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#1
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Commercials with non-existent target demographics
So I'm watching the neverending story (tonight's Mets game) and I see this coppertone spray-on sunblock commercial. The main character or whatever is like, a early to mid thirties white guy playing pickup basketball in a city environment. There's also an old spice commercial where some similarly mid-thirties (or older) white guy is holding a basketball, apparently demonstrating his manliness or the manliness of the product, or something.
But here's my issue. These mid-thirties white guys playing pickup basketball with a perfectly racially mixed group of guys... they don't exist, or certainly not in the numbers necessary to justify using them as a marketing technique. Like who are they fooling here? I am a early/mid twenties white guy. I know this advertising is absurd. Is this targeted at insecure white guys wanting to feel cool by playing what's generally considered a more "urban" sport? Is there some strange town somewhere filled with energetic, in-shape, mid-thirties and older white guys playing street ball with their friends (and wearing sunscreen, wtf? so unballa/ungangsta) ?? I watch these commercials and I'm never buying this product. Unlike most people who are moderately affected by advertising, I am severely affected by advertising. This product obviously declares itself intended for some strange, fictional consumer group (the b-ballin white guys ten years older than me, lol!) so I will not use it. But like... I can see how the ultra-sexualized commercials for body spray / whatever can work, because they're at least associating their product directly with a good thing. Are there sappy middle aged dudes who think if they wear this brand of spray-on sunscreen that it will assist in their hip, athletic life? Like how is this commercial anything but a monumental failure (other than the fact that I am so bored/irritated by it that I'm posting this obv)? What are some other made-up or absurd targets/examples/etc used in commercials? Obviously the "insanely aroused, unbelievably hot chick turned on by your spray-on deodorant" is out there, but that's a bit obvious and those commercials are clearly tongue-in-cheek to some degree. And any mid-thirties, still cool and hip b-ballin white guys who throw down on the street court, feel free to chime in and disprove the central hypothesis in this post. |
#2
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
When watching shows like the Price is Right and Family Feud I always realize I shouldn't be watching these when the commercials come on and they are all for Stair-Chairs, life insurance, and nobody under the age of 60 making an appearance.
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#3
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
That reminds me, tangentially... are old people really such huge suckers that they go for "reverse mortgages" and all the other ridiculously overt attempts at scamming them out of their dog food money? I mean, old people can be stupid and naive sometimes, but "reverse mortgage" is too much. If "reverse mortgage" meant what it ought to mean, someone would be paying me to live in a house somewhere.
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#4
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
Yeah, the mixed group for basketball was ridiculous when I was playing. I was consistently the only white guy in a 5-10 mile radius. This is Detroit about 12 years ago, though, so maybe times have changed? I was also a lot younger then.
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#5
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
[ QUOTE ]
I see this coppertone spray-on sunblock commercial [/ QUOTE ] mbillie: Hey I'm going to the store you need anything? Girlfriend: Spray on sunblock plz mbillie: Is Coppertone OK? |
#6
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] I see this coppertone spray-on sunblock commercial [/ QUOTE ] Girlfriend: Hey I'm going to the store you need anything? mbillie: Spray on sunblock plz Girlfriend: what brand? mbillie: WTF? Coppertone obv woman, I wanna b-ball and be ballin [/ QUOTE ] fyp |
#7
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
either way, you're a capitalist pig
AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT |
#8
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
[ QUOTE ]
That reminds me, tangentially... are old people really such huge suckers that they go for "reverse mortgages" and all the other ridiculously overt attempts at scamming them out of their dog food money? I mean, old people can be stupid and naive sometimes, but "reverse mortgage" is too much. If "reverse mortgage" meant what it ought to mean, someone would be paying me to live in a house somewhere. [/ QUOTE ] OK, nobody pointed out to him that reverse mortgage means that they pay you, every month, to live in your house (as long as you promise to leave them your house in your will when you die). Why is that? Why did nobody correct him? Was he leveling us? Am I the only one who didn't sense that? Or am I the only one who has a clue what a reverse mortgage is? |
#9
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
[ QUOTE ]
OK, nobody pointed out to him that reverse mortgage means that they pay you, every month, to live in your house (as long as you promise to leave them your house in your will when you die). Why is that? Why did nobody correct him? Was he leveling us? Am I the only one who didn't sense that? Or am I the only one who has a clue what a reverse mortgage is? [/ QUOTE ] Hmmm. The score so far is this thread: 2, me: 0 |
#10
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Re: Commercials with non-existent target demographics
I found the old Chevy Avalanche truck ad ridiculous. There were five guys in the truck, with like one white guy, two asians, a black guy and a hispanic. I am thinking these five guys have never ridden in the same car together, much less a pickup truck.
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