What happens when you put Sophie Monk in a sexy tennis player’s outfit and get her talking about cleaning, er, soccer balls to an all-male audience?
You get a Lynx Body Wash ad that goes VIRAL.
Take a look and then tell us: Is it clever or crass?
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Comments
146 Comments so far
Pingback: That Sophie Monk Ad: Am I Insane? | Olive on Blonde
I love it. I will be buying a Lynx Buffer to make my dirty, hairy balls nice and shiny.
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2 minutes too long but will appeal to Lynx target market!! Sophie who??
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Clever very clever!! Could be a minute shorter!
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aside from the fact that its just a remake of an earlier exactly the same ad… Sophie is NOT looking good. She used to be beautiful now she’s a bit plasticy ewwwww
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Not like I need anymore ideas for posts (still have too many drafts that are not yet completed), but this is nonetheless and awesome post and a great resource for any blogger.I wish I would have thought of this idea
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fyi the US version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPwhMoQBg_8
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It’s too long, but it’s also spot on for the target market (teenage boys). I didn’t find it sexist at all – unlike some of their other ads – and it’s pretty funny on the whole. Just needs an edit as the gag gets a bit laboured.
But seriously people, lighten up – it’s not objectifying women, she’s not that scantily clad, where’s the harm?
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I find this ad really crass, pathetic and in poor taste. Sophie, whose standards are low anyway, has lowered them even further for simply being involved.
All arguments aside, Lynx is pushing a product for which there is no need. A man can wash hismself already without using this product. Anyone who buys this product is a victim of advertising trickery and ought to consider their intelligence.
I find the ad sexist and full of overtones that are not appropriate for children.
Also, the ad highlights a huge gender double standard.
If Lynx was selling a product for females to clean their intimate areas, and the ad featured men using overtones and innuendo, it simply would not be allowed to hit the air.
Lynx ought to clean up its act.
Disappointing really and makes me question if I should be buying any of their products in the future.
The company can do much better.
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I agree. This ad is deeming to men and women. We have stopped buying any of their products.
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I can’t believe they seriously made a 3 minute ad out of one punchline that’s not even really a punchline, just a silly reference. The Two Ronnies would have used a gag like this, but would have filled out the 3 minutes with more. The most disappointing thing about this ad is Sophie’s voice! I’ve never heard her speak before – OMG – the chain smoker sound and the porn star make-up really don’t make for a classy combo! Celebrity endorsements never make me want to buy a product anyway…actors are paid good money to act!!
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Heads up this ad is a remake of an ad for overseas “Axe” which stars Jamie Pressly in Sophie’s role.
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Funny Stuff. Although if there was a parody on say um Sophie’s ‘balls’ on her chest, then people would say it’s sexist!
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Her lips are so distracting.
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Let’s see… I don’t watch a lot of television so could have missed this if it hadn’t become a hot subject. And I now most definitely know that there is a Lynx shower gel at my supermarket but would be hard pushed to come up with another brand off the top of my head… It’s a little bit crass and not very clever but it’s working.
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It’s not an all-male audience. Check your facts, MM.
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I was once told by a programme director that if the breakfast show I was working on ever resorted to below the belt line gags for entertainment then that would indicate we had run out of ideas so we should pack our bags and walk out the door…I have to admit though this is really clever…and wow Sophie can act…who would’ve thunk it eh?
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Eh? Did you watch the same clip the rest of us did?
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This is actually my new favourite ad.
And that means it scored higher in my books than the Heineken walk-in fridge, the Libra guy, and ‘Don’t chop the dinosaur, Daddy!!’
No regrets.
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If it was someone else, even a random new actress, we’d be thinking it’s funny. Because it’s Sophie Monk, we are extra judgemental.
It wasn’t that long ago people were cheering this on:
http://www.mamamia.com.au/entertainment/katherine-heigl-hates-balls-its-true/
Where Katherine Heigl talks about how she hates balls!
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what in god’s name has she done to her face. such a shame
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Just saw this and was mehhhhh whatever, but why does it say above that she’s talking to an all male audience when clearly there are women in the audience too…am I missing something?
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I thought it was hilarious (yes, yes, I know this makes me part of the lowest common denominator).
But have to agree about her lips.
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So not funny, it’s trying way too hard. And her lips freak me out.
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Couldn’t look past her lips!
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Me either!! It’s an ad that belongs in the early 1980′s. It’s so hackneyed and not funny at all.
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What I love about Sophie is she can laugh at herself and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Plenty of girls would choose not to do this ad but Sophie does it and sends herself up brilliantly. She’s not a bad actress really. Pity those stupid lips will probably prevent any credible work. Does ANYONE think that is a good look?
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I think it could of been a funny ad if it wasn’t so long. It gets a bit old half way through. I do find it sad that such a beautiful young girl has become a walking talking cartoon character.
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Fun ad, but too long. Lynx always makes crazy ads.
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Clever concept, crass execution.
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They played this ad at Event cinemas when I went to see Prometheus today. I wasn’t offended by it, but I didn’t find it particularly funny, mostly because it was so damn long and it was pretty much the same gag all the way through. I had a tiny smirk at the first bit of innuendo, but after that just got cranky that I had to endure such low-brow humour (no offense to those who found it hilarious) instead of finally getting some answers about the space jockeys!
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Totally agree! Saw it today in front of Prometheus, it went for so long I was beginning to worry that I’d be watching it for 2 hours. Was a bit awkward with the Dad and his two teenage kids behind me though :/
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It just makes me think of the clip mamma Mia have on here about women in advertising. The one that Mia has asked we watch and sed to everyone we know. Of course it’s a sexist add. Skimpy clothes, dumbs down Sophie, etc etc. I hate it as an add and puts me off the product too.
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It’s both crass and clever. I don’t find it clever in it’s humour. I’m not offended by it, but I don’t really find it very funny. But it’s clever in that if it was designed to become viral and get talked about – it will achieve that. Don’t think it’s a really clever move for Sophie to take the role though. I guess she doesn’t mind being typecast as the bimbo.
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Sorry, didnt realise it was online ad…I could turn it off or not watch it, quite right there I still think it’s a stupid ad, definately not clever just another product sexualised because unfortunately sex sells to a lot of people doesnt it? Not to me in this instance I think it went on too long to be considered clever or funny.
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its not just an online ad ive seen it on tv both before and after 9pm on regional channels.
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It’s crass but I expect nothing more than that from SM. Great product – shame about the ad.
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I think this is one of the funniest ads I have seen in a long time. It’s nice to have a bit of a laugh for a change. Wish there were more ads like that instead of the screaming, boring, serious stuff we get. Lynx has a sense of humour. Way to go.
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Never mind the ad, what happened to her beautiful face, I met her in 2004 and she was exquisite and a lovely lady, what has happened to her face, I am sure she still a lovely lady but stop with the surgery!!!
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Ha ha, thought it was pretty funny!!
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Balls need all the help they can get.
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i think it is crass, but it is also clever marketing…i mean you had to laugh when the old guy came in with his sagging balls….it is not sexist … and finding it funny does not make me unintelligent….there is alot of overreaction in some comments here.
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According to recent research, the old guy’s would be less in need of attention than a younger person’s. Apparently blind testing resulted in old people being considered to have less offensive body odour than young adults, adults and the midde-aged. It had to be a blind test because the prejudice against old people would have skewed results. I’m digressing, aren’t I?
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haha yeah
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Way overdone, I do think it’s crass but how else will guys know how to wash their saggy balls if they dont have the lynx scrubber? Perhaps a wash cloth is out of the question these days. I agree with alot of other commenters, overdone, boring and Sophie Monk has gone too far with the face changes to take seriously.
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It doesn’t really matter if all the women who commented here found it boring or crass, because it’s not marketed to them. That’s what brilliant marketing is – it connects with a select target group. I’m a woman, but who am I to say what a man feels he needs or could use to make himself feel better?
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it does matter, because we also have to watch it, so do our kids and honestly we are probably the ones who would have to buy it anyway.
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We all have a choice to turn it off or over. I think with what kids see these days, this add is the least of their problems.
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It’s an online ad, so no, you and your children don’t need to watch it
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Sorry, didnt realise it was online ad…I could turn it off or not watch it, quite right there I still think it’s a stupid ad, definately not clever just another product sexualised because unfortunately sex sells to a lot of people doesnt it? Not to me in this instance I think it went on too long to be considered clever or funny.
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No, it’s definitely also been screen on television here. It’s later at night, but television nonetheless.
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It was on The Circle this morning (as part of the show, not an ad).
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We saw it last night in the cinema before our movie. Painful.
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Men are not meant to identify with the ad and want to buy the product based upon that. It is too obviously over the top, as are all Linx ads. The ad is meant to be memorable so when browsing at the supermarket you remember the brand.
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Reading many of the comments; does no-one have a sense of humour anymore?
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I do!
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I thought it was great! Clever advertising gets people talking. Plus most guys I know hate using body wash. This is such a clever way to get them interested.
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Oh come on…this is a bit of fun and hilariously funny. “That’s a big ball sack!” Priceless! What about the ‘saggy old balls’ demonstration.
It’s a creative ad that is perfect with the puns and innuendo without resorting to half naked men and women cavorting on a beach or in a bar.
Since when is funny cause for feminist fury?
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It’s boring … and WAY too long!
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I’m sure I’ve seen this before. Looks like a copy of a US version of the same skit. Didnt find it funny at all and poor Sophie Monk so stiff and puffed up. How can anyone sit through the full 3minutes of this video. I doubt it will go viral at all. Its just not good enough content.
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I didn’t think it was crass but it’s definitely not something I’d want to watch again. The innuendo was too laid on and I didn’t find it funny but I guess men would be drooling over Sophie.
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I know a 4 year old boy called Lynx…
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I watched this and I thought ‘I have definitely seen that somewhere before.’ A bit of Youtubing and I found it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZKL74LgMg&feature=related
This is the exact same ad, just shot in 2010 and without the cricket balls.
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That was reeeeeeally boring. I’m all for crass humour but like any joke, if you overdo it, it’s just not funny anymore.
The whole thing was just like BALLS BALLS BALLS BALLS BALLS.
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My husband said the same thing, except he said BALLS BALLS BALLS WTF HAS SHE DONE TO HER FACE BALLS BALLS….
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I love post idea lists like this (Sean Platt also did a great one recently). Your second topic is a great one
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Those are great ideas; I use two or three already
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I didn’t think it was funny or crass. Just boring. Or maybe cringeworthy.
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All male audience? Pretty sure I spotted a few ladies
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