An off-puttingly sexual ad for Halls Refresh. – By Seth Stevenson – Slate Magazine

The Spot: It’s move-in day at a college dorm. A student asks his new roommate’s mom whether she’d care for a Halls Refresh. The young man and the middle-aged mom suck on their lozenges, staring lasciviously into each other’s eyes. We hear their thoughts. “So juicy!” thinks the mom. “Yeah, she likes it,” thinks the student. The woman’s husband and son walk in on this intimate moment. “Mom!” shouts the horrified son as the dad recoils. “New Halls Refresh with moisture action,” says the announcer. “Surprisingly mouthwatering.”

This ad has been catching flak for its mildly disturbing visual of a frumpy mom making bedroom eyes at a college-age nerd. The American Decency Association posted a breathless, run-on rant on its Web site, sounding particularly distressed about the fact that the ad shows “mouths moving in sexually suggestive ways.” A Slate colleague is also grossed out by the ad’s use of the evocative phrase “moisture action.”

True, the ad is a wee bit icky. But I’m having trouble working up much outrage. I’m more interested in a fundamental marketing question: Who, exactly, is this ad supposed to reach?

via An off-puttingly sexual ad for Halls Refresh. – By Seth Stevenson – Slate Magazine.