Advertising stereotypes: outdated and annoying?

At Velvet, we’ve decided it’s time for a bit of light blog (or should that be bog – read on and you’ll see why) relief in the dog days of summer.

So, inspired by a recent Marketing Week article that mentioned how advertisers alienate men and women by their use of outdated stereotypes, we thought we’d have a rant about the advertising images we can’t bear to see.

Top of the list is scenes of families and Sex and the City-styled groups of girlfriends having totally unrealistic conversations about toilet habits. We all know the one for a constipation remedy. There’s a similar one for the opposite digestive disorder too. But top of the fake hilarity stakes is Tena Lady with its approach to feminine incontinence. Didn’t you know, wetting yourself in a public place is so very amusing, or so the giggly brunette who traps her dress in the lift door would have us believe.

Image from SCA Tena lights advert

We know there aren’t enough female creatives in the industry. But come on, how hard can it be to produce an ad for feminine incontinence products that isn’t completely ridiculous? We’re hardly advertising creatives here at Velvet but we are mainly women and we’ve come up with this.  Imagine a female comedian, Jo Brand for example, at her best. In the front row of the venue where she is performing, women are bent double with laughter. A strapline that reads “Need a Tena Lady?” has got to be an improvement on what’s currently on the telly.

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be bringing you more on our most hated advertising clichés.