TV Commercials Today Sending the Wrong Message

While I don’t usually spend too much time viewing or analyzing commercials on the “tube”, I did view a TIDE detergent commercial that I felt was sending the wrong message.

It shows a teenage girl asking her mother if she has seen her green blouse. The screen shows the Mom flashback to where she (the Mom) is wearing the blouse and had spilled something on it that left a stain. No big deal right? Just tell your daughter you borrowed it but will clean it right away with your great TIDE product…nope. The Mom in the Commercial lies to her daughter and says she has not seen it. The commercial goes on to show the Mom wash that bad stain out of the nice green blouse with the great TIDE detergent. The ending has the daughter being asked by the Mom “oh, I see you found your top” Daughter “Yes, must have been hiding in my closet somewhere”.

What kind of message is Proctor and Gamble thinking they are sending to the Mothers and daughters of the world? It is O.k. to lie to your children yet you raise your children not to lie to you? This commercial message is ultimately wrong and misguided. I am not sure who P&G hires to do these commercials but the marketing department for Proctor and Gamble should have realized this was not the message their Company or brand should be portraying and rejected it.

I will be sending a note to P&G this week and let them know my thoughts. I doubt it will make a difference at all but maybe suggesting my wife change her brand of detergent might.

Stand for something or fall for anything.

Regards,

Larry J Clark