Project: Canadian Club - The Only Thing I Ever Talk About These Days
So I got what I hope was the final response from that woman at Beam Global. I refused to communicate by any method by email, and she was set on me calling her, so… there shall be no communication. In her last email to me she sent me their marketing code of practice. This pdf discussed their high standards and their commitment to responsible advertising.
Oh yes, they have very high standards. Here is an example of their high standards, which was linked to me by Audra Williams:
On Friday, Canadian Club Whisky will host a spoof protest outside Toronto showings of Sex and the City to “protest the rise of the pink, girlie cocktail and the demise of the masculine cocktail.”
The planned protests will be staffed by young men hired by a promotional company, who will stand outside movie theatres throughout the day holding signs saying “No Pink Drinks” and chanting such witticisms as “Hey hey, ho ho, girly drinks have got to go.”
“It’s kind of reminding people that there are other options,” said Ginny Homewood, brand manager for Canadian Club Whisky. “You can have a sophisticated cocktail that doesn’t look like a martini.”
But isn’t promoting whisky in front of a crowd of avowed cosmopolitan drinkers a bad idea? Would you go to a Big Lebowski festival and make fun of people who drink white Russians?
The campaigns will probably be ignored by those who attend the movie this week, an audience that is expected to be almost exclusively women.
Sigh. Apparently, it’s responsible marketing to pay men to jeer at women going to see a movie so that they won’t buy your product.
Also, I’ve received several new ads for the campaign, including three very bleak ones that I’ve added to the original entry. It’s amazing how this project has evolved. I had this idea that it would mostly focus on female musicians, but it’s really evolved into something else entirely.
Based on a suggestion I received from one of the commenters and from discussions (insane rants) I’ve been having with Stark, we are thinking of starting a feminist ad busting blog. Basically, it would be a collaborative project where people could rework any ads they found offensive and send them in to be posted. It would keep the protest focused on current campaigns, and it would be a great way for lots of people to participate and stay informed. Are there any ad campaigns you’ve found to be particularly offensive lately? Any that you would like to satirize and share with the world? Ideas, people. Don’t force me to go out and buy a copy of Maxim to find these things myself. I shudder at the thought. Also, what should this blog be called? The name is crucial, of course.
Wow, gorgeous idea. I’d love to be part of that blog
Would you like occasional submissions of “sexism of days gone by”? I occasionally find lovely examples of that — such as a 1920’s Lysol ad claiming marital happiness was ruined by “personal odor” so wives should douche with Lysol. Examples like that would be less open to parody, of course (since Lysol’s already long since stopped advertising caustic douching!), but it helps establish the pattern that advertisers have of crushing self-confidence in order to convince you to buy their product.
Comment by the good old days — May 30, 2008 @ 6:02 am
Hahah. I love old ads like that! We could definitely have a flashback section of the blog. It’s always good to show just how not-far-at-all we’ve come.
Comment by michelle — May 30, 2008 @ 6:10 am
[…] marketing. Here’s another example of their tasteful advertising strategies (via Michelle Schwartz Chronicles again)… On Friday, Canadian Club Whisky will host a spoof protest outside Toronto showings of […]
Pingback by the good old days » Blog Archive » Canadian Club just can’t stop pissing me off — May 30, 2008 @ 6:48 am
Ms. magazine used to have a section similar to what you’re doing, called “No Comment,” though that highlighted sexist ads rather than reworking/parodying them. It was always one of my favorite parts of the magazine, because it drove home to me how advertising culture thrives on the assumption that it can be casually offensive without risk or consequence. I see ads all the time and think, “Man, I wish I could send that to ‘No Comment,’” so I would love a blog like that to contribute to! If only for highlighting, not necessarily parodying.
Right now I’m finding this Bluefly campaign (and that’s a company - designer goods, et al - that markets predominantly to women) pretty grating/offensive. There’s a whole series of nude chicks - what better to sell clothes?![/sarcasm]
http://www.print.duncans.tv/images/bluefly-train-station.jpg
Comment by Genevieve — May 30, 2008 @ 9:11 am
@Genevieve — BWAHAHAHA, I have nightmares like that, only I’m usually back in high school math class or something.
I think there would be quite a lot that is worth highlighting; it is less typical (though not uncommon) to see campaigns worth parodying to the extent that I feel Beam Global’s tripe deserves. They seriously keep pissing me off more and more every time I see them. (Also, the Canadian Club series is very easily photoshoppable, which isn’t the norm.)
Blog names: hows about…
* If you were a misogynist pig, what would you buy?
* Things that make you go NRRRGGGH
* Ads for your inner caveman
* Misogynist Flacks [although “flack” is a pretty obscure term]
* Why do advertisers hate women
* Ads that hate women, and the women that hate them back
None really jump out at me, but I thought it was worth jotting down for a starting point.
Comment by the good old days — May 30, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
For the blog’s name, how about,
“The ads they’d never think of themselves”?
Comment by SnowdropExplodes — June 2, 2008 @ 10:15 am
i’m a fan of puns - so like the Clio Awards honor advertising around the globe in all its forums - http://www.clioawards.com/
from their website:
“Founded by Wallace A. Ross in 1959, the program’s name originates in Greek mythology, where Clio was the muse of history, the recorder of great deeds, the proclaimer and celebrator of accomplishments, and a source of inspiration and genius. Originally conceived to honor American advertising, the Clio Awards expanded in 1965 to include international work and today receives more than 19,000 entries annually, 65% of which come from outside the US.”
since your would be doing the opposite maybe using a Greek Goddess of War or something?
I’m waiting for your RSS feed with bated breath!
(you should submit to Bitch magazine too - i think they would appreciate what you are trying to do more than most !)
Comment by bridget — June 6, 2008 @ 11:53 am
Your dad was Super….
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v291/134/53/613762048/n613762048_948719_5029.jpg
Comment by Zally — June 6, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
For the ad busting blog, what about “better ads”? or, if you like the punning version, what about something in tribute to Lethe, the Greek godess of forgetfulness (since we want to forget about these crap products, after all!)
Comment by stephanie — June 9, 2008 @ 12:50 pm