Since our TV died I’ve been reading a lot of magazines. One of them was the November edition of Real Simple, which included a formula ad for Similac. Highlighting their new ‘SimplePac‘ can. Featuring Ty Pennington of all people. The childless carpenter from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Trading Spaces.
If you didn’t click on the SimplePac link above, then click it here: SimplePac. You need to see it to fully understand what’s happening. I’ll just wait while you go and do that. Waiting…waiting…waiting… Are you back yet? Good.
To be honest I do not use formula. I breastfed Hannah and I’m breastfeeding Jacob. I think it’s by far the best choice if you can possibly swing it, although I am aware that it doesn’t always work out. I also think that ad campaigns such as this one contravene the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes published by the World Health Organization. So, clearly, I’m not exactly part of Similac’s target market. Plus, I don’t think the campaign is even being run in Canada.
Still, I am a mom and I am puzzled by the endorsement. OK, Ty Pennington’s a designer and they’re flouting the new SimplePac design. And Similac is running a contest to have Ty design your nursery for you. But it’s still a bit of a stretch to see this guy smiling beside a formula can. I’m not the only one who feels this way, either. You can read what some others had to say here and here.
I guess that they decided to feature Ty prominently in the ad campaign because he’s good looking, and therefore appealing to the women who buy formula. It’s still a little silly, though. It’s like using attractive girls to sell auto parts. Nobody actually thinks the model in question knows anything about the product, they’re only there to get your attention. “Hey ladies, look, it’s Ty Pennington! Oh, and while I have your ear have you heard about our new formula can? It’s fab!”
But is that really effective? Would you choose to buy a product just because an attractive person was marketing it? I don’t think I would, and this article seems to agree. A spokesperson’s attractiveness is more important if it’s relevant to the product (think lipstick), but mostly you want a spokesperson who has credibility. Who can speak authoritatively about the product you’re selling. And I just don’t think that Ty Pennington has it when it comes to infant formula. I doubt that I would feel differently if I were in the market for formula. As it is I feel that he’s demeaned himself, endorsing anything to make a buck.
We’ll have to see if it works out for Similac. At least they haven’t seen the uproar that Motrin did with their recent campaign. So while this was an odd choice, it doesn’t seem to have backfired. Yet.
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