Saturday 23 March 2013

Sorry ladies, the Fountain of Youth would cost a lot more than $59.95


My son and I were watching Criminal Minds (great show, partly because Shemar Moore is delicious eye-candy) last night and it seemed like during every commercial break the same ads would come on, which in itself was annoying (fyi marketing executives: Shoving your product down my throat 6 times an hour does not make me want to buy your product...it's more likely making me want to boycott your product because the repetitive ads are so fucking annoying), but what really made me call shenanigans was a particular commercial for anti-aging cream.

My specific problem with this commercial is they are using what looks to be a 22 year old model to sell face cream to their target audience, which would be middle-aged women such as myself. While I understand that when you're selling a product whose claim is to reduce the signs of aging and using a model whose face has obviously lost the battle with gravity and time would be counterproductive to what you are trying to sell, giving the impression your product is some kind of magical fountain of youth is a jar is false advertising. Women in their 40's are not stupid. We know what 20 looks like because we used to be 20 and we also know that looking youthful is not the same as actual youth. And we object to transparent attempts to claim some overpriced cream is going to turn back the clock.

By using a 22 year old to sell anti aging products tells me that the manufacturers have no faith that their product will live up to the claims they make and they figure we are desperate enough to see their fresh-face model and that we will blindly throw money at them. And unfortunately they are right. Because what 40 year old wouldn't be happy to erase 20 years from her face for the low, low price of $59.95? While I don't object to trying a product that might make some of the lines on my face (that have been appearing at an alarming rate the last couple years) less noticeable, do not show me some 22 year old pretending to be a 40 year old who looks 20 because she faithfully uses your product...all that does is piss me off and make me want to start a an email campaign of complaining to your company that might result in a restraining order or a possible visit by the Skin Care Mafia goons, who will tie me to a chair and, wash my face with dishsoap to dry it out and not let me moisturize for a week. Assholes.


Weekend Funnies

6 comments:

  1. I totally agree! I hate these commercials! 10 years ago, I probably would have fell for it. I'm old enough now to know that NOTHING except surgery can turn back the clock on my face. I wish there was!

    -Ellen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Our poor faces spend all their time trying to avoid glancing blows of the aging stick. When the weight of the accumulating years begins to reveal on my scrotum, I will reach for these products. I figure since it's permanently out of the sun it's the last bastion of youth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yup, those commercials are really annoying! I'm thinking it would cost more than money to find the fountain of youth.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Advertising thrives on making you think you really need their product. They're not afraid to make you ashamed of your looks, your family, your life in general. All that matters to advertisers is that you go out & spend your money on whatever it is they're selling. I'm not a fan of their work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is so true. If their product really worked, then they would have actual 40 somethings showcasing their beautiful skin. But too many women see those young things and wish they still looked like that, so they'll buy the product as the next, magic cure. If only there were actually a magic cure!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am glad I don't watch TV, lol

    Riding My Own Biography
    NINJA ZX-14 MotoVlog

    ReplyDelete