Posted on 08/08/2009 2:13:30 PM PDT by Batrachian
A commercial for Apoliva, an assortment of personal care products for Apotoket, featuring Swedish supermodel Adina Fohlin has made a major splash, although not quite the one that the Swedish pharmacy chain was hoping for. Rather than running out to purchase Apoliva products, viewers are running scared.
The 30-second ad spot, set to the haunting tones of a Swedish folk song, depicts a close-up of a rather sullen and emaciated Fohlin standing in the snow, rain and sun. The clip ends with the tagline, “Apoliva – for Swedish conditions”.
Almost 100,000 Swedes, many of whom viewed the clip on YouTube, have joined a Facegroup group called “I am scared of the girl in the Apoliva commercial” (“Jag är rädd för tjejen i Apolivareklamen”) in reaction to the film. Several other related groups, both in favour of and against the ad, have popped up on the social media site as well.
The Facebook group was created by Swedish student Anders Hammas late one evening while he was studying. “That was when I saw this commercial that I thought was pretty horrible,” he told the Expressen newspaper.
The description of the Facebook group reads: “Those of us who have a TV and like to watch commercials/can't be bothered to reach for the remote are facing a problem. Apoliva has begun to run a commercial that is frightening. A woman singing a Nordic/Swedish folk song in freezing rain with lightning. I am creating this group for those of us who need somewhere to seek support and talk things out. It's only a matter of time before it creeps into our dreams and terrorises us in our sleep.”
“We definitely weren't prepared for this reaction,” Eva Fernvall, brand manager at Apoteket AB, told Expressen.
“It was never our intention to scare people,” she added.
Leif Sorte, project manager for the commercial at Forsman & Bodenfors, the advertising agency behind the film, said they always hope to draw attention, but the debate surrounding the commercial has been entirely unexpected. He remains positive despite the uproar. “We think it's fantastic that there have been so many reactions,” he told newspaper Göteborgs-Posten.
"We wanted to dare to do something different in the cosmetics genre where many thinks look the same, and highlight the Swedish weather and how it influences skin and hair," Sorte said.
Folhlin's agency, Mikas, told Expressen that the model hasn't taken the criticism personally and that she was just playing a role in a commercial.
Doesn’t take much to scare the Swedish folks apparently.
Yes, she frightens me so much that I might forget my wedding vows......
Ping to the Swedish Ping List
Next time, don’t bother with the caption.
“We definitely weren't prepared for this reaction,” Eva Fernvall, brand manager at Apoteket AB, told Expressen. “It was never our intention to scare people,” she added. Leif Sorte, project manager for the commercial at Forsman & Bodenfors, the advertising agency behind the film, said they always hope to draw attention, but the debate surrounding the commercial has been entirely unexpected. He remains positive despite the uproar. “We think it's fantastic that there have been so many reactions,” he told newspaper Göteborgs-Posten. "We wanted to dare to do something different in the cosmetics genre where many thinks look the same, and highlight the Swedish weather and how it influences skin and hair," Sorte said.
She doesn’t look too frightening in that picture, just hung over.
i liked the commercial, and especially the song
That’s a man, baby!
Weird, I have a friend who looks a lot like her and I can’t see why anyone would be scared. Swedish males — what a pathetic lot.
Joke: How does a Russian sink a Swedish submarine?
Send a diver down and knock on the door.
I am sure this girl
Would end up boiling bunnies
On the old stove top.
parsy, who is scared of women anyway.
I hate to say it but more Swedish women are probably turned on by that pic than Swedish men.
Yeah, she’s scary, all right; she’s so scary that I’d be more than willing to give her my telephone number and address so she could come and scare me at home...
Butter Face
Yep, I’m scared of her too.
Sort of reminds me of a possessed Linda Blair. Has anyone tried to do an exorcism??
Wow. Children of the Damned guilty.
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