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I disagree. I think it was made by millennials, aimed at Gen X or boomers, but expressed pity instead of empathy which is why people don't like it. It might be

by vba616 5y ago

I disagree. I think it was made by millennials, aimed at Gen X or boomers, but expressed pity instead of empathy which is why people don't like it. It might be useful to compare and contrast other ads that have tried to do something similar. There was an ad a while ago for Cialis or Viagra, that said stuff along the lines of "you've reached the age of getting things done". Nothing about sex per se, just a middle-aged guy and a subtext of competence, and doing what it takes for relationships and other responsibilities. That seems to me to be focusing on something that older people take pride in, that even though they may not be physically capable of everything younger people are, they have lost some of the vanities and insecurities. It's not just saying "how sad is it that you can't get it up, you need our product".

scotty79 5y ago
> I disagree. I think it was made by millennials, aimed at Gen X or boomers, but expressed pity instead of empathy which is why people don't like it. I'm not sure why you think that. There's nothing it this ad for Gen X. Not a single hook for them. So either the ad agency that Facebook hired is incompetent, or Gen X are not a target. And Gen X being offended by it is just a side effect. Maybe not a desired one but acceptable because they were out of scope. > There was an ad a while ago for Cialis or Viagra, that said stuff along the lines of "you've reached the age of getting things done". Nothing about sex per se, just a middle-aged guy and a subtext of competence, and doing what it takes for relationships and other responsibilities. I think you made a very good connection. "you've reached the age of getting things done" explicitly reminds you that you are not like you used to be. You are aging and things just don't work for you the same way they did. You need to step up. Get your sh_t together. And if you wan't to live again like you did in your youth, where sex was great because you could satisfy your partner you should buy our product. This ad is strongly negging just like the Facebook ad is. It's knocking you down a peg under the pretense of complement. There's also a callback to good old times, times when competence came naturally, of times when you were proud of yourself. And it is also disparaging the young people overtly as "the ones that don't get things done". but that's just a pose that the ad wants to imprint on you, the real middle-aged guy. To mask your fears that it was actually the young who got things done and you are less and less able to do that.
- erik_seaberg 5y ago
  When John Hughes released The Breakfast Club, teenagers were all Gen X. A discount Chuck E. Cheese playing the big hit in a video arcade is not very subtle.
  - scotty79 5y ago
    The Breakfast Club from 1985? Sorry, I messed up generations. Thought Gen-X came after millenials not before. Oh well, maybe the ad missed the mark because Gen-X are already so old they firmly started telling themsrlves fantasy that there's something noble about having your body wrecked by age and knowing better than younger generations and dismissing the notion that changing world brought anything of value. And they just hate this ad for trying to pull them back into reality. Then offering virtual salvation falls flat because they already have estabilished virtual reality in their minds that setves them well.
    - erik_seaberg 5y ago
      I don’t know, people here are saying they hated it but I didn't; I think it might have landed where it could.
- vba616 5y ago
  >There's nothing it this ad for Gen X. Not a single hook for them You've lost track of time, like many of us. Even the youngest Gen X'ers are old enough to be grandparents now! The oldest Gen X'ers are in their late 50s. Staring down retirement and the old folks' home. The youngest Gen X'ers are mid 40s, and likely evaluating their mid-life situation, even if it's not a "crisis". Very likely have a "pre-existing condition" of some sort. If they aren't grandparents, they're probably parents, and if they aren't parents, they probably aren't going to be. Things are pretty much settled at any rate. Some of the people who were never going to own a home changed their mind a few years ago. Some have gone through the death of both parents and most of their generation. >This ad is strongly negging just like the Facebook ad is But where's the positive in the FB ad? The only positive is in what they're selling. There needs to be something positive about the audience, the target viewer. The Viagra ad may be manipulative, heck you can call it "predatory", but it is still appealing to something that older people take pride in. A self-image of doing what has to be done, not letting embarrassment stop you, accepting everyone has bodily functions. Being able to dismiss what other people may consider "cringe" and bullshit in general. Understanding what is important and what is not. Now, you may roll your eyes at that, at how gullible and hidebound and stupid old people you know are. But that's not the point, the point is that people who get to a certain point feel like that is the justification for whatever hardships and physical deterioration they have experienced. Another example that comes to mind is the flyers I get in the mail for life insurance, that seem to be aimed at older people who vaguely remember providing for their family, and love their grandchildren, and want to do something even if they can't recall the logic. That seems exploitative to me, but it's still an example of advertising that's based on enough empathy to make it effective. (I assume it's effective just because it's been around so long) >To mask your fears that it was actually the young who got things done and you are less and less able to do that Well, that's to the point; it's the attitude that prevents making an effective ad. If you are thinking that, then you're almost certainly unable to see things from the other perspective. If a typical young person was able to see things from an old person's perspective, then it would prove that old people have gained nothing in compensation for being old, wouldn't it?

by vba616 5y ago

scotty79 5y ago

> I disagree. I think it was made by millennials, aimed at Gen X or boomers, but expressed pity instead of empathy which is why people don't like it. I'm not sure why you think that. There's nothing it this ad for Gen X. Not a single hook for them. So either the ad agency that Facebook hired is incompetent, or Gen X are not a target. And Gen X being offended by it is just a side effect. Maybe not a desired one but acceptable because they were out of scope. > There was an ad a while ago for Cialis or Viagra, that said stuff along the lines of "you've reached the age of getting things done". Nothing about sex per se, just a middle-aged guy and a subtext of competence, and doing what it takes for relationships and other responsibilities. I think you made a very good connection. "you've reached the age of getting things done" explicitly reminds you that you are not like you used to be. You are aging and things just don't work for you the same way they did. You need to step up. Get your sh_t together. And if you wan't to live again like you did in your youth, where sex was great because you could satisfy your partner you should buy our product. This ad is strongly negging just like the Facebook ad is. It's knocking you down a peg under the pretense of complement. There's also a callback to good old times, times when competence came naturally, of times when you were proud of yourself. And it is also disparaging the young people overtly as "the ones that don't get things done". but that's just a pose that the ad wants to imprint on you, the real middle-aged guy. To mask your fears that it was actually the young who got things done and you are less and less able to do that.

erik_seaberg 5y ago
When John Hughes released The Breakfast Club, teenagers were all Gen X. A discount Chuck E. Cheese playing the big hit in a video arcade is not very subtle.
- scotty79 5y ago
  The Breakfast Club from 1985? Sorry, I messed up generations. Thought Gen-X came after millenials not before. Oh well, maybe the ad missed the mark because Gen-X are already so old they firmly started telling themsrlves fantasy that there's something noble about having your body wrecked by age and knowing better than younger generations and dismissing the notion that changing world brought anything of value. And they just hate this ad for trying to pull them back into reality. Then offering virtual salvation falls flat because they already have estabilished virtual reality in their minds that setves them well.
  - erik_seaberg 5y ago
    I don’t know, people here are saying they hated it but I didn't; I think it might have landed where it could.
vba616 5y ago
>There's nothing it this ad for Gen X. Not a single hook for them You've lost track of time, like many of us. Even the youngest Gen X'ers are old enough to be grandparents now! The oldest Gen X'ers are in their late 50s. Staring down retirement and the old folks' home. The youngest Gen X'ers are mid 40s, and likely evaluating their mid-life situation, even if it's not a "crisis". Very likely have a "pre-existing condition" of some sort. If they aren't grandparents, they're probably parents, and if they aren't parents, they probably aren't going to be. Things are pretty much settled at any rate. Some of the people who were never going to own a home changed their mind a few years ago. Some have gone through the death of both parents and most of their generation. >This ad is strongly negging just like the Facebook ad is But where's the positive in the FB ad? The only positive is in what they're selling. There needs to be something positive about the audience, the target viewer. The Viagra ad may be manipulative, heck you can call it "predatory", but it is still appealing to something that older people take pride in. A self-image of doing what has to be done, not letting embarrassment stop you, accepting everyone has bodily functions. Being able to dismiss what other people may consider "cringe" and bullshit in general. Understanding what is important and what is not. Now, you may roll your eyes at that, at how gullible and hidebound and stupid old people you know are. But that's not the point, the point is that people who get to a certain point feel like that is the justification for whatever hardships and physical deterioration they have experienced. Another example that comes to mind is the flyers I get in the mail for life insurance, that seem to be aimed at older people who vaguely remember providing for their family, and love their grandchildren, and want to do something even if they can't recall the logic. That seems exploitative to me, but it's still an example of advertising that's based on enough empathy to make it effective. (I assume it's effective just because it's been around so long) >To mask your fears that it was actually the young who got things done and you are less and less able to do that Well, that's to the point; it's the attitude that prevents making an effective ad. If you are thinking that, then you're almost certainly unable to see things from the other perspective. If a typical young person was able to see things from an old person's perspective, then it would prove that old people have gained nothing in compensation for being old, wouldn't it?