The group of moms we met for breakfast in Cincinnati had one clear message for marketers—“get real!” 

“Half the time you can’t tell what product is being advertised until the very end, if then,” said one mom.  “There is so much hype and over-promising in ads today,” said another one. “I just wish they’d tell us what their product does best and why we should consider it.”  “I don’t like it that they use ‘ethnically ambiguous’ models instead of real people with really clear ethnic backgrounds,” said a first-generation Indian woman. 

“I don’t appreciate the adult products being marketed during TV shows that are clearly geared toward families and kids,” said one mom. “It’s just not okay that everything is fair game when it comes to advertising.  We monitor the shows our kids watch, but we can’t monitor the ads.” “Yeah, and who says its okay to have a STD as long as you use their drug,” added another.

One woman summed it up best, “Give us less hype and more practicality.”