Girls Don T Poop Ad Analysis

“How do you make the world believe your poop doesn’t stink? Or in fact, that you never poop at all?” (poopourri.com, 2013) An ad campaign for the Poo-Pourri “before-you-go” toilet spray answers just that. The Poo-Pourri spray is promoted by a lady-like woman who claims to produce troubling odours in the bathroom. She reveals her need for the product as she is shown sitting on a toilet in unconventional places like an office, a party, and even her lover’s apartment. This humorous “Girls Don’t Poop” ad not only promotes the product’s quality, but it also assures to “save relationships” (poopourri.com, 2013). Meanwhile, it distorts the reality of social relationships using gender, socioeconomic, and racial stereotypes. With the notion that fecal

First, it is relatable to women as the ad illustrates frequently visited places such as the workplace. By placing a woman on a toilet in the centre of the room and away from the bathroom, it implies that its lingering odours can reach far. It is true, toilets can smell unpleasant, however the smell wouldn’t typically reach the inside of an office. In addition, the ad presents the shallow perspective that natural odours may jeopardize meaningful relationships. As a result, it provides a solution for hiding something that is completely natural. It suggests that the product guarantees to mend relationships, both social and romantic. However, in reality, it is common knowledge that both men and women use the bathroom. Therefore the ad manipulates consumers to believe they need something that is not at all necessary. And finally, the ad generalizes

In this case, Poo-Pourri is targeting women, and is therefore starring a woman. It suggests that women who want to be lady-like should mask their smells as she begins listing other alternatives. She unsuccessfully tries to “mask the stench” with Aerosol, and even explains that “flushing only removes the graphing evidence” (poopourri.com, 2013). The brand is attempting to connect with the female audience by listing situations in which they may want to hide their smells, making the product more desirable. Not to mention, the humour makes the subject easier to discuss. By speaking out to the ladies and addressing her personal issues in a funny way, the woman in the ad becomes almost like a friend. Therefore, a female rather than a male is used to promote the brand and to generate trust from its targeted female consumers. Secondly, consumers are influenced to purchase Poo-Pourri using positive reviews. She claims, “our business is to make it smell like your business never even happened”, and that the product has been proven to work with a “better Amazon rating than the iPhone 5” (poopourri.com, 20130). This product guarantee and highly credible rating undeniably help the brand. Most importantly, the advertisement presents what it claims to be socially expected. By doing so, it introduces a false serotype that lady-like women are always clean, presentable, and do not produce bad odours in the