Swiffer Blame

Have you seen the Swiffer ads? There's a whole series that has a housewife insulting/belittling/demeaning some cleaning device that is apparently inferior to the new Swiffer device.

I HATE these ads.

Having been on both sides of that conversation--being told in as insulting a manner as possible that I wasn't performing satisfactorily and being the one to tell someone else in as insulting a manner as possible that they weren't performing satisfactorily--I know that no one should ever speak like this to anyone or anything. And every time one of these ads comes on I am reminded of the shame that I have felt and the shame that I have induced when a simple "this really isn't working out" probably would have done the trick. Shaming is one of those manipulative strategies we could probably live quite well, or better, even, without.

I do wonder who this kind of ad appeals to? Cringing certainly doesn't want to make me want to buy a product.