Pleasure Yourself, Have a "Fling"

No, not that kind of a fling! I meant have a "Fling" chocolate bar. On the right was the original magazine advertisement that I happened to see while flipping through the pages of a fairly recent Cosmopolitan magazine. After reading the text above it definitley got my attention. I quickly researched the product and was quick to find an actual commercial as well so I thought I would put both up.

The first appeal that pops out is the need for sex. "Fling" chocolate has two taglines, "Pleasure Yourself" and "Naughty, but not that naughty." In the magazine advertisement, it plays out as a typical but engrossing excerpt from a trashy, romantic novel. The reader initially assumes that the woman in the excerpt is having an affair with another man. By the end, in actuality, the woman is simply indulging herself in a "Fling" chocolate bar.

The commercial has the same sort of setup. A woman enters a dressing room that is already occuppied by a male shopper. Of course, the commerical has the Ah Ha! moment in which thw woman has indulged herself with a "Fling" bar instead of having sex with an absolute stranger.

In the commercial, the female announcer describes the chocolate bar as a "shimmery" chocolate truffle "fingers".

It is unusual to find the actual need for sex appeal in advertisetments as was stated in the Fowles article, especially when it is aimed towards women. The boldness helps "Fling" to stand out and attract a large female audience. The advertisement is telling us that women love the rush of doing something very naughty and inappropriate. While that may help to connect with the female audience it can also put women in a negative light. It is as if women are never going to be satisfied with their lives and will try to find a way to cheat a little to feel a sense of self worth.

The advertisment also has the appeal to escape. The appeal to escape means to escape from social responsibilies. "Fling" chocolate allows for women to escape the responsibility of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and abstain from any fatty or calorie ridden junk foods.

This also allows for women to interpret the advertisements as the need to feel safe. Being able to be "naughty, but not that naughty" at only 85 calories, "Fling" chocolate allows women to eat chocolate without the guilt of consumming such an unhealthy candy bar.

The "Fling" chocolate ads, especially the commercial make the connection between chocolate and sex too literal which only leaves me with a creepy feeling. So no thank you "Fling" chocolate, I would not like to "pleasure" myself with a "shimmery" "finger". The advertisers have caught my attention, in the wrong way.