Ads That Annoy Me
Forgive me for stating the obvious but our society has really gone to
the dogs. Sometimes, I long for the days where things were more
structured and formal, where people minded their manners and had the
proper way of doing things. Jai (Rodriguez) was right. Our society is
increasingly becoming more and more informal.
One indication is the print ads and billboards I see all over EDSA as I
drive to and from work. Media selling has certainly been more creative.
Ads are now seen in places you never thought were possible. Cafe Lupe
in Guadalupe Nuevo boasts of its location as a place where you can wine
and dine under the signs. Not very far from this place where print ads
are high in traffic are ads that get to my nerves. One got replaced
fortunately. Let me enumerate:
1. Maxine Jeans - Jeans for plus sized women. "Finally, jeans that
fit". Thankfully, Filipino retailers have recognized the fact that
there are sizes beyond XL. However, this jeans ad which is perched
practically on top of the Loyola Memorial Park along Edsa beside (of
all places) San Carlos Seminary has a topless plus sized tisay
woman wearing jeans only. So para bumenta yung jeans kelangan topless
yung babae, ganon? I don’t know what else they are trying to convey in
that ad but frankly, I think the girl has a kawawa look on her face. I’m sorry but if the ad is trying to be sexy, um, let me say na hindi talaga. Besides, I know where I can get great fitting jeans, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
2. Bayantel ad - Satisfaction Guaranteed. Actually, the ad that I’m
referring to has been replaced. On the northbound lane of Edsa
Guadalupe, a picture of a child with chocolate syrup all over his face
hangs on the MRT station. This ad replaced the one with a
bare-shouldered woman with her eyes closed, apparently in the throes of
passion (ok, fine, having an orgasm). Underneath that is a caption that
says "satisfaction guaranteed". Here’s my comment: Bayantel, bumebenta naman kayo diba? Did you have to stoop to that level? Someone probably complained and pretty soon, that ad has been replaced.
I don’t see the billboard anymore but I see the delivery trucks of this product all over:
3. Milk Magic with Meryl Soriano. Before she appeared in that Up Dharma
Down video, Meryl Soriano appeared in this Milk Magic ad in a white
long sleeved shirt with a super low cut v-neck. Although wala namang
cleavage, kelangan bang ganon kababa yung neckline ng damit niya? It’s
just milk, for crying out loud, not a liquor ad. Mukhang mga mommies ng
school children yung bumibili ng gatas. And then the follow up ad I saw
really blew my top off. This time, she’s wearing a camisole top,
leaning forward with her top spilling all over the floor (kasi nakadapa
na siya). Siguro gumaganda na rin yung career ni Meryl so the creators
of this print ad decided to capitalize on her sexy image. Come on,
guys, it’s milk you’re selling, not sex. How can one not think of that
when all you can see is her cleavage?
I wish I could find pictures to support my entry but then my point is not to further endorse these ads but rather bash them.
I know, I should know by now that sex sells but people, can we just stop and think for a moment?
Do we really want to desensitize our children at an early age by
exposing them to such provocative advertising? What has happened to
creativity and responsibility? There are far better ways to market and
advertise without losing out to this "sex sells" mindset. There must be
an agency that regulates the release of these ads. Not only do they
contribute to visual pollution (as coined by Paolo Alcazaren) and
eventually cause traffic accidents but they are eyesores to people like
me who are mindful of their surroundings and the society we’re living
in.
Feel free to comment. I might add more to this list eventually.
