Every year certain ad campaigns come under fire for pushing the boundaries for what society finds offensive. Famously, the government’s anti-smoking campaign in 2007 was banned for it’s use of shocking images of people with a fishing hook in their mouth. At the time I was working for a design agency in Leeds and I remember the office being in complete outrage at any advert being banned. The fishing hook was designed to be shocking in order to have an effect on smokers and encourage them to quit smoking. That people were offended by it is a real shame, since it could have been a really effective way of helping people to quit.
It was to my great surprise yesterday, then, that I discovered a horrific advert that is truely shocking. It is the kind of ad that gets suggested in a brain storming session and everyone quickly moves on, knowing that it is a great idea, but also that it is incredibly offensive and insensitive. Here is a link to the video:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/04/ddb-brasil-wwf-twin-towers-ad
It is an old debate when advertising crosses the boundary between shocking/effective and shocking/offensive. I think this advert may just have shown where that line lies.
