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BizReport : Viral Marketing : December 23, 2008
Parachute jumping topless women - the best commercial ever made?
Does sex sell or distract from your campaign message? Controversy is spinning over a brave online video campaign featuring dozens of topless sexy chicks parachute jumping to form a sky message "Siemens washing machine only 4999" or about $900.
by Sasha Puhova
The ad belongs to a Danish advertiser Fleggaard- a small chain of supermarkets on the German - Danish border that expanded to a webshop about a year ago. The text at the end of the commercial reads "Lige over grænsen" ("Just over the border") - an irony, a play of words as the shops are on the German side close to the border. Just as their sales pitch, the ad itself takes it to the other side of the conventional borders and norms of advertising. The Danes have done it again and placed Denmark as pioneers of taking it a step further.
The online video is part of a larger campaign shown on the Danish television where the central figure of the commercial is surrounded by the sexy beauties cleaning his office. Meanwhile he is telling the audience about his new commercial that is not suitable for television, directing people to see the video online.
Michael Arrington, one of the most influential people on the internet as claimed by the Forbes and Wired magazines, put it this way - "quite simply the best commercial ever made". Others viciously disagree. The ad has been called offensive and brainless by a female blogger on bitchbuzz while another male blogger added that such "sexist ads cheapen men as well as women."
A Danish marketing specialist Lars Pynt Andersen, who wrote his PhD on development of Danish TV-advertising, says that using sex in commercials can be a two-edged sword. It has to flow with the rest of the content or it will distract and ruin your message.
According to Fleggaard's marketing chef Nanna Harder, Fleggard was trying to reach the 700.000 individualistic men who are interested in over-the-border trading and online electronic goods. The popularity of the ad is hard to dispute as it now has been viewed all across the globe reaching hundreds of thousands more. Fleggaard.dk now attracts some 30.000-40.000 people per day instead of the usual 2.000 to 10.000.
Judge for yourself whether it's demeaning or brilliant. Be aware though that it is strictly not office material.
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Comments
Very disappointing that TechCrunch thinks this commercial is so "awesome".
Posted by: Cate on December 23, 2008 14:35
They are getting thousands more people seeing their site so the add worked! I don't understand why women's breasts are taboo but a guy hairy like a gorilla is decent--it must be an old Christian-based taboo.
Posted by: Jason on December 23, 2008 15:29
I think this commercial is a miss - its an interesting guerilla marketing technique, but totally inappropriate for their product. Washing machines, as far as I think, are generally not chosen or bought by men, and this commercial is definitely targetted at men aged 14-100. So, even though they are going to get some great traffic, it will probably be men, who aren't really the buyers or decision makers in this particular purchase, or it will be women, who in the best case are just mildly amused, and in the worst case are offended. All that being said, its getting them some great buzz. So if they are looking for brand recognition, maybe its useful. And even more importantly, it gave Arrington the opportunity to get someone else to say that he was 'one of the most influential people on the internet as claimed by the Forbes and Wired magazines' - thats gotta be worth something...
Posted by: Basil on December 24, 2008 16:36
The bottom line is that this is much more than an ad of a washing machine. The main reason why Danes choose to cross the border to visit the Fleggaard shops are cheap bear and other alcoholic drinks. So whether as before Fleggaard was largely unknown now it has a very clear image and brand association on the market.
Posted by: Sasha Puhova on December 26, 2008 20:47