The Implications of the Innuendo

If you unaware of the sexual circumstances surrounding this ad, it might seem significantly harmless. However, knowing more than the naive, it's hard to disregard this VO5 Hot Oil Hair moisturizer advertisement as just another ad when it plays on a commonly abused sexual situation.

By poking fun at 10 seconds in heaven, being overly excited, premature ecstasy, or whatever you care to call it the ad segregates and alienates a group of people by highlighting the stigma associated with the action and toying with the circumstances under which the action occurs.

The ad, however clever the creators may believe it is, chooses to further alienate a group for the sole purpose of selling its product; showing that there really is no limit to the indecency of advertising companies.

Although, however much I may disagree with the delivery of the advertisement, I must pay homage to its marketing ability. It successfully portrays to the consumer, in an easily interpretable manner, what the product is and what it claims to do. However, it does this, not through words, but through pictures. It displays a background of beautiful brunette hair that shouts "Hey! I'm soft and healthy; don't you want to be like me?" Which, however underhanded it might be to play on the misfortunes of other, does successfully accomplish the products main goal - to sell.

This ad was found at adsoftheworld.com. It comes from an advertisement campaign run by the Alberto-Culver Company.