Monday, August 13, 2012

NBC uses song about penis to promote fall programming

What the hell, NBC?

In promos that ran during the Olympics, the network - whose logo is a peacock - used Katy Perry's song "Peacock" to promote its upcoming fall programming. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this little ditty from Perry's "Teenage Dream" CD, here are some sample lyrics:

"I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock, cock.
Your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock"

That's right, kiddies: This is a song about wanting to see a man's penis. Did no one tell the NBC executives about this? There's no way they could not have known the tune's real meaning. Perry repeats the word "cock" several times, just to make sure you don't think she's singing about a brightly-plumed bird. Here are some more lyrics:

Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock?
What you waiting for, it's time for you to show it off
Don't be a shy kinda guy, I'll bet it's beautiful
Come on, baby, let me see what you're hiding underneath

Yep, no mistaking that one. And not only is the song about wanting to see a man's penis, it's about being super-duper impressed with that penis once it's actually revealed.

Oh my God, no exaggeration
Boy, all this time was worth the waiting
I just shed a tear
I am so unprepared
You've got the finest architecture
End of the rainbow looking treasure
Such a sight to see
And it's all for me



I want to know who the advertising genius is that came up with the idea of using this song. Normally, corporations are extremely skittish about anything they think may damage their public reputation. NBC won't broadcast ads for NC-17 movies or M-rated videogames, but they'll gladly try to convince you to watch their shows by bringing to mind the image of a woman excitedly getting a chance to see a guy's weiner.

Here's the kicker: it ain't like "Peacock" is an obscure song by a little-known artist. Perry's "Teenage Dream" CD has sold over two million copies. That means at least two million people know this song.

In fairness, NBC does use the "censored" version, which removes the extraneous repetition of "cock." Not that it matters. What we've got here is a case of a network so desperate to further its branding that they are willing to associate their product with something that, quite frankly, could offend a lot of people. (For the record, I think the song's catchy.) This being the case, one can only assume that NBC wants us to envision male genitalia when watching their shows.

Watch Matthew Perry's new show Go On! Then go look at some penises!

Didja hear about our new show Animal Practice? It'll make you want to look at some erections when it's over!

You know who's probably hung like a horse? Ron Swanson, from our hit show Parks and Recreation!

Can you imagine if other networks did this? Maybe CBS, whose logo is an eye, could use the Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" for their ads. Or ABC, whose logo is a ball, could play AC/DC's "Big Balls" to tout their new season. Sure, why not?

It'll be interesting to see if these ads stand. Maybe the network will be inundated with complaints. Or maybe someone inside the halls of 30 Rockerfeller Center will have a lightbulb go on over his/her head and think, "Maybe we should use a different song." Until or unless such a time comes, the network will be associating itself with a song about a woman getting hot and bothered by a glimpse of the ol' frank-n-beans.

If they want a new slogan to go with their new promos, I've got one: NBC stands for "Nothing But 'Cocks!"






1 comment:

  1. Great post. I actually don't watch NBC very often, so I didn't even know this happened. I also watched very little of the Olympic Games. I'm surprised I haven't heard about this on FOX News. They're usually all over something like this.

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