If you’re watching the Super Bowl, you saw this utter shitcake of a commercial from Teleflora mocking women who read romance novels.
Ok, Teleflora. Eat a dick. You need flowers? Let me tell you: I’ve never had anything but wonderful results from ProFlowers.com. Click the radio icon in the corner and you can often get a free vase. The flowers have lasted a long ass time, and to my knowledge, ProFlowers has never mocked my love of romance novels.
ETA 2/3/09: Folks who complained via email to Teleflora are receiving apologetic email with a $15 coupon good toward a future purchase. Looks like complaining yields some results.
Ultimately, it’s all about perception. Even if the ad “intended” to portray the insults as untrue and ridiculous in and of themselves, the perception is radically different.
That makes the ad a fail. Yes, people are now talking about Teleflora who may never have heard of them. But the majority reaction seems to be “Ugh. Bad idea jeans—avoid that company.”
The visual cues DID NOT help. Honestly, if they’d shown a knockout in a fancy setting getting insulted by her flowers, that’s one way to show the audience your metaphorical, conspiratory wink.
Setting it in an environment reminiscent of “The Office,” casting plain-to-drab (in TV-world, of course) people, and THEN hurling insults? Two and two appears to equal four.
Ad? Fail. Romance readers once again stereotyped and insulted to make a point about successful people? Yep. Bad Teleflora. No donut.
Did I understand what this commercial was actually trying to say? Yes. Does that mean I’ll be wanting flowers from Teleflora any time soon? No.
Regardless of when this was aired or what the target audience was, this commercial was so outright offensive and ill-planned that I can’t believe Teleflora chose it as their first Superbowl commercial. If you’re going to spend that much money advertising, shouldn’t the end result be worth the price?
Ah, but that’s on the assumption that I’d even want to go to the website to see the entirety of the commercial, which… NO. Had I been watching it with my son, I guarantee you, it would have been even lower down on my list of priorities.
If they wanted it to work in that manner, the way to do it would be with a spliced commercial—first half, a commercial for a different product, then second half of the ad with the “revenge.”
So yeah, Go Daddy also a big FAIL in the advertising, but I’m guessing I’m probably in the minority in that one. I’m good with that.
Wow. That was an utterly wretched commercial.
Just out of curiosity- when did reading romance novels make someone into a social pariah?
Woot! What do I win?
*Please don’t say a plant, please don’t say a plant.*
😀
Personally I got that they were poking fun not at what the woman chooses to do in her spare time, but rather the companies that send lame, wilting, half-dead flowers in boxes. I think they were suggesting that the flowers had no class and the lady who received them deserved something better, from a better place that would hand deliver in a vase, rather than send through the mail in a box.
And, while I don’t read romance novels, I do watch a soap opera. I can say quite sincerely that I am comfortable enough with myself and my choice of entertainment that if the comment had been about soap operas instead of about romance novels, I would not have been anything like offended. I still would have found the ad pretty funny. And yes, I am a woman. Hear me roar!
I had a few visits to Teleflora’s “blog”. Last night they had 10 comments, I had a look at them and they were _all_ negative. This morning! ZERO comments!!!!
Asshats indeed!!
It seems to me that this commercial was aimed at a male audience and the primary message was that sending flowers that arrive in a box isn’t as thoughtful and is a reflection on what you think of the recipient.
If they absolutely have to insult someone as part of their “clever” commercial, why not insult the man who bought the flowers? Along the lines of Psst, lady, you look like a nice person – I think you can do better.
I have never used Teleflora – I am quite happy with ProFlowers.
I’ve seen the add, we should write to them complaining don’t you think?
I know maybe the mean no insult but nevertheless it felt that way.
I just went to their site clicked on feedback and as sure as hell complained about the commercial
16 comments at lunchtime here in Europe. All of them negative. Wonder how long they will last before they are deleted? Seems the only “feedback” the idiots want is fawning adoration!!!
When this commercial was running my husband and I looked at each other, dumb founded and jaws dropping, saying ‘I can’t believe how awful that is! Just awful… What the hell were they thinking?!!!’… The Chicago Tribune rated this the worst commercial.
Just wrong, wrong, wrong on so many, many levels. – Teleflora? BITE ME!!!
Consolation? The laugh is on them – they screwed up big time and spent millions doing it.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Their message could have been conveyed in a completely misogyny-free way by showing that the flowers couldn’t breathe in the box.
I think that the commercial was insulting to all human-kind. Their message came off (at least to me) as if they believed that men thought this way, but of course most men don’t. The ending of course took the cake. That little perv who thought that it would make that poor romance novel-reading-owner of cats feel better to know that he would like to see her naked, just made me think that these idiots don’t know women at all. After being the subject of a craptastic tirade by a bunch of dead flowers, I wouldn’t want to look at another man for a few days because aforementioned tirade would be playing games with my mind for a long time.
As soon as I saw that commercial, I called my dad, who tends to send me flowers for the “big” days…18th b-day, 21st b-day, h.s. grad, and undoubtedly my upcoming college graduation…to ask him not to use Teleflora anymore, but as soon as he picked up he said “I will never use that company again.” Restored my faith in mankind…if only he could talk to those idiots.
As for the GoDaddy.com commercials, they have always offended me. By showcasing bimbos in their commercials about website hosting, they alienate 50% of the population that may *gasp* actually want to find a place for their website. Talk about misogyny. They seem to think that only men know how to create their own websites.
Eat all of the dicks, Teleflora.
Every. Single. One.
GoDaddy.com commercials? Fail.
Teleflora ad? Epic fail.
I say this because while both are very bad ads, I would never have been tempted to use GoDaddy in the first place. Teleflora I might have used – but not any more.
They lost a potential customer here.
*raises hand*
I got one of the “apology emails”
I ESPECIALLY love the “oh, but we’re just a widdle company amidst the big mean companies” and the implication that if we don’t use them, then we’re sticking it to the little guy, the “small businesses who make up the backbone of our country.”
Are they fucking KIDDING??
How stupid do they really think we are??
I got the apology email too. I hope some Madison Avenue ad exec gets the boot—without a golden parachute strapped to his back.
They “broke through the clutter” all right…
In my complaint letter, I suggested they 1) ask the ad agency for their money back and/ or 2) fire whomever signed off on this “humorous” ad internally, because it had done irreparable harm to their brand.
No thanks on the $15. Nothing could incent me to give them one cent of business.
I want to share my comments to Teleflora with all of you. I tried to post it on their blog but they seem to have stopped at 10 pissed-off comments.
Please note the I’m-so-awesome tone, and please, please realize I’m not so high on myself in everyday life. Though it’s all true, I adopted a haughty tone in my email to them to prove a point. 🙂 I just wanted my professional name out there, putting down this garbage of an ad.
You’d think a company that sells flowers would be a company sensitive to the needs, desires and intelligence of women.
Wrong. Witness your Super Bowl ad.
I am a multi-published, award-winning romance novelist.
I’ve read and written romance most of my life. Interestingly enough, I’ve also had time to commit to a long-term relationship with a great guy and graduate from Boston University. Oh, and I’m a member of Mensa. And a football fan.
I’ve been to five Romance Writers of America conferences, and have never been so proud to associate myself with these hundreds of witty, well read, well educated women. They include science, history, military and law enforcement experts. I am continually amazed and humbled to count myself in their ranks.
I read 100 novels a year, and in case you didn’t know, romance generated $1.375 BILLION in revenue in 2007. That’s a lot of women you’ve just insulted, and that’s a lot of money down the drain for you.
I’ve never opened a box and had a bunch of flowers tell me I’m ugly and stupid, but I’m willing to bet you haven’t much love mail in the last couple of days.
Way to drop the Super Bowl ball.
My cat says hello.
Best, Jen Safrey
Jen, you might want to try the “Send feedback” link on their main page instead. From the “Send Feedback” link, select “Send feedback on website,” then you’ll be presented with a dialog box where “Other” is a drop-down option.
Then… “other” away!
Well, hey, it looks like I made it onto their blog after all! So if anyone wants to comment, they’re open for business.
21 comments when I last checked. All negative.
And reluctant snaps to them for making these comments public, for the moment, anyway.
I didn’t get a coupon. 🙂 Just as well. I’m crap at keeping flowers alive more than a day.
I feel very bad for the small local florists associated with this service. Maybe they’ll find out about this backlash and go with 1800Flowers or something instead.
I went onto You Tube and everyone was like, this commercial was awesome and funny! Hmmf. But Advertising Age trashed it – the only SB commercial to get no stars. And that’s their own industry talkin’. Calls the spot awful, mean and cruel.
http://adage.com/brightcove/single.php?title=9809054001
j
Well, I need to order flowers for a friend who just had a baby. Guess who won’t be using Teleflora?
Yep, I got one of those cookie cutter apologies today as well. While I am impressed by their professional courtesy and quick reply, I am still not buying flowers from them. I just don’t buy the “we’re the little guy, we meant well” line either.
Also, I love how it’s only good until February 10th. Just in time for Valentines day? Gee, who will I insult by sending Teleflora flowers? No one? Yep!
I totally agree that they should have had a nice office and a hot, well-photographed actress. The poor office worker is eight shades of grey and needs to fix her hair; is it any wonder it seems like the ad is intentionally taking a shot at her?
Or, better yet, don’t film this ad at all.
Did anyone else get an email this morning—an ad from proflowers.com? I find it weird that after posting some Teleflora complaints around the Web, I get this…and I’ve never gotten an email from them before, nor have I bought flowers from them, or from any online vendor, for that matter.
Really hope proflowers.com isn’t mining the Internet for Teleflora bashers.