OK, they had us at the leopard print. But this new commercial for Canada Dry Ginger Ale Bold has more than NextTribe’s signature print going for it. It has a fabulously feisty star who is ready to set you right on any stereotypes you might have about older women.
The first words of the 15-second spot are: “I’m not your Grandma.” And from there our leopard-clad spokeswoman tells us the ways she’s not like any grandmother who might drink regular Canada Dry Ginger Ale. In one version, she says she doesn’t wear 12 layers of clothes in July. In another, she reports she doesn’t nap every 20 minutes.
All the while we see our gal doing things that distinguish her from what you’d expect from a woman her age. Playing poker, shooting pool, getting under the hood to fix a car engine, maybe boxing?
Then she delivers the punch line. The new version of the classic soda has an “extra kick of real ginger taste that will blow the tennis balls off your Grandma’s walker.”
You’ve Come a Long Way Grannie!
We’ve often lamented that advertising doesn’t accurately reflect women our age. We’re too often shown as frail or dumpy or simpering or in some other unattractive light to make a point or a joke. So it is truly refreshing to see a woman strut her stuff in an ad for a mainstream product (and one that is not about menopause or embarrassing bladder leaks).
Indeed, this commercial has nothing at all to do with age. It simply uses a feisty older woman to make a point about perceptions in general. Basically, you think you know ginger ale? Well, you know it about as well as you know all the things women this age actually can do.
The only times we’ve seen the ad run is during football games, which is just icing on the cake. It means it’s challenging the preconceptions of a huge audience of men, who could really benefit from the challenge.
We thank Canada Dry for spotlighting a woman who looks and talks the way we do–with unapologetic directness and self-assurance and plenty of irreverence. And we certainly appreciate the name for the new version of the drink, since we’re all about boldness ourselves.
Read More: Ageism on Social Media is Rampant—Even Martha Stewart and Helen Mirren Are Targets
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