In squeaky voice, Wendy’s defends new ad Adverganza has posted an item today about this new Wendy’s spot, in which office workers take hits from a helium canister, then float to the ceiling, bloated and complaining in their high-pitched helium voices. (“Filling up with just anything? That’s wrong,” explains the voiceover.) Critics say the ad sends the wrong message to kids about inhalants, as opposed to your typical Wendy’s ad, which simply sends the wrong message to kids about nutrition. “Kids get the idea that it’s OK to put a gas in your body,” says a rep at the National Inhalant Prevention Council. While not explicitly defending the practice of giving people gas, Wendy’s nonetheless stands by the commercial, saying it clearly shows “a situation that is not real, because people don’t float on the ceiling.” —Posted by Tim Nudd

September 20, 2007 in Wendy's | Permalink

Comments

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I hate people.

Posted by: dutycalls | Sep 20, 2007 3:24:13 PM

I hate people.

Posted by: dutycalls | Sep 20, 2007 3:24:25 PM

I hate people.

Posted by: dutycalls | Sep 20, 2007 3:24:29 PM

Those sinister bastards at Wendy's. My 2 year old nephew saw this and thought it was ok to be morbidly obese and levitate out of reach. Won't anybody think of the children?

Posted by: JamesP | Sep 20, 2007 5:26:54 PM

Civilization is hurtling toward a dark, deep abyss. This post is proof of that.

Posted by: pete shotton | Sep 20, 2007 5:28:15 PM

"Those sinister bastards at Wendy's. My 2 year old nephew saw this and thought it was ok to be morbidly obese and levitate out of reach. Won't anybody think of the children?"

---I hope you're kidding. Because advertising is PC enough without worrying about some 2 year old. And by the way, most 2 year olds don't give two shits about what people look like, it's later on they learn to discriminate. Don't worry, you're gonna have plenty of time to teach your nephew to hate fat people, hate people with hair loss, hate black people, and hate any people that don't fit into your aryan wet dream.

Posted by: Bobby | Sep 20, 2007 6:14:32 PM

I think there are many more potentially harmful things on television that we should worry about first; violence, for instance.

Posted by: sonya | Sep 20, 2007 9:15:38 PM

Alright I saw this commercial again this morning. Why does the wig-wearing Wendy's guy/girl take a hit off the helium? Does that mean he/she occasionally finds him/herself indulging on the filler that is fast food? When crafting a metaphor your spokesperson should not use the inferior product, but rather warn of it's danger just from their infinite wisdom.

And two-year olds should not be watching TV. And if they do they most certainly don't have the brainpower to comprehend the true message behind the spot because they have been spending all their time watching TV.

Posted by: D | Sep 21, 2007 10:57:37 AM

"Civilization is hurtling toward a dark, deep abyss. This post is proof of that."

Actually, the daily stories on Drudge Report are better proof.

Posted by: bg | Sep 21, 2007 9:48:11 PM

Wether people flot on the ceiling after inhaling helium or not I agree to it sending the wrong message. It's foolish to say it's unreal. It's not the effect so much as it is the actual act.
I'm always pointing out improper things in television commercials as well as other media. It's entertaining how disney owns ABC and yet that network has shows like desperate housewives. Infidelity seems to be the message.
However on the new Wendy's commercial it seems to promote inhaling foreign chemicals.

Posted by: Wolf | Sep 23, 2007 2:49:21 PM

It is suppose to be a helium tank but actually it is nitrous with the yellow top blue tank

Posted by: sunny | Sep 26, 2007 2:00:19 PM

"Those sinister bastards at Wendy's. My 2 year old nephew saw this and thought it was ok to be morbidly obese and levitate out of reach. Won't anybody think of the children?"

Yeah... I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic about his nephew, seeing as in how he said, "and levitate out of reach". Some peoples kids...

Posted by: Joey | Dec 11, 2007 11:08:48 PM

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