IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Chocolate

  • For the Love of Advertisements

    For those of you who don’t know what Valentine’s Day is (and have been living under a rock), it is an annual holiday established to celebrate relationships and love. It is a time when couples buy each other gifts, exchange them with one another (which is the most stressful part from a man’s point of view). Just what inanimate object is somebody to give their loved one as a symbol of their relationship? This decision can make or break the holiday and ultimately the relationship.

    Due to the nature of the holiday, consumers are now being bombarded with visual and audible advertisements offering grand suggestions for Valentine’s Day gifts. These commercials seem very similar in nature, as they are usually directed towards men. Most of these commercials hold men in the stereotypical light of being confused and flustered by the thought of buying a gift for their significant other. This notion can be clearly seen in a commercial created by the company “ProFlowers.com.”

    In this commercial the main character, a football coach, is “coaching” men on how to get their partner the perfect gift. The coach uses great inflection in his voice as he tries to motivate his “players” to make the right choice and go with his company’s business. The advertisement even goes so far as to show what not to get her (as the camera pans to a sloppy bouquet of dead flowers in between the coach’s motivational speech). He keeps explaining the benefits of this service as he draws up “the big play” on the chalkboard behind him, showing how it can help you “score.”
    Another classic example of a company targeting a dominant male audience is through the chocolate company Russell Stover and their “Men Should Go With The Heart Shaped Box” campaign. This advertisement showcases testimonials from women who are just passing by on the street and exclusively features them praising the chocolate makers. The attractive women clearly explain that “it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without the heart-shaped box” and, of course, how much they love chocolate on this special day. They conclude the commercial with these women coming to a consensus that; “men should go with the heart-shaped box at Valentine’s Day.”
    With all of these advertisements, there is obviously a great range of possible gifts to give a loved one. Just don’t be an idiot and not get her anything or you will be in the dog house….and that’s not an ideal place to be on the 14th. 

  • All The Single Ladies

    Valentine’s Day is a holiday dreaded by a great deal of people, both male and female, for various reasons. There is pressure on both genders to perform, declare emotions, and out-do previous years or expectations. Those who fail at this task of grandstanding may in fact find themselves without a date for next year. Okay, so there’s a ton of pressure on people in relationships, but what about those of us who are single? While some take pride in their solitude, others wish they had someone to be their valentine, and a few twitch at the mere thought of being in a relationship.

    According to an article in the New York Times, being single is a prevalent occurrence these days with 59.9 million single women in America. This staggering rate may surprise some, but companies like Dove chocolate see these table-for-one ladies as a prime marketing demographic. They hope to strike a chord with this growing independent group by catering their advertising to the women who are without companions. That is why this year Dove has made a campaign to remind women Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance.

    Dove is banking on the stereotype that single women will turn to chocolate this year on Valentine’s Day. Instead of the standard “Call me” or “I’m yours” found on the candy hearts we used to share with our playground crush, Dove has created a host of witty comments and placed them on the inside of their chocolate wrappers. Some of the best include, “You’re gorgeous,” “Sometimes I buy flowers for myself,” “My flaws are fabulous” and even the ever so uplifting, “Love yourself in a moment.” The new commercial features women sharing their Dove chocolates with everyone from their barista to their neighbor, and most importantly, themselves. Is this a message of independence for the strong woman? Or rather, a cheap ploy based upon the assumption that women alone on Valentine’s Day will inevitably console themselves with chocolate? Either way it’s hard to dislike chocolate, especially when it’s making single girls smile and promising not to judge if we have more than one.

    By: Alexis Kapczynski, Kacy Cox, Josh Bowman, and Sara Kaloudis