As we plow through November, closing in on the end of another year, it’s time to start thinking about nominations for THE WORST ADVERTISEMENT OF 2009. Like the Academy Awards, ads coming out at the beginning of the year are often, unfortunately, forgotten, in favor or more recent entries, such as this new ad gem from Wal-Mart.
Now, this being Wal-Mart, the ad is already easy to hate. But even looking past the negative emotions often associated (fairly or not) with a super-behemoth giant like Wal-Mart, the ad is pretty terrible in its own right. Let’s start break down the train wreck:
The story is simple. A soldier, looking somewhat miserable in the hot (I suppose it must be Iraqi) sun, discovers that, for some reason, it has started to snow. The other soldiers gather round as snow flakes come down, looking a bit confused and (maybe) happy. Flash back to the states, where a mom asks her little precocious white kid what he asked Santa for for Christmas. “Something for my dad,” is his adorable reply. Then, the ending where Wal-Mart happily thanks the troops for all they have given us and for allowing us to live better, which is tied to the Wal-Mart tagline, “Live Better.”
The point of this all is presumably just to thank the troops, but in reality it is a thinly veiled attempt to link Wal-Mart with feelings of patriotism and other middle-American values like war. That they draw the parallel between what our soldiers are doing for America (I guess helping us live better by destabilizing other countries?), and what Wal-Mart does for us (helping us live better by offering super cheap prices on crappy products made in China), is pretty ballsy. Actually, really ballsy. As in, Wal-Marts balls must be as big as their discounts on electronics to try to fold the mission of the arm services under their own brand promise.
But all this tacky, shameless, blatantly propagandistic, ballsy stuff isn’t even the worst thing about the ad. The worst thing, the unforgivable thing, is the entire premise of the story. That is, that this kid wishing it would snow in Iraq for his poor dad serving there is a really wonderful, magical thing.
I mean, think about it. Your dad is overseas fighting in a war that has been going on for many years, and your wish is that in addition to risking his life for reasons that are, at best, suspect, he should have to do so schlepping through the snow too? I didn’t see any of those soldiers wearing mittens. Believe me, that snow might look cool now, but when they’re up at 4am in the morning shoveling their way to their Humvees, which are lodged in three feet of ice, they won’t think it’s so magical.
Here’s an idea kid—why not wish for your father to come home? Or the war to end? How about that instead of wasting it on such a uselessly, impractical gesture? Or next time, just wish for a new PS3 and call it a day.
Oh, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the idea is totally plagiarized from a campaign I myself worked on several years ago from the California Lottery. Of course, ours was hardly as douchy (though admittedly just as cheesy). See for yourself.(can’t find the video, so the stills will have to carry the story—man wins lottery, makes it snow for his family on Christmas with winnings. You get the idea).
Nicely done Wal-Mart.
We are accepting nominations through the middle of December, so don’t hesitate to submit your choice for WORST AD OF 2009.
Tags: Madvertising
I have no suggestions, not being a TV-watcher; but I did show this to my students to try to get them to practice audience analysis.
So I ask them, “Who is this advert for?” and they reply smugly, “Soldiers serving in Iraq!” And I’m all: “Oh really? They’re going to just hop in their Humvees and drive to the Baghdad Walmart?” And they’re all: “Oh….” Their density entertains me hugely.
Bless their little hearts.