Brantano
3 April 2007 by SilkyHere’s a little insight in to a current trend TV advertising exec’s thinking: if you want to appeal to 16-25 year olds all adverts have to be like the tongue-in-cheek idents for E4. Fact. Brantano is the latest to take up this trend with predictably substandard results.
In this ad Dr Brantano (a psychologist on a par with Freud and Jung) discovers by a variety of *experiments* that all women actually have a mental illness that means they’re addicted to shoes. They dress this up as a being because women have a part of the brain called the “slingback synapse” but they really mean mental illness. This condition is aggravated by women encountering such extremely challenging situations as “not getting what they ask for” and “having to wait”. Something, I think you’ll agree, that no human should have to endure (even the men ones that aren’t nut jobs).
Even now as I type I can hear the shouts “But it’s ironical!“. No! That is not an excuse. One of the main reasons women *are addicted to shoes* is because they’ve been manipulated for at least a generation into thinking that things like shoes are important by adverts just like this one. Advertisers insist on patronising women in this way. Stop it. Stop it NOW!
In Brantano’s case, I think it’s a real shame the way they present their brand because what they’re actually advertising (having pairs of shoes arranged by size) is actually a *good idea*.
Just How Bad is this Ad?
58 Votes
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51Responses:
laura
April 5th, 2007 6:46 pm
i work for Brantano and think the advert’s rubbish… hehe
james
April 6th, 2007 5:54 pm
the connection with Freud is actually fetishism, the subtext being that woman have a sexual fetish for shoes! mental illness is correct but thats the denotation, your not supposed to see the connotation the extra 2/3 of the advert. Its actually quite a sinister advert from a didactic point of view, because they are telling woman what to do. Removing there choice, by using bad science brantano will unfortunately be a market leading brand sooner rather than later
Emma
April 7th, 2007 4:42 pm
I work for Brantano.
Freud and Jung were used because they’re key figures in their areas of psychology. Like professor brantano is a key figure for “shoe psychology” if you like. The whole advert is trying to let women know that shoe shopping with Brantano is an easy experience because if you choose not to talk to a shop assistant to ask for help, you don’t have to.
Beatrice
April 10th, 2007 3:39 pm
Brantano is just trying to get away from the fact that its ‘easy-buy’, shoes-in-size-sections format is actually just a replication of every decent shoe shop’s sale arrangements. It’s not a clever new idea, it’s just cheap and nasty.
It’s lucky that the ad directs itself entirely at women stupid/sick enough to admit that they suffer from an addiction to shoes, because they’re the only ones who wouldn’t be put off by such a nasty shop.
emma
April 12th, 2007 6:57 pm
i dont think you’re really meant to look that far into the advert really…
Which other shoe shop has all their stock displayed in every size?
Beatrice
April 13th, 2007 3:47 pm
None, except when they’re on sale.
jabeen
April 17th, 2007 12:49 pm
Their main aim is to make money! Hence trying to use a unique approach thats memorable!
Trying to use psychology to justify it is perfectly normal to spend loads with Brantano because women cant help it and its beyond they’re control.
tom
April 18th, 2007 12:20 am
The advertisement does seem sinister to me at the beginning. It is interesting that the advert uses Freud’s name to promote shoes seeming as his and his nephew Bernays’ theories about psychology actually instigated the use of appeal to the ‘unconscious’ in advertisement to ‘control the masses’. The fact that Freud and Jung’s names are dropped at the beginning of the advert and then the brand name is shamelessly advertised comes off as a weak attempt at subversion. This facade is then dropped and the ad fills the quota by just having the straight forward facts at the end.
The advert was indeed catching to my attention so is in effect purposeful, but aside from the fact I am not going to buy any of Brantano’s products, I’m sure Freud would be disgusted by the use of his name in this scenario.
The advert evokes a wider debate about awareness of deception in consumerism a la Adorno and Horkheimer. If these women, or men for that matter, are conscious of the fact that they are buying into an idea or lifestyle and being exploited by the corperations, why do they continue to buy things and label it ‘retail therapy’.What this advert does is almost paradoxical in that it labels women as mentally ill for being addicted to shoe shopping, but in a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ or ironic fashion that implies the female audience will ‘get’ this joke and therefore can see through the deception of consumerism.
Unfortunately, despite my left-wing, neo-marxist objections, I predict that this advertisement will succeed in boosting the sales of that company so good for bloody them!
tom
April 18th, 2007 12:23 am
and i agree with james
kathryn
April 24th, 2007 3:02 pm
Beatrice says, “It’s lucky that the ad directs itself entirely at women stupid/sick enough to admit that they suffer from an addiction to shoes…”
Looks like it’s appealing to 99% of women then.
Jane Green
April 27th, 2007 1:52 pm
External PR agency view:
The aim of this add is to make people aware of the brand. It was produced by women for women.
A great deal of positive feedback has been received in store by new and exhisting customers.
*”shoes-in-size-sections format is actually just a replication of every decent shoe shop’s sale arrangements. It’s not a clever new idea, it’s just cheap and nasty.”*
SALE???
These are not sale shoes, they are mid market priced. Have you been in a Brantano store recently? if ever?
Brantano YTD sales are up 45% on last year (published figures by the Brantano NV group) so it seems to have worked.
emma
April 29th, 2007 7:05 pm
Yeah. It’s only an advert. And companies produce adverts in an attempt to try and make more money. There’s no other objective. That’s what advertising is about. Full stop. It’s not meant to be taken so seriously!!
Berry
May 5th, 2007 9:20 am
I think that Brantano is not pointing at a mental illness but Dr. Brantano has discovered the shoe buying decission center of the human brain the slingback synapse.
Berry
kate
May 8th, 2007 9:42 am
Can’t believe this ad is on a website called TV’s Worst Adverts. It’s one of TV’s best adverts!
Howard
May 8th, 2007 10:06 am
According to the author of this blog, “One of the main reasons women *are addicted to shoes* is because they’ve been manipulated for at least a generation into thinking that things like shoes are important by adverts just like this one.”
She must have a very low opinion of women if she thinks they can be so easily brainwashed.
Lettie
May 10th, 2007 5:33 pm
Hey James and Tom… lighten up! its a joke!
kate
May 11th, 2007 9:22 pm
Your right Lettie, some people have no sense of humour
lorraine
May 12th, 2007 8:30 am
I also work for Brantano and think its a great funny advert and going by our recent figures seems to be working. look out for 2 more …
david
May 23rd, 2007 9:41 pm
The fabrication of historical facts should be a breach of advertising standards. Information must not be corrupted in this way.
Jane
July 10th, 2007 1:12 pm
Brantano shoes are nasty, because the shoes that are out are a different colour to the ones in the box, because they are under the lights. they expect you to want to by that s***. you’d have to have a mental illness to actually want them!!
chriss
July 10th, 2007 3:26 pm
I went into Brantano shoe shop in harlow today the staff were very helpful they sourced me a pair of shoes from another branch, these will be ready for collection in 7 days, I did not have to pay up front, only when I try / view them.
I buy a lot of shoes and never have I had such good service, I was so impressed with the staff that I phoned there head office it a shame that not all shops give the same level of customer service. well done
roland
July 10th, 2007 4:30 pm
anyway shouldn’t they be called ’shoes shop’ never bought a shoe in my life. i have however bought shoes. not from brantano though, always looks a bit pikey to me. lol.
Jane
July 16th, 2007 10:13 am
I have always in the past been told if i were to order shoes it would take two weeks. I think two weeks is a long time for a customer to wait. Eastbourne is the worst store ive been to.
Boggle
July 26th, 2007 9:00 am
Crickey, do some of you think you’re analysing this advert a bit too much? It’s funny, that’s it.
Stupid or sick for liking shoes - I mean come on!! I like shoes, I go to Brantano and I don’t shop in nasty shops either!
Neither have I ever been to another shoe shop that has their shoes out in sizes for you to see.
Mike
July 30th, 2007 2:03 pm
Where is the exterior shot of the “Brantano Institute” taken? Modernist maybe deco design, feels northern Europe….any ideas
neil
August 2nd, 2007 9:09 am
I have only seen the advert once, I’m a man looking to buy a pair of shoes cos my old ones are falling apart. Brantano is obviously tapping into the widely accepted notion women are obsessed with shopping and particularly for clothes. shoes and handbags. Men generally buy shoes for a purpose and comfort in that purpose. Women buy almost purely for appearance and matching qualities to other dress items such as clothes and handbags, and almost completely disregard comfort as a important factor in their descision. The stores unique selling points that attract male customers is it is a big store with a bigger range of styles and sizes, space and time to buy without being hassled by sales assistants. Im off to buy some shoes cos brantano just makes sense.
Hannah
September 10th, 2007 11:19 am
Everyone on this blog page seem really into the brantanto store. I dont understand why it’s on the worst t.v ads if no-one agrees that it is? Isn’t this page just a waste of space. Why not make a website for brantano lovers, as there seems to be so many?
Cheryl Dover
September 14th, 2007 9:20 pm
I think it’s false advertising them saying all shoes etc arrange in size and style in store well it’s rubbish i went to the one in milton keynes cause i really need some new boots as mine are falling apart (brought them from hotter and paid 59 pounds when i am unemployed!) have nothing to where on me feet, it’s really hard for me to get new boots as i am a size nine wide fitting, went in there and nothing for me.
the shop assistants din’t bother offering to help me at all just said we’ll be getting some more in store soon but din’t say when.
useless.
dunno where gonna get boots from now.
Cheryl Dover
September 14th, 2007 9:21 pm
P.S ANYONE KNOW OF A SHOE SHOP ON THE A6 ?
Terri
October 25th, 2007 4:58 pm
i personally love the advert n u lot really spend too much time analysing that advert. You are all not psychologists you know!! you are not sigmund freud!!
Dr Rooth M DIskin, MA (oxon)
October 29th, 2007 4:11 pm
As a Professor of Neurology at Paris V University, I find that this is really very factually incorrect, as we scientists say!
A synapses is a a junction - that is to say, a gap - between two neurones, or an axon and a gland or muscle. Across this space, neurotransmitters (such as acetylcholine) are released and stimulate an action potential in the second neurone, causing the nervous impules to carry on, or “activate” the target.
A synapse cannot be inflamed, and in NO circumstances can it look like a “slingback”. A synapse is not part of the brain - indeed, a single synapse would not show up on a CT scan as in this advert.
I take great offense at this advert, as it is polluting the minds of the public - a public that is already quite ignorant about such subjects.
- Dr RMDiskin, Descartes Professor of Neurobiology at Paris V Université
Terri
October 29th, 2007 8:14 pm
the advert is ment to be for a shoe shop, you are getting too involved!!! seriously!!! congrats on being a neurologist by the way thats ace, but seriously its only an advert for shoe lovers!!!!
ANNE-MARIE BRANTANO RULES ALL!!! HELL YEA!!!
Dr Rooth M Diskin
October 29th, 2007 8:46 pm
But if as 99% have televisions, consider how many will be misinformed by this.
There is no such person as Anne-Marie Brantano, indeed…. the company is owned by André Brantegem. Even if there is such a person, she is certainly no Jungian-level psychiatrist.
This type of advertising should be banned (as fortunately would have it, I don’t live in Great Britain)
Silky
October 29th, 2007 9:35 pm
Obviously one of the problems with the advert is if you make yourself out to be a fancy professor you can convince people of absolutely anything.
Isn’t that right, Dr Diskin?
Cheers for all the comments by the way; TVs Worst Adverts needs more people like you.
Dr Rooth M Diskin
October 30th, 2007 8:40 pm
Please, call me Rooth!
and frankly, Paris V is just a stepping stone for me!
Silky
October 31st, 2007 6:47 am
Cheers and good luck with the career, Rooth.
Nathan
November 4th, 2007 11:11 am
All you haters should be locked in a room with that ad repeating until you find your sense of humor. This ad is fiction, it’s was made to be funny and it shows people that it is a good shop by arranging the shoes in order to make life easier, it even makes my laugh everytime i see it or think of the word “Slingback Synaps”. Proberly you are all dull americans watching our european ad’s (why the hell you watching our ad’s for anyway), everyone knows you americans don’t understand european humor.
A quick reminder before i go.
!!!FIND YOUR HUMOR!!!
Silky
November 4th, 2007 12:25 pm
No, nor do Americans understand our sense of spelling.
Jean
January 2nd, 2008 9:33 pm
I suffer from this terrible affliction advertised. Thank goodness Brantano have great shoes and even better half price sales. Must admit I never appeased my affliction in a Brantano shop until the slingback synaps adverts. Advertising is a powerful tool and only confirms just how weak we can all be, to this clever, yet simple technique to get us to spend our hard earned cash on their products. Thankfully I need shoes, so would have bought some anyway and Brantano is a good a place as any.
cheryl
January 2nd, 2008 10:02 pm
Still has not got new boots and now the soles of me feet are like shredded now from where these old ones i am still having to wear. How’s about brantano getting some size 9 extra wides in their stores, you’d be surprised how many woman there are out there with big feet. I managed to find new trainers in america size 9 first pair i tried fitted right away, unfortunately they din’t have any womans boots.
come on brantano how’s about getting bigger sizes in. if u did man i would get 2 pairs!
Ruth
January 11th, 2008 9:41 pm
HI, i work at Brantano tooo - this ad makes everyone at our store laugh wen a new one comes out ! but some are so embarrassin lol The school ad makes everyone complately laugh as i had not seen it and went into work with my hair in plates and my glasses! looked very simular but 3 years older lol Am proud some of the tym to say i work in one ofthe smallest branatno stores in the uk compaired to like wakefiled which is 4x as big lol.
Cheryl if you still hant found any boot you can look online if you find a design you like and order it in to any store you like and you dont need to buy untill you have tried em on ! this might help
Brantano Sales Assistant
February 9th, 2008 12:04 am
I also work for Brantano. The shoe’s aren’t big high street designer as such but they are reasonable for the prices. As to reply to Cheryl’s comment, you can get size 9 shoes from Brantano, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen boots too. Unfortunately not all stores stock them, your best bet would be to go onto the brantano website http://www.brantano.co.uk and take a look there. If you find a pair you fancy order them to your nearest store and pop in to try them on..if they don’t fit no problem, they’ll just sell it on.
As for the advert’s, they’re comical and not to be taken seriously. Just a way of getting a point across to people that there is a shoe store out there that has all its products out in designer/size/type order.
Jen
February 10th, 2008 12:41 pm
This seems to have turned into a huge advert for Brantano! It’s sexist (not every woman has an obsession with shoes), stupid and in the very few times I’ve been in, they’ve never had any shoes that I like in there.
Christopher
March 28th, 2008 3:18 pm
Clearly there are many different types of people viewing these advertisements who are interpreting them in different ways. Some are potential customers who are interested in the shoes that Brantano have to offer. Others are content just to be entertained by the humour which the had offers. Yet others are interested in the way in which the advertisements work to persuade and I am sure that there are also some who have interest in all of these spheres.
We should not get angry about these advertisements since such emotions only serve to “wind us up” thereby doing ourselves harm. As some wise bloggers have suggested we should just enjoy the humour and not take it too seriously. Dr Rooth M Diskin, if indeed she too is not an invention, should not be overly concerned about the misrepresentation of science. We English are quite capable of discerning that what is being portrayed here is not real science but merely a “spoof.” What is good for science though is to see more women portrayed as scientists rather than the authoritarian images of the 1950’s which only allowed men to take on that role.
Research Student
Sheffield Hallam University
Helen
April 22nd, 2008 1:55 pm
Have you seen the latest ad where she’s coming up with excuses to buy shoes? Brilliant!!!
annette
May 21st, 2008 5:36 pm
I hate the way women are portrayed as cock-daft shoe-mad idiots in almost everything on TV.
luci hope
June 12th, 2008 6:38 am
what a load of crap. worked for brantanos for 12 years and people just want cheap shoes
Louise
July 2nd, 2008 1:14 pm
I hate, hate, hate this advert. To say ‘lighten up, it’s funny’ is no excuse… It’s not funny, it’s an appalling joke!
It’s just basically saying ‘Women, their mental! So they should buy our shoes’… That’s not a message I want to hear. It’s giving us a terrible stereotype, and I think that my anger if fuelled by the fact that I don’t fit this stereotype, I hate shoes.
In fact… This advert has done nothing to make me want to go into their shop and buy some.. I just get the impression that I’m going to be patronised and spoken to like a mental patient. Because, as we all know, all women are in actual fact mental patients, and should be treated as such, especially when it comes to shopping…
And on the ‘no other shops have thier shoes arranged in sizes’ thing, Wyndsor’s world of Shoes does that, and has done long before I’d heard of Brantano.. I’m sure there are others too, but I can’t remember what they’re called.
luci hope
July 12th, 2008 7:45 am
Ads crap. head office/marketing need to get in touch at grass root level to know what customer needs. I had never heard of freud or jung before commercial, its a desperate attempt to compete with clarks and make it look scientific.
Garry
August 1st, 2008 7:32 am
I think it is important for women with big feet to know where to look foir big shoes.
Not enough is ever doen to support women with big feet, size 9, 10 and 11. . .
Women with big feet are very attractive, and big feet are a major turn on for a lot of guys . .(Me included).
Tall women, big feet . .
Brantano! - Well done, get some more big shoes in!
Cathryn
August 12th, 2008 10:32 am
i think this advert is rubbish to be honest with you, it’s pointless. yes women like shoes but there are some who couldn’t care less what goes on there feet. it’s making the female population look like they are adicted to shoes and other material things when most of us don’t, there are just some who have the money to be. sorry if i have offened anyone, wasn’t meant to.
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