Polaroid Corp., Morse

Members:

1997 Television 0% Report A Problem

A young, Matthew Broderick-type makes eyes at a sexy gal across a bar and begins to flash her with Morse-coded light signals, courtesy of the PolaPulse "pocket-light thing" from Polaroid. The message the guy sends, with the help of a Morse code book, is "I find you deeply attractive."

Behind the woman is a crusty, old sailor who intercepts the message, thinks it's meant for him and angrily jumps up to hit the hapless guy.

This ad is one of advertising's most obvious and recent cases of homophobia, where a man can't stand the idea of another calling him attractive--even mistakenly.

Polaroid has referenced homosexuality four times in its commercials, once implying a lesbian kiss and another time showing friends playing the kissing game "Spin the Bottle."

Company

Polaroid Corp.

Brand

Polaroid

Industry

Cameras/Film

Media Outlet

Television

Country

United Kingdom

Region

North America, Europe,

Agency

Bartle Bogle Hegarty

AdRespect Themes

Homophobia/Transphobia

Violence

User Comments

Moni

I think it's funny and though I can see how some may be offended, the point here is people take things way too seriously. Yes, maybe this commercial shows homophobia, but in reality there are a lot of things that heterosexuals do that aren’t favored by homosexuals and vice versa. We’ve all seen ads where the heterosexual is the butt of the joke but you don’t see people up in arms over it. You see comedy coming from both ends in advertisements these days and I don’t think it’s fair to pick one ad out of the mass to claim that media bashes all homosexuals.

Dean Morris

This is clearly a cartoony production to make up for any potential pain. The cast is all cartoon types (that's probably a captain or officer, NOT a sailor). There's no violence, only a hint, but the kid's too quick to get hurt. The beard is styled to be rather delicious and hints at rough trade. How about offering a "mixed feelings" button for voting?

Don

I guess a poor product will only provide us with a poor commercial. What can we really expect when the product is a handheld flashy light thingy? The ad execs were probably reaching into the bottom of the barrel for this one.

Darus Walls

What Don from Ontario said, I agree whole heartedly!

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