Saturday, August 29, 2009

Who's your daddy?

Commercial I saw today:

[A nice, clean-cut looking young man playing dotingly with an adorable little girl, approximately 2]

[Kindly voice over]: She's a chip off the old block.

[Voice over turns ominous]: Or is she??

Yes, that's right boys and girls, this was a commercial advertising a lab that does paternity testing.

I hadn't really thought of paternity testing as a service that needed to advertise. People who need that service would seek it out, whether they'd seen an ad or not. Are they now trying to attract the impulse buyers? The folks who are really susceptible to marketing? The ones who never realized they wanted a blanket with sleeves until they saw really freaky-looking Stepford people making s'mores around a campfire while wearing their sleeved blankets?

I saw the commercial while watching an NFL pre-season game, which is a good way to target their main demographic. (Will I have to watch this commercial all season long?) I think they should also buy time during mystery-themed shows like CSI, especially episodes that involve adultery. Really play on the suspicions aroused by dramatic television. Maybe they can mess up a lot of previously stable relationships built on trust

4 comments:

Molly said...

Wow. That is a creepy commercial. And it doesn't make me want to buy a paternity test at all! I think the Palm Pre commecials are pretty odd too, but not in the same way.

I'm so glad football season is starting.

S said...

It certainly doesn't make me want to buy a paternity test through that lab.

And, yes, it's wonderful that football season is starting. But last season was pretty rough for Chiefs fans. And tonight Matt Cassel went out early on. I want to be hopeful. I'm just not sure I can pull it off.

Heather said...

I am glad to know that someone else besides me thinks those Palm Pre commercials are creepy. That woman is just weird looking--like she's almost see through or something. And totally distracts from the product they are trying to sell!

BellsforStacy said...

You can buy at home paternity tests now ... which I just think is sad. But it's the state of our culture.

Hopefully they don't have enough money for regular season games and they go away.

 
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