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| Bounty Kitchen Towels,
TV Ad |
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| Media,
Graham Bower,
20 January 1999 |
Rating: F5
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"Monsieur, with these Rocher you are really spoiling us." And with these words, an advertising legend was born. The Fererro Rocher TV ad captured the imagination of millions of Britons. I remember the first time it appeared on the box, the very next day, everyone was asking each other at work – "Was that a joke?"
You see, the Fererro Rocher commercial was so patently ridiculous, that it was almost impossible to believe that it had been made with a straight face. Indeed, many people are convinced to this day that it was a rather elaborate, postmodern parody – a slick send up of the whole genre of luxurious product advertising. The truth is, however, that the ad was made in Germany, for a German audience – a nationality not renowned for their sense of irony. The ad is, or was, every bit as ridiculous as it first appears. The hyperbolic over-claim for the product, (what country’s ambassador would ever be seen dead serving a pyramid of cheep chocolate truffles from the local supermarket at his glamorous reception?); the bizarre seventies styling, the soft focus, golden hued, star filtered imagery; the whole thing was originally produced in deadly earnest. It was only later, when the gold-wrapped morsels developed an unexpected cult following amongst students and media-savvy youngsters, that the UK marketing department of Fererro became aware of what was happening. In a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation, it seems they felt compelled re-shoot the entire ad, this time playing it up for laughs.
There have been other pretenders to the thrown of supreme kitsch in advertising. Most recently, the Ace bleach commercials, where a wilful mother pours neat bleach onto her scornful daughter’s best clothes. "Bleach!" Cries out the daughter in horror, only to be re-assured by mum, in prim, Doris Day fashion, that Ace isn’t like normal bleach.
No advertising kitsch, however, has ever captured my imagination in quite the same way as new Bounty Kitchen Towels. From Procter and Gamble, Bounty originates in the states, where it is known as "The Quilted Quick Picker-Upper," it is no stranger to Europe, and has been advertised in Greece for many years. New to the UK, where it is described as "The Stronger Soaker-Upper," (you can see a pattern emerging here), us Brit’s are at last being treated to the delights of P&G’s kitsch masterpiece.
The scene – Kitchen Towel salesman walks into bustling coffee shop. Woman at counter asks "How’s my favourite salesman?" and then she comments on how nice his new jacket is. As the conversation lulls, she takes the opportunity to introduce him to her new, favoured brand of kitchen towels (Bounty, naturally). After taking time out to extol the virtues of said towel, she laughs and observes that the salesman is jealous. At that moment, when the drama seems at its height, the ad moves up a gear. Inadvertently knocking over the coffee pot, the woman cries out as coffee spills dangerously close to the celebrated new jacket. Fortunately, Bounty Kitchen towels save the day. With their ultra-absorbent quilted structure, they make quick work of the spillage, saving the jacket from a nasty stain.
Stilted, badly acted, badly dubbed, contrived situations (a Kitchen Towel Salesman, anyone?) There seems to be nothing ‘good’ about this ad whatsoever. So why is it that I find it so compelling? Maybe it’s because it exudes the well meaning, good-natured charm of an Ed Wood movie. Harking back to simpler days, when products did exactly what they said on the tin, and silken-tongued marketers didn’t try to trick the man-on-the-street into buying products he didn’t want by means of seductive sloganeering.
This ad has now been shown the world over. Who knows if the writers of the ad knew how funny it really was. The dubbed English accents heighten the comic effect. Were the guys who dubbed the ad playing it for laughs? Perhaps we’ll never know. But certainly, for me, the future is now quilted.
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