You know the old "birds and the bees" conversation? Or maybe the stork myth? Or what about the one where a mommy and a daddy go into the washing machine and emerge an hour later with a new baby? Yeah, we hadn't heard that one either.
A Ukrainian Samsung washing machine ad tells just that bizarre story. On one level, the ad is an adorable tale of parents playing a little trick on their kid while she sleeps so that they can surprise her with a new toy when she wakes. Pretty harmless, right? But on another level, it's telling that kid a whopper of a lie about where babies come from.
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In the ad, the little girl is feeding her teddy bears jam, like you do, and they get all sticky and decidedly un-cuddly. What to do? Of course her loving parents toss them in the wash, to get soaped and restored. Kiddo sits down to watch the machine at work and is quickly lulled to sleep (that spin cycle can be pretty hypnotising). Her parents take this opportunity to add a tiny stuffed baby bear into the washing machine; it is, after all, an AddWash machine, which allows you to add more clothes to the machine mid-cycle.
When the girl awakes and learns that two teddies have become three within the magical mysterious confines of the washer, she's delighted. Who wouldn't be, with three whole teddy bears to snuggle?
Marketing manager at Samsung Electronics Ukraine Olga Kravchuk said in a statement: "Our goal was to create a washing machine ad that was incredibly soul-stirring and memorable, telling a story that would touch people emotionally not just rationally. To tell a human story featuring a washing machine is new because all other washing machine ads simply show you the product specification, function, design and efficiency."
It's a great goal, and honestly, Samsung has done a stellar job of "soul-stirring" tech advertising in the past (still crying about you, Samsung India van ad). But I can't shake the feeling that the little girl with the teddies is going to grow up pretty confused about some absolutely crucial facts of life. Let's hope her uniformly attractive parents are planning on Having The Talk with her, soon. Teddy bear tampon props optional.