Mother's Day is coming, and many businesses have launched marketing plans for Mother's Day, looking forward to creating a good marketing wave in this important festival, but the Mother's Day marketing of the cleaning brand Blue Moon has overturned in the field of public opinion. The reason is that Blue Moon placed an advertisement about "Supreme Laundry Detergent" in the offline elevator, and the copy reads "Make mother's laundry easier, more labor-saving, and more worry-free". The product gift box also reads, "Mom, you use it first".
▲ Overturned Blue Moon laundry detergent advertisement. Picture/Screenshot of social platforms
Blue Moon Mother's Day Ad Sparks Controversy: Gender Stereotypes Need to Be "Washed"
This advertisement, on the surface, seems to be for the sake of the mother, but in fact, it reveals a smell of male power behind it, and it has also caused a certain amount of controversy, why must it be the mother who washes clothes? Daddy can't do it? Isn't it okay for my son? Since it's a Mother's Day ad, why give cleaning tools to moms? Can't you do the laundry for your mother? In addition, the poster background is a silhouette of a woman doing housework, taking care of children, and working alone, which also makes some consumers uncomfortable.
From the perspective of gift marketing, this positioning is wrong, how can you give a mother a gift to let her mother do housework? This is like rewarding a child with a set of "Five-Year College Entrance Examination Three-year Simulation", can people like it? If the word "let" is changed to "help" and changed to "helping my mother do laundry more easily, more effortlessly, and more worry-free", will it convey a different taste?
If this sentence can be saved, then the following sentence "Mom, you use it first" really made netizens unable to sit still. The point is that this is still Blue Moon's Mother's Day marketing, which is supposed to pay tribute to mothers, but the message of this advertisement is to let them continue to work, which is contrary to the meaning of Mother's Day.
Screenshot of related video
Housework, who should be the protagonist?
The advertisement may have been intended to express love for mothers and emphasize the convenience that products bring to mothers, but it also inadvertently touches on a more sensitive social issue: why is housework always considered the exclusive responsibility of women? Traditionally, women are seen as the primary caregivers of the family, taking on multiple tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare, which is not limited to the cultural level, but is also deeply rooted in the social structure and family habits, however, with the progress of the times and the advancement of women's status, more and more voices have begun to question this unequal division of labor.
In modern society, equality between men and women has long been a consensus, and women should not only receive equal opportunities and respect in the workplace, but also enjoy equal status and rights in the family. Housework is not the exclusive responsibility of women, but the responsibility of family members, and men should also actively participate in housework to create a harmonious family atmosphere.
Changing this stereotype will not happen overnight, it will require the joint efforts of all sectors of society, including family education, school education, laws and regulations, etc., only in this way can we gradually eliminate gender stereotypes, make housework a shared responsibility of family members, and achieve true gender equality.
The power of advertising should not be underestimated Corporate marketing cannot ignore the simple feelings of the people
After the incident, Blue Moon's official customer service also responded as soon as possible that the copywriting was intended to express gratitude to the mother, and said that the copywriting may not be in place and would be reported to the relevant departments for optimization. Judging from the company's response, Blue Moon subjectively did not mean to offend the mother of the world, but it was more like a marketing mistake caused by the planner's poor consideration, and netizens did not have to chase after this mistake, let alone raise it to the gender issue of opposition between men and women, causing greater public opinion tearing.
Customer service response
Advertising, as a reflection of social culture, its influence should not be underestimated. Enterprises should realize that the essence of brand marketing is the marketing of values, and the current society is an Internet era that is extremely picky and sensitive to corporate values. Whether "a plate of tomato scrambled eggs" was criticized, or "Mom, you use it first" or overturned, all brought a special enlightenment to corporate marketing: self-absorption, detachment from the surface, and ignoring the simple feelings of the people will not work in this era. It also prompts enterprises to do more introspection: how can enterprises keep up with the changes in consumers' minds when doing product marketing? How can brands seize the trend of the times while avoiding being led by traffic and celebrity word-of-mouth?
The public's criticism of the Blue Moon advertisement reflects the importance of gender equality in society, and also prompts companies and society to re-examine the neglected gender bias issues. We look forward to seeing more brands move away from traditional gender stereotypes and present their products and services from a more inclusive and diverse perspective.
Remember: Mother's Day is a mother's day, not a merchant's holiday
Blue Moon's ad may just spark a discussion about the division of housework, but we should think more about how we can express our love for our mothers when Mother's Day is approaching. Mother's Day, let mothers feel more love, let mothers spend more time on the festival than usual, is everyone's wish.
Advertising and marketing during Mother's Day is also a business practice that we can't completely avoid. However, we should keep a clear head and not be swayed by the hype of merchants. We should keep in mind the essence of Mother's Day and express our love for our mothers with sincerity and gratitude. Only in this way can Mother's Day become a holiday of love and gratitude, rather than a commercial holiday eroded by commercialization.
Source: First Scene Commentator: Liu Jianing