Dolores sent us a link to a post at Feministing about Klondike’s new “5 Seconds to Glory” ad campaign for their ice cream bars. The ads revolve around men trying to endure 5 full seconds of unimaginable horror; if they succeed, they are rewarded with Klondike bars (provided by hot chicks).
For instance, in this particularly brutal segment, a man must listen to his wife speak:
A man must listen to his wife talk out loud for 5 whole seconds, about fixing up the house, no less.
In a second video, found ad AdWeek (the embedded clip at Feministing isn’t working), two bikers must hold hands:
So guys, don’t ever forget: wives are annoying burdens you should try to avoid interacting with (much less listening to), and touching or being even superficially intimate with other guys is gross. If, through super-human effort, you are able to bear doing one of these things, you deserve a reward. Brought by women in mini dresses.
Comments 65
Zara — May 3, 2011
Wow that's toxic.
k. — May 3, 2011
If you'd like to tell Klondike what you think of this piece of misogynist marketing, their contact information is here: https://secure.klondikebar.com/contactus/ or 1-800-931-2830
iammrsnesbitt — May 3, 2011
I find it odd that they didn't even try to exaggerate how annoying the wife is, like you often see in commercials (you know, the woman babbling inanely about shoes or something). She's talking to him in a friendly, pleasant tone of voice, inquiring about something that involves them both, and he still can't listen to her.
I don't think it would be excused even if the wife were presented as particularly annoying, but her niceness compared to his thickheadedness makes this ad even more obnoxious.
Taylor — May 3, 2011
Wow, just wow.
chickadee — May 3, 2011
That wife commercial annoyed the living shit out of both me and my husband. Best guess: People in advertising must live the saddest lives imaginable. Maybe we should take a break our nonstop shoe-shopping to smack a little sense into Klondike with our rolling pins.
Yrro — May 3, 2011
Are we supposed to identify with the guys? It seemed to be mocking them as much as anything - which would make the reasonable-sounding wife make more sense...
Jennie — May 3, 2011
I think it's interesting too that the women who present the men with the bars at the end are also dressed in colours that relate to the flavour of the product in question. They are also a chocolate/mint part of the reward.
DoctorJay — May 3, 2011
Yeah, the ad company peeps have such a jaded, cynical perspective on life and being human.
WG — May 3, 2011
And some wives aren't annoying? I know some husbands are....
Also, regardless of my sexuality, I wouldn't want to hold the hand of someone that is obese and that doesn't abide by basic hygiene. I wouldn't even do that for a klondike.
Jen in SF — May 3, 2011
If you accept the ads' assumptions (and assume there are no ads with women "suffering" for ice cream), women (at least) should not buy Klondikes because they are a "gendered" reward.
And if you don't accept the ads' assumptions, noone should buy Klondikes.
Why? What??
A — May 3, 2011
Whenever I see that advertising trope where men JUST CAN'T TOLERATE ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR WIVES AND THEIR STEREOTYPICALLY FEMININE WAYS, my only thought ends up what submissive doormats the men have to be to stay in that relationship.
It's as if they want to deconstruct their concept of masculinity by portraying their 'real men' as repressed losers struggling to cope with a failing relationship.
M — May 3, 2011
The first one is really a striking illustration of the lack of logic that this kind of discourse have on relationships. In a nutshell: how on earth did he manage to marry and live with that woman if he hates her so much that five seconds of interaction is too much to ask? One might think that he'd have noone but himself to blame for this, which makes him decietful and truly a horrible person. But nooo- in these goggles, this the normal (right) way to have relationships. It's screwed up beyond words.
Casey — May 3, 2011
Hey guys, the reason these ads are presented is because they're supposed to be funny. They're funny because they're ridiculous. The natural implication of these commercials is that these situations are ridiculous and unnatural, not that this should be the norm.
Seriously, guys.
Ryan — May 3, 2011
As some above have mentioned, I think it's pretty clear that these ads are meant to parody "masculinity" in an absurdist sense. Or, in the best of both worlds for the advertisers, those who are inclined to think these are funny on their face will laugh, and those who see the subtle mockery of masculinity will also laugh. win win.
Laura — May 4, 2011
I think this is a great example of "retro-sexism" that is explained beautifully in this clip which has been posted earlier on this site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD0Faha2gow
I always enjoy feminist frequency...!
Annabel — May 5, 2011
We should overwhelm them with feedback. Strength in numbers.
EMAIL FORM HERE:
https://secure.klondikebar.com/contactus/
Jeff — May 8, 2011
Grab a sense of humor ladies. I could list hundreds of commercials lately that portray men as idiots around women, I don't see you complaining about that. These spots are hilarious. My wife also enjoyed them, but then again, she's quite comfortable in her own skin. But you guys keep fighting the good fight.
Alexander — May 9, 2011
I sent the following feedback:
"Hi. You're "5 seconds to glory" ad campaign is a bit offensive to me. I know its supposed to be a joke, but the idea that is torment to listen to your wife speak for 5 seconds seems like an insult to men and women alike. Also, the chocolate coating on Klondike bars always shatters into big chunks when I'm eating it. This makes it hard to get the proper ice cream to chocolate ratio in each bite. Get someone working on that please and stop making bitterly sexist commercials."
To those worrying about the amount of information they collect, just use a fake name and or address.
JBee — May 17, 2011
I wrote Klondike about this commercial. In summary, I told them that I thought this commercial was insulting and furthered negative stereotypes of men and women, especially in that it undervalued women, portraying them as someone who's opinion and words are vapid and not worth listening to. Today I got a response from Klondike customer service!
"Thank you for writing to us.
We do apologize for the experience you reported concerning Klondike Commercials.
Unilever Ice Cream markets its various brands in ways that are meant to entertain and engage our target audience. It was only intended to be humorous.
We certainly do not wish to offend anyone. You may be interested to know that all of our commercials and advertisements are pre-tested and various techniques are used to evaluate consumer reactions. Based on the results of our pre-testing procedures, the presentations are chosen for their majority appeal. Please let us assure you that your comments are extremely important to us in evaluating the success of our commercials and advertisements.
We will certainly forward your comments to the Marketing staff. Consumer comments are very important and evaluated on a regular basis.
Sincerely,
Your friends at Klondike"
I had to laugh at their response. Just straight up a "well, it was meant to be funny, and we tested it with lots of people before hand and THEY all thought it was funny, why can't you take a joke?"
And I guess women don't play a big role in this "majority appeal" that they were going for? Because surely women as a whole don't like being told that they are terrible bores and a challenge to listen to for even five seconds.
I'm not discounting the possibility that some women may and do find it funny, but I don't like the Klondike response of, "well it amused a whole lot of people and only insulted a small part of our audience, so we don't care really!"
I think I second the opinion of Bill Angel, that "this Klondike ad is just inane and panders to the viewer’s ignorance."
Thomas — May 18, 2011
The first video was hilarious, the guys face was priceless.
Keep it up Klondlike.
Haters gonna hate.
Sam — June 7, 2011
Wake up politically correct self-righteous feminist viewers. There is a serious problem in our society today when we can not laugh at the obvious differences between men and women. Why society is trying so hard to suppress our natural gender differences so as to force us to interact on this idealistic equal playing field is beyond me. While societys divorce rate continues to rise as we continue to bask in the dillusionary world where mens testicles are being squashed into oblivion and women are trying to grow a pair, lets not forget where we originally came from and who and what we really are. Once the pendulum starts swinging the other way maybe we can start laughing and enjoying each other again just the way G-d intended.
Sam — June 7, 2011
Alexander. All due respect. If you csn't distinguish the obvious differences between men and women then how can you appreciate the subtle yet simplistic brilliance of Klondike depicting how often men and women fail to communicate?
Sam — June 8, 2011
What differences are made up? Of course there are exceptions to every rule. In general I am sure what you list as made-up, I have researched, observed, and experienced differences in rationalality levels, communication, emotional expression, priorities, values, nurturing, physical strength, hormonal levels, interests, work habits, nesting instincts, fashion, medical conditions, hygiene, aging. Of course I sense you must work/live in the city, maybe financial district where women have had to kick ass right up there with men both in education and the professional arena so that the doormen at the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park know these power girls by name just like their male counterparts.
Sarah Brown — July 22, 2011
Aghhhh!!!
Jo — August 14, 2012
The wife one is irritating.. don't sense any irony/self-consciousness in that one. However, I think the biker one was kind of laughing at itself - it was more pointing out how ridiculous it is that it should be uncomfortable for two men to share physical contact rather than saying that men SHOULD find it uncomfortable. In a way though I find the wife one soo very sexist and old-fashioned and cliched that it's not even offensive anymore... it's like... it doesn't represent anything real about men and women, it's expressing something about 'husband' and 'wife' which are both pre-loaded concepts anyway. I dunno, it's too stupidly/overtly sexist to even be worrying.