Learning through Advertising

My wife mentioned a commercial she recently saw for Multi-Grain Cherrios and I was able to finally view it. Advertising plays on the ‘perceived’ traits of men and women. Do these types of commercials provide a learning experience for the perception of others or is it truly just advertising? Will this sell more cereal?

I could not find the commercial online or within YouTube, so here’s a brief descriptions:

The commercial begins with the shot of a lady eating a bowl of the cereal. Her husband enters the room, looks at the box, and proceeds to ask questions. His first question is “Are you on a diet?” She has no reason to reply verbally and only gives him “the look”. From this he determines that he’s asked the wrong question and tries to stop from digging the hole that he now finds himself in by reflecting that the box states, “this cereal is low in calories” which is another bad move. As the commercial proceeds he gets deeper and deeper into the hole, by the wife just proceeding to give him ‘the look’ with each iteration out of his mouth. Finally the commercial ends with her asking what else the box says. He holds the box up and says “Shut-up, Steve”. The next shot is her smiling and continuing to consumer her cereal.

What does this commercial say about how husband’s perceive their wives eating healthier? To my wife, it clearly indicates that just because women are eating healthy they must be dieting. To me, it teaches me to keep my mouth shut until all the facts are readily available.