Ad It Up: Building a Sexy/ist Campain (A Case Study)

What do you do when you have a pointless product and a buttload of airtime in which to advertise it? If we texted this question to 542 542, (the number for the ridiculous Rube Goldberg-esque alternative to Google Searches), we'd discover that the answer is quite simple: brazenly sexist sex appeal. Sex sells, so it can only be assumed that sexism sell too, right? And the bolder and more offensive you get, the more you'll sell. So how do you know if you're being sexy or sexist enough? Let's do a case study using the very text messaging service we used to answer our original question...



Here, they started out a bit timid. Just setting a base level of annoyance for the viewer, who is probably scoffing while finding the answer to the "brain lock" question on his/her iPhone before the punchline is even delivered -- that is, if he cares enough about the something something baseball whatever. Doesn't matter. Now that they've set the tone for the campaign, it's time to test the waters:



Here, you can see the annoyance level pumped up to about a Fran Drescher (about 60%) on the annoyance scale, which ranges from Paul Newman on the low end to Perez Hilton on the high end. I don't quite get why the KGB team spends their drive asking each other pointless questions that don't even demonstrate the text messaging service's product other than to set up a terrible joke that even a first-grader wouldn't find funny -- unless KGB is really that good that it is going to be able to tell me what that hunk of rotting garbage is that just flew onto my windshield while I was speeding down a random alleyway on garbage day. Can they?! I don't think so. Then there are the girls sunbathing by the pool, who in no way look like they were even wondering about a daiquiri mix nor are they too eager to put KGB's recipe to use. They are pretty much just there to be gawked at. But wait, it gets sexier...



Even though they practically needed a mop for all the gawker drool, that last commercial must not have been sexy enough. Women sunbathing in bikinis is kind of sexy, but it's nothing compared to loose women in uniform who are just looking for excuses to take their clothes off. Like egging on an argument between two strangers. Plus, nothing's funnier than a guy in tight women's clothing. Am I right? Finally...



Oh, oh, tricked ya! You thought he was groping a real woman in the opening shot! It was just a mannequin. He'd never blatantly sexually harass women like that. You see, this silly, inattentive man is diligently shopping for an outfit for his girlfriend who lost every piece of clothing she owned in a big house fire, which prevented him from simply looking at the tags in her bras to figure out what size she is. Good thing he's got KGB to help him figure out the best way to judge a woman's chest. Not only will this skill help him replace his girlfriend's wardrobe, it will be an excellent ice breaker at the office.

And that's how you build a great sex(y)/ist ad campaign!

This entry was posted by Lady Amy, on Wednesday, December 09, 2009. You can leave your response.