Posts filed under 'RETAIL'
Questions to Consider:
Source: The New York Times, May 3, 2010, bus shelters in San Francisco, CA, July/August 2010
* What is this ad selling?
* What does it mean to not be a pushover?
* What does “proactive” mean?
* How does this ad make you feel?
What We Think:
Proactiv’s new campaign has a series of ads with different female celebrities and captions like “I’m no pushover. I’m Proactiv.” I’m not sure how not being a pushover really has anything to do with having clear skin, but this campaign is empowering for women. It is powerful to have Avril Lavigne represent a company that puts out messages like “I’m no pushover,” because Avril Lavigne is a strong, independent female singer. What Proactiv is doing is moving away from ads that encourage women to be passive pushovers and they are taking the road less traveled: they are valuing women for being strong and proactive. No longer should women politely stand waiting for the world (a man?) to happen to them. Women are taking charge of their lives, they are initiating projects and making dents in society: they are Proactiv(e). (By Juliet Weintraub)
Take Action! Contact:
Proactiv Solution
P.O. Box 11448
Des Moines, IA 50336-1448
1-800-235-6050
Contact form on company web site: proactiv.com/contactus.php
September 2nd, 2010
Questions to Consider: 
* What are these images selling?
* Who is the target audience?
* How does Title Nine want us to feel about these women? About ourselves?
What We Think:
There really aren’t enough catalogs that feature strong, active, happy women. Not only does Title Nine feature positive images of active women, the captions are also empowering. Next to the “Where are you your own best self?” image, the founder’s note reads: “Here’s to finding that place where we are our best selves and spending more time there.” It encourages women to be strong, grounded, and happy. I love that the woman with the volleyball is covered in freckles. Swimsuit ads usually sell the woman’s body, but this image with the woman with the surfboard emphasizes being playful and active.
Featured in Title Nine's Mid-Summer 2010 catalog
On their web site, Title Nine describes how they use their models: “All [of our models] are ordinary women capable of extraordinary things… Here at Title Nine it’s our goal that each of our model shots represents three things: competence, confidence and joy.” I would say that they succeeded. (by Juliet Weintraub)
Take Action! Contact:
Title Nine
Customer Service
6201 Doyle St.
Emeryville, CA 94608
Click here to write Title Nine a message through their web site.
(800) 342-4448 (toll free)
September 2nd, 2010
Source: E!, "Chelsea Lately," August 3, 2010
Questions to Consider:
* Who are the women in this ad?
* What is the message the commercial conveys?
* How would you feel if this commercial came on after a Victoria’s Secret commercial? (How about before?)
* What emotion does the advertiser want you to feel?
What We Think:
This ad is really funny, but with a purpose — I giggled at the faux beat poetry and mock spoken-word rhythm. But then it turns out the message is really quite lovely. Here are the lyrics:
For all the places I want to see
These legs are a vehicle
carrying me.
What more could I ask them to be?
They’re flawless.
(Flawless.)
Beauty magazines offer their tricks
Tell me…
I can’t imagine how your embrace
Would be any warmer on a 20-inch waist.
I’m flawless.
(Don’t ya know you’re flawless.)
‘Nuff said. (by Jennifer Berger)
Take Action! Contact:
John Holland, President and CEO
Fruit of the Loom
1 Fruit of the Loom Dr.
Bowling Green, KY 42103
Phone: 270-781-6400
Fruit of the Loom contact form: fruit.com/contact_us.shtml”http://www.fruit.com/contact_us.shtml
September 2nd, 2010
Questions to Consider:
Source: Billboard, 2010. yunchtime.net/?p=780
* Are women on their way to becoming perfectly constructed robots?
* Why does Svedka use a female bot and not a male bot?
* How does this ad represent women?
* What would it mean to be bought (purchased)?
* Who is the target audience of this ad?
What We Think:
Svedka has come out with a new wave of “R. U. Bot Or Not?” ads, including a TV commercial. The Svedka Bot is a woman who has been broken down to the most “essential” physical features. She is branded with SVEDKA down her leg. As an animatronic woman, she is designed to serve and she has no needs of her own. Her singular body type leaves no worries of men having to put up with a woman who falls outside the body ideal of 2033 (and today).
The “R. U. Bot or Not” tagline has three levels of meaning. First, it asks if women have achieved the body type of the Svedka Bot. Second, it asks if women have been claimed by men who have bought them a (Svedka) drink. Lastly, if men can purchase a Svedka Bot in 2033, the ad also asks if women have literally been purchased by men. (by Juliet Weintraub)
Take Action! Contact:
Leah Pepper
Sr. Manager of PR and Events
Svedka
leah.pepper@svedka.com
Learn how to write a great complaint letter here.
September 2nd, 2010
Questions to Consider:
* How old does this girl look?
* Why is she only wearing underwear and a bra?
* Is this ad sexual? In what way is it sexual?
* How does the advertiser (Marc Jacobs) want you to feel?
* What is this ad selling?
What We Think:
This ad for Marc Jacobs perfume is quite disturbing. The fact that the girl in this ad looks young and innocent while she lies in a field in her underwear appeals to a pedophilic sexuality. Her body is open and vulnerable to preying eyes. At first glance, she appears naked because the white underwear and bra she is wearing is hard to notice against her pale skin. When you do notice her white underwear, it further symbolizes virginity, youthfulness, and innocence. With her eyes closed and legs spread open, she is sexually open. In sum, Marc Jacobs supports the sexualization of girls. (by Juliet Weintraub)
Take Action! Contact:
Jen Sagum
Advertising and Home Collection
Marc Jacobs
email: j.sagum@marcjacobs.com
Learn how to write a great complaint letter here.
September 2nd, 2010
Questions to Consider:
* How is the woman in this image presented?
* What body parts are most emphasized in this image?
* What product is this image selling?
* Who is the intended audience?
What We Think:
This image is problematic because the woman is posed provocatively, with the intention of being a passive object of sexual attention. The specific angle at which this shot is taken places emphasis on her breasts and face, while the rest of her body is secondary. The way that this model is positioned creates a sharp line along the torso that cuts into her waist, making her appear skinnier than she already is. Additionally, by placing the model’s left arm behind her body, her arm is visually amputated. Using simple positioning and camera angles, Victoria’s Secret photographers are able to chip away body parts, leaving the female model small and powerless. (by Juliet Weintraub)
Take Action! Contact:
via web: victoriassecret.com/CustomerService/QuickHelp/ContactUs/CommentsQuestionsorSuggestions
Learn how to write a great complaint letter here.
September 2nd, 2010
Questions to Consider:
Source: Billboard on Divisadero and Oak, San Francisco
* What product is this ad selling?
* Why would American Apparel use a semi-nude model to sell clothes?
* Who is this ad’s intended audience?
What We Think:
“Oh, hi! You caught me completely by surprise as I lay here topless, staring vacantly into the camera. But while we’re here, allow me to sell you this lacy undergarment.” Ah, American Apparel. You never fail us with your misogynistic, exploitative, pornographic, just-plain-nasty campaigns. Whether it’s a reclining model captured in a grainy, pseudo-spontaneous state of undress, or a one-woman representation of “classy black girls, with the nice hair,” American Apparel always impresses us with how low it will go. We’re especially astounded by the company’s open assaults on our senses. Their images aren’t just confined to magazines, but pop up all over public billboards, ready to be consumed by passers-by of all ages, genders, and levels of impressionability. But American Apparel does have something great going for it: its business may be going down the toilet any day now. (by Michelle Konstantinovsky)
Take Action! Contact:
Dov Charney, CEO
American Apparel Inc.
747 Warehouse St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 488-0226
Feedback form on American Apparel’s web site: americanapparel.net/AboutUs/Contact.html
Learn how to write a great complaint letter here.
September 2nd, 2010
Questions to Consider: 
* What is this ad saying about women? About men?
* What kind of action or attitude is this ad encouraging?
* What product is this ad selling?
What We Think:
In this ad, Diesel is encouraging women to take actions that would gain them the title of “having the balls.” I don’t think it’s too much to say that having balls is indicative of being male, or at least masculine. Masculine traits are preferable over feminine traits, even for women. In order to be more masculine and thus more respected, women should compensate for their — forgive me — lack of balls, by doing stupid things, like flashing their breasts at security cameras. Further, since having brains and being smart is not a desired attribute, women (and men) are encouraged not to pursue their intellectual development. (by Juliet Weintraub)
Take Action! Contact:
Diesel
220 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 755-9200
web: store.diesel.com/myaccount/customer.asp?tskay=3FD17CD7
September 2nd, 2010
Christina's curves seem less than curvy in the new London Fog ad.
Poems should be written about “Mad Men” star Christina Hendricks’ curves.
No, really.
The actress has one of those unbelievably beautiful bodies that only Botticelli could have dreamed up. The show’s costume department must have a field day dressing her up in vintage styles that showcase breasts, hips, and butt (all of which she has plenty of, thank you very much).
So why on Earth would London Fog feel the need to touch her lovely, decidedly unwaif-like body with even one click in Photoshop?
Jezebel put some unretouched photos side-by-side with the campaign’s final ad, and it definitely looks like some digital blasphemy has gone on.
The man (un-Photoshopped) curves of Christina's "Mad Men" character, Joan Holloway.
Whatever London Fog’s photo editors did, they managed to pare down Christina’s curves enough to make her look alarmingly like a typical Hollywood starlet.
Can we once and for all leave works of art alone, please? Otherwise, let’s just slap some extensions on the Mona Lisa, fit her with horsey veneers, and give her the Heidi Montag plastic surgery special. Sheesh.
– Michelle
August 26th, 2010
Previous Posts
