SoapboxI belong to the minority that did not see the opening ceremonies for the Olympics on NBC. (gasp!) I thought all I missed was the pomp and pagentry, but apparently, there was a bigger show that night.  I also missed the debut of the controversial Nike commercial featuring a female Olympiad, decked out in sports bra, shorts and, of course, Nike athletic shoes, pursued by an out-of-shape, hockey mask-wearing, chainsaw weilding assailant. I heard about it later on another network. At first there was a news blurb regarding the controversy followed by a short glimpse of the ad. My intial reaction was incredulous laughter. This had to be a joke, right? I thought Mad TV had hit prime time or something. Well, no sooner had the news brief finished, but what pops up on screen but the ad in its entirety.
Once again grateful my kids don't watch network television, I was simultaneously horrified, insulted, infuriated and amazed by the stupidity I witnessed. In a nutshell, the ad follows the ever-revolting slasher movie format; Olympian Suzy Hamilton opens a medicine cabinet, then sees a hockey mask clad man reflected in the mirror as she closes it. She screams as he lifts and starts up a chainsaw. She manages to escape the cabin, and runs screaming in to the night. Her would be assailant cannot keep up with her through the woods, and, out of breath, stops persuit. The ad ends with a catchy slogan hailing the virtue of fitness. As if fitness will help you escape next time a man wants to hit you upside the head. For some reason, Nike, as well as their advertising firm, is unaware the violence against women is not a clever marketing angle. It is hard to tell which is more infuriating, that someone came up with this as an ad concept or that several people were involved in the creation, autorization and promotion of this ad. Did no one speak up against this??? Over the weekend, I went to the Nike web site to register my complaint and received the following canned responce.... Thanks for your e-mail.
Thank you for sharing with Nike your views on the new "Why Sport?" television ad titled "Horror." It has generated a very large and spirited viewer response, with consumers weighing in both positively and negatively.
The intent of this ad was certainly not to offend or make light of violence, and if you have been offended by the ad, we sincerely apologize.
Our goal was to clearly parody classic cinematic moments, in this particular case the extremely popular "horror" movies, to show how the benefits of being physically fit can appear unexpectedly in unusual situations. In the case of Suzy Hamilton, the US Olympian who appears in "Horror," she is the victor, not the victim. Many of our consumers have let us know they understand the ad and enjoyed it. Many others have let us know that they do not care for it at all.
By the way, the NBC networks have elected to discontinue airing this ad during the Olympic broadcasts.
We appreciate hearing from all sides of this issue, and thank you for taking the time to let us know how you feel.
Sincerely, Nike USA Consumer Affairs Nike completely misses the point here. The issue is not that Ms Hamilton escapes, or that the ad was a parody. The bottom line (and I hope you are listening, Nike) is that it is bad business, unethical, and inhumane to market a product using women as a target of violence. Had this ad portrayed a African-American escaping a lynch mob or a man escaping prison rape thanks to Nike shoes, rest assured it would never have been made. Violence is not an advertising vehicle folks. It's not clever, funny or hip. all the best,
Catie © Copyright 2001
About the Author : Catie Hayes is founder/editor of WomanLinks.com. She is a freelance writer, a homeschooling mom of two, and an avid fan of laughter, cats and chocolate (not necessarily in that order). |
