Ads on Television

[terpkristin]

While at the gym this morning watching SportsCenter, I was surprised to see an ad come on for a women's pleasure product made by KY. I've seen the ad before, though the only other time was in a 2 a.m. episode of South Park I'd recorded. I guess it was still early--it was a little before 6 a.m. ET, but I was still surprised to see it. I workout fairly regularly at about that time and it was the first time I'd seen an ad for something like that in a "normal" time slot.

Are ads for things like SportsCenter run nationally or regionally? Are there rules saying when certain "classes" of ads can be shown?

I didn't mind the ad, really those types of ads are no more disturbing/annoying than the ads you see in prime time for tampons, adult diapers, and any variety of medicines (the last of those which drives me nuts for other reasons), but if that ad came on at my normal gym (which is a lot more crowded at that time of day than this gym was), I could see people being upset.

Just wondering.

/tk

[Dr. Sak]

VIVA VIAGRA!!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nope, no content restrictions of that sort for ads. And definitely not any on cable.

I see that spot (I assume it's the one where the two ladies are talking about it & the older lady comments from the next table over) as early as 10p on some channels.

It would have either been running nationally or locally, not really a regional feed for ESPN (well, there is kind of but not like you're talking about here).

The only odd thing is the placement on ESPN, male dominated & all that. Maybe they're hoping we'll buy it for you? That has me scratching my head a bit but then again I've seen the spot in other male dominated programming too.

edit for clarity: Some networks individually have content guidelines about certain hours or even not at all, all of the broadcast networks still have Standards & Practices departments that have to approve every commercial in advance. But cable it's rarely an issue, would likely only come up with Disney, Nick, Family, maybe Hallmark, etc.

[Logan]

I've seen some kind of "shared pleasure", "It's great for him and it's great for me" KY ad over the past few months. I remember it being on during normal TV viewing hours.

[Samdari]

Once the drug companies assured that our children all know what ED is, and how to cure it, by the time they enter kindergarten, all bets are off.

[Mustang]

What are these 'commercials' you speak of?

[Klinglerware]

The only odd thing is the placement on ESPN, male dominated & all that. Maybe they're hoping we'll buy it for you? That has me scratching my head a bit but then again I've seen the spot in other male dominated programming too.



Well, it looks like the execution is primarily in cable and in overnight dayparts (i.e., cheap cheap cheap). Many ad planning and execution agencies (to the chagrin of some of my clients) don't seem terribly fussy about demographic targeting when buying overnight cable (honestly, nor should they really).

[DanGarion]

What are these 'commercials' you speak of?

Adblocker with Firefox!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

The only odd thing is the placement on ESPN, male dominated & all that. Maybe they're hoping we'll buy it for you? That has me scratching my head a bit but then again I've seen the spot in other male dominated programming too.


FWIW......I'm the one that usually buys those kinds of products. I think some women are a bit shy about buying sexual products, be it lube or condoms, while most men are more than happy to purchase it and proclaim to the world in public that they're having sex. I think that's very common with people I know.

[JonInMiddleGA]

FWIW......I'm the one that usually buys those kinds of products. I think some women are a bit shy about buying sexual products, be it lube or condoms, while most men are more than happy to purchase it and proclaim to the world in public that they're having sex.

The spot I was actually thinking she meant is the one for the Trojan Vibrating Touch "Personal Massager", not sure outside of special event gift giving that men are the most frequent buyers of those for women. But hey, maybe things are different than my life, who knows.

More likely though, since she was brand specific about the ad, that she meant the spots for the warming lubricant, which does fall more in line with what you were saying.

And Klingerware re
looks like the execution is primarily in cable and in overnight dayparts (i.e., cheap cheap cheap). Many ad planning and execution agencies (to the chagrin of some of my clients) don't seem terribly fussy about demographic targeting when buying overnight cable (honestly, nor should they really).

There's still something that doesn't make sense to me when you're running that spot nationally in male dominant shows at 630p on Sunday or 9p Thursday though. I've almost thought it might be intended just to reinforce the Trojan brand with men while using the budget allocated for that product to do it but I swear I see that spot as often as my wife does (and she's a much heavier user of TV than I am) and that just doesn't make sense to me at all.

But what do I know? I'm the guy some of your clients would never complain about with regard to demo targeting, I'm a huge proponent of hitting your target with a rifle instead of a shotgun ;) And doing it at max cost efficiency to boot.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

The spot I was actually thinking she meant is the one for the Trojan Vibrating Touch "Personal Massager", not sure outside of special event gift giving that men are the most frequent buyers of those for women. But hey, maybe things are different than my life, who knows.

More likely though, since she was brand specific about the ad, that she meant the spots for the warming lubricant, which does fall more in line with what you were saying.

I've found that a boyfriend/spouse that assumes that a woman just does that or wants to do that on their own is missing out on a lot of fun. I encourage that kind of behavior, especially when I'm around. :D

[JonInMiddleGA]

I've found that a boyfriend/spouse that assumes that a woman just does that or wants to do that on their own is missing out on a lot of fun. I encourage that kind of behavior, especially when I'm around. :D

I ain't knocking it by any means, I've just not run across very many women who didn't prefer to make the purchasing decision (and the purchase) on their own. Typically they seem to want a certain sense of ownership over the device, giving them more psychological freedom to use it when & how they see fit. In short, it's their world we're just in it (whenever they deem us worthy of a passport).

I did, however, buy what I considered to be more than my fair share of batteries over the years ;) Doesn't seem fair exactly, but whaddya gonna do?

[Honolulu_Blue]

I've found that a boyfriend/spouse that assumes that a woman just does that or wants to do that on their own is missing out on a lot of fun. I encourage that kind of behavior, especially when I'm around. :D

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2009/2/20/128796295822676686.jpg

[CamEdwards]

I'd love to see the reaction if this ad were shown in the U.S.

hxxp://creativity-online.com/work/view?seed=5284d9f5

[Klinglerware]

I'd love to see the reaction if this ad were shown in the U.S.

hxxp://creativity-online.com/work/view?seed=5284d9f5

I actually saw another ad (possibly for the same brand, and possibly a test ad) with shrinking bushes in the background, in the same vein as those AT&T wireless ads with the 5 bars "cleverly" disguised in the background.

[Klinglerware]

There's still something that doesn't make sense to me when you're running that spot nationally in male dominant shows at 630p on Sunday or 9p Thursday though. I've almost thought it might be intended just to reinforce the Trojan brand with men while using the budget allocated for that product to do it but I swear I see that spot as often as my wife does (and she's a much heavier user of TV than I am) and that just doesn't make sense to me at all.

But what do I know? I'm the guy some of your clients would never complain about with regard to demo targeting, I'm a huge proponent of hitting your target with a rifle instead of a shotgun ;) And doing it at max cost efficiency to boot.

If that's the case, the agency could be dropping the ball. It's actually quite shocking to see how divorced many brands are from their media agencies when it comes to overseeing the latter's ad buying. On the other hand, I can't say it's the agency's fault for sure though, I've seen some rather ludicrous demo targeting theories from the client side.

EDIT: But I would add, there is the third possibility that buying in male-oriented programming is part of a deliberate strategy based on statistically-based marketing analytics--most national brands invest heavily in that type of research. But, I have not worked on the brands in that category, so I can't really speak to why it would be a good idea.

[JonInMiddleGA]

It's actually quite shocking to see how divorced many brands are from their media agencies when it comes to overseeing the latter's ad buying.

Doesn't really shock me at all anymore. The client who actually has someone making decisions that guide the agency who has more than the most remote understanding of what they should be steering them towards is pretty rare in my experience. The ones who try to do things that are downright asinine are awful, the ones who listen to people on the client side who have less of a clue are even worse.

Give me the ones who know what they want and why they want it and want an agency to help maximize the benefits of it with improved cost efficiency and deeper analysis for better tweaking & I'm a happy buyer/agency owner. Or at least give me a client that has someone in the decision making chain that knows a demo from Nemo and the difference between national & local cable ("you mean people with Dish don't see the commercials I bought from my local Comcast rep? Well I'll be damned, no wonder that hasn't been working...")

[Drake]

All I know is I'm a big fan of this trend.

[Klinglerware]

I actually saw another ad (possibly for the same brand, and possibly a test ad) with shrinking bushes in the background, in the same vein as those AT&T wireless ads with the 5 bars "cleverly" disguised in the background.

FYI, here is the "Bushes" ad...

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aav9_hskMxU

[thesloppy]

I was watching some late night TV the other night and saw an ad for a straight-up penis pump, claiming to be the ultimate and quickest solution to ED problems. It blew my mind, and I only saw it once, about a month ago. Has anybody else seen that yet?

[terpkristin]

Jon is right, the ad was for the Trojan Vibrating Touch Personal Massager (I was mistaken when I said it was a KY product). I'm kind of with him, it seems like an odd place for an ad for that product to show up. The other time I saw the same ad was on a late-night South Park, which I'd also expect to have a male demographic.

I can't speak for all women, but for myself and many of my friends, that is something we wouldn't expect a man to buy for us--frankly, he wouldn't know what to get, it's a very personal choice.

For the KY warming jelly or whatever the exact name is, I can see that on ESPN, pleasure for him AND her. Still surprised me to see the Trojan ad on ESPN at a "normal" time.

Gotta go check out that ad Cam linked..

/tk

[terpkristin]

Dola,
I could see many people in the US freaking out with the ad Cam linked but it had me giggling more than anything. I mean, when I'm blue I can think of any number of more fun things to do than "mow the lawn." Drinking comes right to mind! ;)

The bushes ad was a bit more subtle. Now, where can I find me a Schick Quattro for women? ;) :D

/tk

[CamEdwards]

Oh, I thought the British ad had some subtle qualities (for instance, the cat goes from furry to bald over the course of the ad), but also those "wow, did they really say that?" moments (the "tulips on the mound" line). Plus, it's catchy as hell!

[Autumn]

I have to say as a parent I hate this trend of adult-oriented commercials creeping more and more into other time slots. Late night stuff isn't yet an issue for mine, but there have been plenty of times during football games and other seemingly family-oriented special TV events that I've really been pissed at what they were showing my kids and making me explain.

[Peregrine]

I have to say as a parent I hate this trend of adult-oriented commercials creeping more and more into other time slots. Late night stuff isn't yet an issue for mine, but there have been plenty of times during football games and other seemingly family-oriented special TV events that I've really been pissed at what they were showing my kids and making me explain.

Well, you had to assume you'd have to give "the talk" and explain Miller Chill one of these days, right? :)

[DanGarion]

I have to say as a parent I hate this trend of adult-oriented commercials creeping more and more into other time slots. Late night stuff isn't yet an issue for mine, but there have been plenty of times during football games and other seemingly family-oriented special TV events that I've really been pissed at what they were showing my kids and making me explain.

Being that I have no kids I hate child oriented commercials.

[Lathum]

I guess it was still early--it was a little before 6 a.m. ET, but I was still surprised to see it. I workout fairly regularly at about that time and it was the first time I'd seen an ad for something like that in a "normal" time slot.


There is nothing normal about anything prior to 6:00 AM

[Autumn]

Being that I have no kids I hate child oriented commercials.

Do you mean commercials for kid-stuff, or commercials appropriate for kids?

I don't care what the commercials are for, for the most part, and my kids enjoy the funny ones. I just would prefer not to have to explain a four hour erection, or why that woman in the lingerie was bleeding to death on CSI tonight. It seems like if they wouldn't show the episode in that time slot they shouldn't show the most graphic parts of the show in a commercial in that time slot.

[DanGarion]

Do you mean commercials for kid-stuff, or commercials appropriate for kids?

I don't care what the commercials are for, for the most part, and my kids enjoy the funny ones. I just would prefer not to have to explain a four hour erection, or why that woman in the lingerie was bleeding to death on CSI tonight. It seems like if they wouldn't show the episode in that time slot they shouldn't show the most graphic parts of the show in a commercial in that time slot.
I was just joking around.