"Look who's trying to add some flavor to her life." ...RANT

[grace0418]

:mad:
Okay does anyone else hate this ad as much as I do? I want to throw something at the television every time it comes on.

It's a McDonalds ad. It starts out with two African-American people standing in line ordering their food, one female, one male. The woman is gorgeous and dressed in a black and white nubby sweater/jacket which looks lovely on her, like she was going to work. The man is dressed in more casual clothing (I picture someone at the ad agency googling "Hip Hop Fashion").

The man looks at the woman derisively, and scoffs when she orders the "spicy" chicken sandwich. We hear him thinking "Look who's trying to add some flavor to her life."

The next shot is them sitting right next to each other, while he continues to stare at her with contempt (why she'd sit right next to such a creepy guy who keeps staring at her is another question altogether). She is blissfully unaware, eating her sandwich, when her phone rings. Her ringtone is a funky hip-hop song, she starts grooving somewhat awkwardly to the tune, then answers the phone. The Hip Hop Guy is amazed, simply AMAZED, that she'd have this song as her ringtone. Then the final joke is that *his* ringtone is apparently a dorky song.

I just find so many things wrong with this ad, not the least of which is that the big "joke" they set up doesn't even work. Am I to understand that this "ultra-cool" guy is silently ridiculing the woman for being so frumpy and boring that a stupid sandwich would be a big excitement in her tragically un-hip life? Well then *maybe* the gorgeous, stylishly dressed actress was not the best choice to play the frump (although I do give them small credit for not going the stereotypical route and making her wear glasses, because we all know glasses mean "DORK", right? :eyes:).

But beyond the fact that the "humor" doesn't even work, the message of the ad seems really racist to me. Like, in black culture, if the woman isn't dressed like she's going clubbing (at presumably lunchtime on a weekday), she's supposed to be an object of derision. Or conversely, that the man is supposed to be so much cooler because he IS dressed that way.

I know it's just an ad but it drives me fucking crazy. Of course the same campaign has an ad where an Hispanic actor bites into a spicy chicken sandwich and decides to throw out all the bottles of hot sauce and salsa that he has, so I guess McDonalds is looking to stereotype everyone. :puke:

[Robb]

1. You just need to add some flavor in your life

must...buy...Mcdonald's...

Kidding, kidding. I feel your pain. But yeah, glasses do mean "dork." :D

[grace0418]

2. Glasses are always the classic.

Even though if you walk down the street easily 30-40% of the people you see are wearing glasses. I guess there are a lot of dorks out there (including me). ;)

[BlueStorm]

3. I'm supposed to wear glasses

But yeah I hate that commercial too, though I didn't get it until I read this post. LOL

Blu

[grace0418]

4. It took me awhile to get it too.

I just knew I hated it from the start. Then the more I saw it the more I wanted to scream. Although it apparently doesn't bother too many other people. Hasn't gotten many responses.

[NJCher]

5. haven't seen it

I don't watch commercials at all. I just mute them and do something else while they're on. Anyway, I thought you might like to know that McDonald's has what is called a black owner-operators association. They also have a Hispanic owner operators association. These are franchisees in their system. They also employ African-American and Hispanic agencies to make these ads.

Chances are this ad was made by an agency staffed by and focused on African Americans.





Cher

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

6. I know what you mean

And I saw both commercials ... By the way I am a black girl and you want to know what my ringtone on my cell phone is ? " Rio " by Duran Duran and I let it glare loud - I am so proud :)

[grace0418]

9. I would love that as my ringtone! One of my favorite

DD songs! I just don't understand why everyone has to be so pigeon-holed. It pisses me off.

[tjdee]

7. Umm....I see your point...but....

As a person who used to be told that I was "trying to be white", I think I'd find that ad pretty funny (I haven't seen it). I knew a lot of guys/girls in the black community who derode (is that a word?) me and made snide little comments like that.

I'm sure McDonald's sucked the reality out of it, though.

[grace0418]

8. I don't doubt it happens. I know my husband gets

called a "banana" (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) by some Filipinos for marrying me so I know this kind of thing happens. I just don't see why it has to be used as a marketing tool. It's like celebrating the worst in people, very negative and demeaning.

[Kat45]

10. Maybe it's not implying "frumpy," but is implying straight-laced,

boring, mainstream, nine-to-fiver, which of course is just so unhip that she wouldn't have a clue about hiphop. :shrug:

I don't know, I've never seen the ad, but from how you describe her dress, it sounds like workplace chic (and perhaps looking more white than black, in the opinion of narrow-minded people).