By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry
Hey Captains’ readers,
Here’s your Daily Deal:
1. You’re pushing your luck, Dr. Pepper
Like any good brand looking to cause a stir and get people talking, Dr. Pepper decided to create a social media campaign that required contestants to give The Doc full reign over their status updates. According to Bill Green of Make the Logo Bigger, updates ranged from minor embarrassment to major humiliation. Up until this point, I really liked what Doctor Pepper was cooking up. The rest is downhill from here. Prepare yourselves.
Green reported that some of the Dr. Pepper updates were so risqué that the mother of one 14-year old contestant, not only contacted Coca Cola to complain, but she also posted a tirade against the soft drink on Mumsnet, a community forum for mothers. What could she have possibly read to send her in such a Mama bear-like frenzy? Well, her daughter’s Facebook status read, “I saw 2 girls one cup and felt peckish after.” (In case you don’t know, “2 Girls 1 Cup” is a disgustingly sensational YouTube video. And let’s just leave it at that.)
Whoopsies.
Listen, I’m the last person to shy away from a dirty joke, but even I think Dr. Pepper should’ve thought more about their audience. If this campaign had been geared towards college guys, Dr. Pepper would have hit it out of the park. But, with young girls participating under the watchful eyes of their mothers, Dr. Pepper should have toned it down a tad. Like Green said, it’s difficult as an advertiser to predict what will make people upset without completely watering down your idea, but at the end of the day, you’re creating concepts that will appeal to your audience so they’ll inevitably buy your product. And I don’t know anyone who wants to crack open a Dr. Pepper after viewing “2 Girls 1 Cup.”
Tsk, tsk, Dr. Pepper. Tsk, tsk.
2. Pam for PETA
There’s no denying Pamela Anderson is a sexpot. Even her patented slow-mo beach jog has guys drooling in her sand-frolicking wake. But I’m not sure Pam was the best choice for a model in the latest ad for PETA. In the ad, Pam, in all her bleach-blonde, string bikini glory, sits pinup-style with a butcher’s diagram drawn on her uh, assets. Pam points out that humans and animals have a lot in common, including a brain, a nervous system, and most importantly, a heart. Yet, we don’t slice humans up, so why inflict such pain on a poor defenseless animal? Er, I think the only other human that’s been sliced and diced more than Pamela Anderson is Joan Rivers. And that’s saying something. Maybe next time, PETA should choose a model that hasn’t been under the knife more than any animal in butchering history.
No hard feelings, Pam. You’re still the Captains’ #1 beach babe.
3. Are we there yet?
Can I have a cookie? But, I don’t LIKE peanuts. I gotta pee. Now add a few kicks to the back of your seat and a newborn’s piercing screams as the air pressure changes, and you’ve got yourself a first class ticket to parenting hell.
Toting your little ones on an airplane is never fun. Which is why TDA in Boulder decided to create an ad to cut traveling parents some slack. What could possibly stop overly excited children in their tracks? A moving kiosk of course. The kiosk’s headline reads, “Tire your kids out so they sleep on the plane,” and the bottom is lined with kid-sized handprints that rowdy children are supposed to match their hands to and follow as the ad moves around in a circle. It’s a great idea in theory, but kids with ADD, ADHD, ADDHHHDDD, or whatever, will probably take one spin around the kiosk and be back tugging on your arm before you can even say, “Are we there yet?”
Until tomorrow,
Captain Lindsey
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