Saturday, February 20, 2010

Sometimes You Just Gotta Say...




During the worst of the H1N1, when Big Kid was in the ICU, Hubby and I came up close and personal with the importance of hand washing.

Like everybody else, we'd been taught and practiced washing our hands after going to the bathroom, before eating, etc.

While our son was in the unit, we'd have to wash, glove up and mask before entering his room, and then drop the gloves and the mask at the door upon exiting and go straight to the sink and wash again before leaving. And since there wasn't a bathroom in his room and we had to go out of the unit to the public bathroom, we were doing this like 10 times a day. gah.

Recently I've seen a few commercials for a hands-free soap pump for home use, brought to us by a major soap company. All you have to do is wave your hand in front of it, and it will dispense whatever soap you have stuck in there.

I can think of a lot of uses for this.

Like when you've got a baby in one arm and need to clean up cookie snot or formula blow-back. Or you're doing the dishes and your mom calls, and you're trying to talk to her while scrubbing and don't have a third arm.

What I can't figure out is how the idiot who came up with the current marketing campaign still has a job, or whoever greenlighted it as a good idea is still earning a paycheck too.

They are marketing it as a good way to avoid a germy soap pump handle in your home.

Um like, once you touch the handle to pump soap on your hands, you aren't immediately going to WASH your hands?

Dude, WTF?

10 comments:

Jeanie said...

So funny, that is exactly what I thought when I saw that commercial. I thought maybe I was missing something...I don't pay very close attention to commercials. Gotta love thos Madison Avenue geniuses.

Charlie said...

Merely a new toy, Mom. Kids and men will love it!

CiCi said...

Charlie said it right. Some of us are just too practical I guess.

Green-Eyed Momster said...

What will they think of next?

Hugs!!

Chicago Mom said...

You crack me up! Love it!

Anonymous said...

I am the lurker formerly known to you as Littlebit. I had to use my regular name in order to let Open ID include a link to my own blog (which I've just re-started and am very proud of. I included a link to your blog on my home page as one of my favorite blogs, BTW).

Anyway, Hubby and I were on vacation in Japan about a year ago and those "electronic eye" soap dispenser thingies were EVERYWHERE...along with toilets that automatically cleaned you (front and back) with the push of a button and then flushed by itself when you stood up, faucets and hand dryers that turned on and off and a few fancy places even had bathroom doors that automatically opened for you. The Japanese are fastidious lot when it comes to cleanliness so to not have to touch ANYTHING when you used the toilet was the epitome of keeping yourself clean. And electronic geekiness, LOL. And I thought the exact same thing about the lack of pressing a button for the soap to come out - you're pressing the button to get soap so you can wash your hands anyway...what difference does it make???

But I guess it helps sell geeky soap dispensers?!?!?!

Beth said...

I hate to admit this but with my advancing years, there are times I miss the obvious – but at least I don’t do it on TV!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Ha!!! I bet the marketing genius is the owner's son-in-law who forgot to do a focus group to test the campaign before dropping big bucks on tv.

I haven't seen it but I'll be watching for this commercial and thinking of you when I see it.

Have a great week.
jj

Anonymous said...

Captain Obvious strikes again!

gayle said...

They will sell...anything to make money!! I will have to say though it does bother me to use the soap dispenser in my class that all the 6 year olds touch. I know I am washing my hands but still it bugs me..