Tampon Ad Is Australia's Most-Complained About of 2008

Posted by Brian Fairbanks

Idiots everywhere raved about it: "I think the beaver ad is fantastic! i couldn't stop laughing when i saw the ad -good on you guys!!!!!" "This was cheeky and effective. Well done!" "Congratulations! What a fantastic advertising campaign!" Uh, yeah... because people write to companies they hardly know and applaud their advertising department, suuure.

So, it should come as no surprise that Kimberly-Clark testimonials on behalf of their "Beaver" ad campaign are obvious fakes... and certainly not after you see the ad, rated as the year's #1 Most Complained About Commercial, which came close to being yanked in Australia:

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if people complained because this ad was mind-numbingly obvious and an insult to our intelligence, instead of for offending Puritans with strict mores?

Via YouTube.

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Posted Jan 05 2009, 10:51 AM

Filed under: advertisements, 2008, youtube, commercials, censorship, australia, vagina, stupid, tampons, tampon commercial, tampon ad, campaign, censored, year in review, tampon

Comments

amber said:

I thought this ad was sweet!

January 5, 2009 11:59 AM

neuroticcharm said:

honestly, i thought this was a great ad. why do you seem to hate it?

January 5, 2009 12:38 PM

Emily Farris said:

I love it, too.

January 5, 2009 1:10 PM

mak23nyu said:

What was the issue with this ad? It's a little cheesy, but most advertisements are. At least it shows a kind, respectful relationship with your vagina, unlike most tampon ads which make it seem like it's nothing but a constant burden.

January 5, 2009 2:03 PM

danrimage said:

Since I see Scanner Emily's name on the 'pro-ad' list, maybe I don't need to ask this, but: wasn't this very same ad featured on a Nerve favorite clips of the month thread (or something similar) a while ago ?

I think the whole reason the ad works is that it IS a screamingly obvious gag. It's a jokey tampon commercial, not an Ingmar Bergman movie. You're lucky it's as subtle as it is.

People who complain about ads like this are twats. Yeah, I said it.

January 5, 2009 2:07 PM

About Brian Fairbanks

Brian Fairbanks, the Senior National Political Correspondent for Nerve, is a filmmaker living in Brooklyn or New Orleans, depending on the season. He is a heavily-armed advocate of gun control.