Advertising in a combat suit
Ads and commercials after September 11 also blossom in bad taste
Ads and commercials after September 11 are also tastelessBy Thérèse Balduzzi Since the terrorist attacks on America, the country has experienced the biggest wave of patriotic expressions of solidarity since the Second World War. These messages are also increasingly being incorporated into campaigns. The suspicion of opportunism and exploitation is all too obvious.
Immediately after the attacks on America, countless companies expressed their condolences in special advertisements and used posters and billboards to say "In God we trust. United we stand" or "God bless America" (WW 35/01). While these spontaneous expressions of solidarity seemed appropriate and were sometimes touchingly emotional, the omnipresent patriotic tone that all too many ads have now adopted can come across as hollow or even opportunistic.
In New York, AT&T Wireless is advertising with posters showing an apple - the symbol of New York - dipped in the colors of the American flag. Underneath it is written "You do us proud New York, New York", a compliment to New Yorkers. A corresponding TV commercial for AT&T addresses the situation after the attack without advertising a product or service and is accompanied by atmospheric music. Both were designed by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in New York.
The advertising agency also demonstrated its taste in a commercial for American Express, in which a tour of stores in downtown Manhattan is undertaken. "Their electricity has come back", says an off-screen voice, "Their phone service has come back. Now it's your turn". Despite the obvious self-interest that American Express associates with this invitation to consume in downtown Manhattan, the commercial focuses on the retailers who suffered great damage as a result of the tragedy.
However, the majority of ads and commercials fail to walk the tightrope. The New York fitness club chain New York Sports Club, for example, used the inappropriate slogan "Keep America strong" for its annual fall discount campaign. The shoe store Kenneth Cole, known for its cheeky advertising, is promoting the opening of a new branch with a fist-waving Statue of Liberty, the title "Reaction" and the statement "We're moving forward, like true New Yorkers".
The 6000 dead are also used for "Sale-a-Bration"
Worse, however, is the ad by McCann-Erickson from Troy (Michigan) for General Motors with the tagline "Keep America rolling": "The American dream. We refuse to let anyone take it away," it says. In the corresponding print ad, the advertising text refers directly to the "most terrible crisis" the country has ever experienced and calls for unity.
Although the US car industry plays an important role in the country's economy, the discount campaign staged as selfless patriotism is beyond all good taste. "Ah, yes. The fabulous October 6000-Dead Sale-a-Bration," commented Bob Garfield, advertising critic at Advertising Age.
Immediately after the attacks on America, countless companies expressed their condolences in special advertisements and used posters and billboards to say "In God we trust. United we stand" or "God bless America" (WW 35/01). While these spontaneous expressions of solidarity seemed appropriate and were sometimes touchingly emotional, the omnipresent patriotic tone that all too many ads have now adopted can come across as hollow or even opportunistic.
In New York, AT&T Wireless is advertising with posters showing an apple - the symbol of New York - dipped in the colors of the American flag. Underneath it is written "You do us proud New York, New York", a compliment to New Yorkers. A corresponding TV commercial for AT&T addresses the situation after the attack without advertising a product or service and is accompanied by atmospheric music. Both were designed by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in New York.
The advertising agency also demonstrated its taste in a commercial for American Express, in which a tour of stores in downtown Manhattan is undertaken. "Their electricity has come back", says an off-screen voice, "Their phone service has come back. Now it's your turn". Despite the obvious self-interest that American Express associates with this invitation to consume in downtown Manhattan, the commercial focuses on the retailers who suffered great damage as a result of the tragedy.
However, the majority of ads and commercials fail to walk the tightrope. The New York fitness club chain New York Sports Club, for example, used the inappropriate slogan "Keep America strong" for its annual fall discount campaign. The shoe store Kenneth Cole, known for its cheeky advertising, is promoting the opening of a new branch with a fist-waving Statue of Liberty, the title "Reaction" and the statement "We're moving forward, like true New Yorkers".
The 6000 dead are also used for "Sale-a-Bration"
Worse, however, is the ad by McCann-Erickson from Troy (Michigan) for General Motors with the tagline "Keep America rolling": "The American dream. We refuse to let anyone take it away," it says. In the corresponding print ad, the advertising text refers directly to the "most terrible crisis" the country has ever experienced and calls for unity.
Although the US car industry plays an important role in the country's economy, the discount campaign staged as selfless patriotism is beyond all good taste. "Ah, yes. The fabulous October 6000-Dead Sale-a-Bration," commented Bob Garfield, advertising critic at Advertising Age.
