The top seven…most patronising pieces of communication
Sometimes brands have big ideas. Sometimes marketers get so caught up with a grandiose idea that instead of finding engaging ways to sell breakfast cereal, they start to believe their own rhetoric. And sometimes it’s just lazy marketing. Here are my top seven inadvertently patronising pieces of communication…
1) Last night thousands of women gathered in Sydney’s Centennial Park to take part in She Runs the Night, an event created by Nike.
I have no issue whatsoever with women, or humans in general, coming together to get fit and have fun, and I loved the initiative; my beef is with the slightly unsavoury subtext. When unpacked, it goes something like this: Ordinarily, Woman, you cannot run in public parks after dark without fear. But for one night, courtesy of Nike, you can run (in a pack) in safety, for a small fee, while wearing a t-shirt to advertise our brand.
I don’t feel I am enough of a hipster to have the lifestyle portrayed in the Emirates ad
I don’t really have a problem with the Macca’s ad using Mexican stereotypes. If it shows the modern westernised side of Mexico then it;ll look like the rest of the world.
But I much prefer the 1994 ad, much better and makes me want the burger much more.
Why didn’t they simply re-run it?
1,2,4,3,4,6,7 – odd numbering but great article.
Superb article.
What about those arrogant Range Rover drivers that just dump their dirty laundry at the dry cleaners without a comment or concern and drive away. Great pitch it ain’t!
Timely article given the recent debate surrounding RIM’s Wake Up campaign – have a read of the copy in the cover wraps of toady’s papers……these guys are delusional and I haven’t seen such a smug piece of communication in a long time.
Apple could almost pull off the attitude given they have runs on the board and the credentials to back it up. RIM has neither, so the references to Apple ads peppered through the copy just remind us of the much better competitor.
Back to the drawing board RIM, pity you’ve blown so much money on this travesty of a campaign.
Craig – numbering fixed. Thank you! Cathie – mUmBRELLA
You missed the current St George ad about women spending too much on shoes.
Love it. Re Nike, Felix Salmon tweeted this yesterday: “This is depressing. Casey Neistat gets lots of money from Nike, which causes him to lose his sense of… http://tmblr.co/ZKiDjxKy_Fx6“
Thoughtful piece Cathie. However, have a look at the background on Nike’s Run the Night overseas. Will put it in context, I think it is superb (and no they aren’t a client)
@Peter Bray I wrote the story about the event: https://staging.mumbrella.com.au/3000-women-run-the-night-at-nikes-first-australian-event-89450 -and as I say above, I loved the initiative.
But let’s not forget it’s advertising, not altruism…
Cathie – mUmBRELLA
It saddens me there are so many examples in this article, and that as @ellymc noted, still more could be added.
Wonderful words as per usual McGinn. Perhaps it’s time to move from writer, to copywriter and change the machine from the inside.
Good work McGinn.
Now that you have the uppity womyn angle covered, what about the stereotype that all men in advertisements are beer swilling, girlfriend dodging, salad avoiding bogans?
Re Nike, 3000 women clearly didn’t find it patronising or lazy marketing as they paid $80 to attend.
Most brands couldn’t get 3,000 people to attend an event if they paid customers $80.
Other brands will dust the best part of $100k on experiential events in the CBD that may have a reach of 50,000+ but get about 100 people engaging. looking at the return on engagement I would take Nikes lazy and patronising communication any day of the week.
Cathie, the Nike run is a fascinating subject, and it was brilliantly executed. In terms of its messsage, though, are you sure it’s trying to scare women runners? That angle did crop up in stories, and was addressed by organisers, but I actually think it was incidental to the core promotion.
Even in the park during the run, I don’t think there were any police or overt signs of security. There were just a few police at the entry points.
The run itself seemed to be a cross between a nightclub and a fun run, with various illuminated effects, including pink trees in the park. I thought it was stunning.
I have always had a soft spot for the el Maco campaigns, even if the product consistently fails to deliver…
Ah, this article made my day! I would just like to add the “She bought a Jeep?” TVC to this patronising category.
Excellent thinking.
You’re right when you say the Maccas ad is as much stereotyping as it is patronising…of the two I think the former is the worse sin, because it promulgates ignorance and in this case racism which to me is much more dangerous and damaging than patronisation which simply has the effect of pissing us off.
Sadly, there’s no shortage of either in our wonderful industry!