Ad Rant
– aka: Does they think we is stoopid ? ?
Requisite:
- *Cute children with large eyes, mournful expression.
- *Arid landscape, with a couple of thin, miserable looking animals.
- *Professional voice-over, preferably sombre male.
- *Camera: Slow-mo, with lingering close-ups of above mentioned expressions.
- *Personalisation: Give name to child.
- *Pitch: Do it now, it’s up to you.
Charity Adverts
In the course of just one afternoon’s casual watching, I have seen 6 charity adverts on television that exactly fit this outline, and the question came: When the repetition of the above formula causes a ‘same-old, same-old’ reaction in a viewer, won’t even the caring tune out?
Of course I am concerned about poverty, malnutrition, water access and insufficient medical facilities in a large part of the third world. We have been in the middle of it, seen it up close, got our hands dirty and our muscles sore working directly in food collection and distribution, orphanages, home building.
I’m equally concerned about these issues closer to home too. The problems are there, the needs are real.
But for goodness sake! Have these supposed creative types actually got any individuality or creativity among them?
NB: This rant is not against the charities who are doing these works. It is against the adverts being put out, and – consequentially – those responsible for them.
The Disconnection of Distance
How many of the ad agency copywriters have worked among the poor and disadvantaged? How many have looked outside the tired platitudes they are copy-and-pasting? Have they ever gone beyond their industry thesaurus’ standard recommended phrases for ‘push the sentimentality button’?
What about the persons in an organisation who approve the advert? Have they sat down with the child they gave a name to, developed a true connection with this ‘real person’ they are attempting to press into the conscience of their audience?
Putting Your Money where the Need is
Different charities reach different needs, and there are a great number of them doing good work. There are a multitude not spending mega-bucks on guilt-trip adverts, choosing to put their resources down on the ground, doing the dirty work.
We continue to put action to conviction, and choose to give where we have confidence that funds are being well utilised to the best end.
Now I don’t think you is stoopid, so I won’t say anything further – other than warning you that the Ad-rant Hat has been taken out of mothballs.
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Hahahaha! this post made me laugh so much! It is so true, they have these repetitive, pull at your heart strings commercials which really make people change the channel instead of really connecting with the need. I often wonder how many of the places really do connect with the people in the sad picture 🙁 I know that there are many places doing some real good – they just need better commercials!
My rant is animal ads… I can’t deal with animal cruelty in any way. It is a very sore spot for me. You should just see the commercials for the animal cruelty places! *GASP* I can’t watch it at all, I may just faint. I wish they would show happy animals, I would love to watch happy animals… ha!