Monday, August 24, 2009

Pointless advertisements

If you've ever wondered what's discussed in a newsroom on a slow Sunday night (and I hope for your sake that you haven't), I'll give you a little taste of the conversation.

At one point in the evening, a commercial came on television advertising a feminine hygiene product. These commercials have long been a thorn in the side of male viewers, especially when they find their way into football games. The discussion flowed to the extremely pointless nature of tampon and pad advertising in general. I should point out that I was the lone man in the newsroom tonight, so it wasn't just a bunch of guys sitting around woman bashing.

Anyway, the ladies with whom I work agreed that there is really no reason for these ads to be shown on television. It's a necessary product. There aren't many women I know who are going to start making their own hygiene supplies as an alternative to what's available in stores. Women know they're out there. Their market is safe. And from what I know of it, most women are pretty much introduced to a brand or whatever by their mother when the time is right. They find what works for them and stick with it throughout adulthood. Again, there's no reason to advertise.

So, the general consensus is that a public outcry from women worldwide should be issued immediately for feminine hygiene companies to stop advertising on television. They can use their marketing budgets to give a boost to their shareholders, or even better, pass the savings along to the consumers. Just keep it out of my football games.

In other news:

— I was somewhat confused by Roger Federer's remarks after winning the tournament in Cincinnati tonight. When asked about how life has been since welcoming his baby into the world, he said something about changing a lot of diapers lately, because times have changed a lot in the past decade. What does that mean? Did fathers 10 years ago not change diapers? The only thing I could come up with is that maybe the No.1 men's tennis player in the world 10 years ago didn't change diapers. Take that Pete Sampras. Roger just called you out; stinking deadbeat.

— I think that Michael Andretti is kidding himself if he thinks that he can re-sign Danica Patrick to another contract when this season is over. There's no way he can compete with the type of money or exposure she'll get in NASCAR if the offers that are rumored to be out there for her are true. From what I've seen, she loves the spotlight, and racing IndyCars is a minor stage compared to the alternative.

— In my fantasy football world, I've pulled the trigger on a deal sending Peyton Manning and Reggie Bush to another team in exchange for Michael Turner and Donovan McNabb. Statistically, it seems like kind of a wash, but I was in desperate need of some help at the running back spot, so I felt compelled to make a move. Will it be a good decision? It's hard to say. There's been a lot of changes to the Colts' offense, including coaching moves, the departure of Marvin Harrison and what appears to be a shaky offensive line. So dealing Manning might be a good thing. On the other hand, statistics show that running backs coming off a season high in carries usually follow it up with a poor year. So Turner may not have been the best option. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Any thoughts?

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