McCoy’s – Puppy Love
28 April 2007 by SilkyWe’ve covered the way stereotypical behaviour of women is portrayed in adverts here before, so it’s only fair that we cover that of men. So here goes:
McCoy’s crisps “ridged, thick and unashamedly colossa” depiction of men in their latest advert as homophobic, junior gangsters, without an ounce of loyalty makes me proud to be a man. It doesn’t get much better than this. I can only presume the brief for the advert said “What if Guy Richie directed a crisp advert”. Actually, even that would be better than what they got.
The ads shows a group of *mates* in a dark and dingy pub. They’re all wearing suits and shirts but no ties (This leads me to believe the men are part of an Eastenders/Miami Vice hybrid show. When they finish their pints they cruise up and down the canals of the Eastend, stood statuesque on their barges, the wind blowing through their hair etc).
One of them heads over to the jukebox to put on a tune. But disaster, someone bumps into him, he slips and presses the wrong button! As he heads back to his *mates* the dulcet tones of Puppy Love fills the pub.
Now, there’s no denying, by today’s standards, Puppy love is a terrible song. But when the bloke accidentally puts it on the jukebox, from the way people react you’d think he’d just raped a disabled choir boy on the bar. The looks the others in the pub give him are ones of pure disgust and of a burning desire to violently avenge this horrific crime.
“I mean, Puppy Love! What is he, some sort of poof?”
A giant vacuum tube descends, he knows he’s done wrong. There’s a look of sad resignation on his face as his McCoy’s are taken out of his hand and he’s sucked away.
Gone forever. His *mates* watch, turn back to their pints and forget he ever existed.
“Probably best, he might have been some sort of poof. He’d try some monkey business round my back door. Best shot of him really.”
The insinuation is obvious: real men don’t listen to Puppy Love but only real men are allowed to eat McCoys crisps.
But if you were guessing from this advert, who would be McCoys’ real man? Is he your ‘Sun reading’ man? Is he your ‘Jason Statham wanna-be’ man? Is he your ‘suped-up Vauxhall Corsa driving man? Is he your Staffordshire bull terrier having sex with your crack-whore girlfriend on a sofa that’s inexplicably in the front-garden of your council house’ man? Is he your ‘petrified to do anything that might make other men think he doesn’t measure up to some archaic image of what it is to be a man’ man?
I think he is.
And guess what McCoys, that’s not the sort of man I want to be. So I might not be eating your crisps any more. Which is a real shame because they are different from normal crisps. Like you say they’re ridged and thick, and I like that texture in my mouth.
“You like that texture in your mouth?! What are you, some sort of poof?”
Just How Bad is this Ad?
(14 votes, average: 2.64 out of 5)
13Responses:
DaveP
Said on the 28 April 2007
I’ll stick to my pringles…. they may be a bit camp but I really don’t give a shit.
mstm
Said on the 8 August 2007
I think it’s funny, so stop whining like a “poof” and buy McCoy’s crisps now, they NEEDS YOUR MONNIES!!! And no i’m not a McCoy’s crisps employee, although that is what every self respecting man should desire to be.
AmyStr
Said on the 11 August 2007
The fact that the man is bumped and the stupid song comes on is funny but everything else about the advert is ridiculous and offensive.
TV’s Worst Adverts » Think! Don't Drink and Drive - The Barman » Some of UK TVs Worst Adverts
Said on the 17 June 2008
[...] Of course, none of that really happened. I wouldn’t be caught dead drinking orange juice. [...]
TV’s Worst Adverts » Think! Don't Drink and Drive - The Barman » Some of UK TVs Worst Adverts
Said on the 17 June 2008
[...] Of course, none of that really happened. I wouldn’t be caught dead drinking orange juice. [...]
a woman
Said on the 25 June 2008
What happens is funny, but it’s still sexist.
Kind of like watching an old person fall. Sometimes you can’t help but laugh even though you shouldn’t. Falling is funny. The advert is funny, but it is sexist. Take it off air. Same with the ‘not for girls’ yorkie advert.
‘white person crisps’ ‘not for blacks’
Yeah, that is serious, but gender discrimination isn’t.
Neil
Said on the 22 June 2009
There’s a more irritating advert in the same series, the Quiz Machine one, same group of mates in the same pub, everything goes along swimmingly until a question about a ballet move comes up…
“Plie” answers one of the *mates*
Mates all turn to him, looking as if they’d just caught him fingering a chihuahua
Advert continues in the same way as this one, give back the crisps, vacuum tube, Orwellian, 1984-ish disappearance “There is no ballet bloke, there never was a ballet bloke”
Message: Just KNOWING about ballet makes you “less than a man”
Darren
Said on the 3 July 2009
Sexist, Racist, sizist who cares they’re only adverts
People these days have to much time on their hands and just complain about anything.
You lot have been given to many rights and abuse them.
Why can’t we go back in time to my grandads era where [ Racist comment removed ], [ Sexist comment removed ] had theirs and [ Comment that makes Darren seem like a complete bellend removed ] where in charge!!
Archer
Said on the 4 July 2009
Great idea, Darren. You fire up the De Lorean and we’re right behind you.
CovertJellyfish
Said on the 4 October 2009
Puppy love… *sniggers*
Heather
Said on the 9 February 2010
This idiotic ad is still running on Dave (9/2/2010)
Ad Hater 2.0
Said on the 10 February 2010
It’s not just on Dave, I saw it on ITV and Channel 4 as well.
Realist
Said on the 28 June 2010
You sad git, haven’t you got anything better to do? How exactly is the advert homophobic? Are you saying its only gay men who listen to “puppy love” now? Its you who’s implying things, not the advert.
Now, have you seen the oven pride advert? “So easy a man can do it” – oh, but I forgot, women can’t be sexist can they? Just like black people can’t be racist right?
(In case your a bit slow I was being sarcastic).
Stop picking faults and grow up!
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