Summer's Eve Vagina Commercial Angers Latinas

Summer’s Eve, the company that makes feminine hygiene products is getting slammed on the internet by Latinas for its latest campaign “Hail to the V.” No it’s not hail to victory, but rather hail to the vagina. Yes, let’s just put it out there: The vagina—your vagina.

Summer’s Eve “Hail to the V” is supposed to get Latinas interested in their feminine wash products, but it looks like it may be having the opposite effect. Ever since the company posted its campaign videos on YouTube earlier this month, it’s been getting lots of  angry feedback. Here are just a few comments:

“Racist and just plain stupid”

 "This is awful.”

I watched the commercial aimed at Latinas. I thought this is either the dumbest marketing I’ve seen in a while or could it be possible that this was Summers Eve’s way of creating a controversy? You know to get women talking. I’ve always heard; good or bad publicity—it’s publicity.

Vagina ads for different ethnic groups

The Dallas based branding company, The Richards Group is the brainchild behind these commercials for Summer's Eve.  They produced specific ads for white women, Latinas and African American women.

What I don’t get is why separate ads for each of us? I mean as women we have the “V” in common, right?

I’m just wondering did the ad execs at The Richards Group even test these commercials with a group of Latinas? Remember, The Richards Group is based in Dallas, Texas where we have a large Latino community.

How about the marketing folks at Summer's Eve. The commercials have red flags all over the place and they didn't see them? 

The Talking Hand

The commercial features a "talking hand" that’s supposed to be a vagina. Oh wait it gets better. Graphics start exploding on the screen as the hand starts moving and the voice over begins with “Aye!Aye!Aye!Aye!Aye! .” I guess the ad execs figure we Latinas say that all the time.

The voice over is of a woman with a heavy Latina accent. OK, I know some Latinas speak with accents, but many of us don’t.  Now here’s the smack in the face stereotype: the “talking hand” starts chattering about a “tacky leopard thong.” Then the voice over switches from English to Spanish and some Spanglish is thrown in the mix.

B. Lopez posted on Facebook "...I found the ad insulting and offensive. Not to mention that whom ever wrote this spot did not research how Latina women speak."




Abena20 wrote on YouTube:

"The only thing Summer Eve is accomplishing with this ad campaign is pissing people off with racism and misogyny. They better stop here. I'd hate to see what they do next lol."

African American women aren't happy either

If you think these ads stereotype Latinas; wait till you see the one produced for the African American market.

Laura812w posted on YouTube "I am NAUSEATED....UNACCEPTABLE"

Summer’s Eve and The Richards Group: Go back to the drawing board

Look, if you’re going to market to Latinas; DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Are you hearing us ad execs? It’s amazing how several U.S. companies are trying to get a piece of the buying power of 50 million Latinos in our country, but some advertising executives just don’t get it.

Larry Woodward gets it.  He's a Governors at Large with the American Association of Advertising Agencies' New York Council.  On a blog on abcnews.com, Woodward says that large advertising companies are mostly white and he adds "That's why you see so many black, Hispanic and Asian stereotypes in ads. There are very few black, Hispanic and Asian chief creative officers to say: "Hell, no!" 


The Richards Group trainees

Here's something interesting that I found on Facebook.  On July 15, The Richards Group posted a photo (right) on its page of its latest branding trainees.  Can you see who is missing?  Kind of obvious.

I hope Summer's Eve and The Richards Group learn from their mistakes and go back to the drawing board. 

Questions or comments for Summer's Eve can be directed to
its website: Contact page or to The Richards Group website.

Update: On July 27, 2011, Summer's Eve pulled its controversial
ads.


Rebecca Aguilar is the Founder of the social networking group, Wise Latinas Linked on Facebook and Linkedin.