This Oreo Ad Kind Of Sucks

This Oreo ad has been making its rounds on the interwebs and, well, it’s certainly attention-grabbing. Nobody knows quite yet if it’s a real ad approved by the powers-that-be at Kraft Foods or just a mock-up but either way, it’s a major publicity coup for Oreo. And it has people divided on whether the ad by Agency Cheil Worldwide is awesome and brilliant or rather inappropriate because of the way it sexualizes the act of breastfeeding.

Some are calling it “unethical” like the person who wrote, “There is a thin line between creative liberty and ethics. A complete fail for me” while another finds it “absolutely fantastic,” noting that the look in the baby’s eyes is priceless. Personally, I think the ad kind of sucks. Not for the above reason, mind you, but because it’s a blatant attempt at grabbing people’s attention without making much sense. Ads don’t need to be literal, of course, but the whole idea enjoying an Oreo cookie along with a nice warm glass of milk just isn’t working. I mean, never mind that the baby is too young to eat a cookie I’ll let that part go but I just don’t get who this ad is even geared towards. Certainly not babies. Not toddlers, either. Is it geared towards men? If so, that’s just creepy.

Maybe it’s moms they’re after but if that’s the case, I’m not buying it. Don’t get me wrong I’m not offended by this ad, and in some ways it almost normalizes breastfeeding, which is cool but it just seems like it’s trying too hard to touch upon a hot-button topic with no real rhyme or reason. As one commenter on Ads of the World points out, “Simply not pleasant. Nor appealing. (Are you going to have a nice warm cup of mother’s milk with your cookie now?).” My thoughts exactly!

What do you think of this controversial ad?

(Photo: adsoftheworld.com)