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With Ads of the Weird, MSNBC.com takes a look at some of the oddest, most eye-catching, controversial and just plain interesting advertising out there today. Primary writer Allison Linn covers the retail and advertising industries for MSNBC.com. The Ads of the Weird team is always interested in hearing what ads have caught your attention, whether it's online, on television or in print.


Dr. Scholl's gets way too sexy for itself

Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008 4:30 PM by Allison Linn
Filed Under: , ,

Say the name Dr. Scholl’s and most people think of sensible shoes, somewhat embarrassing foot ailments and other not-so-sexy connotations. That’s a hard reputation to beat, but evoking table dancing may be taking things too far.

A recent ad for the foot comfort company shows model Yaya DaCosta, a contestant from "America’s Next Top Model," doing what appears to be some sort of sexy dance (although it may be the chicken dance gone awry) on something that looks like a cross between a desk and a stage.

Image: Dance, dance, dance
Dr. Scholl’s

After performing in bare feet, she jumps off -- and right into a pair of sky-high red heels, then breaks into the dance again. Apparently, this is an effort to show that using Dr. Scholl’s For Her makes dancing in towering heels more comfortable.

The ad is so wrong in so many ways that it’s hard to know where to begin. First of all, if this is a commercial aiming to tout how much more comfortable heels are thanks to Dr. Scholl’s products, why does it show a woman dancing barefoot for so much longer than it shows her dancing with the shoes on?

Second, why didn’t they bother to hire a woman who could actually dance well?

DaCosta is beautiful, but her moves are jerky and inconsistent. More to the point, she often looks strained and uncomfortable, although that may be because her movement is limited by those skin-tight leather pants. Still, we’re guessing the shoes get so little air time because she just couldn’t dance well in them.

The entire effect is unappealing, made worse by the fact that the whole concept -- dancing on a platform in bright red heels -- is more crass than cute.

We’re all for foot products that make walking, and dancing, in high heels more comfortable, but please spare us the table-dancing subtext.

Click here to watch the ad.

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Comments

As a person in customer service at a hotel, I stand on my feet all day long.  Not just stand but run back and forth answering phones bring guests extra towels, pillows, whatever they need.  By the end of the day my feet hurt like I could not even describe.  I saw in the pedicure section of a local grocery store the insoles you put at the front of your shoes.  Happen to be the ones almost like in the commercial.  Let me tell you, it is like floating on air.  I LOVE THEM!! I can completely understand the commercial.  I have no more problems getting up and running around on my feet all day with the insoles in my shoes.  The commercial is right on point as to how it would make you feel.  The dancing is just showing that you could if you wanted to dance with high heels on and not be bothered with aching feet by the end of the night.  Until you use them, I dont think anyone should really comment.  I feel like when you do actually use them you will understand the commercial and hell might even feel like dancing yourself

Southern Belle Savannah, GA (Sent Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:52 PM)

crass? what? its not like shes half naked straddling a dude with those red heels on. the commercial is fun and who cares if shes dancing on a table, ive done it and im not crass get over itttt

kt (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 2:49 PM)

Get a life. It's a girl dancing then she puts the shoes on. You want "So you think you can dance"?

Kurt (Sent Monday, August 04, 2008 9:14 PM)

That ad irritates the hell out of me - looks like she escaped from the strip club.  

minnie - detroit (Sent Tuesday, August 19, 2008 3:43 PM)

Ignoring the fact that is an ad, let's comment on the reviewers opinion of dancing... So what if she doesn't dance 'perfectly', who does? We're not all professionals or practice all the time, so this ad now reaches 'normal'/'average' women. This is why I don't even do little dances by my self in a closed room with the lights turned off. Too critical of nothing.

Kat, Detroit (Sent Wednesday, August 27, 2008 11:18 AM)

Geez!!!!  Allison, how tired are you?  Really?!!
The Add is fun, the model is hot, her dance is very contempory, hip(apparently you're out of the dance loop or you're just too old), and executed quite nicely.  She definitely has dance skills.  I also commend Dr. Scholls for targeting a different audience.  It only makes sense!

TW (Sent Tuesday, September 02, 2008 6:33 PM)

I loved that Ad. I dont know what this person is talking about. Its a nice Ad.

lola, Houston Texas (Sent Monday, September 08, 2008 7:51 PM)



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