These four commercials for FTD Florists appear to be for (white) couples who hate each other, and for good reason. I would argue that they traffic in unappealing gender stereotypes, but it’s much worse than that. They suggest that people, in general, are just stupid and unlikeable. I truly don’t know what marketers are thinking when they portray their own consumers in such a light. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.
Via Copyranter.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 39
Conuly — February 14, 2014
Flowers say "I can't be bothered to think about your interests or put any effort into this, so here - flowers! If you don't like them, don't worry, you throw them away in a few days anyway."
Larry Charles Wilson — February 14, 2014
I always bought a plant
Bill R — February 14, 2014
There's a whole book in these complains-about-advertisements posts--the sociology of TV commercials.
In any event, Mencken has tied it to reality for us already:
"No one in this world, so far as I know has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people."
H.L. Mencken, in Chicago Tribune
Palaverer — February 14, 2014
Whole Foods has a commercial on Pandora right now that straight up says "If your lady says she doesn't want flowers she's lying." Apparently, Whole Foods thinks that women are all (a) liars trying to play some kind of manipulative mind games cuz bitchez be crazy amirite? and (b) part of a hind mind, basically interchangeable, incapable of forming independent preferences.
Fernando — February 14, 2014
I think the advertisers just like The Office a lot and the "awkward exchanges" brand of humor it made popular.
The_L1985 — February 15, 2014
And...this is supposed to make us want to buy flowers? It just makes me want to stay away from these stupid, selfish people.
Defender — March 1, 2014
"I truly don’t know what marketers are thinking when they portray their own consumers in such a light."
But they're not portraying their own consumers. Just the opposite, they're portraying people who didn't buy from them. The obvious message is that if you want to avoid being a terrible husband/boyfriend like these guys, you'd better buy our flowers. You are a guy. You're not creative enough to be a poet, or romantic enough to come up with an original gift, etc. Just stick to flowers.
Further I'd argue that the less obvious message is that whatever negative qualities the girlfriends/wives seem to posses are really the justified result of constant negligence and eccentricity on the part of the men. They would be happier and therefore respond more favorably if you treated them in a more typical fashion, such as buying them our flowers.
Suzi — March 23, 2022
Hello, do not forget if you do not want to be like a jerk then buy your favorite flowers, and if I have questions about what flowers to give, whether to please a loved one for no reason, we have a good site for flower delivery. On this site you do not need to go to a flower shop, there is a large selection of flowers.