He Stole My Toy!!!
SugarBank posted an intruiging IKEA advertisement today that reflects the differences between European and American marketing and boundries:
A friend sent me this ad for IKEA yesterday (2MB – MPEG). It’s hilarious, beautifully put together, and running on TV in Europe which, for American readers, must be hard to imagine.
Why?
Whereas the people who made this ad saw a funny situation which hinges on a child’s naïveté and imagination, making for the kind of anecdote parents would tell at dinner parties till the end of time; in the US it’s increasingly taboo to acknowledge children exist in a world that includes the sex which created them.
If this ad is un-broadcastable in the US on the basis of content, movies which show pre-pubescent girls in swimsuits are indecent, and toddlers should be prevented from running around naked on public beaches. A totally logical chain of thought if you’re a pedophile, totally bizarre if not. When are we going to accept sexuality as normal, vital and healthy and when are we going to stop people who think like sexual predators from setting standards of acceptability?
Now, for all of you Kitkast viewers out there who think that toy looks familiar… you’re right! Obviously the metallic star of Kitkast is not the guest star of this particular commercial, but it could be his Swedish cousin.
Well America, the advertizing is not only different across the sea. Back in early September I made a post about the differences between Québec (Canada) and the US. Although right across the border from each other, the advertizing is extremely different.
I heartfully agree with SugarBank’s closing statement; I wish America would come to terms with sexuality and embrace it as being natural.
November 8th, 2005 at 12:31 pm
Back when I took a marketing course, we actually touched on this issue a bit. We came to the conclusion that it was very ironic that sexual content was banned but violent content wasn’t. We based it on cultural values.
November 8th, 2005 at 2:09 pm
So, what does that say about America…
Violence=YAY?
Sex= NAY?
Therefore, using deductive logic, the conclusion would be: We’d rather kill each other than make babies. Kind of reminds me of a line in Shogun Assassin, “Do you fear peace more than war?”
Sounds ridiculous to me, but then again… I’m just a Canadian.
November 9th, 2005 at 9:23 am
Such an innocent commercial, if you ask me.
November 9th, 2005 at 9:53 am
El Space Monkey- You’re right… extremely innocent…
November 9th, 2005 at 7:32 pm
I laughed the enitre time. Honestly if I seen “my kid” (lets just hope I don’t have any children out there) I would probably film him playing with it, then show it to mommy so she remembers to do as she says and put away her toys. But again its hilarious to see these kinds of things and if I must “burn in hell” for seeing said things, then so be it. although I think mommy would be imbarassed if she had dinner guests over and thats what happened.
November 9th, 2005 at 10:38 pm
Spiklos- You remember that scene in Parenthood (film with Steve Martin from the late 80s) when the power goes out and the whole family starts going through drawers and cupboards in the dining room to find a flashlight? Just then someone says they found one and as they turn it on, the lights come back on and we see a kid with his mother’s vibrator… very funny. Man that was a good movie… Keanu Reeves in the same role as always…
November 15th, 2005 at 10:26 pm
parenthood is one of my all time favorite movies. Keanu was cast perfectly