So have you seen the new MasterCard commercial?  It touches on the latest trend in product advertising hooks: using kids to edjumacate adults and any others not in the know on basic conservation efforts one can do as to help reduce excess, help recycle, pick less harmful products, etc.  It's a nice commercial on how people can do simple things to help with "greening" efforts. It's called "Lessons"

However, I'm dismayed with this commercial as I consider it a bit dangerously misguided right out the gate in it's first 5 seconds. It's the part with kiddo and Dad in the bathroom, with kiddo placing a glass on the bathroom sink. Now you've seen the tagline and it's sweet.  But it should in all reality be:

water glass: $5.00
energy saving bulb: $4.00
reusable bag:$2.00
balance you owe after insurance pays the ER, Neurosurgeon, Physical Therapist and possibly a Reconstructive Surgeon: $5000.00 and counting.

Having a good creditline: Priceless

Why am I dissing on Mastercard (henceforth called MC)?  Actually, I'm not. I like MC, I use their services.  I support the message they are trying to convey in this ad. I really like most of their ads.  I am, however, thoroughly dissing on the dolt who wrote this ad.  MC is paying their ad agency big bucks to support and enhance their brand. The suits at MC who approved this ad most likely didn't think about it and ask real live people their opinions.  I think doing that is called a Focus Group. The ad agency probably figured the priceless hook always works, it's MC all the way and people get it so why frak up a good thing? But whomever wrote the ad must be a clueless frakin' idiot.

Why?

Roll it around the brain a few seconds.  Figure it out yet?  Good.


Say it with me people:

GLASS DOES NOT BELONG IN A BATHROOM!

And it especially doesn't belong in a bathroom that has kids in and out of it.  Do you know the absolute hell involved with cleaning up glass that has broken on a bare floor? Wood, vinyl flooring or tile (which hides those slivers like ninjas in trees), it doesn't matter.  2 weeks later you're STILL finding little tiny slivers and you've swept many times and mopped 3 times, once on your hands and knees with rags.   And then one morning in the future, the light will be coming in juuuust the right way and you'll see a glint out the corner of your eye and go "WTF!! There's still more?! Or the dog or cat has got a swollen toe or whole foot and you just can't figure out why and after 3 days of swelling, limping, growling, whimpering and a vet visit later find out it's a tiny sliver or 2 of glass. As you pay the bill -with MC, of course- you thank your lucky stars you and yours don't walk around the kitchen barefoot too much and boy did you dodge a bullet with that.

So imagine what will happen if a glass breaks in your bathroom.  That, my dear readers, is where it is an absolute certainty you and yours DO AND WILL walk around barefoot. You will be picking glass up and out of feet and hands of humans and pets and God forbid toddler knees and butts FOREVER!   And if you have a carpeted bathroom, look out.  It would probably be cheaper to rip up the carpet and install new.  Glass can slip out a little one's hand.  Hell, it can slip out an adult's. It can fall  straight to the floor or shatter on the edge of the sink and then splatter and scatter glass everywhere.  It is an unholy mess that is also extreamly dangerous.  So it's best not to create the situation in the first place. 

Kudo's to MC for the ad's message.  A glorious Gibb smack on the head for the message's glass example.  Like the man said "DiNozzo, what the hell is wrong with you?" (I do so love me some LJG)

Now before the fanatics and zealots get all smug and start the rightous indignations and rants, I do understand the whys of using glass.  It's uber recyclable.  You can use a glass container for so many things.  It's something that can be a gift or gift container that keeps on giving. And glass containers can be manufactured in such ways that they sometimes seem like works of art.  Some just take my breath away, they are so beautiful.  But think safety too. 


Glass can do many things, but the one thing it shouldn't do is be used in an environment that can lead to injury, and that environment is the bathroom.  I do not understand why so many Bath & Body products are sold in glass containers. I'm talking bath salts, bath milk powders, scrubs, even some shampoos and conditioners.  If it goes in the bathroom it runs a risk. Most people keep scrubs,  shampoos and conditioners  IN the tub, on a shelf.  Wow.  You're taking a shower and BAM!! Dropping a glass container in the bathtub.  I don't even want to have that picture in my head.  I'd be afraid to move to even shut the water off.  Doing your part to help green up the world means didley jack if you or yours ends up hobbling on crutches until the stiches come out and released from P.T. 


I have heard the salesman and read the studies that say glass B&B containers give the products and the consumers a feeling of luxery and a greater value perception because of it's weight, shading and coloring. And they are probably right. However, the container will have $3.00 worth of product and $19.00 worth of glass and marketing expenses. But in these trying and cash strapped times, I'd rather my customers have 15.00 worth of product with $7.00 worth of packaging and marketing. I'm betting so would they.