Once again, advertising has caused an uproar over nothing. CNN’s Mike Galanos covers the new (and really great if we do say so ourselves) Clearasil campaign and is upset over the ads which show a guy trying to pick up his friend’s mom and a daughter who says “You should see me now” while her mother shows naked baby pictures of her to her boyfriend. While Galanos prudely prattles on, Melissa Henson from the Parents Television Council talks about how marketers use too much sex to sell and Debbie Wolf from the People Against Censorship says the moral minority shouldn’t control what gets seen on TV and everyone should just lighten up and laugh.
In a statement, Clearasil says, “Our objective is to inform and entertain, not to offend. We have found that Clearasil consumers see this ad as we intended: a humorous and unrealistic presentation of an awkward family moment.” Galanos claims he’s unaware of any “awkward family events” like these. Perhaps he should get out more often. Then again, Clearasil claims these are “unrealistic” so, of course, Galanos isn’t going to find “awkward family events” like this every time he visits his neighborss.
Racy ads + Free Speech + Conservative Viewpoints = Great Cable Ratings. That’s all this is about.
