Kotex’s use of men in sanitary napkin advertisements has caused controversy
Kotex’s use of men in sanitary napkin advertisements has caused controversy. Recently, an advertising video released by Kotex on a short video platform has caused controversy. A viral video shows a man using sanitary napkins as eye masks, foot pads and absorbent rags. Kotex caused controversy by using men to advertise sanitary napkins. Kotex's use of men in sanitary napkin advertisements caused controversy 1
Today, a short video advertisement from Kotex's official Douyin account became a hot search topic.
In the video, a man carries Kotex with him. Kotex can be used as eye masks, rags, and insoles, but for men, this product only does not need to be used as sanitary napkins.
Netizens were completely shocked after watching the video. The product is targeted at women. When did it become a daily necessities sold to men?
In addition to being questioned and boycotted, some netizens joked that men actually use auntie towels as insoles during military training!
Some netizens pointed out that people in poor mountainous areas cannot afford a clean sanitary napkin, but they are so ruined by greasy men in advertisements. Do they dare to advocate waste? Is such an advertisement worthy of respect?
Just when netizens were hotly discussing the vulgar advertising creativity, Kotex officially apologized on Weibo in the afternoon, stating that the content was produced by an agency and was due to her own work mistakes. I would like to ask, do official accounts not review content before publishing it?
Although the apology came fairly timely, most netizens did not buy the statement of the third party blaming the blame.
Using men to advertise sanitary napkins
This is not the first time for Kotex
It is not unusual for men to endorse sanitary napkins. Brands have done this in the past. Pass. In fact, although sanitary napkins are women's products, sanitary napkin brand advertisements have never given up serving men and using men as spokespersons.
From 1945 to 1953, Kotex’s main product was “not a shadow of a doubt with kotex”. Sanitary napkins have nothing to do with men or children directly, but their images have to play a role in advertisements. They are responsible for gazing at women in the picture, or helping the advertising audience establish the social identity of the women in the picture as wives and mothers. It became about men.
In 2010, Kotex even used Danmei IP paper people to link up in China to recommend sanitary napkins to women. Two male mentors and apprentices recommended sanitary napkins. Female users felt offended. .
It has to be said that sanitary napkin brands have been trying to expand the market from the male entrance. This also stems from the fact that in a social context where sex education is lacking, the vast majority of men rely on advertisements to learn about women’s menstrual periods. Men are accustomed to the narrative of “there are always a few days every month.” Due to economic taboos, sanitary napkin advertisements can display very limited information, making it a true "whoever uses it will know" product. However, social gender culture has given men the illusion that they were the masters of the country, and the sanitary napkin advertisements aggravated the illusion that men who lack common sense and experience can obtain transcendental cognition, which ultimately led to the fact that sanitary napkin advertisements today are viewed in a male perspective. Experience the product's softness (as an eye mask), warmth (as an insole), and water absorbency (as a rag).
Vulgar creativity all for the sake of traffic
The gain outweighs the loss
Advertisements with vulgar creativity in exchange for traffic have been commonplace in the past few years.
In the past, there were Cotton Era advertisements that promoted "being followed because you are beautiful" and "being ugly is the safest" alluding to the theory of victim guilt. Audi second-hand car advertisements compared women to second-hand cars, and there was a mother-in-law checking the bride's teeth. The picture;
Jieshibon posted this content on the topic "How to evaluate a girl's real happiness in marriage", using abalone to represent women's increasing openness after marriage, and to define girls' marriage. Whether you will be happy in the future, abalone alludes to female sexual organs, full of winking "you know" and obscene air;
The cooperation between Heytea and Durex also made the old driver Durex capsize in the gutter, and the promotional poster "lips "The taste of cheese", "Not a drop left tonight"; the style is much worse than before, and the romantic has directly turned into obscenity...
It is indeed possible to rely on vulgar creativity to win the first place It takes time to increase visibility, but the effect is relatively short-lived. After the curiosity is over, the look and feel will be wonderful, and it is easy to offend the feelings of its largest audience, especially female users, which is not worth the loss for the brand.
So, what should be the correct way to advertise women?
Speak for women
Use real cries to inspire
Meitu mobile phone once shot a video with the theme "The beautiful years cannot be delayed" The creative advertisement shows the beauty of women at different stages of life from 0 to 100 years old in 2 minutes. Let users express their feelings and arouse strong emotional responses. The brand does not sell appearance anxiety, but instead showcases life, letting people understand that no matter how old you are, no matter how time changes your appearance, you are still beautiful.
Jiao Nei Underwear conveys that "we have to be responsible for aesthetics" and conveys that women should be kind to themselves. Wear socks that don't fall off and comfortable underwear. You don't need to pay attention to appearance, but what should women do in daily life? The pursuit of convenience and comfort in life has won praise and consolidated its position as an underwear brand.
Lola Rose hides her luck in seven moments: hugging you with a nice song when you get off work late at night, the last piece of cake someone left for you, returning from a long trip Waiting for you when you are home, having someone by your side when you want to be willful, comforting when you are sad, the person you want to see happens to want to see you... It has won the praise of girls and can make people calm down and experience the satisfaction in ordinary life. Full of love.
Finally, advertising is an art of commercial expression, and any advertisement may be controversial. However, brands should not offend or despise women, think about issues from a female perspective, and conduct strict review of marketing content. If a problem occurs, you must admit your mistake promptly and strive to regain the understanding of female consumers to minimize the damage to the brand. Kotex uses men to advertise sanitary napkins, causing controversy 2
Recently, an advertising video released by Kimberly-Clark’s female hygiene care brand Kotex on a short video platform aroused heated discussion. In the video, a man used sanitary napkins to Use as an eye mask, floor mat, and absorbent rag.
Screenshot of advertising video
On December 28, Kotex’s official Weibo issued an apology letter stating that the content was produced by an agency without review by the brand. "It seriously goes against the values ??of the Kotex brand! It is absolutely unacceptable to us!"
Kotex’s official Weibo apology letter stated that we sincerely apologize for everyone’s criticism of the video content. This is indeed a work error and we did not do a good job in agency management and dissemination content management. Arrangements have been made to take it off the shelves as soon as possible, and relevant accounts will be seriously suspended for rectification. The company will urgently optimize its internal management processes to prevent similar situations from happening again.
It is worth noting that in the comments on Gao Jieshi’s apology on Weibo, most netizens did not buy it.
Some netizens said bluntly, "Please figure out who the audience for sanitary napkins is. Who are you trying to disgust by making such an advertisement?" It’s time to apologize and donate sanitary napkins to poor women in mountainous areas.”
Screenshot of netizen comments
Some netizens said, “Originally I bought sanitary napkins. It doesn’t matter the brand, but from now on I won’t buy anything from Kotex.” However, some netizens hope that Kotex will correct her mistakes after apologizing. “I apologized in time and reluctantly forgive you.” “The review must be 120,000 points. "Be careful" and "be more careful in the future."
Kotex uses men to advertise sanitary napkins, causing controversy 3
Recently, an advertising video released by personal care brand Kotex on a short video platform triggered controversy online. The video showed a man using a sanitary napkin as an eye mask. Foot mats and absorbent rags are available. In the face of the controversy, @gaojiesi issued a "letter of apology" on December 28, stating that the relevant content was "produced and released by the agency without review by the brand" and that the relevant accounts have been seriously suspended for rectification.
The full text of Kotex’s apology letter is as follows:
Kotex’s recent videos on social platforms have been hotly discussed by everyone. The company attaches great importance to bringing users We apologize for the bad experience! This content was produced and released by the agency without review by the brand, and it seriously goes against the values ??of the Kotex brand! This is absolutely unacceptable to us!
We sincerely apologize for your criticism of the video content. This is indeed a mistake in our work. We did not do a good job in agency management and communication content management. We have arranged to take it down as soon as possible and seriously suspended the relevant accounts for rectification. Taking this as a lesson, we will urgently optimize our internal management processes to prevent similar situations from happening again!
We will seriously reflect and put user experience first. Regardless of products and communication content, we will strictly control the quality, adhere to the Kotex brand values, and be responsible to society. We will not bring bad things to everyone. Sorry again for the bad experience! We also welcome consumers and all sectors of society to continue to supervise and make corrections!