This is an ad for kids’ milk. And since the market is way fierce, there’s all this “brain food” angle that everyone’s tapping into. I suppose Enfakid wanted a piece of the action. They should’ve just stayed home and played with their Barbies.

It starts out decently enough, right?

And voila.

Don’t see it?

Keeping in mind the MDAS (multiply, divide, add, subtract) rule, answer the equation.

Yeah.

NO. It’s not 14.

9 + 5 x 2 – (7×2) = 14

9 + 5 x 2 – 14 = 14

9 + 10 – 14 = 14

19 – 14 DOES NOT EQUAL TO 14.

Name: Enfakid
Subject: Math
Grade: F

UPDATE!!!

Enfakid said that the previous print ad released was a series.

Noemi, a fellow blogger, brought the update to my attention.

Edit October 24, page A24 of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Copy reads:

The average 3 to 6 year old may not know that this test should be solved using the PEMDAS rule. Help your child excel beyond the ordinary.
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Riiiight. Dare we say, damage control?

32 Comments

  1. marketing ploy daw? wonder what their series of ads will be. if it were true, the next series should have arrived today not tomorrow.

  2. I don’t think I saw anything in today’s paper naman. :|

  3. It’s not a ploy.

    They’re making that excuse to cover their stupidity… by assuming we’re more stupid than them. They will never treat us as intelligent thinking people.

    Rather than apologize, they will push this ploy excuse.

  4. That is totally hilarious. (Enfakid is teaching kids the wrong thing.)

  5. @ goingonmore: Winner. Haven’t seen an ad tank this bad.

  6. I agree with goingonmore

    That’s totally going to cause some conflict with Math teachers who also happen to be parents….
    And let’s not forget; every other parent who sees this will react.

    :) )

  7. Not bad!! It’s amazing how nobody actually noticed this mistake… Makes you wonder what kind of people work in that ad agency… from the creative team, to the guy in the printer, they should be ashamed.

    That wouldn’t have happened if they would have had milk when they were kids. Oh, and math classes… that too.

  8. @ Unhelpful Git: It’s not glaringly obvious that’s why it makes me think that this might be a genuine mistake. Which makes it sadder, really.

  9. omfg. i can now imagine the agency’s office right now. TOTAL CHAOS. heads are gonna roll, thats fo shore….i wouldnt wanna be the AE/Copy/CD right now.

    Teka.. wala ba talagang twist ito? Like, maybe copy says “This is how a kid not taking Enfakid will answer this equation”…..?

  10. @ Diane: IKR? Regarding the copy, if you click on the second image, it takes you to the bigger version. There seems to be no twist to it. I SWEAR.

    Wait, so does this mean copywriters will be fired and they’ll be looking for new ones?!
    *readies resume*

  11. EPIC FAIL
    FTW!

  12. In today’s papers, disaster management came out

    http://aboutmyrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/enfakid-deceptive-ad.jpg

    and

    http://aboutmyrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/enfakid-ad2.jpg

    I wrote more about it in my blog entry with the above ads. Still a failure I must say. Misleading and deceptive ads.

  13. mara: yep i think they’ll be looking for new ones. make sure to highlight your Ma11 and Ma12 grades. :)

  14. i call BS on that “update” hahahaha
    why spend that much for a gimik na pafold-fold pa, tapos mag-rerelease din pala sila ng “punchline”? hahaha

    sinong ahensya gumawa nito?

    *must pick up adobo magazine soon*

  15. @ Diane: I SHOULD! They were pretty high. Hahaha!

  16. @ Taning: Me too! I’ve been waiting around for someone in the industry to call BS on it.

  17. There’s no lead in the main ad that might clue in that this is a marketing ploy… Yikes! I agree with Diane… heads really are gonna roll.

  18. patay yung copywriter. hahaha pero in fairness, kaya nga siya copywriter at hindi accountant. BWAHAHAHAHA.

  19. @ Malou: I know right? It’s too “subtle” to be the first of a series.

  20. @ Taning:
    Chewy:
    should have read:

    ( (9+5)x2 ) – (7 x 2 ) ) = 14

    14 x 2 less 14 is indeed 14

    copywriter was correct. proofreader was wrong.

  21. baka yun art director ang may sala!
    tinanggal niya yung parentheses kasi hindi “pang-award” yung layout.

    AHAHAHAHAHA

  22. @ Taning: Hindi nga “pang-award”, pang bobards naman. Wahahah! Pero winner ha, pansin na pansin ang escandalo sa kanilang print ad!

    Masaya ang PR manager ng Enfakid. Bad press is good press! Hahaha!

  23. it would be better if the operation for 9+5 was put in a parenthesis.and i was kinda shock to see how that big brand/company of milk product whose tagline is “pursue the excellent” did something like that.anyway, maybe it was just to test whether we were smart enough…

  24. @ anonymous coward: I, personally, think that the details were overlooked. Well, in this case, it’s not details as much as it is the whole enchilada, y’know?

    And the reaction from the public shows that we ARE smart enough, the ones who made this aren’t.

  25. Marketing ploy huh?

    Check out their ads yesterday (23 Ot) with the Triangle-Trapezoid thing. See if you could find the “intentional” error there.

    Nice try!

  26. Marketing ploy huh?

    Check out their ads yesterday (23 Oct) with the Triangle-Trapezoid thing. See if you could find the “intentional” error there.

    Nice try!

  27. @ Dennis: Hi! Would you kind share an image or link to the said ads? I can’t seem to find the copy of our 23rd Oct issue of PDI in the office. Haha! Conspiracy!

  28. the great correction ad is what i call the second enfakid equation ad that came out. it’s the save-my-ass ad. hahahaha! ;D

  29. @ peachybree: Let’s see how many people believe THAT! Hahaha!

  30. No error. It is a marketing ploy. Badly conceived and ill-timed though.

    This is why “teasers” don’t work, and I don’t know why some marketing professors insist on teaching gimmicks like these to college kids.

    And IMHO, no self-respecting creative director (or copywriter) would willingly do this. This was probably an 11th hour idea after the brand manager disapproved the more decent ideas.

    Then again, I could be wrong. Just the same, both the brand manager and the creative should be penalized. Will teach both sides a lesson.

  31. yung ahensya ng enfakid alam ko nag sstart sa letter “A”

  32. AY! Chismax! Agency with starting with the letter A?! Oooh!


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