Australian advertising has gotten so cringewrothy

SlavOz on 03/11/2019 - 10:43
Last edited 03/11/2019 - 10:48

I'm struggling to get by these days with all the utter trash seen in Australian advertising. I can't even think of the right words for it.

Keep in mind a lot of this comes from my experience and background as an advertising co-ordinator. The problem is there's no product appeal any more. Crass PR exposure and emotional manipulation techniques have overtaken the game, turning ads away from the traditional role to inform and excite us and towards the new standard of being ultra-woke and showing an unrelenting urge to cater to the lowest common denominator.

Yeo - its time to name and shame.

KFC - "I don't care, I love it" adopted song has basically become the intro to every online video you watch these days. Nothing told about what's on offer or why it's so good. It's nothing but a sound horn for the unhealthy and stupid.

Belong - I'm not even sure this can be classified as a bad ad since it's not even an ad. Don't know who these guys are but they seem to think putting transgenders or minorities on TV and having them admit to how weird and unusual they are is a good way to show how much they care about society. Meanwhile, buy our Internet too while you're at it!

Officeworks - an entire montage of emotional tear-jerking around what it means to have children, how they can help you as you get older, carry on your legacy blah blah blah. Meanwhile, did we mention that we sell pencils and writing paper for your kids?

Telstra - "you can use our service to call your parents and tell them you're gay". Cool thanks, but what exactly is your service? How much does it cost? How is it any better than the countless other services that let people call their parents to tell them they're gay? Can it do anything else or is this just paid TV exposure disguised as a product ad? More information please.

Anti-smoking ads - whilst the whole industry has moven away from using fear in advertising, the Australian government is stuck in the outdated mindset of telling us how terrible we are for our lifestyle choices. Ignoring the fact that they refuse to do anything to actually reduce smoking because it makes them too much money, their ads around fear and disgust rely on techniques which have already been proven ineffective and almost serve to encourage smokers even more given the appeal of seeming like a careless "bad boy" or rebel.

It's sad that Australia used to be such a great country of ads. Our famous ads from 90s for Vegemite, Cottees, Airplane Jelly etc have become cultural icons, not just because they were so genuine but also because they felt relevant and distinctive. It focused on what made the product great and how that could help the customer instead of a thoughtless PR stunt showing off the brand's willingness to adopt the latest trending topics or complex social issues which have nothing to do with them.

Anyway, sorry if this felt like a rant. I honestly enjoyed writing it while laughing at the ads. Sorry also if nobody else finds this as funny as I do- like I said most of this comes from my time working in advertising and the ironic observation of how far off course the industry has gone. Peace.

Entertainment

Comments

      • SlavOz on 05/11/2019 - 19:43
        +7

        Pretty sure if you saw an ad that didn't sit with your personal values and beliefs, you too would boycott it. No need to point the finger from some imaginary high horse. Not everyone has the same values. Isn't that what diversity is about?

        • Vote for Pedro on 06/11/2019 - 19:06
          -1

          So you should boycott all the companies advertising with diversity. If enough of you do it, they might change. I wish you all the best.

      • meowbert on 06/11/2019 - 00:04

        Does it? And what does it say?

        • miicah on 06/11/2019 - 10:50
          -2

          That you would boycott a product because they use a gay person in an ad is frankly disgusting.

          • meowbert on 06/11/2019 - 17:50
            +2

            @miicah: That's your incorrect belief. Actually I boycot these brands not because they use gay/transsexual people in their advertising, but because I believe there is an inordinate and unnecessary focus on sexuality, and this excessive, unending focus detracts from individual rights. And I think that is disgusting.

    • BookerDeWitt on 05/11/2019 - 17:13
      +1

      Agreed, those ads are repugnant. I'm glad I don't watch FTA anymore.

      • miicah on 06/11/2019 - 10:50
        -1

        Ah yes, showing gay people on TV is repugnant. What a nice person you must be!

        • meowbert on 06/11/2019 - 17:51
          -1

          Keen to virtue signal today I see.

          • miicah on 08/11/2019 - 16:24
            -1

            @meowbert: lol I'm virtue signalling because I don't care about seeing gay people on TV? Gay people exist, why aren't they allowed to be on TV?

            • meowbert on 09/11/2019 - 13:18

              @miicah: Paedophiles exist, why aren't they allowed to be on tv?

              • SlavOz on 10/11/2019 - 13:41

                @meowbert: Nazis exist. Why aren't they allowed to be on TV?

  • sardines on 05/11/2019 - 09:02
    +1

    I find the KFC the most honest. Kids call it "kids fattening center" at daughters school -I asked her what she thinks of the "I don't care, I love it" Jingle and she said KFC understands their food is really bad for you but sometimes you can think i dont care and pig out on unhealthy food. We occasionally get hot chips at KFC but the rest of their food is just awful — though uncertain if this is the message KFC is trying to convey . But car adds are so annoying..im cool and an individual buying a mass produced car…And gambling adds — my mates love me and i can buy them another round because i am very sophisticated and placed a bet on my phone and obviously i am going to win.

    • syousef on 05/11/2019 - 11:47

      The shaker salads aren't bad actually. The honey in the honey mustard means they're not a super healthy choice but they're certainly better than fries.

      • Mechz on 08/11/2019 - 23:47

        The honey in the honey mustard (if it's even real honey) would be the healthiest thing in the sauce.

  • Cluster on 05/11/2019 - 09:45
    +1

    I record live TV and watch it back with my PVR to skip all ads. You're literally wasting your life watching most of them. I know advertisers pay for the programs we watch, but I pretend to care and the companies pretend ads makes a difference.

    Ads long ago stopped selling a product. What it does, how much it costs, how it benefits you. Now it's all about selling you the feels.

  • syousef on 05/11/2019 - 11:46

    You worked in advertising and think the ads use to be good? It's always been awful as far as I can tell. You think people who are addicted to coke chase around beach balls with their friends on a golden beach all day? Or that the painted pseudo-food they use in the ad that barely resembles the actual junk food slop product is or has ever been a realistic portrayal of product. Just the other day my 11 year old had a rant about why they would allow advertisers to use steaming tampons to be used to make a turkey or chicken meal look fresh.

    Truth in advertising laws are a joke. And it's always been jingles and stupidity that has little to do with the product. Because advertising is less about informing you the product exists and more about making you buy it even though you don't need it by getting you to associate it with whatever feels good.

  • dogboy on 05/11/2019 - 12:24
    +2

    Stopped watching free to air almost 20 years ago due to advertising. Advertising is a blight on our society. It is at the point where I boycott companies that force advertising on me through youtube, radio and other outlets. Also one of the reasons I hate Apple so much - their advertising is greater than their products ever will be and the gullable and uninformed have no chance.

    • Bid Sniper on 05/11/2019 - 13:55

      Same, TV is trash

  • sauce2k6 on 05/11/2019 - 12:56

    seems like the ads are working then since you can remember them all and quote them word for word.

  • Payne on 05/11/2019 - 13:29

    I'd love a world where ads were like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhYIng0tHxA

    Anyone feel like a Coke?

  • buckster on 05/11/2019 - 13:37
    +1

    "Our famous ads from 90s for Vegemite, Cottees, Airplane Jelly etc have become cultural icons"

    That might be nostalgia talking, these aren't ads that have any impact on anything day to day in modern australia, unless an advertiser decides to tap into them to use them for nostalgic value for future marketing.

  • DiscoJango on 05/11/2019 - 13:48
    +3

    The obvious need to cater for all the politically correct people is cringeworthy, especially when its so obvious. Like the ad with a weird guy dressed in a little girls skirt: sorry mate, your just weird. neg away.

    • dufflover on 05/11/2019 - 15:50
      +1

      Same what I was thinking - no, not about the guy but about the topic.
      I find ads over time have gotten worse because of the PC brigade. People who look for offence or omissions and brand them as deliberate.

      That said, there will always be good ads and bad ads too. In the end it's all about marketing so whatever sells. I hope a lot of those ads you mention in the OP aren't doing too well - I mean they aren't really selling anyone, and who doesn't know about Telstra already?!

      • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 16:01
        +3

        Looks like ads have progressed with the times leaving some people where they belong, in the past.

  • Lockdude on 05/11/2019 - 14:01
    +3

    The one that's bothered me most in recent years is NRMA showing me a firefighter give water to a Koala… "Help is who we are"… what?

    • Munki on 05/11/2019 - 14:06

      Timbaland wrote that for them. After his smash hit: "The Way I Are"

  • INVOICE on 05/11/2019 - 14:19
    +1

    This is why you don't watch commercial TV.

    Everyone is streaming now, no ads. Think about the people left watching free-to air. Those are the people these ads are targeting. No wonder they're terrible and dumbed down. It's for audiences watching the block, the masked singer, the bachelor, gogglebox, or whatever other trash is on tv.

    • buckster on 07/11/2019 - 08:39

      Absolutely, I'm glad we have Foxtel and can watch things like Sky News and the much more intelligent advertisements that are directed at my demographic

    • Mechz on 08/11/2019 - 23:54

      I download The Block, much better experience.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2019 - 15:06

    Marketing theory and models have changed a lot the past decade. I don't want to get into it too much but my main points are:

    1. Ads have moved from selling the product to selling the image where you imagine yourself with the product
    2. VOD services and other forms of media taking attention away means that ads need to be quirky, unique, memorable and need to be able to be shared easily through social media
    3. Companies are being fake woke so their advertising net covers as many minority groups and ethnicities as possible, this is why ads nowadays feel fake
    4. The biggest consumer group are the millennials esp those about to buy their first homes while still hitting the club and playing vidya games so the current trend of ads being both young and vibrant (Coke No Sugar) and serious (HSBC) are extremely applicable to them
  • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 15:45
    -1

    The anti diversity sentiment is strong in this thread.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2019 - 19:21
      +4

      Nah, the anti force-feeding of diversity is strong in this thread

    • SlavOz on 05/11/2019 - 19:36
      +4

      Nobody has a problem with diversity, it's just that there's a right time and place to pamper it. Advertising is not it. If you think its right to use paid air time to push political agendas, consider how you would feel if the Catholic Church used their endless funds to buy up all the ad spots to push religious, anti-sex messages. You definitely wouldn't be happy with it. It works both ways.

      • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 20:00
        -1

        To pamper it? Ffs.

        As for the church buying up ad space, that’s their prerogative. As long as ads comply with standards I see no issues with your suggestion.

        If you don’t support the way companies advertise to you, it’s your right to not support that company. Unfortunately, it’s not your right to dictate how that company advertises - unless of course you have substantial holdings in the company to have sway in its direction.

        Edit: I choose not to support the Catholic Church because of the way they handled the issue of priests raping children. It’s my right to make that decision just as it is others right to continue to support them.

        • SlavOz on 05/11/2019 - 20:36
          +4

          So on one hand you say that ads should comply with "standards", but then you adamantly claim that nobody has the right to dictate how a company advertises? OK.

          Few would believe you wouldn't have a problem with the Church buying their way into a monopoly to advertise personal political agendas. Not only would people like you be leading the witchunt to stop it, the government would also likely get involved as it represents a severe danger of swaying elections and unfairly dominating social spaces. That's a real issue surely you with your extreme empathy for minorities can understand. What happens when those who don't think like the status quo mainstream become minorities?

          And yes, by using characters in your ads designed to appeal to 0.0X% of the local population, you're pampering.

          • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 20:47

            @SlavOz: You’ve heard of advertising standards, right? Advertising Standards Bureau now known as Adstandards. Give it a google, you might learn something.

            As for the rest of your diatribe you basically have no argument other than ‘you lefties blah blah’.

            I think you’re going to have to realise the companies you’re complaining about aren’t really targeting you as a potential customer. And, it is definitely your right not to support them.

            • SlavOz on 05/11/2019 - 21:00
              +1

              @Vote for Pedro: I'm aware of advertising bodies - I worked in the industry for years. What I'm not aware of is why you think it's OK for advertising bodies (a group of people) to dictate how brands are able to advertise even though you adamantly claim that nobody should have the right to do so. You are aware that advertising bodies are made up of normal people who are no more prone to error or personal bias as I am, right? Nothing makes their standards and opinion on advertising any more relevant than my opinion or anyone else's.

              • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 21:10

                @SlavOz: I don’t endorse or not endorse their position/s. They set standards for ads. We need to have some faith in the system that’s in place.

                That said, I think your position is naive. Of course a standards body needs to put some rules in place. The point I’m making is that neither you nor I can dictate what ads go to air other than by choosing to support or not support the organisation.

                Why are you fighting to force companies to advertise in a way that supports your values instead of the values they choose to espouse? I don’t get what your goal is?

                • SlavOz on 05/11/2019 - 21:50

                  @Vote for Pedro: My goal is to make you realize your hypocrisy. You conceive that ads should in fact have standards yet you're only willing to give that power to a partisan group of people. Don't you see the danger in that?

                  You seem to be OK with companies being told how to advertise so long as what they're being told is in line with your personal beliefs. If it's not, you suddenly resort to the "Oh but how dare you tell them how to advertise" argument.

                  My postition is that using advertising to push personal political and social agendas is a dangerous game. It basically limits the power of influence even further to only those who have money, or fall within the advertising bureau's favourability. It's a setup destined to fail and to drown out diverse ideas (ironically). It's also bound to turn people off advertising completely (evident by this thread), which in turn means companies will stop advertising which in turn means producers will stop producing content. Nobody wins in the end.

                  • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 21:58
                    +2

                    @SlavOz: That’s bullsh*t. Absolute rubbish. You’re pissed off that companies aren’t advertising the way you like them to advertise. Australian values have evolved and companies are choosing (no one is forcing them) to evolve their advertising. If you don’t support their advertising values, then don’t buy their product. If enough people do that, then they may change to cater to the market.

                    • dufflover on 05/11/2019 - 22:26

                      @Vote for Pedro: I don't what the issue is then. No one is saying the companies don't have a right to advertise; we're just commenting on how cringeworthy (just to use the topic title) and/or what a waste of money they probably are because of how advertising a virtue isn't likely to result in a sale.

                      • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 22:31

                        @dufflover: This is where we disagree. I’d much rather see advertising about a company’s values. If I share them, I’m more likely to support them.

                        But let’s be honest and call this thread for what it is. It’s framing the issue around ‘ads in the past were better’ when in fact the real issue is the diversity of Australia being actually reflected in ads.

                    • SlavOz on 05/11/2019 - 22:28

                      @Vote for Pedro: I beg to differ. Do you honestly think that if Telstra's gay-marriage ad was reversed (ie, company sending a message that gay marriage is wrong), that it would be accepted by the advertising bodies? No, it wouldn't.

                      Similar case in point:
                      https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/antiab…

                      My problem isn't that companies aren't advertising the way I want, its that companies aren't allowed to advertise the way I want. Ironically, this is because of immense pressure from people or organisations who claim to be for tolerance and diversity (as long as its not diversity of thought apparently). But you're still missing the point. I don't want to see ads on TV pushing for LGBTQ themes, just as I don't want to see them pushing against LGBTQ themes. Advertising is no place for partisan agendas and if you can't see the consuquences of such you're obviously part of the problem.

                      Forget the other issues I mentioned. Australian society is on track to turn into America, where an aggressive political divide dominates the country and causes irreparable hatred and resentment among opposing sides. Ads pushing certain agendas while provocation others only contributes to more division, ironically.

                      • Vote for Pedro on 05/11/2019 - 22:35
                        +1

                        @SlavOz: From memory, we did have ads recently during the postal cote saying exactly what you’re saying people weren’t allowed to say in ads. There’s no mythical ‘they’ stoping you from having your beliefs. It’s just that Australia has moved on.

                        I mean seriously, isn’t having Pauline Hanson on every morning on breakfast TV enough for you?

                      • miicah on 06/11/2019 - 10:54
                        +2

                        @SlavOz:

                        I don't want to see ads on TV pushing for LGBTQ themes, just as I don't want to see them pushing against LGBTQ themes. Advertising is no place for partisan agendas and if you can't see the consuquences of such you're obviously part of the problem.

                        Because LGBT people have historically been pushed OUT of the public view. There weren't gay couples on TV dramas/comedies, because it wasn't seen as normal. The world has changed, seems you haven't.

  • mixgrill on 05/11/2019 - 18:20

    Everyone should get rid of their televisions

  • This Guy on 05/11/2019 - 19:42

    Ads only need to get people to contact that company. The experience in store, on the web, and on the phone, is designed to close the sale, not the advertisement anymore. I know of retail stores that gave scripts to cashiers a decade ago. Not following it would get you fired. Everything is a sales process and KPI driven.

    The old advertisements you compared where just as chingeworthy. They connect themselves with cultural keystones to make them appear authentic. The vegemite song wasn't created by school kids on a school yard. The ads you don't like are doing the same but with social movements.

    Finally, anti smoking ads are designed to increase smoking and make it seem difficult to quit, not decrease it. I have no idea who is silly enough to sign off on all those fear based road safety ads, but they are in the wrong job.

  • field1985 on 05/11/2019 - 23:11

    Who watches advertising? Ad-blockers are free.

    This pretty much sums up my opinion:
    Bill Hicks on Marketing

  • p1 ama on 05/11/2019 - 23:52
    +1

    The point of advertising has changed. It used to be the case that you would have to present all of the info in an ad. If a Telstra ad didn't have all the info then you wouldn't be able to easily find out more about them without calling someone up or going to your local Telstra shop. These days, ads are to generate interest and to spark curiosity. Ads don't want to tell you everything there is to know about Telstra anymore, just needs to be something to keep you curious about the Telstra brand, something to remember and something to look them up with later on.

    I'm an economist, studied economics and statistics at uni, a lot of my mates who studied statistics have gone onto work in data science and machine learning for marketing and advertising. They spend huge amounts of resources on advertising. The truth is that the market research shows that it works. Ads today are more successful than they have every been in the past. It's not about creating a memorable ad anymore, it's about peppering your life with so many little ads that you remember Telstra next time your phone contract expires, or you remember KFC next time you're hungry.

  • aquavires on 06/11/2019 - 11:26
    +1

    Officeworks - an entire montage of emotional tear-jerking around what it means to have children, how they can help you as you get older, carry on your legacy blah blah blah. Meanwhile, did we mention that we sell pencils and writing paper for your kids?

    You'll love Thai insurance ads then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWA2GbcnJU

    • luffyex2010 on 06/11/2019 - 11:47

      I am a sucker for good Asian ads.

      Here is a funny one from Thai too (they do make very creative and funny ads)

      Japanese ads are creative, bizarre, funny and very addictive.
      Tea ad

      Pocari sweat love ads with dance moves

  • sbot on 06/11/2019 - 11:45
    +1

    "It's sad that Australia used to be such a great country of ads. Our famous ads from 90s for Vegemite, Cottees, Airplane Jelly etc have become cultural icons, not just because they were so genuine but also because they felt relevant and distinctive."

    Could it be just that your were a child during the 90s? Those are advertising campaigns with jingles largely aimed at children. The jingles were memorable, but not necessarily 'more thought out' than anything modern. Sounds like perhaps advertising worked more on you when you were younger, but works less well on you know that you are older and more wise, and less susceptible to marketing.

    That's a good thing, being minimally convinced and enthralled by advertising is a great attribute to have.

  • robertyeh on 06/11/2019 - 12:26

    My dad picks the fruit to send to cottees, to make the cordial, that I like best.

    • Mechz on 09/11/2019 - 00:00

      I believe the correct lyrics are "My dad picks his nose…" ;)

  • Speckled Jim on 06/11/2019 - 13:16
    +2

    Advertising works when we think or talk about it.

    It used to be informative. Now Google has the answers.

    Then it was entertaining. Now we have hundreds of channels, Youtube and amazing games.

    Then it was patronising and mimicry. We're leaving this phase but still see "relatable" situations and people.

    Now it's just retarded. It was always a race to the bottom, and this is it. By trying to be less televisual and more "connected" with fake virals and memes, it shot itself in the head.

    It was doomed from the start.

  • Bargain80 on 06/11/2019 - 14:07

    Ads are always like that.
    The point of ads is to make the brand sticking into your brain.
    So when you want to buy stationery, the first thing comes up in your mind is office work, for example.

    It may be cringeworthy but every generation will say the same thing to other generation's ads.

  • tik tok on 06/11/2019 - 16:40

    When the Domino's GPs tracker advertisement came out (where two guys claim what a genius driver they got), an Asian mate of mine came up to me and said - "All it takes to be a genius in your country is to know how to take the shortest route to point B" !

  • R4 on 06/11/2019 - 16:53

    Apart from the cricket (and the occasional rugby match) the bogan channels 7, 9 and 10 are unwatched in my household - and their rubbish advertising is the main reason. I just can't watch it

  • pformag on 06/11/2019 - 17:09

    Now this is an ad.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FwLlKpKjHU

  • leiiv on 06/11/2019 - 21:07
    +1

    The only great country of ads is Japan. Usually you want to skip ads, but I have purposefully and willingly watched a lot of Japanese ads on YouTube. I think successful ads are the ones which people are willing to actively watch themselves

  • TailsK on 07/11/2019 - 07:10

    Looks like all these cringe-worthy have done their job, considering you're talking about them.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/11/2019 - 11:38

    I thought everyone streams now. Never seen an cringey ad for years.

  • OzBoganYeah on 10/11/2019 - 12:50

    I agree with OP. A lots of ads and to commercials are a little too much/on the nose. Whenever I see them I can't help but involuntarily cringe just a bit. It's like 'really?'

  • Bad Company on 11/11/2019 - 12:47

    KFC - "I don't care, I love it"

    Bucket, I don't care.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 13/11/2019 - 13:27

    ok boomer

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