Culture

Snickers Latest Ad Tries To Tackle Sexism, Misfires Spectacularly

"Want your man to stay a sexist? Buy him a Snickers!"

by Steph Harmon  26 March 2014

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Taken at face-value, the set-up for Snickers Australia’s latest ad is simple: when you’re overcome by hunger, you become a different person.

Fine, sure, but then they tried to involve feminism — and ended up getting everything else wrong.

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So, let’s see what we have here.

“Aussie Builders surprise public with loud empowering statements” reads the title of the ad on Youtube. So from the outset, Snickers appear to be making some sort of statement about how women should be treated by Aussie builders. Aussie builders who, when they’re not “surprising the public”, are all misogynistic and aggressive men that like to yell awful, sexist things. Obviously.

WHOOPS, there goes your tradies market. And maybe the entire working class too?

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The ad works from an even broader assumption that the natural state of a sated man is to be sexist and intimidating, and should be kept that way. How many men can you think of who would not only identify as sexist and intimidating, but would want to quash all better urges by eating a chocolate bar?

WHOOPS, there goes most of your male market. 

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The ad also exhibits a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem it seems to be drawing attention to. If you happen to be a woman walking down a street, and a tradesman happens to yell at you, it doesn’t matter what he’s yelling: it’s going to be intimidating. These men are often physically imposing enough without the tall scaffolding that raises them above you, and they’re going to keep watching you as you walk away whether you reply or ignore them. In this scenario, they’re yelling out empowering statements that Snickers seem to think are so ridiculous they’ve crafted an entire punchline around them. Good one, Snickers, but guess what? It’s still intimidating.

WHOOPS, there goes your female market. “Snickers make men sexist. Buy one today!”

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There’s really only one small group who this ad will appeal to: rich men who think they have the right to be sexist.

A++ targeting, Snickers — and congrats on George Brandis, too.