Why do diaper and incontinent product commercials show absorption capacities by using a blue liquid? Why not use actual urine?

Well, over here I’ve mostly seen this in commercials for sanitary napkins for women. Probably because they think people would be grossed out.

I’ve wondered the same thing, because blue liquid is not urine or blood. Nor the same consistency of one of those.

First of all, it’s highly visible. Secondly, if the consumer associates the product with disgust and/or shame (never underestimate that) they simply won’t buy it.

@KNOWITALL The consistency of the blue liquid could be anything I guess though… :) But why do they insist on having this part of the commercials at all if they’re afraid to show the real stuff? It doesn’t prove anything anyway. It’s not like we’re going to have an example where it fails… “Oh no, it bled through this time, we apparently have a bad product!”

@nerdgirl578, they have it now because it looks more “scientific” to show the product absorbing something, it also gives the consumer a sense of volume.

@nerdgirl578 Well I guess if you were worried about pissing yourself and your ‘diaper’ held a full two cups of blue liquid on the commercial, that would increase your confidence?!

Unless it is reeaaallly concentrated piss, you will not be able to see it all that well, once it is absorbed.
It is also considered disgusting.

@ragingloli Unless you’re a pee-vert. #golden

Well I’m no expert at this, but whenever blue liquids start coming out of my bodily crevices I’ll be sure to find the best protection….

@nerdgirl578
Read more: Smurf Piss shot drink recipes http://www.drinksmixer.com/cat/470/#ixzz5tsbPerB0

Oh, maybe that’s what they drank in those commercials? It all makes sense now.

That would be taking the piss.

The material in these products isn’t urine-specific for absorption. It is for liquid. Using a blue liquid is done for visual effect. They could use urine, but what would the point be? To gross out the hand model pouring the fluid?

Sometimes urine is very pale. It would be hard to see next to the white pad. That and the grossness factor.

Using something that looked like urine would introduce the GROSS factor into it. Pool water is much nicer.

@seawulf575 If it was the model’s own urine, it wouldn’t gross her out.

@jca2 Only yellow urine would be used.

@Dutchess_lll Who would wear a diaper in a pool?
They flake apart, and the gel and cottenesque paper are worse to deal with than urine.

It looks like pool water, and pool water is sanitized.

Why does everything have to be “sanitized”? Isn’t natural the way to go?

Well, we can sanitize urine, then. Drink bleach.

Same principle as the Toothpaste Sandwiches I invented so that you don’t have to brush your teeth after eating.

@Yellowdog: What’s a better contrast – yellow on white or blue on white?

It’s marketing dude.

I think they would use blue colored liquid to show that they’re not using urine. Blue would be better than green which could look like real sickly pee. And red liquid…have you ever peed red???

@kritiper Red beets could have that effect…

I have peed bright orange. Can you say UTI?

I’m glad I stream TV these days; I don’t really see commercials anymore. Last thing I want to see is a commercial with actual urine in it. lol

There is something deeply wrong with you, TC.

I pee blue. What’s with you people?

LOL!

Who is TC.

From this article:

“It was in the 1990s that the ‘blue liquid’ idea emerged in television advertising, to reflect both a changing landscape and a clash in ideology. After Courtney Cox, in a Tampax ad in 1985, became the first person to say ‘period’ onscreen, American advertisers now felt capable of showing pads onscreen, but needed to balance the need to demonstrate the products’ absorption with the audience’s possible cultural disgust reflex at seeing any menstrual blood-like substance. Their solution? Blue liquid. As different commentators have noted, other color combinations—pink, purple, yellow or brown, even orange and green—have associations with different organic bodily fluids or functions. By contrast, blue is uniquely clinical and evokes cleaning products, like bleach or dishwashing liquid, emphasizing a sense of ‘cleanliness’ and hygiene rather than one of dirtiness (or even natural-ness). It could show absorption and create a sanitary atmosphere instead of reminding people about, well, blood.”

Trying my best to menstruate blue blood now… Too bad I’m not even rich…

The contrast of the blue shows up better on screen than light yellow does!!!

It’s because of the great circle of life.

In the beginning you’re shown how blue dye gets into that chalk so you brush your teeth.

Next thing you know you’ve blinked and you see blue dye soaking into your pamperloons.

@Irukanji Thanks, I love origin posts!

@Dutchess_lll TC probably means Tallow Canine

@Yellowdog I don’t know about that statement about the model’s own urine. I’m not sure I’d want to pour my own urine into an adult diaper just to get a commercial. Yes, it’s mine, but that doesn’t mean I want to potentially splash it on me.

Hey! What do these two short pink lines mean?

Sneak some red food coloring into someone’s beer and they’ll pee red!

Im going to try that.

The ick factor of seeing real urine, and then imaging the smell, would make people turn the channel.

The ick factor applies every time a baby on TV makes a mess with spaghetti on his face and head, and then the highchair tray and floor, to sell paper towels.

Come to think of it, showing a real diaper change on T.V. to sell diapers might be pretty disgusting.