Are the Droid commercials offensive?

[MoeDaddy]

Some people just need something to complane about...

 

[orangepeel]

^^so all women are princesses or tiara wearing beauty queens? That's basically what you're saying.

Obviously, that's not what I'm saying, just like all dudes aren't saws that mutilate ripe bananas.

The commercial makes gender roles binary, when they are not. It doesn't leave all this wiggle room that we seem to be imagining. Brains make connections when we watch commercials like this, and like it or not, the obvious conclusion that one can make is that all women are princesses and all dudes are tanks.

This was the only Droid ad the offended me in the slightest, but we need to realize that commercials do things to our subconscious that we don't even know about.

LOL- not one thing you said is true...sorry. My God, I'm not sure what this country will become one day.

Like you,I'm just being honest,and people like you are weak and spineless.What have we come to in this world when we read this much into a commercial,and then we have people like this person who has watched too much Oprah and Dr. Phil that physco-analyze everything...just down right pathetic actually. I almost feel sorry for you....almost.

 

[godanigo]

Brains make connections when we watch commercials like this, and like it or not, the obvious conclusion that one can make is that all women are princesses and all dudes are tanks.

No, YOU came to that conclusion. Our own life experiences, biases, inner feelings can help shape our interpretations. I didn't see any of that nor did it make me look down on women. However I did look down on the iPhone, lol.

He asked, and I answered. I think it is a little offensive, because if I wanted to show how badass something was, I wouldn't compare the ****ty thing I was making fun of to a woman, or to being effeminate.

Anyway, I didn't comment on this thread to argue, I commented because the OP asked, and I felt like saying something.

Because we all know that arguing on the internet.....

And just because I'm not above a parting shot: @orangepeel, and I think your illiterate apathetic ass is what's wrong with this country, but hey.

 

[Corinacakes]

omfg i just cant believe anyone could take a commercial that personal:|

 

[sqchram]

Better than Luke Wilson talking about how great AT+T nationwide coverage is (without any mention of actual 3G coverage) - and I think Luke Wilson is pretty cool.

 

[ChrisK15]

Nowhere in the commercial did it say "man" or "woman". It was trying to convey that the iPhone and phones like that were designed to be pretty and attractive while not having any real functionality. Yes, there were images of "powerful" objects and destruction of "pretty" things, but none of them were tied to a certain sex. The people who are offended seem to think that the images shown are strictly manly or girly, and that they're trying to put down women by insulting the girly things. It's not like that at all. Verizon is just trying to put in flashy, metaphorical terms that the fact that the designers focused on power and function rather than worrying about all the superficial aspects of it. Men (obviously) love the iPhone and other eye-catching electronics as well, so clearly they weren't trying to offend anyone. It's just that the most effective way to show something "pretty" is by using girly objects and images. This whole argument is way overblown.

 

[greenchicken]

Tell that offended feminista to go get me a beer

 

[Corinacakes]

Tell that offended feminista to go get me a beer

omfg lol int: hope you like dark beer cuz that's all they have here lol (i luved the commercial myself)

 

[miss chris]

OK, I am a feminist and on days I am being honest with myself, somewhat of a princess. The commercial is fine. I am proud that my phone is not precious like the iPhone. This princess appreciates her technology when it is a little rugged. No commercial can make me feel less than what I know I am, a damn smart woman who chooses her phone based on its capabilities not it's style! Carry on Verizon, you've got it right!

 

[BrooklynDROID]

I think it's a great commercial, actually.

Not that this makes me any more qualified than other people, but I have a BFA degree in advertising. As a student, I was always encouraged to use irreverence as a tool to catch the attention of your target audience. I think that this Droid commercial is doing just that.

IMHO, the iPhone and other "i" products have been marketed as not just useful, but fashionable. The Droid is not being sold as a fashionable accessory, but as a tool. It doesn't need to be pretty, because it is made to work. It is being marketed as the "AntiPhone".

Now, I have owned apple products in the past, and I still do (iPod). I have always liked their products, but I've never been a "fanboy" of anything when it comes to electronics & gadgets.

Now, some people out there are taking this iPhone vs. Droid thing WAY too seriously. They're both smartphones, which means that they're both competing for the same customers. Competitors will always take a swing at each other. One is not better or worse than the other, but one will fit a persons lifestyle better than another. I got my Droid because it fits my life. The iPhone does not.

Finally, this Kara Swisher character is reading WAY to far into this. Then again, some people love to be offended and then complain about being offended. Whatever. I'll stick with my gay-bashing & woman-hating Droid...

 

[Mojo]

I found that commercial hilarious! It is one of my favorites. People need to lighten up...get a since of humor.

 

[tony1208]

LOL that ad rocks!!!!!
some people are just to touchy feely and have nothing else better to do than complain about a cell phone ad

 

[keiichi25]

I think it's a great commercial, actually.

Not that this makes me any more qualified than other people, but I have a BFA degree in advertising. As a student, I was always encouraged to use irreverence as a tool to catch the attention of your target audience. I think that this Droid commercial is doing just that.

IMHO, the iPhone and other "i" products have been marketed as not just useful, but fashionable. The Droid is not being sold as a fashionable accessory, but as a tool. It doesn't need to be pretty, because it is made to work. It is being marketed as the "AntiPhone".

Now, I have owned apple products in the past, and I still do (iPod). I have always liked their products, but I've never been a "fanboy" of anything when it comes to electronics & gadgets.

Now, some people out there are taking this iPhone vs. Droid thing WAY too seriously. They're both smartphones, which means that they're both competing for the same customers. Competitors will always take a swing at each other. One is not better or worse than the other, but one will fit a persons lifestyle better than another. I got my Droid because it fits my life. The iPhone does not.

Finally, this Kara Swisher character is reading WAY to far into this. Then again, some people love to be offended and then complain about being offended. Whatever. I'll stick with my gay-bashing & woman-hating Droid...

I bolded some parts of this man's post to point out something.

Advertising is all about getting people's attention, and the commercial kind of does that. AT&T's commercials which focuses on their good points, much like Verizon, is doing the same thing. Focusing on what is their strong points, but not always giving the full skinny about the whole thing.

That is the point of advertising, to sell you on something by appealing to something to make you want to buy something, but in the long run, you, as the consumer, have to take the time to look into the whole nitty gritty about the item in question. Commercials are all geared to make people decide, on a whim, this is what they want.

The most recent Droid Does Commercial, the one making jokes about the princess phone and all that, is, by in large, a male centric level mentality. At least from what I am seeing, but it is also trying to appeal to people who are less about 'fashion' and more about functionality. In all seriousness, the iPhone has been out for quite some time as the Consumer Level Smartphone, almost as long as the Blackberry, but more prominent as being the Phone/Music/everything phone that isn't purely business related, and in all honesty, that is where it shot for. Blackberry only went the multimedia route to start getting into the consumer level area and so did the Android based phones. Palm and Windows Mobile also are trying, but apparently, they aren't nearly on the same level as the iPhone who has had a decent push and using the same similar form factor as their iPods and iTouch to further ingrain themselves as being the 'cool' device.

The Droid Does Commercial, however, is working on the level of, "It's nice that you got a nice looking phone, but now there is a phone that does MORE." And the aim is to get people to not think of just the iPhone as the only phone out there that does Phone/Music/Everything, at the same time hitting where iPhone has also tried to sell its high value cost... It looking 'nice'.

The justification, for the most part for paying a lot of money for an iPhone is having a phone that looks 'sleek' as well as being a smart phone. Personally, for me, I have been more of a "While the iPhone is a nice device, it lacks things that make me feel comfortable to justify spending $199 to $299 with 2 year contract for an iPhone where the battery can't be replaced by myself or if I feel I need to get more mem on the phone, I have to completely replace the phone. Hell, I got an LG Chocolate 3 as a multi-media phone because it had an Micro SD Card that allowed me that option, among other things, and that was focusing on a phone with just music playing ability, not internet like the Droid and iPhone does.

I've never been much of a fan of the candy bar phones either, which the Droid and iPhone as well as the Blackberry are, but I just feel I prefer the Blackberry and Droid implementations more than I do the iPhone.

 

[myriad46]

At least people know what a Droid is now. Some friends are jealous, some (iphone users) insist the iphone is still better, but at least they have heard the word Android before and they know that the Droid is a cool new phone.

I contrast this to owning a Tilt for a year and half. Let me explain...

Them: is that an iphone?
Me: no, it's a Tilt.
Them: what's that?
Me: It's a windows mobile, er Windows Phone device, made by a company called HTC.
Them: what's ATC?
Me: HTC, and it's a phone manufacturer like Nokia or LG.
Them: Does it have apps?
Me: well, Microsoft did just come out with a marketplace, but there are only like 50 apps, but it should improve since they are on their 7th iteration of windows mobile and it has been around since the late 90's.

Aaaaannnnnnddddd SCENE.

GOD BLESS ANDROID AND THE MOTO DROID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sin vicious]

LOL Oh my gosh--I've seen that at least a dozen times and didn't think about it having "sexist" overtones until I just read your post, CK. LOL I mean, seriously, don't people have more important things to do other than get upset (or have the time) about a commercial?... My gosh, what times we live in...

- Mega

EDIT:
I'm a dude, and my wife sometimes calls me sexist--even though she agrees with me 90% of the time. So basically I'm your typical average American male who's a MAN and not ashamed for being so. My gosh--what's this world going to be like in 10 years if we continue on the same path of this political correctness and sensitivity B.S.?

Well its the age of hope and change.. havent you heard? The age of over regulation, socialism and fascism!