Normally, I don’t go for hidden camera stuff (in advertising or entertainment) but this provocative campaign for a difficult subject is an exception. What I admire is the light touch it took with such a heavy subject. For example, the main actor is youthful, handsome and charming. In ordinary circumstances any father would be delighted to have his daughter date a fellow like this. Not casting an older, salacious man invites us into the concept. When the girls run up and hug him our first reaction is hardly uncomfortable. It seems normal… until we grasp what’s going on.
The real people are real too. This is not a dumb observation. In my opinion 90% of so-called “real” persons seen on videos today come off as vulgar, coached-up buffoons. It’s all about BIG reactions. But here the unaware parents are more perplexed than SHOCKED!!! These are genuine reactions. The subtle shift into full awareness make the commercial utterly believable and, in a way, transfixing. The light tone is counter-intuitive and utterly effective. Bravo.
Read more in Adweek.
Client: BØRNEfonden (Child & Youth Foundation.)
Agency: Robert/Boisen & Like Minded
Are Americans as sensitive as we are fat? Reactions to polarzing campaign about child obesity.
February 2, 2012
We’re too fat. Stop sugarcoating it.
The above ‘Stop Childhood Obesity’ campaign from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta only broke a few weeks ago but it has already polarized an overly sensitive and fat nation. Comments on their Facebook page range from “It’s horrible!” to “It’s about time!” Clearly, the emotional honesty of the campaign has touched a nerve in our society. For more on that, here’s coverage from the Los Angeles Times: STORY.
From a creative perspective the work is dead simple. It features overweight children talking to the camera and/or their parents. Shot in black and white, the tone is uncompromisingly serious. While the kids aren’t crying, they most certainly aren’t happy. What’s more they don’t come off as actors, either. (Not that it matters, an overweight child-actor is still an overweight child.)
As I think about this work, one thing that strikes me is how rare it is seeing kids being straightforward and serious as opposed to happy or sad. As a culture, we expect our children either laughing and playing or crying and tantrumy, especially in commercials. Refreshingly, that is not the case here.
I also appreciate the way the spots put parents (and society) on the spot. “Mom, Why am I so fat?” That’s a brutal question for any parent to answer, especially if he or she is overweight. Mom can’t get out of the chair, literally or figuratively.
While some may argue these spots are hurtful to children or disrespectful to parents, I say so what. As I write this, in the waiting room of a car dealership, the TV is turned on to a show about fat people competing to slim down. Children see those programs, too. Why no stink there? Whatever. Child obesity is a massive problem and it isn’t just the state of Georgia that needs to “stop sugarcoating it.”
Before taking sides over Groupon’s Super Bowl commercial, maybe we should take stock.
February 9, 2011
Making fun of monks may not be very zen but it is intrusive.
We’ve all seen the commercial, the one where Tim Hutton has dinner at Tibet’s expense. If you didn’t catch it on the Super Bowl (all three of you) then you most certainly read about it EVERYWHERE. The damn thing made the front page in all the papers. Conan did a skit. Bloggers went bonkers. Children cried! And now even I am putting in my two cents.
My opinion: Yes, it was crass. But crassness is why it was so intrusive. And intrusive is something advertisers want to be, especially those seeking marketing communications from a certain shop in Boulder Colorado. CP&B promises fame for its clients. Period. And fame is what they delivered.
Groupon is now covering its tracks claiming that consumers didn’t see the big picture; that, in fact, they are a socially aware company. That the causes they make fun of are actually near and dear to their hearts. That if one looks on their website one will find links to charities sponsoring the very causes they poke fun at. This morning, I read they are also “tweaking” the commercials so that all this ‘goodness’ becomes clearer to the consumer. Then I read they are pulling some or all of the work from air. What next: A mea culpa from the CEO?
Too late. The spot ran on the Super Bowl and that means it is part of history. Better said, it made history. Therefore, it did what it was supposed to do. Agency CP&B made yet another client more famous than they were before contracting them. No easy feat if you’re Groupon.
And it wasn’t the first time they’ve done so using shock and awe. Remember Crispin’s campaign for VW, which horrifyingly dramatized car crashes? Or when they gave Whoppers to poor people in third world countries? CP&B pushes buttons other agencies (and their clients) don’t, won’t and can’t. It’s their M.O. And they fearlessly stick to it.
And Groupon knew it. Why else would they have contacted them? They wanted dynamite and they got it. In my opinion, for them to pretend the collateral damage was wholly unintended is more offensive than the commercials.
And while King Consumer can react to the work as he or she pleases, we in Adland should think hard before throwing stones. Emulating CP&B has long been a silent mandate in many creative departments. This could be one of those teachable moments for all of us. Knock it off or lighten up. But before taking sides, take stock.
Something else. Alex Bogusky left his namesake agency for personal reasons. Once, he was their creative leader and conscience but that same conscience directed him elsewhere. A higher calling, if you will. He is now fronting a socially aware brand of capitalism called “Common.” Could it be Alex wearied of creating drama reckless of his moral compass? I would love his take on the Groupon campaign. Wouldn’t you?
Update: I had the spot posted above but it was yanked from You Tube, ergo the Tibetan flag…
Courting controversy. It’s something I’m rather good at. With the advent of social media it’s also something I’d better be very careful with –like ending sentences with prepositions 😉
Lately, I’ve been wondering about courting controversy in marketing. Is it always a bad thing? The French word for advertising is, roughly translated, publicity. And publicity tends to favor controversy. People do too. We are a nation of Gawkers.
So, given clients want eyeballs, it’s hard to walk away from controversy. Especially, now that mass media is hurting and social media is thriving. People go where the action is. More and more advertiser go there as well.
In the good old days of building brands, agencies shied away from “edginess” like the plague. Creative people were forever frustrated by their clients’ fear of pushing the envelope. Brands always had to stand for something good, like truth, justice and the American Way!
But then things started getting nasty. The Internet opened doors previously nailed shut. Pornography and other racy offerings became commonplace and, as a result, more and more acceptable. But desirable?
Lord knows Crispin Porter & Bogusky has made its ample hay courting controversy. The vaguely sinister Burger King. Subservient Chicken. Those hyper-violent commercials for VW. Yes, people came out in droves against these darker offerings but –and here’s the kicker- they came out.
And that makes such burnt offerings, as least by certain criteria, very successful. And desirable. Regardless of what anyone thinks, work like this has changed the game. Clients want to be famous and CP&B’s brand of edginess delivers. People will go to You Tube to watch this content. People will search for it. This cannot be undervalued.
Maybe that’s the key to courting controversy in marketing: doing it right. But what the hell does that mean? It’s easy to see and say that Go Daddy got it wrong. Their commercials suck. And yet, by appearing on most everyone’s worst ad ever list Go Daddy has achieved notoriety. They’re famous and well known. Does anyone care if it’s for sucking?
The Happy Soul Industry
The Last Generation
Gods of Advertising 