I’m married with two daughters. And while I do miss my dog Jack, it’s not because he was male but because he was a great dog. So when Facebook lit up with all my ad friends talking about how awesome this particular bit of content was–how it made Dollar Shave Club‘s comedy seem trite–I had to watch. So I did.
Meh.
I can’t help thinking this piece speaks way more to the agency that produced it than its intended target audience. I mean, I watched it multiple times and it took reading about this on other blogs to realize that they were selling actual tampon care packages. With no product shot, I just figured parents were making up little boxes brightened with candy themselves. You know, the way they’ve done for campers since, oh, the dawn of sleepaway camps.
Look, I could be wrong. I could be waaaay wrong. And it has proven undeniably watchable with nearly 4.8 million views on You Tube during its first week. But I just don’t know who this film is supposed to speak to. Anxious young girls who might enjoy a helpful care package of feminine hygiene buoyed by candy? Their parents–or more specifically their moms, who might actually relate to this narrative with a mixture of nostalgia and knowingness? Or agency creatives who think it’s sassy (and potential award show bait) to have a pubescent actress enunciate the word ‘vagina’ with such emphasis?
Like I said, I could be wrong and this could be hugely effective–I don’t know. So please take this poll and let me know what you think. I’d really like to know if you find this shareworthy.
By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Olson