I understand it. My business ‘tells’ classroom teachers that they ‘need’ me (and my products) to more effectively teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in their classrooms.
So I get the you’re-flawed-but-I-can-fix-you approach to sales. It’s not exactly the best model of marketing, though it’s the classic formula.
But for goodness sake, I just don’t get the Hypoxi marketing strategy that has featured on my regular radio station – 97.3fm these past months. I checked out the Hypoxi product and they’re basically these big machines that somehow suck cellulite out of your body by re-distributing cellulite with blood-flow etc. You can see them on YouTube.
Anyway, the marketing campaign for the past couple of months has basically told ‘pear’ shaped women that they should be ashamed and frightened of their bodies. The script for the lastest ads goes something like:
Aren’t you pear-shaped women happy that Facebook profile pictures are from the neck up?
I know it sounds pretty tame in that one sentence. But combine the text with the tone of the voice-over woman and it just so offensive. And its on multiple times per day, every single day.
Seriously?!?
I get that Hypoxi have a product to sell. But get with the programme.
Stop telling women that they should be ashamed of their bodies. I’m sure that there are people out there who want to buy your cellulite reducing products. But why not create a smart campagin instead of a shame campaign?
You’re in a tough bind here cause basically the principle of your product is based on the idea that women hate how their bodies look and want them changed and are willing to pay about $40 a session to change them.
It’s not exactly world-transforming stuff. I can’t imagine there’ll be too many community benefit awards for removing cellulite from the planet.
But if you do insist on operating why not lay off the cheap misogynist shame factor and create a campaign that is funny, smart and engaging.
Leesa, fascinating! Thanks for wording this one up. And I don't think that advertising one-liner is tame, I agree with you that it's offensive and on high rotation clearly an attempt to brainwash. That one line is telling women who think they might have pear-shaped bodies that they should feel ashamed of their bodies (even if they don't) and that they should do "something" about it and STAT! I also think it's got something to do with androgyny as 'the state of indeterminate gender'; makes me wonder, are curves so dangerous?!