This isn't a Ram's World any more

[djm4_lj]

As heard on the radio this morning: Young's Bitter has been criticised by the ASA for range of adverts portraying a figure with a ram's head in various situations and with the strapline 'This is a Ram's World'. The ram figure is pictured playing golf, at a gentleman's club, and by a swimming pool surrounded by several scantily-clad women. The adverts have been criticised for 'linking Young's Bitter with success at a social occasion or seduction'. Young's defence is that 'the idea of a ram being in the social situations shown in the posters was so preposterous that people would understand it was not real'.

Interestingly (to me), lizw and I have rather different reactions to the adverts, and I thought I'd create a poll to see what other people thought. If you haven't seen the adverts, they're available here (needs Flash - follow the 'Advertising' link on 'explore my world').

[Poll #649924]

Comments

[booklectica]

I suppose the parody aspect is that rams symbolise extreme male potency, fertility, sexual promiscuity etc. So the message that 'if you drink Youngs you'll get sex' is highlighted to the extent that it goes deliberately over the top. That's how I saw it, anyway.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

But it's not pushed to the point of parody. If you asked me to produce such a parody, I wouldn't use two or three carefully placed babes - I'd use dozens. I'd have them driving a car with spoilers bigger than the car itself. It is ridiculous, but it's not parody.

[booklectica]

I'd argue that it's not necessarily a very well done parody, but that it is intended as one. But I imagine we'd actually have to find one of the original creative team to find out the truth. Or maybe the ad agency saw it as a parody but Young's themselves consider it semi-serious...

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

I reckon it's precisely intended to do the aspirational alpha figure thing, but designed carefully to have enough not-real-ness about it to make it defensible against protests from the likes of me and ciphergoth, on the grounds that it's just a laugh (="My Lord, I mean, it is a ludicrous parody not intended to be taken seriously.")

And it's got us all talking about it. They are very good at their job.