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Media Mayhem and Raunchy Rugby
04-05-2010For those of you in Ireland (and perhaps the UK) you may have noticed the now rather infamous Hunky Dory Rugby ads of late. For those that may have been walking round with their eyes closes, haven’t picked up a newspaper in weeks, watched the news or listened to the radio and have therefore no idea what I am talking about you can check them out here.
My my, they have caused a media storm of epic proportions. In every single newspaper, on most radio stations and on countless forums online these ads have been the subject of many a heated debate.
I am a regular reader of the Metro in the morning, (a 20 minute dart journey with free reading material provided will do that to a person) and in the Metro on Friday alone there were EIGHT letters either complaining about these ads, replaying to complaints from the previous day, or responding to articles printed debating the ads. The main issue seems to be that the entire point of the advert is to promote women as sex objects. I beg to differ.
For those that have taken the time out to write in to complain about or celebrate these adverts you are the very people that are making sure the campaign is doing exactly what it was meant to. It has made Hunky Dorys the most talked about brand of the moment, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. That is the main point of the adverts.
For those who have complained that the women are used as 'sex objects' you may have forgotten the highly controversial advert by the same brand a few years ago which used a naked man brandishing only a packet of salt and vinegar to cover his modesty. Fast forward a few weeks and following a lot of debate and arguments from the public on every possible media outlet, the company was forced to issue a rather tongue in cheek apology.
A company that made such a 'mistake' once would not been keen to do so again, unless it was on purpose and that is exactly what they have done.
I am not saying I agree with the adverts or that I even like them from either a professional or a personal opinion, but can I really complain when I will happily ogle the hunks that grace the screens during the Diet Coke 'breaks'?
The advertising industry is indeed a fickle one and always there will inevitablely be someone who is offended or unhappy with an ad. Double standards are the norm. Is it ideal? No. Is it unfortunate? Of course. Is it likely to change anytime soon? Saddly not. Quite simply, sex sells.
The only thing I will say is that if you really disagree with these adverts, then stop giving the marketing and advertising honchos of Hunky Dorys exactly what they want, stop debating them so that they will finally disappear from the column inches.
Tags: meanderings PR stuff
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