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Working With Brands, Getting Beat Up. It’s Part of the Paycheck Ladies

Cool Whip is the latest brand to launch a blogger campaign. They took some prominent bloggers and put them into their online and offline marketing campaigns.

These women were in magazine ads. They’re beautiful moms and they are bloggers.

Cool Whip then posted these images on their facebook page and asked for feedback.

DO NOT ASK FOR FEEDBACK YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO HEAR.

The first comments didn’t like the moms and then the next thirty or so comments were from their friends.

I found Michelle Ferguson’s comment a little strange but four other people thought a blonde, a brunette, an African American Indian and a latina mom weren’t diverse enough.

Someone wanted the moms to look harried and frazzled… I’m not sure she’s making a great point.

Is it worth it? I suspect it is, but as a blogger is this the sort of campaign you’re hoping to land one day? Can you take the criticism?

 

33 thoughts on “Working With Brands, Getting Beat Up. It’s Part of the Paycheck Ladies”

  1. My opinion is probably the unpopular one, but if the moms looked frazzled and sleepy Cool Whip would look like a lot of work.  As for hiring moms that look like they have kids (size wise) – they are moms… with actual kids.  SUre it couldn’t hurt to vary the size a little, but most negative comments are coming from personal insecurities.  Cool Whip is yummy.  It is easy.  They look lovely.
    Mothers are the harshest critics because so many of us are altered physically from bearing children, unsatisfied by trying to balance careers and kids, or giving up a career altogether, and make sacrifices that are not free from resentment.
    Not all… but a lot of us.

  2. I know two of these bloggers and I think they are beautiful-inside and out. They were picked because of their creativity and their love of the brand. I am so so proud of Emily. Does she really need “curves” to showcase her usage of cool whip? But what gets on my nerves is these are *real* women…not celebrities, not models, they are real moms, showcasing their homes and kids every day online. Why do people really think that a brand will use an unattractive shlep in an ad? And why do people think all moms are frumpy?? I’m not frumpy. I eat cool whip. I dont look frazzled because I have a baby that wakes up at night and a 7 year old that has a friend over here and opened the back door 4 times since I started this comment. I may be irritated…but I do it with mascara on. Sheesh.

    trisha
    momdot

    1. Kim @ What's That Smell?

       This was my thought, I think it’s self-esteem.  I don’t see too many frazzled, frumpy, not-put-together moms.  I think many moms do take at least some semblance of pride in their appearance.  Sure, some days you can’t get out of your jammies you are so busy, and most of us *think* we look awful because we are wearing sweatpants but the reality is unless you are a cartoon character or a celebrity, no one else is looking at you that closely.

  3. Actually I don’t see this at all about the women getting ‘beat up’ so much about the homogeneity of the ads, and yes, the fact that they’ve been airbrushed to death and all look like they just came home from the salon rather than the ‘time crunched’ overworked women we know most moms usually are. The point of these ads is they we are supposed to be able to relate to them, but by showing them as pretty much perfect instead they reflect everything most moms want to be but are too busy/tired/overworked to be able to achieve. They manage to alienate the very women they are trying to entice.

      1.  I don’t see the “they’re too made up” thing at all. They’re wearing low key clothes, have on low key makeup, if at all. Their nails look normal, not “just done.”
        They’re all prettier than me and have nice hair – but who doesn’t brush their hair before getting their photo taken?
        And, definitely, if any of them had been overweight than the jokes about the curves plus cool whip would’ve abounded.

        The only question I have is why they would pick bloggers as an image for their ads. Most ordinary (read non blogging) people wouldn’t know who these women are – though they may recognise their names or websites. I’m guessing it was a simple way to combine all aspects of their campaign while using “real” women (newsflash, models are real people too)

        1. LOL…That part is easy to figure out. They get a model and PR person in one. They don’t have to pay as much as they would a professional actress, and these are women who are already influential in their circles, and will be letting everyone and their grandmother know they just did this big campaign for Cool Whip. In short, they are cheap labor. (Usually the case anyways, maybe this once they were paid the normal rates for their work? Would be interesting to find out.)

        2. From my understanding it is because we are “real moms,” who blog. Our blog links were on the ad and then those that want, can go follow our lives if they are interested. In addition to the print ad, the campaign involves other posts and recipes which are only posted on our websites. It’s a bit different then just using a model (who happens to be a Mom) or a regular Mom off of the street because you can easily go to our websites and look at years of past posts or follow along for future updates.

      2. Yep, I saw the ad in Everyday Food last month (and sent her a congratulatory tweet) – and she looks like that in person.

        And, that last comment you clipped for the page, really? I really want to comment “You want to make no effort on your own appearance and attack others for looking good just tells me how little you like yourself, Maggie, and that comes through on how much you hate others.”

  4. Gotta agree with you on the Michelle thing, but in Black culture there is this odd thinking by SOME that some are not Black enough or look Ghetto enough (as if Ghetto living is a badge of honor0, yawn. As for showing plus size people, let’s get real, if they did those SAME women would be taking shots at her weight and making jokes about her eating cool whip. In short, this is yet another FAKE outrage by people just mouthing off and more so because they are jealous it’s not them. 

  5. Advertising ain’t about reality. They’re never going to use women who are mussed up, overweight & not particularly attractive. ‘Fake’ women (though I know they’re real people, they’re still styled & likely airbrushed) go perfectly with a ‘fake’ food like Cool Whip.

  6. Nobody likes criticism, but I tell you I would kind of LOVE to be criticized for being too pretty. Yes, I can take it. I’d consider it a feather in my cap. It’s hard work to balance all the responsibilities of motherhood and still look fabulous.

  7. I wanted to add…when was the last time someone looked frazzled dishing out cool whip.

    “OMG, its been such a terrible day, I need a shower, and my kids are screaming, I think Ill run and make some strawberry shortcake!” or “damn these heathens, they wont stop slamming the door. I know..I will make some cool whipped dessert, that sugar will surely shut them up!!”

    You do desserts on low key fun days. Not the days you are ready to kill your kids.  Frazzled = Mac and Cheese.  Fun = Dessert.

  8. I don’t think these women are the most gorgeous women on earth but they do represent SOME Moms. I make an effort to do my hair, my nails, and my make up because it makes me feel good but I wouldn’t want to eat a product held by a model with gnarly nails.

    I’m also pretty sure they aren’t all the same size. I may not be a size 4 but I strive to be one day. I also probably won’t eat Cool Whip because it contains a crap load of chemicals but it won’t stop me from serving it with my parve desserts.

    I’ve seen campaigns use bloggers as actors and they don’t always use small women but I find it offensive to say that they should choose women who look like they have kids. Not all of us gain 50lbs. during pregnancy. Not all of us stay that heavy after giving birth. Some of us do and some of us don’t… shouldn’t we accept that there are SOME moms who look like these women? It’s time for us to get off this bandwagon of ‘she can’t be a mom, she’s too skinny’.

  9. As someone mentioned, there are definitely worse things to be criticized for than looking too good.  They landed what seems like a great gig.  Good for them. But I’m still not going to buy Cool Whip.

  10. There’s diversity! The first is fat, the last has no boobs, three straighten their hair, and one of them has no teeth and is hiding her gummy smile. Sheesh! Some people.

  11. I mean I’m not going to get offended that the comments essentially say that these moms are too pretty. As a company I understand that I can’t please everyone and there will always be negative reactions to something, but that said I think they tried to be diverse. And they did pick REAL moms, not models, not actresses. Sure they are thin and pretty moms but I’m sure those moms without having a makeup and hair team for a photo shoot look just like me and you. 

  12. Is this really all these women have to complain about? Now, besides diversity in ethnicity should all ad campaigns also include a skinny, frail looking woman, an average sized woman, a slightly curvy woman and a morbidly obese woman so that everyone can feel as if they’re represented in a fucking Cool Whip ad?

  13. I say, they all look fantastic, but instead of focusing on their looks….we should be happy for their success.  It’s just the green eyed monster showing it’s ugly head – and that’s all.   So, I am no size 4, but I say, Bravo and congratulations on your success ladies!    let the hater’s hate – you keep keeping!
     And if any brand wants to put me in an ad campaign……I would glady sit the chair for hair, makeup and overall fussing to have a lovely shot as the final product!  like you wouldn’t either. 

  14. Why didn’t they use me in their campaign…grandmas use Cool Whip too. Seriously these are ads for homemade dessert with Cool Whip…who does this anyway? To the bloggers…take the criticism and laugh all the way to the bank with the check.

  15. I think that anyone who is on the internet period knows that they are going to receive criticism. Whether it be about their writing, their design, their appearance, etc. At least with this Cool Whip ad, they are getting paid for it, and probably pretty nicely. 

  16. I left a comment at PhD in Parenting’s post on this, and she linked to you so I figured I’d check your post out too! I think these moms are undeniably gorgeous, but I think for a campaign labelled “real moms” they should’ve striven for more diversity. Like maybe a mom with curly hair or curves or short hair, or glasses, or visible tattoos or piercings, or dark skin. Totally not these moms’ fault at all, and they look great, but I think it wasn’t the best decision by Cool Whip-or maybe the Cool Whip stylists who dressed them all and did their hair so similarly!

    1.  but in an advertising campaign, you have to have some consistency so the ads all look like the same campaign. So you recognize one after seeing another. Since the moms are all so different, styling them similarly helps create a consistent campaign.

  17. I could I suppose, I wouldn’t want to though. I have no interest in selling stuff for people.

    The comments are not particularly unkind to the women in the pictures, it’s more aimed at the company. Of course if they had used less attractive women there would probably have been less kind comments from a different kind of internet user!

  18. Regarding Michelle Ferguson’s comment, how many Mom’s are there of the quality she wants that are actually working in front of a camera? If they are working in front of a camera, they have make-up and all kinds of people making sure they are ready for the camera before the camera starts to roll. I feel she is asking for more of a “reality show” commerical.

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