when I wrote this back in November of ’07:

I’ve never much liked the idea of celebrating women by slamming men…it goes against my grain to be expected to look at a woman and think, “ahhh, a woman! A superior creature!” If a product is marketed to me as “by women, for women” I do not buy it, because a) I hate being pandered to via my vulva and b) just because a woman is involved with something does not make it great, or even better.

I agree with the argument made in the article, that women are no longer societally “underprivileged.” I think the establishment has not yet figured out that whether the issue is gender politics, educational opportunities or even religion, this up-and-coming generation does not relate to things as the establishment does because – dare we say it – things have changed since the 1970’s and today’s kids have no way of relating to the neurosis and angst that so many in leadership positions still haul about with them – their experiences are not the same as the experiences of those still trying desperately to shape the world to their visions; while they’ve been doing it, they and their agendas have grown obsolete. Which is the way the world works, after all, but I don’t know if the self-obsessed baby boomers will be able to stand it!

In any case, good news to see Madison Avenue take notice that the “slamming men” card has been overplayed. Hopefully the “stupid parents” card has been too:

…[the offensive] commercial had the Stupid Spoiled Father stamping his feet and holding his breath (literally) outside of a Subway because he wanted the meat-and-cheese whatever. The Insufferably Sensible Mother said, “no, honey, we have to take Chris to his soccer game.” When Stupid Spoiled Father began whining and holding his breath, Superior Life Form Child said, “yeah, Dad, grow up!” I’m paraphrasing, but you get the gist of it. The whole commercial was appallingly insulting and had me muttering that if I did eat Subway sandwiches, I’d have to stop because of those ads.

Directly following that commercial came one for the Chrysler Town and Country, a minivan I once considered purchasing…[which relayed the message that] parents who buy a Town and Country, will almost be as smart as their kids. Almost.

Excuse me, but even if my kids are smarter than me, which is entirely possible, I’m still not dumb enough to give my money to a company that dares to tell me so. Idiots.

Why does anyone have to be slammed in order to sell a product, anyway?

I’ve noticed the newest trend in advertising is to make everyone in the commercial unsympathetic. Saw one for some car company the other night where a customer told the salesman that – had he not given her a great price for a new car – she was going to feed him brownies laced with horse laxative. Of course her stupid (and fat) husband had already snuck a brownie, so he was having digestive trouble. Oh. Har-har. Why in heaven’s name would I want to buy a product that makes me feel negatively about the whole commercial? How out-of-touch are these Masters of the Universe, anyway?

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