Yesterday at a bus stop I saw the new ad for Secret ® Antiperspirant. The classic label, shown at left, is embellished with swirly flower designs and the words “because you’re hot” (online version here).
From the company’s press release:
The campaign, created by Leo Burnett Chicago, celebrates the different definitions of what makes a woman uniquely “hot,” such as confidence, femininity and strength. The campaign plays with the literal and figurative definition of “hot” — connecting directly to the efficacy of Secret products, while reinforcing the idea that female confidence is hot.
The play on words seems clever for a nanosecond, but it doesn’t hold up beyond that, in my view. There are so many ways to celebrate female confidence; why go for the blatantly sexual? But, should one feel inspired by the ad, one can visit the brand’s website for entertainment, style and fashion news. Who knew an antiperspirant website could be so multifaceted? Now that’s some creativity.
-Bridget Crawford
This post gave me a much needed laugh, plus it came at an auspicious time – today was “deodorant and tampon day” in Trademark Law.