Marketing to Men: Got Taste?
Sexist or Not?
Dear Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and the California Milk Processor Board,
I’d like to thank you for your efforts in making sure that men have the support they need when facing the incredible hardship of dealing with the women in their lives who have PMS. Back in 2005, you ran a “Got Milk” campaign featuring the insight that milk eases symptoms of PMS. That campaign got a lot of criticism, so of course, recycling the same idea this August and hoping that “everybody’s got a sense of humor since then,” is a great plan.
Women have a sense of humor–what could be funnier than debilitating menstrual cramps, backaches, mood swings, hormonal imbalances, fatigue and bloating every month? But, of course, it’s the men that are the real sufferers. Portraying menstruating women as she-beasts is not funny, it’s sexist, and your ads are offensive.
For a while, we were completely on your side. The Got Milk ads with Angie Harmon, Susan Sarandon and Sofia Vergara were great! The classic spot about Aaron Burr—hilarious! But these PMS ads mock women when you could have had them as allies. Why not a campaign targeted at women that shows you care about easing their symptoms instead of making fun of them?
