Since dudes apparently scoff at diet drinks, the folks behind the new Dr. Pepper Ten soda decided they needed to really butch up their advertising in order to reach the core soda-drinking demographic, which just happens to be teenage boys. The result? An over-the-top, ironically hypermasculine ad campaign touting the new drink as “NOT FOR WOMEN.”
Here’s one of the ads:
Oh, and they’ve also got a Facebook app that’s — get this! — only available to men! I’m not sure the women of the world are going to suffer much from being banned from playing a rudimentary flash game that involves shooting “girly things.”
I know they’re hoping to generate controversy here, but really? This is just too dumb to even get annoyed about, much less angry. It’s not misogynistic; it’s more a parody of misogyny. Is it such a parody – stereotyping guys as macho buffoons — that it’s actually more misandrist than misogynist? You could make an argument for that, but again the ad is so over the top ridiculous, so soaked in irony, it seems silly to get indignant about this either.
So what’s going to happen when the MRAs of the world hear about this ad? Will they, missing the irony, embrace its Diet Soda Going Its Own Way (DSGIOW) mentality? Or will they denounce it as an example of ad world misandry and pretend to be deeply offended?
I’m betting on the latter. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
<blockquote.How about marketing more TV programs, books and magazines, automobiles, popular music, motorboats, firearms, healthcare items and services, and college and vocational education, and other IMPORTANT items for men only?
They tried. We did awesome shit anyway.
Men are so oppressed by our gynocracy huh? so where are the products that loudly proclaim “for women only”
one thing I find kinda interesting is that there will be women offended by this, but if a product targeted women said “for women only” most men probably wouldn’t be offended by it, because most men shun products for women anyway. It goes in line with the whole idea that when women do “manly” things or adopt some masculine attributes it’s usually seen as a good thing, but when men do womanly things or adopt some feminine attributes its seen as emasculating, gay and overall something to be ashamed off.
Its funny that this ad campaign even assumes women will want to drink this crap in the first place though. Diet drinks are loaded with aspartame and come on, even if women really did want to drink it, they could. They chose this ad campaign to purposely bait feminists and cause controversy, because any publicity is good publicity. In my opinion, this is one of those things that are best left ignored. The more attention it’s given, the more power it gets.
Also, the number one manly drink is Powerthirst, not Dr. Pepper http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs&ob=av3n
ok, should of read the earlier comments before posting, someone already posted the Powerthirst vid xP
My problem with HFCS is that it doesn’t taste as good as cane sugar, thus leading to crappy soda.
The English already did this. A chocolate bar called Yorkie’s markets itself as “not for girls”. These jackholes can’t even be original with their misogyny.
David K. Meller. You keep ending your posts suggesting the subjugation of women (violently, if necessary, unless I’ve confused you with someone else) with “Peace and Freedom.” I do not think those words mean what you think they mean.
^^Dear God, why do I keep following these links?
David Malki! of Wondermark posted a blog today about an old misogynistic screed with the commentary that “society has come a long way.” Except that it sounds pretty much like the 1894 version of an MRA blog: http://wondermark.com/true-stuff-conjugal-duels/comment-page-1/#comment-4262
I love reading old-timey misogyny. Except for the details, it’s amazing how little it changes. “Education will make women have deformed babies” and “if women play sports their uteruses will literally fall out from between their legs” have been replaced by evo-psych garble about Flintstones cavemen, but that’s about it. No matter what era you look at, you’ll find people freaking out that a) women are dangerously “emancipated” and have way too much freedom and power, not like in the old days when they knew their place, and b) men are all effeminate and wimpy, not like in the old days when they were tough manly men, rawr.
Every era has people who worry about this. Every. One.
Anyway, everybody should read Malki’s post for the part about legal combat between women and men in medieval Germany. I’ve heard that the same rules applied to legal combat between men and dogs. And yes, there was legal combat between men and dogs. Because sometimes the dog had a grievance.
I love how some companies fall all over themselves to appeal to male consumers but when it comes to female consumers they’re like “meh, who cares”
See: Commercials for Mike’s Hard Lemonade vs. Advertising in the gaming industry (I’m looking at you, bioware*)
*Yes I heard about the femshep thing and just i am really happy about it…. but this happened after years of female players going “What the fuck” and male players going “SHUT UP WE DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID VAGINA PROBLEMS GAWD.” and bioware games can still be full of genderfail
I can follow the thought process that goes into “men don’t drink diet sodas because diet sodas are considered to be for women, so lets make a brand of diet soda marketed to men”. But how does adding 10 calories change anything? It’s still diet.
The English already did this. A chocolate bar called Yorkie’s markets itself as “not for girls”. These jackholes can’t even be original with their misogyny.
So you think straight men should be allowed in women’s gyms and on women’s sports teams? It’s okay if you don’t respond, I know people are busy these days.
But how does adding 10 calories change anything? It’s still diet.
I drink diet sodas because I’m vain and avoid sugar, and paradoxically do not care what others assume about me past my fitness. I’d imagine the extra 10 calories are just a result of changing the taste around. I know from experience that adding a small amount of sugar to a lot of artificial sweetener, or a small amount of oil to a dish can make a world of difference in the resulting flavor.
Obviously it’s still diet, but they are trying to overcome the stigma associated with diet drinks. I think it’s brave of them to do that and can respect them for making something truly critical of feminized society, even in a tongue-in-cheek way.
However, despite David’s fantasies, it is not making fun of his hated manly-men who have the gall to enjoy things traditionally associated with masculinity.
Being associated with women is a stigma?
No matter what era you look at, you’ll find people freaking out that a) women are dangerously “emancipated” and have way too much freedom and power, not like in the old days when they knew their place, and b) men are all effeminate and wimpy, not like in the old days when they were tough manly men, rawr.
And don’t forget: liberation makes women into ugly hags.
Because sometimes the dog had a grievance.
OK, I LOL’ed.
Shora- I’ve always preferred the lady aftermarket strategy. You know, where you have some product that should be gender neutral but in practice generally isn’t- say cameras or computers- and realize that sales have dipped. So you turn it pink or dumb it down while keeping the original price, then act shocked, shocked! about how.women just don’t like your product. Now you may begin the cycle anew with your imaginary male consumer in mind again because you already know that targeting.women is a waste.of.time.
Gah, didn’t close the blockquote. Sorry.
*yawns* Been drinking COKE ZERO for years (it and PEPSI ZERO) are packaged for men (ZERO more manly than DIET), and always have some rugged sports marketing associated with it (not to mention CZ is in manly red and black cans). A (female) friend suggested it because she thought it tasted more like Classic Coke, and I loved it.
So, Dr. Pepper is late to the “omg we have to do a different low calorie product for men because no manly man diets” soda wars.
Almost as amusing as selling BRONZER to men (because manly men don’t wear foundation), heh.
*slurps 2nd coke zero of the day*
I think the saity signal thing might be right, but I know for a fact that our bodies process fructose differently than glucose. Something about avoiding the metabolic pathways that regulate glucose or…. something. I was tired in class that day.
Factfinder: It’s not brave if dozens of companies have done it thousands of times before you. It’s the norm.
The women’s gyms thing I’m kind of ambivalent about, honestly. On the one hand I think it’s good to have a safe space for women to be able to work out without some creeper creepin on them (which happens, and is disgusting), and there’s also the fact that in our society the default is often “male”, so having something geared to women can be a break from that. But on the other hand I feel kind of like having women’s only spaces reinforces the need for womens-only spaces (abuse, rape, and DV spaces not included in this, of course?) Anyone more knowledgeable want to weigh in?
I think making all sports teams in the world coed would be kind of groovy.
factfinder:
Why only straight men?
Mr Miller… how about I don’t want to go and live as a housewife?
Sodas and most soft drinks… blah.
With or without the insane ammounts of sugar and stupid ads, I am not buying them so… they kind of have their wish, I guess?
hellkell-11 October 2011@4:14 pm
Alright, so I misspelled “aspartame”. Sue Me! That is why they put erasers on pencils. Haven’t any of you accidently misspelled a word before?
On the more important point–Yes hellkell, I have a TV, and no, THEY are NOT marketed to men anywhere nearly as much as they should be. They are by and large marketed to women who want “empowerment” and who want to be men, or at least to be male imitations! Whenever and wherever they can, these advertisers find ways to intrude women (and sometimes even little girls) into products that are fundamentally male, in both orientation and common use. Even toys like chemistry sets, model airplanes, microscopes and telescopes have commericials cluttered up with females far too often! As far as electronics are concerned, you find commercials of women operating–and probably wrecking–home and office PCs far more than men!
I wouldn’t ordinarily mind the infestation of women in advertisements and commercials of products that should be male oriented, but don’t tell me it isn’t happening!
Elusis-October 12,2011@ 4;36AM
Yes, women have far too much power, they probably have too much freedom, and I don’t know about a dog having a grievance, but a lot of people have one about how this is throwing our society into chaos!
And yes, “liberation” has turned a lot of women into ugly hags! If you should doubt that, look at women as they were in previous centuries, e.g. paintings of Rubens and Rembrandt to paintings of Renoir and Monet. Women then looked like flowers. I don’t know what modern women look like, but weeds wouldn’t be too far off the track!
PEACE AND FREEDOM!!
David K.Meller
Lol @ DKM.
Upper class women looked like flowers. Those were the people who commissioned paintings. Lower and middle class women were too busy working to pose for 8 hours at a time.
It couldn’t be that painters specifically picked beautiful women to model for them? Or just didn’t paint the flaws?