There’s an age-old debate concerning professional wrestling that centers around one simple question: Is it real?
I have my own hypothesis on the matter, but I won’t get into too much detail about it.
As a father of a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fan, I tried for several years to occasionally watch the matches on television, but somehow, I couldn’t do so without laughing. I get that the WWE personalities are really athletes and they display that athleticism through their moves, but the tough talk seemed like bad acting and the acrobatics seemed choreographed. The whole WWE thing seemed just plumb silly.
Then a few weeks ago, we went to a WWE event. Yes, it was kind of silly, but it was fun.
You couldn’t help but notice how much work went into the production, and regardless of whether it was “real” or not, the idea behind the production was entertainment, as is indicated in the organization’s name. And entertaining it was.
The WWE’s entertainment value isn’t lost on Foster Farms, the 11th largest broiler and turkey producer in the United States, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database.
The company recently produced a video advertising its corn dog products, featuring WWE star Lacey Evans, who in real life is also a mother.
Foster Farms helps mother face the monster
In the ad, which you can find on YouTube, it shows Evans in her kitchen, wearing an apron and pushing buttons on the microwave with a box of Foster Farms corn dogs nearby. She hears the door open, and starts to ask her daughter how her day at school went. When Evans looks up, she sees a hairy, horned monster carrying a backpack, which the monster throws at Evans because she is so hungry.
Two announcers, one with a WWE microphone and the other with a Foster Farms microphone, start to provide commentary.
“It’s a battle as old as time. Mom versus her kid’s monster appetite,” one announcer says.
“Can Lacey Evans hold off that hunger monster while preparing a satisfying snack,” the other asks.
From there, Evans rips off her apron to reveal her typical wrestling outfit. She does all sorts of athletic and acrobatic moves around her kitchen while being pursued and fought by the fuzzy monster. With the monster holding onto Evans’ leg, she eventually makes her way back to the microwave by the time the bell rings.
She then hands the finished corn dog to the monster, who morphs into her real-life daughter, who is more than happy that her mom gave her that after-school treat.
The WWE website shows a little more detail behind the scenes for this humorous 60-second commercial.
Real entertainment
I think this ad was very well done, and I applaud Foster Farms and the WWE for this partnership.
I expect this ad to raise consumer awareness of Foster Farms and its corn dogs, but to me, the spot also showed a real side to professional wrestling.
It showed Evans was a real mom with a real daughter whom she cares for dearly. It also showed a human side of Evans, who wasn’t afraid of making a little fun of herself and her profession to show that love for her daughter. Now that’s a real person.
