Are The Latest 'Gossip Girl' Ads Scandalous Or Smart?
Posted by casey on 07-30-2008
While teenagers shouldn't be stereotyped, there are a few exceptions. It's safe to assume that most love their cell phones, Zac Efron and… rebellion. If parents are vocal about their disapproval of certain music, movies, or television, their kids' interest will be even more piqued than it originally was. The CW took this idea and ran with it to promote "Gossip Girl's" second season. Alongside ads that claim the show is "A Nasty Piece of Work" and "Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate," the raciest and most hyped promo boasts that the show is "Every Parent's Nightmare," a criticism courtesy of a quote from the Boston Herald.
Instead of trying to get in parents' good graces with morals and manners, the show goes the opposite route by playing up parental disapproval. And it's brilliant. Potential viewers will catch sight of these ads and think, "Wait, so there is more to the show than just fashion, designers and too many bow headbands?" It's impossible to catch sight of something so scandalous and not feel a little interested… especially if you're 15.
The Huffington Post recently published a piece from Tina Wells, the founder of Buzz Marketing, that challenged the idea behind this campaign, insisting that racy isn't the route to attract teens:
…After all, it's what teens want, isn't it? According to Rick Haskins, the CW's executive vice president of marketing, the network is merely talking the language of teens. The show's 30-something creators are simply showing the teens themselves, right? WRONG! Sure, the PTC can be annoying, and I can understand the temptation to use their words against them. But I have a real problem with how marketers perpetuate stereotypes without even taking the time to ask their audience. It's all about how they see youth, not how they actually are. It's what they want kids to be, but I bet when they're sitting in that room coming up with the show's concept, there isn't a person under 20 anywhere in the vicinity.
As a college student, I find myself in "Gossip Girl's" target audience and, like a great majority of my friends, can't get enough. For people I know who haven't gotten around to watching the show, these ads have already sparked their interest. Sex still sells, especially when it's happening between a cast of ridiculously beautiful people. And while "Gossip Girl" hasn't reached the same level of success that "The Hills" has found, as Tina points out, the show is still new. The announcement to bring back online streaming is enormously encouraging (both for the busy teen viewer and for the future of the show); after all, 600,000 viewers catch "The Hills" online.
Season two kicks off in a month, so we won't have to wait long to see if the ads will make a splash and attract new viewers - or if the show will, you know, lose all of their under-18 audience because parents are offended to the point of banning it in their homes. Hey, it could happen. Also, if you missed it in yesterday's Essentials, take a look at 'Gossip Girl' and Others Branding Sex in Ads (ABC News).
