dandruff, hair and another stupid advert
Continuing with the series of stupid adverts that have seriously infected the airtime nowadays, here's another gem.
The product... an anti-dandruff shampoo... marketed by Unilever.
The advert... a young film actor playing the drums very animatedly. The shots are cleverly separated... the guy's head and upper arms are shown while he drums at a very fast tempo... then a couple of hands are shown doing the actual drumming. The focus of course, is on the guy's hair. Then the whole picture is revealed... this guys is playing "air drums" while another guy sitting a few feet away is playing the actual drums, ostensibly making the sound. The punchline is "drums by Sirumani (the drummer's name).... hair by".
After the customary spiel about how frequent use of the shampoo reduces dandruff by "up to" 50% (fingers down my throat here), the actor remarks... "dandruff... what is that?". At this point, the drummer, who's wearing shades and a bandana on his head, removes the bandana and reveals a clean shaven pate. He replies moving his hand over his head - "you're asking ME?". Seems like a clever advert, doesn't it? Not really, if you understand that dandruff is really a scalp condition, and not a hair condition. Even bald or clean shaven people can have dandruff. Really irritates me whenever the advert is aired.
And please don't get me started about the "up to" x% reduction in dandruff part that all anti dandruff shampoos use so prominently. Advertising regulations should mandate that anytime any advert advertises the maximum limit of their benefits, they should also highlight the minimum. "up to 50%", to me says that it can be 0% as well. So why the fuck would I buy the product? Plus "up to x%" can be very easily defended, and easily proved. If I have a 2% reduction in my dandruff because of the shampoo and take bloody Unilever to court for false advertising, they can easily say that 2% is covered in their "up to 50%" promise.
If anybody from any of these FMCG companies is reading this, please spread the word within your organization... your consumers are not total idiots... don't treat them as such.
The product... an anti-dandruff shampoo... marketed by Unilever.
The advert... a young film actor playing the drums very animatedly. The shots are cleverly separated... the guy's head and upper arms are shown while he drums at a very fast tempo... then a couple of hands are shown doing the actual drumming. The focus of course, is on the guy's hair. Then the whole picture is revealed... this guys is playing "air drums" while another guy sitting a few feet away is playing the actual drums, ostensibly making the sound. The punchline is "drums by Sirumani (the drummer's name).... hair by
After the customary spiel about how frequent use of the shampoo reduces dandruff by "up to" 50% (fingers down my throat here), the actor remarks... "dandruff... what is that?". At this point, the drummer, who's wearing shades and a bandana on his head, removes the bandana and reveals a clean shaven pate. He replies moving his hand over his head - "you're asking ME?". Seems like a clever advert, doesn't it? Not really, if you understand that dandruff is really a scalp condition, and not a hair condition. Even bald or clean shaven people can have dandruff. Really irritates me whenever the advert is aired.
And please don't get me started about the "up to" x% reduction in dandruff part that all anti dandruff shampoos use so prominently. Advertising regulations should mandate that anytime any advert advertises the maximum limit of their benefits, they should also highlight the minimum. "up to 50%", to me says that it can be 0% as well. So why the fuck would I buy the product? Plus "up to x%" can be very easily defended, and easily proved. If I have a 2% reduction in my dandruff because of the shampoo and take bloody Unilever to court for false advertising, they can easily say that 2% is covered in their "up to 50%" promise.
If anybody from any of these FMCG companies is reading this, please spread the word within your organization... your consumers are not total idiots... don't treat them as such.
posted by the grim sleeper at 12:30 AM
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