Thursday, May 14, 2009

Questionable Advertising

While driving to pick up Miss M at Girl Scouts the other night, an ad came on the radio that, at first, I thought was a joke. Sometimes radio stations do spoofs (don't they?) and I thought this was one.

It turns out it's just a really terrible ad campaign.

It was for Kool-Aid and the gist of the ad was that we Moms should buy Kool-Aid for our kids because it's cheaper than pop. So, is it just me or does this seem like a strange way to promote your product?

I actually don't buy pop or Kool-Aid for my kids very often. They drink water, milk and a little juice most days. They do get pop or Gatorade as treats sometimes, and Kool-Aid usually for parties or something like that if I need a lot of drinks for a bunch of kids. I only bought Kool-Aid occasionally not because it is made with a lot of sugar (which it is) but because it just didn't register on my radar very often. The sugar aspect was relatively low on the radar screen for me too, until I heard this commercial.

So they're pointing out that Kool-Aid is just as bad for you as pop I guess, right? That's what it sounded like to me. It was a comparison that I hadn't considered before.

I think this ad campaign has made me less likely to buy Kool-Aid. Way to go marketers!

8 people like me!:

Awesome Mom said...

I only buy it to dye yarn. I hate to think of what it is doing to my innards if I was to drink it.

Heather T said...

Very odd, indeed. I've been thinking about this for five minutes now, and I still can't figure out what the logically conclusion to the advertising argument is.

We never got to have kool-aid when I was a kid. It was always juice or milk or water or something else nutritious. At some point, my mother got turned on to diet soda, and then we had "caffeine-free, sugar-free whatever." When I left home and went to college, I drank sugary, caffeinated drinks out the wazzoo, and I still do to this day. What hope do our children have?!?

Unknown said...

My cousins uses Kool-Aid to dye her white cat wonderfully fun colors of red or purple. Glad to see it is useful dying other things like yarn and not just kids' faces. I don't think anyone in my fam uses it for their kids just because of the high sugar content.

chelle said...

haha about the cat. I want a white cat now!

I only buy it to dye yarn and silk.

My kids do not drink pop or kool aide.

Damselfly said...

Hmm, weird. Maybe the Kool-Aid people figure because times are tight for most people, the money-saving angle is the way to go?

Like you, I give Fly milk, water and juice.

Madeline said...

Ads really get on my nerves some times. To me things like Kool-aid should be reserved for special treats, not daily drinks. I'm with you on keeping the drink list healthy.

louann said...

Obviously, those ad execs never gave much thought to it! Kool Aid = pop. Geez.

Kirsetin Morello said...

A FINE example of so many bad things... My fav comment is the first, though. Awesome Mom uses it to dye yarn?! That's priceless.

 
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