DC Comics's Snickers Ad

[informationgeek]

Well this is making the rounds today and frankly, I think we can all use a little silliness and fun.



CBR and Bleeding Cool reported on this, but here's the ad:








I want this as our new Hostess Fruit Pie ads. Come DC and Marvel, let's see more of this! :)

Comments

[scorntx]

So... uh, the ad revolves around the only woman in DC's Big Three turning into a giant murderous rampaging monster when she's hungry?

That... er... that doesn't sound entirely right...

[speedingtortoise]

Yeeeeah that's a tad iffy. One saving grace I suppose is that batman says that Robin has the same problem.

[informationgeek]

It is a little iffy, but it's goofy not to bug me at this time.

Frankly, I think DC could easily bounce back from this by doing another with a different hero... oh, let's go Flash and find a villain or character who's incredibly slow.

[tugrul]

That was my initial reaction as well but you should search for all the other Snickers commercials and see who becomes who.

[informationgeek]

I'm not sure if there are any other DC ones currently. Plenty of other commercials though, including a personal favorite.

[deh_tommy]

To be fair, all four are rather recognisable now because of their appearance in Batman v. Superman.

[scorntx]

... I don't think you understand the reason for the unease.

[deh_tommy]

From my understanding, the unease is from how this advertisement may or may not be indulging in and reinforcing the stereotype of the cranky, irrational woman (usually related to menstruation, hunger or a mixture of both in such stories) not helped by how she has to be calmed down by two men with a sweet treat

Am I wrong?

[burkeonthesly]

I'd say that's pretty much exactly it. And this is just the latest in a string of ads whose message is pretty much exactly this.

[burkeonthesly]

Agreed. Doomsday settling down, I could have accepted, but Doomsday actually being a raging Diana, placated by chocolate? Big no.

[ficticons]

Yes, this exactly for me as well. I did a double take of sorts - scrolled up again to see whether there was anything missing in between, because *surely* that wasn't what the ad was saying...but no, sadly.

[burkeonthesly]

Icon is relevant. And nice.

[kalanyr]

Given they want to use the Big 3 + Doomsday , I don't think it works at the moment otherwise.

There's 2 criteria that need to be met here: Do A & B have a reason to be hanging around without C (since Cs reveal is a twist). Is C a threat to A & B while being angry ?

Batman -> Doomsday: Superman and Wonder Woman have a reason to be associated currently (were dating). Cranky Irrational Batman is not actually a threat to Superman or Wonder Woman, Batman is only a threat to them if he's got the time and state of mind necessary to be a bastard.

Superman -> Doomsday: Batman and Wonder Woman don't actually have much reason to be hanging around together (absent Superman) at the moment, could have worked pre-Nu52 or if the DCAU was still running though. Superman is a threat to both while angry and irrational.

[cainofdreaming]

But the slogan is "You're not you when you're hungry". Didn't anyone at DC watch the Rowan Atkinson commercials? Or even the Gremlins ones?

[burkeonthesly]

Or the one where construction workers shout socially progressive things at women passing in the street?

[tigerkaya]

Best way to cure a Doomsday virus.

[captainbellman]

These ads have always seemed creepy to me in that their implication is that the average consumer is mentally unstable/helpless/impaired without their product. I mean, the original slogan (softened here) was "You're not you when you're hungry". What kind of gaslighting bullshit is that?!

I remember a particular egregious example from 2014 in Istanbul - a bus stop ad with the grinning face of the Joker and the slogan "You're not fasting!" in Turkish. (i.e., indulge yourself because if you're hungry you'll turn into a murderous clown).

[dustbunny105]

I don't see the creepiness or the gaslighting. Hunger and the low blood sugar that often accompanies it do have a negative impact on people's minds, moods and manners. "You're not you" is just another way of saying "you're not yourself" which can be related to "you're not firing on all cylinders"-- and, if you're hungry, that may very well be the case. The ads aren't even really saying that their product in particular is the fix for the issue, just that if you're hungry, well, here's a handy and delicious treat. It's a Snickers ad, it's not going to suggest you make a sandwich.

[captainbellman]

Fair points, but the thing is that the average consumer doesn't know that; and from my personal perspective, even with the scientific evidence mixed in, the approach is still overall very disturbing, as in a horror movie almost.

[deh_tommy]

To be fair, I think hunger on a subconcious level is something we all feel should be avoided if possible, and some people do have large behavioural differences when hungry (whether they be cranky, tired, etc.).

[dustbunny105]

Mmm, I wouldn't expect the average consumer to necessarily know the exact science behind it, but I do think the average consumer can relate to hunger-induced personality weirdness.

[walkingthroughforest]

It's like hanger isn't a common term at all.

[owlbrigade1]

Jeremy Clarkson though. It happens is all I'm saying.

[dustbunny105]

Idk, in a comic book universe like this, it seems to me that a better fit for this style of ad would be a shape-shifter or someone with an evil alter ego.

[deh_tommy]

Well, the whole joke is that "You're not you when you're hungry", and most Shapeshifters are still themselves regardless of what form they take.

[dustbunny105]

Fair point, but I think the joke still works with someone who's shifted into a monster or the like and is throwing a tantrum due to hunger-induced crankiness. Martian Manhunter, as noted below, is a good example.

Personally, I think the weakest point of the commercials is when the "not yourself" featured is a highly recognizable celebrity. Using two distinct and highly recognizable characters for the ad just drives that weakness home for me.

[dr_archeville]

Like with Martian Manhunter and Chocos.

[burkeonthesly]

"You're not you when you're ducking a Nabisco lawsuit."

[zapbiffpow]

This is great! Slipped on the execution, not gonna lie, but don't let that stop you: this could be good if you polish it. Learn what you can and build on it, marketing peeps. Maybe go lore-friendly on this.

[donnblake]

I just can't help but think this would have worked so much better with the Hulk.

"You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry."

[featheredserpent]

A hangry Diana would be scarier than Doomie.

[bradygirl_12]

Hey, if I don't get my daily dose of chocolate, I'm cranky, too! :)

[icon_uk]

Can't say this one appealled to me, if it HAD been Damian's Robin it would have been fairly amusing, but Wonder Woman? I don't think it set out to be offensive, but it has me giving it a definite raised eyebrow.

Especially as it was posted after a two page spread about the direction of the new Wonder Woman title.

[junipepper]

Who's the artist?