Today’s Ad Review: hims Hard Mints
Predicted CTA Effectiveness: B-
Brand / Social Capital Value: D-
Behold! The old “Sell you a cure for something while actually encouraging the problem” switcheroo.
Great for click-through (LOOK AT SHINY SOLUTION!) and cultivating a codependent (BE ASHAMED!) customer base.
Irresponsible as hell if you’re invested in the well-being of your customers. Here’s the ad: see what you spot, then read on!
The most telling part is the emphasis on discreet packaging. If you actually have ED, @hims is going to use social proof tell you to hide it.
This is great for hims because it graciously provides justifications for customers’ insecurity under the plausible auspices of saving their customers from being found out as human by… package thieves? Their live-at-home partner?
Oh, and if you don’t have ED? Remember that if you *do* develop it, that it’s worth hiding!
And there’s one more neg, here…
Question: Did you see a man’s face in the ad?
Spoiler: you didn’t. You do see a woman, smiling at the stand-in for the customer; someone who has no face.
The underlying message: your feelings addressing *your* ED don’t matter.
Codependency is *literally embedded* in the ad: find validation in her feelings, yours don’t need to be seen.
The messaging is scummy. It will cultivate customers who are codependent or avoidant. It will work in the short term.
I’ll share my thoughts on how to make it better next time.
Intersection 9 