The Message in the Marketing

In the world of marketing…appearance is everything and perception can be reality.

Case in point…this Peloton ad which has been the source of great controversy.

The ad has been criticized for showing the husband gifting his physically fit wife with a Peloton exercise bike. There was so much backlash toward what some considered the commercial’s “sexist” message that Peloton’s value dropped about $1.5 billion.

The buying public has spoken

In some other cases, it’s the imagery that’s presented in the spot that brings questions. I offer up this ad I saw recently for KFC’s new Nashville Hot Chicken and Waffles promotion.

I wonder if anyone in the advertising executives’ room raised a question or concern about how a suggestive ad featuring someone portraying an antebellum-era Kentucky ‘colonel’ and an animated representation of a matronly woman from a bygone era would appear.

Well…I suppose it could have been worse. Instead of fooling around with ‘Mrs. Butterworth’…it could have been an actual actress portraying ‘Aunt Jemima’.