Oatly takes out ad in The Guardian to mock 'desperately out of touch' parents about pronouns in email signatures

I used to regularly get into bunfights when people tried to pull me up on using English spelling like learnt instead of learned.

I think that was, in part, why I stayed around on mumsnet once I got here. No-one ever tries to be clever by telling me it's "flavor" not "flavour".

They'll no longer get my custom. I'll drink my tea black.

Oatly is too expensive for me anyway.

I had this discussion only last month with an agency in the US who was questioning my spelling (nicely though)! And this company is a global one but based in the UK!

You'd never call anyone from Britain parochial once you have met an average American. It's still not uncommon to be asked what state the UK is in.

Whatever happened to companies recent trend for 'don't mention mum/dad in case the prospect doesn't have one'?

I seem to get quite a few emails around mothers/fathers day asking if I want to be taken off mailing lists for these specific events/campaigns/days, should it cause me a trauma.

I couldn't possibly comment.

They do have a separate option in the dropdown menu for the UK and for the US, at each looks different on the surface level. Seems we're the only ones lumbered with the Help Dad campaign.

#justaskin'

If your company wants to make oodles of money in the UK, which is all Oatley will ever care about, then it's not too much off the bottom line to employ someone in that country to do the communications. aha ahhha ahhhaaaaaaaa.

They don't always know/care/are bothered to look it up.

I had this discussion only last month with an agency in the US who was questioning my spelling (nicely though)! And this company is a global one but based in the UK!

I used to have regular arguments (and I mean proper ding-dongs as she was rather fiery) with my (American) Director years ago who used to never take my work on matters of spelling or grammar (UK company, UK market) , when I was working on copy...

It seems that we're not the only ones to find this campaign bafflingly misguided. (I didn't realise there was a shit TV ad too!)

www.thegrocer.co.uk/marketing/oatlys-help-dad-ad-is-nasty-sneering-and-wrong-about-dairy/652240.article

www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/oatlys-help-dad-campaign/

Based in Sweden, but now an international company.

Rather than run the whole show from the US (because it saves a wage) and preach down to us.

....Is one point of view that some might take.

Alpro is cheaper and does it in chocolate flavour.

I have been carefully comparing Oatly versus Alpro stock levels every time I go shopping. (I usually buy supermarket own brand or Alpro.) Always seems to have fuller shelves for Oatly.

Yes I saw that.

Sadly when companies try to make a 'big noise' it only serves to shines a light on their other business activities - and there is always some skeletons in the closet waiting to jump out and do a dance.

Looks like they messed up a bit in the US too. Many customers not happy
www.theguardian.com/food/2020/sep/01/oatly-vegan-milk-sale-blackstone

American English though - I assume its a UK based brand?

offense

That alone offends me.

If I am particularly annoyed by a company I point out that the best way to gain loyal customers is through word of mouth - and say that I am generally someone who will recommend a product I think is good or enjoy.

I don't ever say that I will badmouth them - but I remind them that in an over-saturated market, personal recommendations are a pretty good way to gain new customers.

I emailed back saying they've lost me as a customer until they issue a public apology.
I also reminded them the stats were completely irrelevant to my point, apart from being a little sexist, thus proving my point. I also pointed out as a vegan I am well aware of those statistics.

I'm confused as to who they think their key demographic is. We're a vegan family so you would have thought they'd try harder for my custom.

Alpro and own brand until further notice then!

I suspect the only way to get through to companies like this is to point out to them that WOKE culture is going out of favour with the influencers and cutting edge societal trends. All the kids are into radical feminism now.

Sorry but I got as far as 'We all know that dads love stats'. What a cheek (speaking as a stats geek).

Someone in the marketing department - or more likely agency - (maybe even a mum!) will be collating the campaign stats on SM reach, clicks and retweets etc, and the HoM will be cheering the numbers... but there IS such a thing as bad publicity. Maybe the boring old stats from sales will tell a different tale.

Some of us do understand (relevant) stats, and we know is a campaign is doing more harm than good.

Business Development/Sales/Marketing 101 - for those at the back of the class

1. Job = to sell (more) products
2. Job isn't = to patronise, insult and/or alienate prospects/customers, (thereby not doing point 1, above)

I got this response, which seems to be we're sorry you're not down with the kids, this ain't your bag. Totally ignored the several GC concerned points I made.

From a handmaiden I guess.

^^Hi there,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I'm sorry for our delayed response.

It is the intention for our advertising campaigns to be thought-provoking and get a conversation started about food and climate, it is never our intention to cause upset or offense.

As with all of our campaigns and communications, we try to relay an informative or fun message and trust our community to listen if this is their thing, and not listen if it's not.

If you're interested you can read more about our thought process behind this particular campaign here: help-dad.com/numbers-and-such/

We really appreciate your support so far and will of course reflect on your comments moving forward so thank you again for bringing this to our attention.

All the best,^^

I'm now happily making my own oat milk (I may diversify into almond milk soon). I don't know why I never did this before - I assumed it was 'hard' to do.

I have found their marketing/promos to be quite silly and daft (a bit like jokey projects we produced when I was at art school to put into shows to see if people took them seriously), and not offensive.

I did find this campaign quite patronising and divisive (reinforcing the whole 'parents are ignorant dinosaurs, etc'.).

I hope they do take a look at the comments and learn from them.

@SerendipityJane I think Dave Gorman did a similar thing with Innocent
.

Well, I guess they really have set their stall out by actually calling it the department of mind control

I suspect that's one of those "jokey" things that is intended to make you think they're a laugh a minute sort of outfit.

Rhod Gilbert has a pitch perfect routine about trying to see the Smoothie Woothie crew (at Innocent smoothies as 'twas) at Fruit Towers, following their jokey "why not pop and see us" tag on a carton.