[RT Wolf]

I do not think this ad is satiric in nature; it is unironically critising men's inability to pick "good" gifts for women, not the dynamic between the sexes, and then it is essentially teaching men how to pick a "good" gift. I disagree with the claim that this ad simply reflects society--it also provides a model for behaviour. IE, if someone from another "society" that has different values saw this, they would find out that in this society, do not give practical gifts, give "thoughtful" ones. This is not just a model for men, it is for women, too. It says, if your man gives you a practical gift, it means he doesn't care and you should put them in the doghouse. Look up Marxist/psychoanalytic criticism of visual media such as film, video and pictures to get an idea of how everything means a lot more than what it actually means. Additionally, look up the history of the diamond engagement ring which was essentially created by the de Beers cartel and the advertising agency it hired. Adveritising doesn't just reflect society but is trying to actively influence it.

The problem is how you define a "thoughtful" gift. There's a psych theory that suggested that impractical gifts are desired precisely because they're impractical but pretty. They show that the man has the wealth and status to spend money on "useless" things for the woman. Its a better indicator of investment in the relationship and of a man's wealth than if he got her...say, a vacuum cleaner or even a car because they have practical functions. This doesn't apply to all relationships or all women or even all men, of course.

In my (limited) experience, women seek the experience of feeling special and of feeling cared about in relationships, and so do men. Women just feel special or feel cared about in different situations than men do, and it doesn't have to involve spending money on baubles. Put thought into how to present a gift--a five dollar bouquet becomes a lot more meaningful if it involves a surprise. The last time I got my gf jewelry was a pair of earrings that I spent almost an hour choosing, finding the prettiest ones rather than the most expensive ones and then presenting them to her in front of her friends (presentation, presentation, presentation!). I didn't have any money for a gift for my gf this year so I threw her two surprise parties, which involved coordinating with her friends from out of town. I even filmed the one with her friends so she'd had a reminder of the fun time she had. I'm willing to bet that that experience is more meaningful to her than if I'd gotten her some shiny metal. Of course, that makes for a terrible ad.