Hefty Responds to Trash Bag Commercial Complaint

Someone at Hefty has responded to my complaint about their current commercial trashing men. Among other reasons they give for running this ad is the fact that they ran it through several focus groups, which found it "humorous." She does not tell me what the ratio of women to men in those focus groups were. She does, however, apologize for the offensiveness of the advertisement. Her letter (as well as my original) may be read by clicking Read More below.--------

Hefty's response to me

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Dear Mr. Hanback,



First, I would like to apologize to you for offending you with our new television commercial. We meant no harm. In fact, a lot of research was done before the ad was put together and it was decided to do something like this as a "tongue-in-cheek" approach to the women consumers who do most of the shopping for groceries and clean up items, etc. After filming the ad, but before any final decisions were made as to whether or not we would go with it, the company then spent considerable time showing it to focus groups to get a good feel for their reaction. The overwhelming majority of consumers found it amusing. They thought it funny and cute, with no serious thoughts to "throw out" the men in their lives.



Considering the level of seriousness we all must deal with today, we were simply trying to approach the introduction of a new style trash bag with some humor. We would never knowingly offend or annoy our consumers in anyway. Again, please accept our apology.



Sincerely,





Arlene Stafford

Consumer Affairs Representative

Pactiv Corporation



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My original letter

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Dear Sir or Madam:



This notice is to inform you that I will no longer be purchasing any
products under the "Hefty" brand. I have come to this decision because
of a recent advertising campaign intended to besmirch and degrade men
to the level of women's garbage.



As a single man and the owner of my own home, I have always relied on
Hefty products, but from now on I will be purchasing my garbage bags
and other plastics products from your biggest competitor. I also intend
to request that my local Wal-Mart and Food Lion (where I do my shopping
for these items) refrain from stocking your product, so that other men
who have not seen your ad are not unwittingly supporting the idea
that they are nothing but garbage.



The advertisement to which I am referring is a television ad campaign
in which a woman compares having Hefty trash bags to having a "big
strong man" around the house, which she can then trash when she's done
with "him." As a man, this advertisement is insulting on a variety of
levels:



1. It paints a picture of men as soulless, lifeless "tools,"
good for nothing but exploitation by women;

2. It encourages women to think of men as "garbage" and not
people; garbage which can be tossed out and trampled upon without
second thought to our humanity;

3. Together with other male bashing ads by other companies and
advertising agencies, your ad further polarizes men and women against
each other, and fosters greater resentment between the sexes.

In another way, this particular advertisement insults women because it
paints all women as heartless and evil people who are simply looking
for someone on whom to take pleasure by destruction.



In this day and age when fewer men are choosing to marry out of fear of
divorce and the destruction of their lives, and more and more women are
become violent and murderous toward their husbands, boyfriends, and
male children, your ad is an unwelcome instigator.



Considering the above, I implore you to take the following action:



1. Remove the offending advertisement and all others like it
from the airwaves;



2. Fire your ad agency and marketing people, and demand your
money back from the amazing display of social incompetence that created
this offensive piece;



3. Reply to my message so that I know you received it and are
taking this matter seriously.



I am forwarding this complaint to everyone I can find who may be
affiliated with this particular advertisment. I am also posting it to
several locations on the Internet which support men's interests, so
that others may see my outrage and duplicate my action against it.



I also hope that you do understand my reasons for behaving this way
against your company. I have nothing personal against you, nor do I
have any complaints about your product. I am simply tired of and
frustrated with fighting to prove myself a human being in women's minds
every day. Advertisements like yours make that struggle all the more
difficult, and make my life all the less worth living.



Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.



Respectfully,

James Hanback, Jr.

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