This ad is geared towards men, obviously. It aired during the Super Bowl, which more men watch than women, so Teleflora had their timing and rhetorical situation right. Additionally, Valentine's Day was coming up quickly at the time the commercial aired, so another point to Teleflora for good timing. The ad uses a very beautiful woman, who is revered as a sex symbol, which further targets the male audience. And it makes sense that the ad features a bombshell and not a soccer mom, because this ad is all about sex. It's really not about the flowers at all.
The idea in this commercial is that men can get sex by giving women flowers. Between the legs and the breasts and the lips and the hair the men watching this commercial surely pay little attention to the flowers. Instead, what stands out is sex appeal. However, the overall color scheme of the ad is black and white, so the red flowers do stand out a little from the rest of the scene.
This ad tries to sell Teleflora's flowers through a seemingly simple chain of logos. Buy flowers. Get sex. Of course, life isn't really this simple, but many (if not most) ads portray a world that is ideal rather than real.
The biggest issue in this ad is its major ethical flaws. In a country where rape wasn't first outlawed until 1975 and where the 50th state didn't outlaw it until 1993, is it really ethically sound for a company to tell men that they can expect to get sex for just giving a girl flowers? (http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/13/us/marital-rape-drive-for-tougher-laws-is-pressed.html, http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32701).
I don't think so.
Teleflora's ad reinforces the all too common idea that men deserve sex, and it is women's job to provide that pleasure for men. It demeans women across America (through the use of a sexually eager Adriana Lima as the ideal woman) to some sort of sex slave who can be given something in order to get laid. Clearly, Teleflora did not consider the underlying meaning of this message, culturally, or they simply ignored it. Either way, this ad shows a serious ethical misstep on the part of Teleflora.
I remember seeing this commercial during the Super Bowl and thinking along the same lines-- It's pretty base, honestly. I know I'm not getting flowers for a girl that's that easy. Even the way the flowers are pictured in the commercial, as you said, sets the mood; red is a passionate and romantic color, and having it stick out in the background like that evokes a certain kind of sensual feeling. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI also remember seeing this ad during the superbowl and at first I was so confused about what it was even for! If you had never heard of the company Teleflora before then this commercial seems to convey very different messages to its viewers. Like you said, it's a very sexy woman who uses seductive features and speech to tell men they should buy flowers for their loved one... so that they are able to earn sex in the end. While this is not the point of buying someone flowers, it probably accomplishes the goal of grabbing the males attention!
ReplyDeleteThis is sad. Its extremely sexist. The media has once again made women subordinate, as though we are here only to provide sex for men. Unfortunately it sells. The advert implies that men simply need to shower women with gifts for sex. Its really sad, because it affects a lot of men and women...many of us overlook them without knowing their effects
ReplyDeleteIts really sad that things like this are actually what sell. And being that the ad is for flowers for valentines day makes it even worse. it kind of makes men think oh maybe if i get her flowers I can get some, not about getting her flowers out of kindness or just to make her happy.
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