<p>xiggi, have you thought about applying for the head ad editor position at Groupon? 
Of course, as edited by you, the ad is clever. As is - agree, it is idiotic.</p>
<p>IMO, xiggiâs is much different than the OPâs. Both in style and meaning. In the original, the trombone player has none of those things. In xiggiâs, heâs just not tooting his own horn. xiggiâs is funny. The original one is offensive.</p>
<p>I didnât realize anyone still bought Reebok shoes. Didnât they get busted for the same rocker sole deceptive advertising that Skechers did? Maybe someone at Groupon who was disappointed that the shoes didnât tone his or her butt wrote the ad???</p>
<p>xiggiâitâs one thing to try and be clever and another to be insulting. Thereâs no need for that in advertising.</p>
<p>barronsâI was actually never a band kid, but I found it insulting to musicians to imply that we donât have talent or rhythm. And what the heck kind of rhythm does it take to be a football player? Please.</p>
<p>Band kids have talent. Football players have talent too. Some kids are lucky to be a talented football player who plays an instrument. </p>
<p>And truly, I do believe there is a certain ârhythmâ to a sport and the plays of a game.</p>
<p>Of course I am generalizing with this post, but itâs the band kids who go back to the reunions with the great jobs, nice cars, healthy physiques, and hot spouses. </p>
<p>I can make this observation as I was both a high school band participant and a D 1 college athlete. The band took more talent and rhythm ;)</p>
<p>The people who write the Groupon ads are idiots IMO and not just from thisâŠ
who the heck do they hire??..honestly, I am the Groupon Queen (according to my family) but I NEVER read the junk they writeâŠ</p>
<p>I nominate xiggiâŠ</p>
<p>Itâs all in good fun. If its really that offensive to you maybe you should learn to love fun. This is coming from a trombonist.</p>
<p>I strike out twice - play no instrument and not an athlete (ok, I was a synchronized swimmer - talk about something thatâs made fun of!!!)</p>
<p>Groupon ASKS/REQUIRES their writers to write this way - SOMEONE higher up than the writer proofs and approves these - the writers are doing what they are asked - to be quirky, snarky and maybeâŠcontroversial!!!</p>
<p>Living Social (Northern Virginia Edition) posted something a few months back for a concealed weapons course. Now THATâs offensive. Virginia is for gun loversâŠ</p>
<p>This will come back to haunt Reebok when they try to sell marching band shoes.</p>
<p>I guess I would say the ad is needlessly and childishly insulting, but I think I would reserve âoffensiveâ for something worse. Marching band trombonists arenât a particularly persecuted class of people.</p>
<p>They have band shoes?? Apparently they do but the athletic shoes companies are not the players here. A brand name only a band geek could love.</p>
<p>[Marching</a> Band Shoes, DINKLES, Marching Shoes, Drum Corps Shoes, Color Guard Shoes, High School Band Shoes, College Band Shoes, Marching Band Footwear, Marching Footwear, Drum Corps Footwear,Color Guard Footwear, Harry Dinkle, DCI Shoes](<a href=âhttp://dinkles.com/]Marchingâ>http://dinkles.com/)</p>
<p>My husband played the trombone in his high school band and he thought the ad was funny. Seriously, people need to relax a little and understand when something was written tongue-in-cheek!</p>
<p>Oh good lord, talk about much ado about nothing. Thatâs the Groupon writing style. Itâs meant to be cheeky and irreverent. Itâs a little too twee and annoying for my taste, but anyone who takes it seriously and thinks itâs really âoffensiveâ needs to get a life. Yes, you poor trombonists, always being made fun of. @@ Get a grip, really.</p>
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<p>Unless itâs a member of the Stanford band of 1982. :)</p>
<p>Looks like the attention it got on Twitter/Tumblr got through to Reebok.</p>
<p>"Reebok does not agree with the sentiment in the Groupon offer. We did not write/approve it and it was removed per our requestâ</p>
<p>Maybe now Groupon will be a little more careful with their blurbs, or the companies will be more diligent about watching what Groupon is associating with their products.</p>
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<p>I can just imagine the flak who had to write that line muttering under his breath, âYeah, actually, we reserve our contempt for the percussion section.â</p>
<p>I mean to say ⊠Seriously. Iâm with Hunt, Pizzagirl, Bluehen89 and anyone else who would urge the OP to take a chill pill.</p>
<p>People get offended by the stupidest things, it seems. Really, HisGraceFillsMe, it was typical Groupon light and inoffensive banter.</p>
<p>I usually try hard to understand the point of view of others, but being upset by this- especially enough to create a thread about it- is beyond my comprehension. BAD Groupon! Time out for you!</p>
<p>As a lawyer, if I got bent out of shape about every lawyer joke, I wouldnât have much of a life!</p>
<p>Iâm sorry you all deem this âmeaninglessâ, but I simply thought it was completely unnecessary. Itâs indulging the typical âJocks are better than everyone elseâ stereotype in order to sell a product. There is absolutely no reason to insult a group of people in order to advertise a shoe, especially when the insult is just completely wrong.</p>
<p>Good for you all for being so tough-skinned, but I will always say something and make it known when I think something is wrong.</p>
<p>Along somewhat of the same line, have any of you seen the movie âbullyâ? I only ask because:</p>
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<p>This is the same âboys will be boysâ attitude that the parents in that film use to defend their children who are bullying others. Itâs not acceptable, nor does it excuse the behavior. I understand that itâs not the same thing, but itâs the same rationale.</p>