Scots Taffer on 12/11/2007 at 02:59
For a while now social and health issues such as passive smoking, lung cancer, drink driving, workplace accidents and domestic violence have all been subject to shock-style advertising campaigns be it through graphic imagery presented on packaging or through extremely graphic and blunt advertisements in cinemas and on television.
Here are some examples if you're unfamiliar with the material I'm talking about, obviously these are pretty disturbing given their intent.
Drink Driving (UK)(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsY_Co-p8Bw) Girl in the bar
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVBfMMMUsGs) Dead little girl
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1HV5h4K8D0) No Seatbelt
Workplace Accidents (CA)(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noFCekWiUGE) Sous-Chef
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Haa4QImf40) Shop girl
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mek0f9MBZ58&NR=1) Welder
Domestic Violence (CA)(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugTeOz7rsgE) Restaurant
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXxUSolUcdM) Board room
I came across some of these recently and it really caused me to question their efficacy. I mean, some of them seem to cross the line between explicit, hard-hitting imagery into the realm of tactless, over-the-top parody.
For example, I found this (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvBKlBhfgPc) Australian domestic abuse ad unintentionally amusing and I recall a young-drivers campaign with Christopher Eccleston that featured in UK cinemas years ago (no youtube unfortunately) that had the crowd laughing their heads off at a car containing two bloodied and twisted teenagers after an offscreen accident.
Are we too jaded to respond to such imagery at all, or is the line between effective and farcical too ill-defined for companies to understand; if so, why are we wasting the government money on it?
The workplace accident ones are especially empty gestures, in my opinion. A significant majority of people have no influence whatsoever on workplace safety policies, or the way in which most people use their workspace; yes, the general message of being vigilant in the workplace is a worthwhile one but is that the message delivered in these ads, do you reckon? In most cases, it's like someone watched the first season of Six Feet Under and decided they had some good ideas for the death-intros and wanted to work them into something.
I wonder sometimes if the overtly graphic nature of them switches people off the message, the sous-chef ad in particular forces such a strong flinch/turn-away reaction that afterwards I'm just sort of gutted and don't want to think back on what just happened. Plus, and here I'm showing my truly cynical colours, I don't think the lazy bastards who contribute workplace malfeseance are ever likely to change their habits.
Even the ones that do maintain the uneasy straight-faced seriousness, I am simply not sure that shock-advertising has the desired impact and to be honest, I find them rather upsetting. As a non-drink-driver and non-spousal-abuser (like the majority of the population), I find the imagery quite distressing and in some cases borderline offensive. Now I know that people are going to say:
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO UPSET YOU!! But really, are they? Why upset me, if I am not guilty of any of the crimes on display? I really don't think the hardened drink driver or the habitual wife beater will be moved by any of these ads at all.
I believe that if they have any impact at all, it's probably a marginal infleunce to the fringe parties, those who allow certain acts to happen like friends/family of abused spouses, or those who enable certain events like buying that last round for the guy who's driving and doesn't want any more - but does that impact warrant the intent of upsetting
everyone who came to see a movie or are in the middle of a light-hearted, warm and fuzzy romantic comedy? How often do we think these ad campaigns actually change hearts and minds? Being the friend of someone who's being beaten up is a horrible situation, but will an ad change that? Being the guy who's had one too many and buys the guy he works with that one-beer-too-many is a dumb fuck thing to do, but once under the influence will they reflect upon that ad they saw last night when at the bar? I wonder.
heretic on 12/11/2007 at 03:37
I've recently seen some similar adds here in the states. Anti-drug adds mostly.
If it keeps folks away from meth or whatnot I'm all for it, but it is a bit comical to compare realistic depictions against the comically monstrous ones in said adds.
"Be a good boy or the boogeyman will get 'ya."
Tocky on 12/11/2007 at 03:52
Would it matter if the boogeymans name is Bubba and he is waiting just beyond the cell doors to rape you? If that reality doesn't stop idiots then what commercial will?
And before you say it Scots, no he doesn't look good in stockings and high heels.
demagogue on 12/11/2007 at 03:58
It's the very nature of advertising not to be taken seriously ... critique of capitalism 101. I wouldn't blame anyone for find them laughable ... it's a laughable "solution" to social problems. If they are trying to find a substitute for community, commercials aren't it. My 2 cents is they'll have to do it the old fashioned way ... people being interested in each other in their families and communities. That and more lawyers, of course.
Mingan on 12/11/2007 at 04:06
I lol'ed at the exploding welder. I'm a bad person.
Stitch on 12/11/2007 at 04:11
Nigga please, that was physical comedy at its best :cool:
The other two ads, especially the screaming chef one, were not nearly so funny. I think they need to add slide whistle and spring "boing" sound effects to her slip and fall.
fett on 12/11/2007 at 04:26
Anyone who thinks those are going to stop domestic abusers, drunk drivers, or greedy coporations who don't keep a tight reign on safety policies, is well...retarded. Seriously, a guy beats the shit out of his wife every night and he's going to change because of a commercial? The only thing that changes guys like that (in my experience) is a couple of bikers breaking both his arms and leaving him in a ditch somewhere to reconsider his behavior. I'm just saying.
Gingerbread Man on 12/11/2007 at 04:58
It's not about changing their behaviour. It's about conditioning us to be highly intolerant of that stuff in the hopes that society will a) report it more often and b) start to prosecute it more vigorously.
These ads aren't aimed at the offenders, they're aimed at everyone else. Do at least attempt to remain cognizant of the spoonfed soma world we live in hello.
Stitch on 12/11/2007 at 05:31
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
These ads aren't aimed at the offenders, they're aimed at
everyone else. Do at least attempt to remain cognizant of the spoonfed soma world we live in hello.
Errr...did you watch the Californian domestic violence ones? I really have no idea who the hell they're aimed at, but it doesn't seem to be the casual bystander.
Scots Taffer on 12/11/2007 at 06:03
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
It's not about changing their behaviour. It's about conditioning
us to be highly intolerant of that stuff in the hopes that society will a) report it more often and b) start to prosecute it more vigorously.
These ads aren't aimed at the offenders, they're aimed at
everyone else. Do at least attempt to remain cognizant of the spoonfed soma world we live in hello.
Their aim is almost irrelevant if they are unable to effectively condition us, which is half the argument I presented. Are they effectively conditioning anyone about anything? Education is not conditioning, nor is shocking considered an effective means of teaching.
I was also more or less
asking you all who you think the intended audience is and whether or not they actually reach that intended audience. I didn't say explicitly which I thought it was, but my comments on the likelihood of these ads affecting offenders
or those completely without assocation quite clearly indicate I think the only "affected" demographic are those associated groups who are remaining silent/enabling etc.
Also CA ain't California, it's Canada.
