Dear Lays, Pushup bra jokes...

Are so Funny Bone circa 2005.

Ask any marketer: Talking to women in an authentic way isn't easy.

First up: there are a lot of us. More than half the population. That's a whopper of a demo to pigeon into a clever campaign.

But, many have tried. Making everything pink. Nodding at how much men suck. Empathizing over the approaching horror of bikini season.

Most of the time, it just misses. More noise in a crowded landscape. But sometimes, it's just off putting. Especially when it comes from brands that should know better.

Think: the Motrin Moms debacle earlier this year.

And, now, think Lays.

Their new Baked line packaging is being supported with a huge ad and online investment in connecting with women. They've bought full pods on cable; produced a series of webisodes; bought into the most expensive magazines.

All for a chance to make menopause-makes-me-hot jokes and pushup-bras-are-my-favorite technology references:

It's mostly just disappointing. The thought that the agency that developed this - and the client that approved it - believes that women are really united over our shared love of yoga and disgust for our younger, hotter counterparts is ... gross.

The next time you get a brief targeting women, I suggest:

• Asking which women? Do you really need to resonate with half the population?
• Searching for a unique, and near universal insight. They're called cliches for a reason.
• Looking for connection around our "best selves"; not our guilty pleasures
• Excising pink from the pallet

Comments

[Viagra Online]

Hello people
Most of the time, it just misses. More noise in a crowded landscape. But sometimes, it's just off putting. Especially when it comes from brands that should know better
John B. Barnhart

[Vaporizer]

until women are as respected and represented as men in the industry this will be an ongoing battle???

From which country are you? Men and women are treated equal nowadays...there are even times that women are treated better than men!

[imaginativa]

This is an interesting way to present birthcontrol. I think it´s a pretty interesting presentation.

http://www.whoinspiresu.ca/whoinspiresu/manageDish.do

[callie lipkin]

amen sister - until women are as respected and represented as men in the industry this will be an ongoing battle. there are so many opportunities to speak to women in language they might actually respond to - and as more women are given the reigns in creative, more women will be won over, more women will move up the ranks in creative departments - everyone wins. men and women just see things differently, and thats a good thing.

[Sue Blaney]

why is connecting in a true way so hard......

[liz]

I couldn't agree more. Assuming that women live to diet is just sad. Don't the characters remind you of Cathy comics?

Yoplait did a pretty good job of nodding to the women's diet obsession without feeding the flame too much.

Great post.

[Jenn Totten]

I hear you, some of the gags are pretty old. But we talk a lot at creativeskirts about brands being afraid to use humor with women, and I have to applaud Lays for trying. And I actually find the characters pretty endearing. At least they have a little self-deprecation going on, right?