Liqueur brand awarded with defamatory prize for sexist advertising
For the seventh time, the association klische*esc is awarding the golden fence post, a negative prize for stereotypical marketing. This year's winner: the liqueur brand "Zickengold". It is strongly reminiscent of an absurd product from the fifties.
The negative Golden Fencepost Award, which denounces gender stereotypes in advertising and products, goes this year to the "Zickengold" liqueur brand from the private distillery Boente in Recklinghausen. The jury justified its decision by saying that the brand uses "every conceivable cliché": Alcohol consumption is trivialized and women are casually encouraged to loosen up, i.e. not to be so bitchy. The prize was awarded on Monday evening.
The jury explained that in view of the high number of cases of sexualized violence, even a private distillery should not trivialize such a serious social problem with "clumsy word games". It also criticized an "obvious reference" to a similar product from 1953: the "Frauengold" drink, which was marketed as being similar to medicine and contained 16.5 percent alcohol, was supposed to have a calming and mood-lifting effect at the time and thus help women to keep a smile on their faces while doing "a bit of housework".
Name already problematic
Jury member Lisi Maier, Co-Director of the Federal Foundation for Gender Equality, said at the award ceremony: "The Women's Gold heyday is a time that belongs in the gender horror cabinet for me." She finds herself in this period when she sees the advertising for "Zickengold". The word "bitch" for women whose behavior does not meet the expectations of their (male) peers "also belongs in the bottle bank of history". The Negative Award was presented for the seventh time. The jury initially selected seven candidates for the award from more than 200 submissions.
The founder of the Golden Fencepost project, Almut Schnerring, explained that it was time for companies to recognize their social responsibility in the areas of gender equality, diversity and equal opportunities. "Narrow role models and stereotypical expectations arise and become entrenched in the course of a child's socialization, not only in the family, nursery or school, but also through stereotypical portrayals in the media, in advertising, through stereotypical targeting and in the design of products and packaging."
The "Zickengold" liqueur brand's controversial advertising strategy has once again placed them in the international spotlight for the wrong reasons, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and sexism. This negative attention could potentially harm their international marketing efforts, as many organizations and consumers are advocating for more inclusive and respectful advertising.
Given the increasing global awareness of the detrimental effects of sexism in advertising, it's crucial for international brands to evaluate their marketing strategies and ensure they prevent perpetuating outdated and harmful stereotypes, such as the one seen in the "Zickengold" liqueur advertising.
Source: www.ntv.de
