Confusion quite desirable
A small Basel-based agency promotes Swiss cultural events in Austria
A small Basel agency advertises Swiss cultural events in AustriaAdvertising often aims to amuse, at best to provoke, but less often to create misunderstandings. A small Basel advertising agency consciously accepts the latter when advertising Swiss cultural events in Austria.At first glance, you see the poster headline "This yellow", with "CHinA 2001" underneath. Who wouldn't first think of yellow-skinned Asians? No one associates this with a "cultural offensive" in which Swiss artists from the fields of visual arts, film, literature, music, cartoons, dance and theater will be performing at around 70 events in Austria, primarily in Vienna, starting in April and running for a year. This association does not arise when one discovers the addition "Switzerland in Austria". On the contrary.
Fredy Hadorn, owner of the Basel advertising agency Hadorn and creator of the above-mentioned poster and other subjects, readily explains: "This Yellow" is the title of a painting by a Swiss artist, the headline "Untitled" is likewise, and "The Pollen Room" is a title from Swiss literature. But do the Austrians also know this? Or do the headlines at least make them curious enough to quickly surf to the homepage www.china2001.at as desired? Hadorn is convinced that "the headlines are quickly recognizable for insiders". However, the fact that they only leave the general public with question marks "is entirely desirable".
The Austrian media should resolve question marks
What he doesn't say is that perhaps he is deliberately including a lot of question marks so that the Austrian media will feel compelled to dissolve them in the editorial section. In any case, the Chinese embassy in Vienna has already got wind of the matter and suspected abuse of its country. "We don't want to rule out the possibility of confusion," says Hadorn, "but we are willing to take that risk."
But how did Hadorn get this advertising commission? In the last two years, he has triggered a very broad response in Basel with two art projects. The artist and advertiser was then promptly asked by the Viennese initiators to implement the campaign.
Markus Knöpfli
Fredy Hadorn, owner of the Basel advertising agency Hadorn and creator of the above-mentioned poster and other subjects, readily explains: "This Yellow" is the title of a painting by a Swiss artist, the headline "Untitled" is likewise, and "The Pollen Room" is a title from Swiss literature. But do the Austrians also know this? Or do the headlines at least make them curious enough to quickly surf to the homepage www.china2001.at as desired? Hadorn is convinced that "the headlines are quickly recognizable for insiders". However, the fact that they only leave the general public with question marks "is entirely desirable".
The Austrian media should resolve question marks
What he doesn't say is that perhaps he is deliberately including a lot of question marks so that the Austrian media will feel compelled to dissolve them in the editorial section. In any case, the Chinese embassy in Vienna has already got wind of the matter and suspected abuse of its country. "We don't want to rule out the possibility of confusion," says Hadorn, "but we are willing to take that risk."
But how did Hadorn get this advertising commission? In the last two years, he has triggered a very broad response in Basel with two art projects. The artist and advertiser was then promptly asked by the Viennese initiators to implement the campaign.
Markus Knöpfli
