Protein World Ad – “Body Shaming” or Motivating?

I am pretty sure nearly everyone saw this billboard ad or at least heard of a huge backlash it was causing lately. According to the latest news, this ad has been banned by ASA due to high volume of complains they received, so the posters are being removed.

A lot of people were deeply offended by the advert, as it was undermining their body confidence and made them feel physically inferior to the unrealistic body image of the beautiful model. Twitter saw a huge backlash from people expressing their anger and frustration. Most, if not all, posters were defaced and the “art work” was proudly shared on social media.

From one side, I do understand where this is coming from. We all feel insecure and adverts like this simply add more weight to our ever increasing insecurities baggage. Then, there are people, who exercise every day and eat healthily, but still can’t loose the stubborn weight due to health issues with thyroid or something similar.

Yes, all shapes and forms are beautiful and it is the personality that really matters. However, I feel that the protests and shaming of the ad is not the right response.

I must admit, when I first saw this advert, my thoughts were simple – “No, it is not… But I am working on it”. Yes, I felt ashamed, but from another side, I also felt inspired. We must understand that beautiful bodies do not come from a jar or a pill. Do you really think that this model was born looking like that? Beautiful, lean and strong body is all about hard work, willpower and discipline. If you will not work hard for it – it will never yield any results. Healthy diet and exercise are essential for looking like the girl on the poster. We just need to put in the work and be patient, as transformation will not happen overnight. Love your body and it will thank you for it.

I am nothing like the girl on the poster, but I do have excess fat, that I want to loose. And I do not want to do it for the sake of looking skinny. I simply want to be healthy and look proudly at my own reflection in the mirror.

If you have a takeaway every night, indulge on crisps and sweets, but don’t like the way you look – whose fault is that? Why blame the advert, stating that it makes you feel offended? I also feel puzzled by reports that this ad is encouraging women to starve themselves. Nobody said anything about starvation. To look good you need to eat healthy and make smart food choices. To lose fat, you need to exercise, to exercise, you need energy – and that you get from food, so starvation is out of the question. Any smart person knows that… Right?

If people are so offended by the look of the model on the advert and demand for it to be taken off, then what should we say about movies, where all actors look slim, hot and toned? Should we sign another petition and ban all Hollywood films? Yes, seeing Jennifer Lopez on stage makes me feel a little bit jealous of her body – should we ban her from performing, as some are offended by how good she looks compared to ordinary people? Should we stop shopping at Victoria’s secret because Adriana and Candice are tall, skinny and beach body ready? If not, then at what point should we stop?

I do not think that Protein World expected this sort of reaction, but even thought it is mostly negative, it only increased their brand awareness. Have a look at the comments posted on their Facebook page – people only heard about the brand because of the backlash and stories in the news. Majority of them, decided to try their products and are very satisfied.

Now, this is only my personal opinion and I am not making anyone agree with me. I do think that the advert is harmless. From where I stand – it is more motivating rather than shaming…

Don’t like the look of the model – have a look at the advert called “This Girl Can”. It has women of all shapes and forms doing exercise and not worrying about the way they look while doing it. If you read comments on You Tube for this video, you will see that people are not happy with this ad as well. So looks like there is no pleasing us, then. Then there is Nike’s advert “Better For It – Inner Thoughts” which “shows” you what people think when they exercise. And this is relevant to everyone – even fit and healthy people are worried about the way they look, while exercising. So if you want some motivation – have a look and see how it will make you feel.

Whether you agree with me or not – please do share your thoughts, I will be happy to hear them.

Thank you for your time.

 

Rada

Cancer Research UK Or How To Turn Negative Into A Positive.

Recently there has been a huge increase in commercials from charities that promote helping various causes both in the United Kingdom and across the world. On a daily basis our TV screens are filled with adverts from Water Aid, UNICEF, Marie Curie, The Salvation Army, etc.

All adverts are based on the same template – they are quite long, heartbreaking and emotional. Their main goal is to appeal to people and increase the amount of donations that are needed to continue their work. Now, I understand how important funding  is for charity organizations. I also understand how many issues we have in the world and that without these organizations, life for some people would be so much harder.

However, there is one charity that got my undivided attention and respect. It is Cancer Research UK. For a while now the adverts that they have been releasing have been inspiring, creative and effective. They really separated themselves from the whole sector by creating commercials that are focusing on positive things and celebrating the progress that they have achieved so far. They are not teary or heartbreaking. They do not make you feel depressed after seeing them on TV. Actually, they have quite the opposite effect. They make you feel triumphant, inspired and full of hope.

My favorite picks so far are as follows:

“It’s Payback Time” – commercial that was promoting the Channel 4 fund-raising event that happened on 17th October.  The advert was made in a form of interactive animation, that illustrated cancer cells as cute creatures and showed their everyday “lives” until the very smart twist at the end.

“Cancer, We’re Coming To Get You”. Main commercial that was promoting the “Race For Life 2013”. If you have not seen it so far, please do have a look. It is simply brilliant! I really like the idea of addressing the cancer as a person, which, in a very clever way, makes this advert a short video message for the super-villain.

“We Will Do Whatever It Takes”. Inspiring and full of hope. The man message is – finally, as many people survive the cancer as die from it. The odds are improving, therefor, there is hope. The advert basically tells us that we have reached the new stage and can’t stop now, so we have to go on and continue fighting.

All three adverts have been on TV a lot recently and not once they made me feel sad and depressed, as most other charitable promotions. And, personally, I think this is the best approach, that all charities should adopt. People are aware of pain, suffering and struggle in world. Therefore, it is important to show positive changes that are being made – as they inspire people even more than a heartbreaking story.

What do you think? Have you seen any of the adverts mentioned here? Links to all of them are included, therefore, click on the title of each advert and have a look.

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Please share with me, as i am happy to see what are the thoughts on this subject.

Thank you for stopping by.

 

Rada

How Would You Define Marketing?

During my time at University I had to do additional reading that did not include study texts or library books. I actually had to read proper Business magazines or newspapers. The two recommended publications were “Economist” and “Financial Times”. I gave it a go, but gave up quite easily. Both were heavily focused on economics and politics – serious subjects, written about in serious language. The hardest one was the “Financial Times”. I felt like I was trying to read and understand Chinese – it was just too complicated. Besides, it is hard to get into the subject if it is not interesting fro you at all.

That is when I decided to pop in to my local WHSmith and check what other options I may have. As I was really interested in Marketing, I decided to look for magazines that are focused on that and luckily, I stumbled upon “Marketing Week” and “Marketing” magazine. I could not decide which one to pick so I bought both copies.

I really enjoy reading both of them, although I find that “Marketing” magazine is more interesting and enjoyable to read. Since then I got myself the annual subscription (thank you student’s discount!) and never looked back. Before I went to university I spent my days reading silly gossip magazines and thought that life does not get better than that. However, once I started reading proper magazines about the industry I want to work in – things changed.

I never knew it is possible to read the review about the commercial and actually enjoy it! Or feel really overwhelmed by the article about Digital Agencies. Getting inspired by the cover art or looking forward to receive next issue and feeling upset that the magazine comes out only once a month…

Anyway, the subject that I wanted to talk about (as you may see) is completely different. It was partially inspired by “Marketing” magazine. Normally, at the very end you could find a short Q and A with certain Marketing professional. And one of the questions was to describe or define what Marketing means for them. This was really interesting part as not a single person ever have provided the same answer.

This got me thinking about my own attitude towards the definition. How did I feel about it? What does it mean to me? How would I define it? For a wile I was uncertain about the answer. Until I came across one of the articles about Steve Jobs. There was his quote that forever stuck in my mind:

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them”.

I know that it is taken out of the context (he was talking about customer feedback) and it is still widely criticised, but for me this is how I would describe Marketing. In this industry you use and analyse data, resources and information and based on your findings you create the campaign that carries a message. This message tells and shows people why they need this product or service. However, I think that this is where the comparison with Steve Jobs’ idea ends. The customer’s feedback is actually very important and should not be ignored. It plays a huge part in the process that creates the campaign or promotion, therefore, we should not neglect it.

What do you think about this subject? What would you say is your perfect definition or understanding of Marketing? Please do share!

Thank you for stopping by.

 

Rada

Beginning of My Journey

Hello again and welcome!

In this very first proper blog post I wanted to share with you my story and beginning of my journey.

I come from not very well-known country called Latvia. Every time people hear this name they look puzzled and confused. Explaining the geographical location does not  help at all. In addition to that, because I speak Russian – people automatically assume that I am Polish (simply because both languages are very similar), therefore, sometimes I leave it at that.

I came to England eight years ago when I was 19. By that time I have already finished high school and one year of Sociology studies at University. Quite honestly, I did not enjoy this degree much, but in my country it does not matter what degree you have – as long as you have diploma from University – your chances to get a good job are quite high. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do or who I wanted to become, so it did not matter for me what degree to choose.

I came to England to spend the summer with my aunt, who moved there years earlier with her family. It was a good opportunity for me to practice my English and also find a temporary job, to earn tuition fees.

Unfortunately, the plan failed. I spend whole summer looking for job with no success. Then, in September I got lucky. I worked for an agency, so the job was never the same. I picked strawberries on a farm (the hardest job ever!), I was sorting tomatoes in fruit and vegetable factory. I was packing sausages and pigs in a blanket on a meat factory (working in a -10°C was a challenge). I also packed ready meals and helped out on a chocolate factory.

In November 2006 I got my first permanent job and because the pay was good, I decided to stay. I was working for a book wholesaler and the job was fine, but it was physically challenging. After 3 years of lifting, picking, packing heavy books I decided that I have to do something about it. I am smart, so why should I use my hands to earn money? I could use my brains to do my job and get rewarded for that.

This is when I decided to go to University. I had to attend college first, to get UK equivalent of my high school grades. I went on to attend Access to Higher Education course. At this stage I had to choose the direction I wanted to pursue and this time I decided to go for Business Studies. Seeing how business works at my workplace, I knew that I have what it takes to succeed in this field.

My employer allowed me to work part-time hours, so I could combine work with studies. I was too afraid to leave a job and have no financial support whatsoever, so in the mornings I was at college and in the evenings I was working. I had absolutely no free time and it was exhausting. I had to prioritize work and juggle multiple things and projects at once, but all hard work paid off.

University of Brighton accepted my application for International Business Degree and I started my studies on 14th September 2010. That was one of the happiest days of my life. I was very proud of myself and at that point I was very determined to succeed.

My degree covered all aspects of Business, with option to choose a specific field at the very end. I really liked this concept – try a bit of everything, see what you like and go for the one you want. This is when I discovered that I really enjoy Marketing. I had no prior knowledge of it, but I seemed to be naturally good at it. Therefore, I filled my final year with Marketing related subjects. The more I learned the more I liked it. Even now there is still so much I could learn – this is one of the things that I like about this field.

After graduating, I started working full-time again, hoping that I will find job that is more suited to my skills very soon. However, my Managers and superiors noticed my skills and determination, so I was transferred from warehouse to their offices, where I was offered a job in Consumer Direct Services. That was not ideal, but better than warehouse work, so I accepted. Now it has been one year since I am doing the office work. It is good, but I do not feel that I use all my skills and my potential to the full, therefore, l am still looking for my perfect opportunity.

I am with this company for eight years now and I am really grateful, however, I am looking for a chance to get my foot through the door and get in to the industry. So far I have been unlucky. The response is always the same – you are great and very smart, but we need experience. That vicious circle… However, I am determined and I do believe that one day the opportunity will come along. It is very important not to give up and remain optimistic. As I was once told “Do not give up. The beginning is always the hardest”.

I apologise for this immensely long post, but I felt like there is a need to get it out there. I would be happy to hear about your experience as well. Did you land your dream job? Are you still looking? Any good advice? Do share – I will be happy to hear from you.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

Rada

Welcome!

 

Welcome to my blog! My name is Rada and it is very nice to meet you.

I have recently graduated from University and during that time I have discovered my passion for Marketing. At the moment I am still trying to secure my dream job and build a career, but, as we all know it, the first steps are always the hardest. That is why I decided to create this blog. That will give me a chance to share my knowledge and opinion about various topics with the rest of the world. Hopefully, it will get me some attention, too and that will never hurt, right?

I do hope you will find it interesting. If you will agree with something I wrote – great. If not – do share, I love to hear what other people have to say. As we all know it – communication is the key!

Thank you once again for stopping by.

 

Rada