The Bechdel, the Merrier.
Aldi’s new Christmas campaign is quite a creative feat: ‘Dig in Doug’ doesn’t feature a single product shot til the last third of the spot. Praise be, retailers! Unfortunately, Doug doesn’t rate well on Campaign Bechdel.
The 90 second TVC tells the story of Doug, a stubborn batsman whose backyard cricket innings draws spectators from far and wide. Eventually the lure of the spread proves too much for Doug, who gives up the cricket to dig into Christmas lunch. Said Christmas lunch is presented by Doug’s nameless, long-suffering and telegenically doting wife, who holds the Aldi Ham like an ageing Price Is Right model, finally enticing him away from cricket long enough to care about all her hard work putting Christmas lunch together in the first place. Wifey is unnamed, represented in a stereotypically domestic gender role, and exists narratively as just Doug’s support on his heroic journey to selfishly play cricket while the women take care of lunch for the ad’s 500 extras.
Ba-bow, Aldi. This wasn’t Good Different at all.
campaignbechdel.com 