Hatrack River Forum: "The Onion" Is Still Worth Reading

This is topic "The Onion" Is Still Worth Reading in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :

OK, not every issue of The Onion is a gem, but they still manage to churn out enough really good stuff often enough to keep me coming back. Some of it, like the recent story on the story involving the Chinese Govt. ordering the execution of millions of recalled toys, isn't the type of thing to share in a forum like this one.

But here's one of the latest that got me laughing out loud, which I don't think I do often enough:

New Fig Newtons Ad Preys On Inherent Human Weakness

quote:
NEW YORK—A television commercial for Nabisco's Fig Newton bars that debuted Friday preys on a wide range of innate human weaknesses, from greed and gluttony to the compulsive need for self-gratification in an otherwise cold and uncaring world, industry sources reported Monday.

"Flattery, pride, self-aggrandizement, fear of rejection: This latest Fig Newtons ad campaign fires on all cylinders," advertising executive and CNBC talk-show host Donny Deutsch said. "It has nothing but contempt for its target audience, its exploitative nature borders on the unethical, and it's one of the most brilliant marketing strategies in years."

Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

The best thing about Fig Newtons previously was that they're an acquired taste, so I never had to share them.

The brilliance of this campaign concerns me. [Frown]

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

quote:
"Nabisco shrewdly taps into a mother's conflict between wanting to care for her children while still retaining her pre-maternal sense of freedom and identity," Howth said. "Add an emphasis on the fat-free qualities of the snack that appeals to one's vanity and plays upon the often shallow connection made between physical attraction and self-worth in today's world, and you have one very powerful ad."

LOL. I actually do eat fig newtons, though I haven't had chocolate since some date I can't really remember anymore. I got suckered in by the "fruit bar" idea, though my brother told me they are really more of a candy.

And naturally I have to check on what's so offensive about the China story.

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

Yeah, that Chinese toy story didn't have a clear boundary between myth and reality. At least for me.

Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :

This gets my vote for Onion article of the year:

Pitchfork Gives Music 6.8

quote:
"Coming in at an exhausting 7,000 years long, music is weighed down by a few too many mid- tempo tunes, most notably 'Liebesträume No. 3 in A flat' by Franz Liszt and 'Closing Time' by '90s alt-rock group Semisonic," Schreiber wrote. "In the end, though music can be brilliant at times, the whole medium comes off as derivative of Pavement."