Broadview Security Ads

[RavenMad2099]

Have any of you noticed these Broadview Security ads on TV?
They're the ones where a woman is home alone )or home alone with her kids) when an evil male kicks in the door or smashes through a window to break in. The telephone rings immediately, and it's the vigilant Broadview Security customer service rep on the phone asking if our hapless heroine needs help. The woman breathlessly says someone just broke in, and the Broadview Security rep tells her help is on the way. "Th-thank you," she moans, eyes glistening in gratitude.

My question: why is the perpetrator in these ads always white?

As a white guy myself, I'm tired of being stereotyped as a likely burglar, sexual predator, or stalker. I mean, seriously...I have rarely (if ever) broken into someone's home by kicking the door down just as a helpless lone female headed upstairs for bed. And by "rarely" I mean "only occasionally." Well, OK...but still!!!

Are we supposed to believe black guys, Hispanic guys, and Asian guys never engage is this kind of behavior? What will it take for Hollywood to stop using white guys such as myself for these quick and easy bad-guy caricatures?

Fight the power!!!

Oops...have to go...my parole officer is here!!!

[Hexexis]

Have any of you noticed these Broadview Security ads on TV? ...

I'm curious about why they changed the name from Brink's to Broadview. I'm inclined to associate Brink's with security more than Broadview: I guess the obvious & well-known wasn't good enough for punk market wonks @Broadview. Love that branding!

[RavenMad2099]

Yeah - I wondered the same thing.
Brink's = security.
Broadview = ???
Obnoxiously PC commercials?

BTW - I'm not seriously ticked off about this. I actually think it's vaguely amusing how they are going so obviously out of their way to be PC by making all the burglars and stalkers white.

[Gigi]

Yeah - I wondered the same thing.
Brink's = security.
Broadview = ???
Obnoxiously PC commercials?

BTW - I'm not seriously ticked off about this. I actually think it's vaguely amusing how they are going so obviously out of their way to be PC by making all the burglars and stalkers white.

I'm not sure if being "PC" is really the motive. Many of the commercials put the almost-crime victims in situations that are unlikely, but really speak to the fears of many suburbanites, particularly women. For example, the one where the mother and daughter are playing in the fenced yard in the middle of the day and the "stalker" looking guy tries to break in once the mother and daughter go into the house. I get the sense that the Broadview Co. is offering up these scary, but unlikely, situations, including perpetrators that are against "stereotype," as a scare tactic to encourage the use of their product. I'd also bet there's market research that supports that their target audience(s) for the ads are more likely to take action if the perpetrators are white. It would interesting (at least to me because I am a dork about this kind of stuff) to know if they tested ads with black and/or hispanic perpetrators.

[Snake_Plissken]

Actually, the jealous ex-boyfriend and smitten new guy, ARE more likely scenarios than random strangers.

[Dee Lightner]

True, but then why not also have a black woman in similar circumstances, where the ex or the jealous boyfriend is also black? Do they think only white women are beset by male klooks?

Also, their ads say "trained professionals" will respond. HAH! Someone from a call center wido resppoll respond, then if you need help they will call the cops. A brinks (Broadview) person will probably not respond and come to your house.

And, if they do respond from the call center, just what is the time lag between the alarm going off, the call from the call center, the call from the call center to the cops, and the cops showing up at your door?

THAT'S what I would want to know before installing any kind of system.

Also, I HAVE known someone who worked at one of those security company call centers and if i had to rely on THAT person for help, i would probably be in deep ca-ca!

Actually, they say that just having the sign in your yard and the stickers on your doors and windows is nearly as much of a deterrant to burglars as the real thing, and the ex or the boyfriend would certainly not be fooled, so since most crimes of the type shown are committed by a person known to the victim, what good is the system anyway?