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Macho ads targeting men going too far?
This video frame grab provided by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, shows the new Dr Pepper TEN beverage. It's not often that a major brand tries to block out an entire segment of the population, but that's exactly what Dr Pepper is doing with the launch of its latest product, Dr Pepper TEN. (AP Photo/Dr Pepper Snapple Group)
Dr. Pepper is facing criticism for a very pointed ad for a new 10-calorie soda. The ad says of the soda, "It's not for women."
It takes a new kind of commercial aimed at men to a new level.
Using humor to play into a man's ego, is a common device in a long line of recent ads showcasing hyper-masculinity to sell products, CBS News correspondent Betty Nguyen reported on "The Early Show."
The Old Spice man, for instance, challenged men to both smell good and look buff. The ploy worked. Last year, according to Adweek, sales for the body wash at one point had more than doubled.
Pepsi Max, another product geared toward men, has zero calories, but blatantly makes no mention of the word "diet" on its black can or in ads.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Gardere said, "They're really trying to push an idea that, in order to be a real man, a man's man, you can't be sensitive. You've gotta drink beer, you've gotta be into physicality. And if nothing else, you can't tap into that feminine side."
The message is "be macho" and, according to Gardere, it's striking a chord with men at a time when more women are finding professional success.
"(The ads say) if you haven't been able to keep up with them, this is a way that you can," Gardere said. "'Harken back to when a man was a man, forget about these women, they're not your competition. Now you can reclaim your territory and be the king of the jungle."'
Nguyen added it's a re-drawing of old battle lines -- and stereotypical roles between men and women.
On "The Early Show," Mary Lou Quinlan, chief executive officer of Just Ask A Woman, said the ads are funny, but some of them cross the line and are offensive to women.
When pressed about what's offensive, Quinlan said, "It's not the commercial, but if you look at their viral presence ... the commercial is fun, but if you go on to the Facebook page, which is not for women, women are excluded from the page, they have a shooting gallery where guys can shoot high heels; there's a lot of kind of insulting stuff happening."
For more with Quinlan on the macho advertising trend, check out the video below.
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