Driving to work today, I almost started laughing. Actually, I think I did. As with most mornings, I had the radio on, and I was flipping through channels to find one that was actually playing music. Along the way, I heard a commercial that intrigued me. It began something like this:
[little kid] “Moooom, can I have a piece of leftover cake?”
[mom] “Sure, honey! Take it in the car while we go run errands!”
[kid 1] “Mooom, his piece is bigger than mine!”
[mom] “That’s okay, just take some of his piece!”
[kid 2] “Oops… I just got crumbs and frosting all over the leather car seats.”
[mom] “Oh, that’s okay, honey!”
[kid 1] “Mom, my hands are all sticky!”
[mom] “Just wipe them on your shirt, dear!”
(note: at this point, I’m very curious where this commercial is leading. I mean, really, they’re advertising against leftover cake.)
[narrator] “Leftover cake is a bad snack. Try something different instead! Our cracker snacks come in packs of six, so they’re easy to share. And they come in two great flavors, peanut butter or cheese! So instead of messy cake, try our cracker snacks instead.”
Okay, now please tell me how that is a compelling argument. Sure, you’ve convinced me that leftover cake is not a good snack (for children at least…). But how does the fact that leftover cake is a bad snack convince me to buy peanut butter crackers? I mean, if they were advertising something that was at least remotely sweet, I might be able to see the connection… but, in my opinion, cracker packs are not at all a valid replacement for cake.
mmm cake.