OK, the link between the latest ad for Country Ladle canned soup and the usual subject matter of this blog is tenuous at best. So this won’t be the most ‘useful’ post I’ve ever done. Nonetheless, it is an OUTRAGE, and as such should be addressed.
Now, for those of you who aren’t watching the Bargain Hunt/Antiques Roadshow Hour of Power and therefore may have missed this ad, here’s the lowdown. A woman (about 30) is on the phone to her mother. She says something like ‘Yes mum, I got your package. Thanks for the tea set, it’s getting a lot of use’ as the ad shows a bunch of small children playing with the tea set in the mud. She then says ‘oh, the scones are very popular’ as there’s a shot of some pigeons eating said scones. Then: ‘yes, thanks for the cardi, it’s a perfect fit’ as a shot of a hobo wearing a pink cardigan comes up. Blah blah blah…the point is that the only thing she actually likes is the country ladle soup, which she gleefully hoes into as the ad rolls on.
Innocuous enough, you might think. But what is the real message of this ad? There was nothing wrong with the scones or the tea set. The cardigan was ugly, but the ad seemed to suggest that she’d thrown it into the bin rather than given it away (as the hobo is rifling through rubbish). So the subtext seems to be as follows: ‘Hi Mum, I’m ungrateful. I really couldn’t give a patootie about the time and effort that you put into your gift. It doesn’t worry me that the tea set might be a priceless family heirloom/museum worthy antique, that you baked me some scones or the provenance of the cardi, which might be something handed down through generations or made of pure cashmere. Unfortunately, none of them came from Ikea, so I chucked them on the landfill. Thank Christ you sent me some processed food…that’s more like it!’
Thusly it’s less of an innocuous food ad, and more of a biting expose of Our Modern Times, in which simpler modes of living (homemade things; inherited things; making do, being resourceful, recycling) are replaced with a now-now-now attitude, where if something doesn’t match the brand-power approved décor, it literally gets chucked in the bin.
It’s the antithesis of sustainable living, treasure hunting, sharing, community and all that other Good Stuff. I didn’t come away from that ad thinking ‘Sheesh, I’m a busy modern woman – I’ve been there! Hi-ho Range Rover, onward to the tip! Then we shall nae tarry as we charge ahead to buy bulk Country Ladle!’ In fact, if anything I felt repulsed. And felt a new burst of motivation to avoid the horror of processed food wherever possible.
And I felt bad for the invisible mum. And I kind of wanted to have a good look at the tea set to see if it was some piece of hand painted early Georgian wonder or the like. You get my point. The young lady was so busy being smug in her low opinion of her mother’s taste that she may have missed something of value. Plus missing the thought, effort and time that went into this ‘package’ to begin with, which – if I May Be So Cheesy – is valuable in itself.
If this is what people truly think it’s no wonder so much valuable stuff ends up in op shops. This may be the answer to one of op shopping’s most persistent questions – what’s a nice coat/necklace/cordial set/dinner service/platter/vase like you doing in a place like this?
But why do people value novelty over quality? I used to work with someone who insisted on having a ‘new’ house, even if it was a hideous McBungalow (I don’t think it was of mansion proportions) in a far-flung suburb. ‘But it’s new’ he’d say, looking at me like I was nuts. ‘New!!’.
I drew a blank on that one.
I’m not trying to judge peeps who get a kick out of new stuff. But I don’t understand choosing to have something new and low quality over something second hand that’s high quality.
Sigh. It’s fitting that the ad was for a low quality processed food. It matches the diner’s house. And her attitude.
Is there anything that you would absolutely insist on having new (other than for hygiene reasons, as has previously been discussed)? The only thing I can think of is electricals, but that hardly counts as it’s for safety reasons (I’ve had a few run ins with the safety switch…). Am I missing something?
Also, who else has seen the ad? Were you as OUTRAGED as I was? This might almost be as bad as the Dolmio ad I blogged about at my old MySpace blog (the shame! The shame of it all!) which practically gave me nightmares.
May 1, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Ohhhh I saw that add last night - quite by accident actually…vbg. I felt like slapping the woman - fancy preferring that soup to all those lovely scones, dinner set and jumper - then I started peering really hard at the dinner set the kids were playing with. All I could think of was if they break a piece will they cut themselves? It’s amazing what advertising people can come up with just to sell something these days.
June 18, 2008 at 11:33 pm
yes I was outraged, but not just bcoz of the message this ad sends….but also bcoz a lot of these ads r made by the same mindless MEN who dominate our ad industry…who have no clue about selling a product based on emotions etc…soup of all things is about the warmth right?? then how cud they even think of this arrogantly stupid ad?? oh ya…they r MEN!!!