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Original poster

To think Poundland ad is not “genius” and is actually a bit I appropriate?

773 replies

speakerwoofers · 21/12/2017 15:25

Most comments on Facebook are proclaiming it “genius.” I don’t think a sexual innuendo is that genius TBF.

Plus why is it a woman lying on her back with a t shirt saying “power” and a man standing over her dominating her. They could have at least chosen another sexual innuendo.

Also difficult to explain to kids.

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

To think Poundland ad is not “genius” and is actually a bit I appropriate?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 16:03

Neither racism or sexism are okay. But they are both matters of perception. There are things which I think we can all agree are racist (like use of the 'P' and 'N' word. And there are things which are more ambiguous. Like taking the piss out of Diane Abbott for not being able to add up and saying 'fire puts out water'. Which some people think is incredibly racist and some people think is a fair criticism of an incompetent politician.

So you don’t think this advert is sexist. What if the doll was black and wearing a Black Power t-shirt? Would you think it was racist?

sagamartha · 22/12/2017 16:07

Sexism will sell. It's really depressing but there are people who don't give a shit about the messages they send out and who they offend / upset as long as it appeals to someone and generates controversy.

Paddy Power are very good at this. The only people they won't take the piss out of is their core customer base.

Other than that, they - and obviously Poundland don't give a shit about who they offend and the messages they give out as long as they generate publicity.

It's also very hard to ignore people like that who decide to offend people.

I bet they'd be racist and homophobic if they could get away with it.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 22/12/2017 16:32

But I think an awful lot of women like me would fail to get particularly worked up about this as an example of sexism when there are still places in the world where women can't drive, work or travel without the permission of men and women still face discrimination here at work when they have children

Ah, the "I'm too high minded to care about trivia" argument. The one that falls flat on its face at the first step because (a) this sort of level , puerile crap is a part of the whole and feeds in and supports those terrible things you claim to care about and (b) for some of us it is possible to think about and care about more than one thing at a time.

and rengaged with current followers by bumping themselves up their algorithms

Assuming that "rengaged" is a typo for "re-engaged" what a load of utter nonsense.

Poundland has "followers"? It is a brand people "engage with?" It is a tatty, downmarket high street shop, not Fortnum and Mason or Chanel.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 22/12/2017 16:33

this sort of low level, puerile crap

Eltonjohnssyrup · 22/12/2017 16:41

The joke is basic - you honestly can’t think it took them long to think of it? You can’t honestly think this was their plan all along - it’s been thought up by a bored junior marketing employee. It’s unoriginal, it’s been done a million times before. It’s a shit joke, but it could easily be ignored because of its banality.

Actually I think it was exactly their plan.

Of course it wasn't going to be ignored. It was so predictable.

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 16:44

Elton what about this question:

So you don’t think this advert is sexist. What if the doll was black and wearing a Black Power t-shirt? Would you think it was racist?

Eltonjohnssyrup · 22/12/2017 16:46

But how many of them are going to make the trip specifically to Poundland to buy anything though? As I said - I’d guess very few.

Well as in any kind of advertising campaign only a few viewers will purchase.

But when Poundland tweet their New Year deals (a core time for them) it will reach 25% more customers.

So the answer is probably at least 25% more customers than from their normal digital marketing.

VladmirsPoutine · 22/12/2017 16:47

Poundland has "followers"? It is a brand people "engage with?" It is a tatty, downmarket high street shop, not Fortnum and Mason or Chanel.

For all your talk accusing others of being too high-minded to care about trivia, this comment is rather self-defeating.

And yes, companies try to brand themselves. It's advertising 101 stuff. In an age of so called 'content marketing' brands create personas, aim to engage with customers in all manner of ways including social media. The very reason Twinings took umbrage to being included in Poundland's initial image was because they felt the image didn't reflect their brand. It's not complicated stuff.

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 16:53

And if you think that was exactly their plan, do you mean they deliberately put the doll in a Girl Power t-shirt? And you don’t think that’s sexist?

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 16:53

And if you think that was exactly their plan, do you mean they deliberately put the doll in a Girl Power t-shirt? And you don’t think that’s sexist?

Eltonjohnssyrup · 22/12/2017 16:55

So you don’t think this advert is sexist. What if the doll was black and wearing a Black Power t-shirt? Would you think it was racist?

Yes I would. But I don't think that is a fair equivalent. 'Power' is not a term I am familiar with re feminism before this advert despite the fact I try to keep very clued up about it.

I generally am very in favour of the sort of feminism which protects us from physical violence and gives us free birth control and promotes our rights at work when we become mothers.

This sort of bullshit. Not so much.

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 17:00

Yes I would. But I don't think that is a fair equivalent. 'Power' is not a term I am familiar with re feminism before this advert despite the fact I try to keep very clued up about it.

So, now you know. Do you still agree it’s not sexist?

What makes the ‘black power’ doll being teabagged ‘racist’ would you say?

PumpkinSquash · 22/12/2017 17:38

The Liverpool Echo have blurred out the teabag and in the process made it look so much worse Grin
Gawd knows what the elf is doing behind the blurry bit Shock
twitter.com/LivEchonews/status/943883618103029760

Then people are wondering what on earth people mean when we say the outrage is funnier than the actual original tweet, which wasn't even that funny in the first place, just a bit try hard.
What with the Liverpool Echo and the daft woman who tweeted Kent Police in the USA and their subsequent response, yes, you kind of all are the joke.

SophoclesTheFox · 22/12/2017 17:40

I have a low brow sense of humour. I giggle at a badly timed fart. My party trick is making penises out of starched linen napkins in posh restaurants. I've put stuffed animals in suggestive poses hundreds of times and giggled myself silly.

But there's a difference between sniggering at willies and horrid rapey misogynist bullshit. We're being encouraged to laugh at what looks to me like a sexual assault. That's how it reads. Consciously or sub consciously, that's what the people who have posed this are riffing on. Otherwise, what's funny? You're supposed to laugh at how the elf is so naughty! Totes bantz. Oh my sides!

Am also interested to know if racist, homophobic, disablist jokes are OK, or if it's just a free pass for misogyny. What if he was tipping disabled Barbie out of a wheelchair - funny or not funny? Gaybashing a ken doll in sparkly shorts - funny or not funny?

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 17:41

Then people are wondering what on earth people mean when we say the outrage is funnier than the actual original tweet

Pumpkin nobody is wondering what you mean by that. People just think it’s weird to be amused by offence, it’s almost like you want to find it funny, so you will.

DeleteOrDecay · 22/12/2017 18:12

Then people are wondering what on earth people mean when we say the outrage is funnier than the actual original tweet

Literally no one is wondering that. You've made it abundantly clear why you find it funny over and over again in about 10 different posts on this thread.

We're all aware of how amusing you think it is and it's getting a bit tedious now. You're like a dog with a bone.

Lindy2 · 22/12/2017 18:21

I'm not outraged but I don't find it funny. It's crass and low brow, neither of which appeal to me.
I was shopping today where there was Poundland and Poundworld. I deliberately avoided Poundland and bought what I needed from Poundworld instead. I don't spend enough there to make a big difference but I may be one of many doing tbe same.

Lindy2 · 22/12/2017 18:24

Plus I think Poundland is pretty rubbish now. Half of there stuff isn't even £1 anymore so they've lost their main selling point. They are a rather rubbish version of B&M or Home Bargains. Both of which do it so much better without tacky adverts.

crazycatgal · 22/12/2017 18:47

Misogynistic crap.

Luckingfovely · 22/12/2017 18:52

Vile.

SlimDogMillionaire · 22/12/2017 19:38

Just because something is a 'success' @Eltonjohnssyrup doesn't mean it's right does it?

Eltonjohnssyrup · 22/12/2017 19:49

No it doesn't Slim. You're totally right. But they're not out there to be moral heroes are they? They're out there to sell shit. And in those terms it's worked.

sagamartha · 22/12/2017 19:50

Just because something is a 'success' @Eltonjohnssyrup doesn't mean it's right does it

If a company has to raise its profile by being mysogonistic, that just says a lot about them. It's quite pathetic really.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 22/12/2017 19:57

For all your talk accusing others of being too high-minded to care about trivia, this comment is rather self-defeating

Er it is Elton who said this awful advert is too trivial to bother with. She only cares about important things.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 22/12/2017 20:01

If a company has to raise its profile by being mysogonistic, that just says a lot about them. It's quite pathetic really.

Well don't shop there then. But they're a company their aim is to make money. And this campaign will probably do that. That's not my fault. If you want to change it go out there and convince other people. Don't blame me because you can't.