Is the eBay Real Man’s BBQ ad another hoax?
Regular readers of Dr Mumbo will be aware that he is not by nature a cynical man, and prefers to take all media messages at face value.
However, an ad on eBay which has gone viral has made him just a tad suspicious.
It’s an entertaining piece of copy on eBay flogging a “Real man’s BBQ”. It advises bidders:
Here is the ultimate in old school culinary accessories. Do you remember the days before soy latte double decaf drinkers redesigned the humble bbq and took it from a thing of beauty to a multifunctional disaster ? I mean, how many of you have one of these monstrosities, do you really need a side burner for a wok ? Do you need to know what the temperature is on the plate ? Hot or cold, cooked or raw, these simple terms seem forgotten in these modern days when you can cook a fish with thai spices and a side of dahl and some gazpacho soup (WTF ??? Who does this ???).
Hark back to the days when the measure of a man was how he handled the bbq tongs and a beer, not how shiny the hood of his bbq was ? Lets face it, a real man’s strength, honor and vision used to be proven regularly to all by the way he cooked his meat on the bbq. A bbq was more than just a glorified business meeting or a get together with the other girls, it was life itself to a man. You could have your mates around, stand around the bbq and feel the burn on your skin of the spattering fat from the snags, the smoke from the scorched meat and finish it all off with an ice cold beer – each man remembering those days not so long ago when we would hunt, kill and eat whatever prey we felt like.
This amazing vintage find is a solid and sturdy bbq, with plenty of seasoning to the plate – including a special blend of eucalypt blossom and assorted native pollens to give your creations a great Australian taste and to demonstrate to all that you are no double decaf soy latte drinking metrosexual, you are a man, cooking meat on your bbq. No, you cant steam vegetables or make a soup, nor will it tell you the temperature or massage your feet, but you will regain your masculinity and strike a blow against metrosexualism.
Sure, it might have aged a little and some of the bright shiny things aren’t as bright and shiny as they used to be so if you are trying to impress your boyfriends then this probably isn’t the bbq for you.
Starting at only $1, you can see that this sale is more of a community service helping us all get back to the days when all you needed to know about bbq was put the cold stuff on the hot stuff, drink a stubbie, pull of the hot stuff and bloody well eat it.
Pickup only from Carramar and preferably by ute with dog.
The ad – now part of a chain email – dropped into Dr Mumbo’s inbox this morning, after having been forwarded to many times that its origin is now lost.
In fact bidding ended in late December, with the BBQ being sold for $51.
The ad for the grimy barbecue – with the listed brand of “Bloody Legend” – was first posted on eBay on December 11.
Curiously, if you Google “eBay real man’s BBQ” one of the Google ads links to the Aussie BBQ Legends website, which launched on December 8 to promote Beerenberg barbecue sauces. It was created by digital agency Enpresiv.
The last time Dr Mumbo remembers being forwarded a quirky eBay ad, it was almost a year ago, for a “Wicked sick BMX”. As Mumbrella discussed at the time, that turned out to be a project from GPY&R.
Dr Mumbo can’t help but wonder if the BBQ ad was inspired by the BMX project.
And he wonders whether other parts of the Aussie BBQ Legends site are also inspired by other campaigns. The invitation to “Pimp My BBQ” is not dissimilar to Clemenger BBDO Adelaide’s “Pimp my kettle” campaign for Fantastic Noodles.
A spokesman for Hughes – the Adelaide-based PR agency involved in the Beerenberg campaign – tells Dr Mumbo that the eBay ad doesn’t ring a bell, but promised to make further inquiries.
Update: The spokesman says:
“I almost wish we could claim credit. The eBay ad is really well crafted and humorous. Love it. However, we are not behind the ad. Our campaign does bid for Google ads on various ‘aussie bbq’ terms and that’s the only reason we’re connected in some searches. We do think that whoever created the eBay spot needs to visit www.aussiebbqlegends.com.au and contribute to the debate there!”
Which makes the fact that they used the brand “Bloody legend” and posted it three days after the web site went up simply an amazing coincidence…
Even that “real mans bbq” is a prissy thing. It has knobs on it!
Our backyard BBQ was a 40 gallon drum with a hot plate welded on top and hole on the side for sticking the wood into.
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Alternatively, maybe it’s just a copywriter having some fun for his own amusement?
I wrote this last week (http://getandrewtonz.posterous.com) and had over 15 000 views in 4 days, from zero existing audience. Obviously, there was no commercial incentive behind what I wrote (other than the obvious purpose of the first post). But surely it makes sense that if writing is what you do for a day job (as I do), you should be able to produce something people actually want to read. Maybe this is just an example of that?
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I think it all started with this famous amazon tshirt review. scroll down to the first customer review http://tinyurl.com/y8jfrbl
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