Wednesday, July 8, 2015

In the Eye of the Beholder

M and I were watching TV tonight, and the following commercial came on, which we watched in silence.


*Note: Philips is one of my husband's biggest clients, and he's been extensively exposed to their marketing materials.

Afterwards the following conversation ensued:

  me: "Ich liebe Dich."
  M:   "I love you, too. Do I need to shave?"
  me: "Uh...not if you don't want to. What does shaving have to do with I love you?
  M:   "Because you said it right after that commercial."
  me: "That commercial was about shaving?"
  M:   "Well, about hair removal, yes."
  me: "Huh. All I saw was a woman who is thinner and sexier than I am, and I was wishing I looked more like that."
  M:  "And what I was thinking was, 'I wonder if that's a Philips Lighting or Philips Consumer Lifestyle product."



5 comments:

  1. Anonymous9/7/15 01:24

    Hilarious!
    It's obvious how much you love each other!

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    Replies
    1. :-) I'm glad it shows! I am a lucky woman.

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  2. Your husbands reaction is hilarious, and your statement is depressingly true.

    "Huh. All I saw was a woman who is thinner and sexier than I am, and I was wishing I looked more like that."

    I think advertisers hope for the reaction "Wow, that woman is pretty and thin. Wish I looked more like that. Maybe that product would help me get there." But I think it is rare that women get past the first two thoughts before the commercial is over, then we all just go around feeling worse about ourselves.

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    Replies
    1. I agree. We are all but forced to have a negative self-image because product manufacturers & advertisers can make loads of money if we do. We should color our hair, wear makeup, lose weight... I'd rather see a simple emphasis on healthy cooking & living. Why is exercise equipment always advertised using thin and incredibly fit people who don't need the equipment? Because the products won't sell if viewers were seeing average people using them.

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  3. That's a really cute exchange! Hehe.

    After seeing the commercial, my thought is: hmm, I wonder if it really works?

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