I know viral marketing is the bomb these days, and the marketing for Forgetting Sarah Marshall is all over the place here in SF. On top of cabs, at bus stops, and billboards. While it all seems kind of clever I, for one, was really turned off by the one that reads "You do look fat in those jeans Sarah Marshall." It just seemed like Jr. High all over again.
If this is how the jilted lover is seeking revenge for being dumped, I think he deserves to be dumped. It just seems like one more media reference for women's bodies to be equated with their character. It also makes me think of the National Eating Disorder Awareness Week campaign "Be comfortable in your genes." Plus, who hasn't felt fat in their jeans, both men and women, and who wants to be reminded of that at every BART stop.
Maybe I am being overly sensitive, or maybe I am easily annoyed by media campaigns the promote bad body image. How about you? Do you think this ad is cute, clever, cool, or not?
Bonprix
Stila
Anna Sui
Not cool...
1BOO! We have enough things out there brainwashing society...we don't need this too.
2I don't find it offensive. I mean, the whole movie is about a sad, kind of losery guy whose actress girlfriend leaves him for her hot co-star. I think when we're angry at people we say stupid things just to hurt them, even if they're not true..
All in all, I think the campaign is a cool idea, but maybe a little too.. everywhere.
3well i think that it could be mean, but for the most part i'm undecided about it. it's just an ad to get your attention so you go and see the movie right? so i guess it's doing it's job.
4not necessarily cool but clearly effective! you are talking about it! and whereas before I had no idea what it was -- now I do!!
5oh come on everyone.... have a sense of humor! chill out. relax. get a message. that ad made me laugh out loud. check out gigglesugar if you need some inspiration on laughter.
6Its just an advertisement. Not everything can be seen as an attack on fat people. The world needs to lighten up and not take this stuff so seriously. Being uptight it bad for your health, just like eating crap and not exercising!!
7Well let's see - from the standpoint of someone who doesn't listen to mainstream radio and with no cable who would not see or hear about this movie otherwise, and from someone who suffers from EDNOS -this is really bad news. It's not about having a sense of humor. You can be funny, cleaver, and market your movie without implying that weight is an issue to be concerned about constantly. I think it's in really poor taste. If anything, this encourages me to NOT see this movie, and to encourage others to boycott it as well.
8i do think it's offensive for the sheer fact that it's everywhere. i think it's a constant reminder that women tend to have body issues, and that it matters to people what others think of their body.
9I put not cool, but maybe I should have put undecided. It is specifically for promoting a movie and the point is to get people's attention. It would more uncool if it was a non fictional ex boyfriend.
10calm down everybody... It's pretty obvious that Kristen Bell doesn't look fat in anything...
11Normally, I totally agree with you Fit...but honestly..let's just step back and take this for what it is ...a funny viral campaign. IF you've seen the promos...he's the chubby guy dumped by the skinny chick. he's playing the over the top hurt guy...I find it hilarious....don't take it so seriously!!!
12Frankly I think it's a positive message... It's a joke so it's REALLY commenting on how ridiculous our world's obsession with body image is. Kristen Bell is clearly not fat so clearly we are all being stupid.
13boycott! hahah. it's just a movie. we really need to loosen up as a society.
14There is a billboard near me that says "Mother always hated you, Sarah Marshall". I had no CLUE what it was until just now. Not funny.
15I think the ad campaign is hilarious...also I saw an advanced screening of the movie last week and it was so funny!
16Women can get way more hurt by the comments of boyfriends, 'friends' an such... I dont think we could get offended over a billboard like this.
17BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
These people know DANG well that Americans are just so greatly influenced by marketing! STOP this insane stuff.
18I don't mind it...
19This doesn't bother me at all. I mean the guy is in the gutter - and we have all been there - misery loves company, and the broken hearted guy is miserable so he takes a low (untrue) blow. There are no pictures of waify girls in the ad, personally I find too skinny models to be considerably more offensive and damaging.
20I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!
21It doesnt bother me at all. I think its kinda funny actually, Ive seen couple here in NYC and I was like...who the heck is Sarah Marshall!?
22these are all over nyc, i never would have even heard of the movie if i didn't see them. the writing made me think it was a horror movie or something. but anyway, no i don't find this offensive. it's just an immature way to a guy to express his anger and sadness at a girl.
23i think it's funny...
24I don't see what the big deal is...
25I don't mind this ad - I don't find it particularly funny or unfunny. But what if your name really was Sarah Marshall and you saw all these billboards around town saying you look fat in your jeans and people hate you? You'd probably go home thinking someone out there must really hate your guts. And I can't imagine Sarah Marshall is a very uncommon name...
26i'm not at all offended. the first time i saw it, i thought it was funny. but i agree with jasmint, everywhere i turn i see one.
27I don't think this is a good marketing idea at ALL. Even if the main character isn't fat, that's probably the case with lots of the girls out there that do develop EDs. I remember being called "fat" by catty girls in my dorm and even though I wasn't, it hurt nonetheless and I still thought I was fat.
28Doesn't really bother me...
29I think people are being hypersensitive about this! The thing about satire is that the object of the satire doesn't necessarily have to get it (paraphrasing Al Franken here).
30It doesn't bother me, though I feel like I'm in the dark... I've never heard of Sarah Marshall.
31I think the campaign is funny and the movie looks funny. Can't wait to see it.
32I feel sorry for all the Sarah Marshalls of the world. This has to suck for them.
33Chill out people! This ad is commenting on how women constantly ask their husbands/boyfriends "Do I look fat in this??" It is an annoyance that guys can't stand, because it shows an obsession with appearance. This guy is just getting back at his ex by saying yes, you do look fat in those jeans. It's funny, because its so true and obnoxious. I have skinny friends who ask me if they look fat in outfits, and it drives me crazy. That's all this is about.
34you are definitely being overly sensitive - this ad has nothing to with distorting woman's body image, it's just a simple attempt to be funny and get people to watch yet another stupid movie from the genius Judd Apatow. the reason I say this is because while Apatow is very clever and funny, he continues to unfortunately resort to idiotic and disgusting humor (like the joke at the end of this preview) that demeans women, men, sex, and common decency, basically because the American public has no intelligence when it comes to comedy (or anything) and therefore doesn't find anything but juvenile sex jokes funny. I say this because I was so annoyed to see how a perfectly good movie like Walk Hard was tainted by stupid sex jokes that the audience in the movie theatre found funnier than any of the other cleverly written (actual) comedy. it's because of this lack of intelligence by viewers that genius shows like Arrested Development get canceled. so again, this is just Apatow and his marketing team are trying to get immature morons to come watch his movies by resorting to nauseatingly cliche sayings and ideas. ok, thats it - I just needed to vent...
35No offense, however I think everyone is being too sensitive. I don't have an issue with that ad and find it sort-of funny (who wouldn't say that to an enemy of theirs?) People just need to chill and not make a mountain out of mole hill (yes, I did just use that wacky saying,lol.) There are other things in the world to get sensitive about, however not this.
36This promo is for a fictional story where character wants to get back his ex-girlfriend, he's hitting where it would hurt. I don't see how it could be seen as a general and serious statement against women and people with eating disorder.
37Unless you're Sarah Marshall, who by the way is a fictional character, I don't see why it would shock you. Chill out.
I haven't seen this particular billboard, but I've seen a lot of the others, and I think it's really funny. However, I've been looking forward to this movie for quite some time, so I knew exactly what it was for when I saw the first billboard.
I mean, if you watch the trailer he's obviously the less attractive one in the relationship, and she leaves him and starts dating a popular musician. He's just hurt and lashing out. And, as people have already said.... Sarah Marshall (played by Kirsten Bell) is definitely not fat.
http://www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com/
go there and watch the trailer if you want to know what the movie is about.
38Seriously?
I don't think this ad "promotes bad body image". I took it more as a statement on how bad women's body images are without men. In the context of the film, it is also a form of rebellion for the jilted boyfriend's character.
The typical answer to "Do I look fat in these jeans" is always automatically NO. Everyone knows that asking that question is a way of forcing the person being questioned to give the asker a compliment. By saying YES, this character is finally asserting himself from the woman who hurt him, and gaining control of his emotions once again.
Isn't the whole point that women's body images are permanetly set in their own brains, and that no matter how hard they try to reassure us, men are ultimately just bystanders, witnesses to our own self-torture? Just the fact that people take this ad as a reminder of how fat they themselves feel proves the point, that most women are ridiculous and don't require men to make them feel fat, as we accomplish it so well on our own.
39Freakin hilarious!! these ads have been cracking me up!
Exactly Fawna!! its obvious that he's anwering the "does my butt look good in these?" question.
40I think the whole point is to show how immature Jason Segel's character is...and we all say stupid things after a bad breakup.
41It doesn't really bother me at all. I guess I'm just seeing it in the context of the movie.
42its just a movie! nothing to get upset about! even if it were real, its normal for people to say mean things after a bad breakup. and actually, that's not even that mean. if that bugged you, youd need a thicker skin.
43I think it's a joke...meant for people with a sense of humor. It's not a reflection of your body. It's a cliche question "women" ask their men, and that's the way a jilted man would want to respond. Have you never wanted to hurt somebody who hurt you?
44Oh, and every woman has body issues, no matter what size they are.
45I was obese my entire life until I lost 80 lbs 4 years ago. I've been hurt by fat comments, but even then this would not have hurt my feelings.
I'm not offended by it at all. The movie looks HILARIOUS and it's about a guy who's not the most mature, dealing with a break up. I luv ya Fit, but I think you're being too sensitive here.
46its a pretty stupid move, couldn't they think of anything better? its not funny either. if kristen bell looks fat in those jeans, there's no hope for the rest of us. i know its not a big deal, im not really offended, but some girls actually hear those words from guys, and their serious.
47The ads themselves don't bother me (I honestly think the point is not that he's telling her she actually looks fat, but is bitterly responding to something that she had said in the past...as in "I look so fat in these jeans").
More bothersome to me is the sheer volume of these ads, visually polluting my beautiful city.
A hilarious answer to these ads:
48http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyreseus/2360724719/
Okay, it is a little offensive but it is also quite funny. We are so PC anymore it has reached epic proportions. We need to get over ourselves! This kind of think is taken way too seriously, if you are really offended I would suggest you don't go to the movie.
49hilarious lol
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