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Is deodorant the new tobacco?
An image from the Secret Sparkle blog, targeting "tweens." What's that she's drinking? |
Remember the post about Procter & Gamble's new deodorant spray targeting 7 year old girls? The deodorant, Secret Sparkle, bears a warning: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. What a riot. The marketers at P&G apparently didn't think twice about marketing something to children that they know to be unsafe, because when the Children's Advertising Review Unit (a public relations tool for the ad industry with no actual regulatory power) raised a red flag, P&G's spokesperson expressed surprise.
So P&G gets a scolding and then what? Following the genius logic of the market, it agrees to stop advertising Secret Sparkle to kids, but not to stop targeting them. Print ads and TV commercials are out. But iPOD giveaways, blogs, and sampling programs are in... conveniently, I might add, since it sounds like P&G's original marketing plan.
Posted by carrie on 06/13/2005 | Permalink
Comments
adage require registration :( I'll register later. I want to read about this.
Interesting to note that the Secret Sparkle blog allows comments... Anybody up for a blog mob?
Posted by: andy | Jun 13, 2005 1:52:20 PM
I just left a comment (they use typekey). we'll see how long it stays. Again... interesting to note that they also accept track backs.
I'd just like to say that as the dad of a super little girl, this kind of crap infuriates me. My girl is better than this. I'm going to make sure she knows it.
Is it really so inconceivable that marketing and ad agencies might find success in *empowering* young women rather than playing into stereotypes? Is it really so important to sell a product that playing on issues of body image and social insecurities becomes okay?
Is there a drug we could slip into their lines of coke that would make them have a conscience?
Posted by: andy | Jun 13, 2005 2:17:17 PM
ARGH!!!
I'm really sorry for bombing your comments, but this thing has really got my dander up... way up... like flying around the room blanketing it in snow kind of up...
Did ya notice the clever little cross promotion? In two of the latest posts they link to beinggirl.com.. a site "sponsored" by Tampax and Always... two other P&G products.
At that site they have an "advice" column... which has great gems like:
How can I convince my parents to let me date (actually the response to this one is pretty good, TBH)
Do I have to use a tampon for swimming (gee... what do you *think* their answer might be? It's worse than you think, as she recommend that if you have difficulty inserting a tampon to just keep trying because it will get easier)
Why are girls mean to each other (She basically answers that she doesn't know, but most adult women are nice to each other, so basically she confirms that girls are just mean, but don't worry... you'll grow out of it)
Is there a problem with using scented tampons (Again... you can imagine that this would be answered positively... she says it's a matter of personal choice, but says *nothing* about possible health risks, allergies, or even the idea of stuffing chemicals inside your body...)
What's the best way to shave my pubic area (bikini line) (okay... so the advice is technically not "bad" here... but talk about missing a golden opportunity to actually respond to the girls comment that if she doesn't shave, it's "ugly." Of course... why would they... they've got shaving cream and wax (which she recommends) to sell).
The thing is, there is tons of advice, tips, and information on this site... but in *every* single case, they find a way to sell more product, and miss any opportunity to give any health advice that might inform the girls about the complications that can come from using tampons.
I wonder if can completely boycott P&G... they're just so *everywhere*, ya know?
Posted by: andy | Jun 13, 2005 2:46:31 PM
hey, remember, you can always find registration codes for (free) sites that require them at http://bugmenot.com
Posted by: Carrie McLaren | Jun 13, 2005 4:17:15 PM
While I am all for a P&G boycott, you have to realize that the boycott of one's personal items is much different than the boycott of unhealthy food or bad service. Some products actually don't work, and it is considered to be unprofessional to smell too strongly. And asking a woman to boycott *her* brand of tampon? That's like asking you to use a condom that you don't trust.
Isn't this just another way that they get us to conform? How do we find a way out of the system? A woman's natural cycles are no longer a viable excuse not to participate in her life.
'Is there a drug we could slip into their lines of coke that would make them have a conscience?'
Wonderfully communicated, but i doubt anything weaker than arsenic would work.
Posted by: Cortney | Aug 3, 2005 6:27:56 PM
