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Clorox makes a product line called Green Works.
Pause and consider what an oxymoron it is for a BLEACH company to make an eco-friendly line of cleaning products.
Their bread and butter is harsh chemicals, folks. If they start saving the earth and going green, it undercuts their brand, method, and cornerstone products.
That aside, they have a new ad out: the “Green Housewives.” Watch. Laugh. (Seriously, it’s ok to laugh. Though to be honest, the writing is pretty crappy and it’s not really that funny. Swing-an-a-miss!)
The video ad is titled “Greener Than Thou.“ (See where this is headed yet?)
This could have been funny! Get a better writer and approach the subject in a less divisive way, and I probably would have shared it on my Facebook page for its humor. (Ok, that’s not true, I doubt I’d share a Clorox ad. Just…no.)
This ad accomplishes three things:
1. It makes women who can spot greenwashing seem like extremists. You don’t want to scrutinize labels, ask questions, or educate yourself on the products you use and become some crazy extremist, do you? (Apparently, only smug, white, upper middle class women are “Free range and out of control”…interesting.)
2. The perfect is the enemy of the good, so join Clorox in being good enough. Well played.
3. It pits women against each other. This is the big one. They’ve created this false dichotomy that you’re either “normal” or “extreme.” Divide women and conquer us, Clorox. You’ll never win with the ones who see through your greenwashing, so convince the “normal” women to reject them.
So you’ve watched Clorox’s attempt at a hilarious, viral ad (however poorly executed). Maybe you still don’t like Clorox. But you’ve still subconsciously identified with one side or the other while you watched that, so Clorox wins. Be smarter than the big brand and their marketing.
Read more: http://amywest.co/2013/01/28/clorox-green-housewives/#ixzz2JIYbJBQT
What do you think? I think the highlighted part hits home.
Replies
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OCD anyone?
I will say there is a substantial difference in the green clorox product. I am suddenly allergic to bleach after my last surgery. The funny thing to me is technically bleach comes from an organic compound. I wonder if those OCD with organic really look for a carbon hydrogen bond. Lead can be organic and is highly toxic in that form.
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I can't use bleach so if some one wants to think they are better than I am, smarter than I am, for using it or falling for these antics.........more power to them.
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We have been trying to get all the chemical cleaners out of our house. A couple months ago I told our cleaners to use our water and vinegar solution throughout the house. They gave me the biggest look of shock and disgust. -
I think it is really funny. I love it.
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This is funny because I know people who are actually like this --including the personal sniping and one-up-manship.
Hilariously, they're just as likely to be blind in one eye --driving their SUVs to the local market to buy imported organic oranges, or biking to the local soap factory to buy detergents made exactly the same way all detergents are made, but with appropriately aesetic, drab labels (also made exactly the same way colourful, stylish labels are made.)
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It's an industry and $$$ maker. The ladies, LOL.
I have this book on green technology and all the +s and -s- net zero is what I deduced.
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I didn't find it funny....it made me want to gag. -
Quoting krysstizzle:
2. The perfect is the enemy of the good, so join Clorox in being good enough. Well played.
I prefer reluctant buy-in to no buy-in.
Once a company puts a bit of reputation behind saying "Hey, at least we're trying", they become much more vulnerable to people pointing out "Err, what about X, Y and Z which you also do" which, in turn, means the company are more likely to move over to doing X', Y' and Z' which are slightly greener, if they get the chance.
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Quoting krysstizzle:
Clorox makes a product line called Green Works.
Pause and consider what an oxymoron it is for a BLEACH company to make an eco-friendly line of cleaning products.
Their bread and butter is harsh chemicals, folks. If they start saving the earth and going green, it undercuts their brand, method, and cornerstone products.
This is though: progress of technology.
Don't we want the companies that make the products we use around our homes to be motivated to put money into researching ways to change the fundamental properties, realities, of how those products work?
Someone found a way to make car windscreens use glass that doesn't cut people into thousands of pieces when it shatters. The cars 100 years back didn't have that. It took improving the technology. Same thing.
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I didn't watch the video because my phone takes it's sweet time and I don't have the patience right now. I've been using the green works cleaner for years now because it smells good and works.