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Ad Missions: Simple Pleasures

Another two weeks, another Ad Missions panel. This week we looked at a new…

by Andrew Potter on Friday, August 21, 2009 12:07pm - 6 Comments

Another two weeks, another Ad Missions panel. This week we looked at a new campaign for Dare’s Simple Pleasures cookies. They are pitching it as a “health cookie” at women 35 and up. The print campaign is not bad — Andris is right about that. But I found the television spot to be unbelievably offensive, and totally out of step with the brand positioning. What do you think? You can see the tv ad here. The print is here.

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http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

I thought the TV ad was lame and slightly annoying, but "unbelievably offensive"? Yeesh. Your should save those words for a situation where they actually apply. For example, it would have been "unbelievably offensive" if the dumb schlub had smacked his wife and confiscated her cookies. I can't imagine that too many viewers watching the ad in its present form would be offended by it.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Lord_Bob Lord Bob

Would it be a cheap joke for me to suggest you get Andrew Coyne on one of these and call it "Ad Issue"?

I'm Friday and I'm bored at work. I have no regrets.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

I thought the TV ad was lame and slightly annoying, but "unbelievably offensive"? Yeesh. You should save those words for a situation where they actually apply. For example, it would have been "unbelievably offensive" if the dumb schlub had smacked his wife and confiscated her cookies. I can't imagine that too many viewers watching the ad in its present innocuous form would be offended by it.
Stormy

I am SO glad someone mentioned this ad campaign. You know what bugs me? They whole "they're BAKED, so they're good for you" angle.

Um, 95% of all cookies are BAKED.
single guy

Frankly, I feel sorry for the dumb schlub. No doubt his wife has been nattering on and on about her new diet — it's her "no cookies" rule, after all. And then she tucks into a carton of chocolate chip cookies with the feeble and inaccurate excuse that they aren't cookies. Look at the label, lady: two cookies is 140 calories and 6 grams of fat. What's REALLY offensive about this ad is her arrogant insistence that junk food isn't junk food.
Oh, I almost forgot. She's eating the damb fat-bombs in the CAR for gawd's sake. Crumbs all over the place and guess who's going to have to clean it up? Yup. The dumb schlub.
single guy

Oh, by the way, in terms of calories and fat content per cookie, these supposedly "healthy" cookies are actually worse than Oreos. You can look it up. No wonder the dumb schlub is so pissed.