Author Archive
MADD Ads
Posted by: | CommentsDrunk driving is something that has affected me in a person way, so it is something that I stand strongly against. I think that MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) does a great job with their campaigns against driving drunk. They are not afraid to shock people and make them cringe. If MADD didn’t make people cringe at the sight f their ads, they wouldn’t be as effective. Drunk driving is a serious problem among young people in this country today, and I think that ads from groups like MADD should be seen more.
Check out a few of the MADD ads:
Milk, Live Well in 2009
Posted by: | CommentsMilk’s new campaign is Live Well in 2009. I think this is very uplifting and sends a good message to the public. Throughout the commercial there are different messages that pop up like “seek well” and “dream well.” I think that it is good that Milk is changing their image a little. Typically when you think of Milk you think of “Got Milk?” and that campaign pretty much defined the brand. This new approach sends a different message and even though “Got Milk?” wasn’t negative in any way, this is 100% positive and heartwarming to see!
Bank of Obama
Posted by: | CommentsI was checking out mashable.com today and saw something that intrigued me. It was called The Bank of Obama. I clicked on the link and went to the site where you can send your friends a bailout check through the web. I was pretty entertained by this and thought it was really funny, then I thought of how this might not be so funny. Our economy is in a state of crisis and I began to wonder if the citizens of the U.S.A should really be mocking our government. I’ll admit, I did send a fake bailout check to my mom to see how it worked, but I really began to wonder if this was really irresponsible. I feel as if our nation needs to come together now to support each other through this tough time. Even if people didn’t vote for Obama I think that mocking him and his presidential decisions may not be the correct road to go down right now. This is the site:
Do you think that this is okay?
Is this irresponsible of U.. citizens in such a time of crisis?
A/X Window Display
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The above image is a red heart made out of about 400 red condoms. This is one of many window displays in A/X Armani Exchange stores around the country. This Valentines Day display was the cause of a lot of controversy and talk among shoppers. Although the heart is in support of the National AIDS Fund, many people were still worried about what kind of values A/X was promoting. Obviously they were getting the message out to practice safe sex, but these were up at shopping malls where families go. Parents were worried about their kids asking what a condom was, and others were worried about the display promoting sex to people who are too young to be engaging in the act. Many malls and shopping centers received complaints about the heart of condoms, but it is the right of A/X to keep it in their window if they so please.
Do you think that this display is appropriate to be up in windows where children can see?
Do you think A/X is promoting the right message and the right values?
“Philanthropy 2.0″
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I found this post about a project that three guys are taking on called “Philanthropy 2.0.” They feel that in this new-age the 1.0 ways of reaching people are dead and non-profit organizations are having trouble with this. They do not understand the powers of social media yet and these three guys want to help. They have posted a survey in their post to help them with their project. I took it, and it just asks you some general information about you and then some information about charitable organizations you donate to. I think this is a great project because it will really help non-profit organizations build their donor base if they can get the word out through social media. This is definitely a good way to use the power of social media for good and help non-profit organizations out in a tough economic time.
Take a look at the post and take the survey at:
http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/social-causes-survey/
Generation G
Posted by: | CommentsIf anyone hasn’t heard of trendwatching.com, it’s a really neat site that has people from around the world emailing them and alerting them whenever they find something of interest. It’s a really fun way to keep up with what is going on in the professional world. Every month they do a briefing, and this month’s briefing was entitled “Generation G: That Would be ‘G’ for Generosity, not ‘G’ for Greed.”
This briefing discusses generosity as a trend. It uses the phrase “giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving.” This phrase really got me thinking about society today and how charitable acts are looked at as something we are required to do now a days. If someone has money and doesn’t give to charity they are seen as a bad person. This unfortunate view in society has turned giving to charity into a status symbol and society has almost forgotten the real reason charity exists. The blog also discusses many campaigns that are going on that people consider socially responsible.
Take a look at the site and read all about Generation G, it’s a very interesting view on things and is definitely worth a few minutes of your time:
http://trendwatching.com/briefing/
ACT Responsible
Posted by: | CommentsI found a website while searching for socially responsible ads called ACT. ACT stands for Advertising Community Together and they are a non-profit organization that wants to promote socially responsible ads. They say, “ACT shows how advertising professionals from all continents can use their core talent – creativity – to play a significant role in addressing today’s crucial world issues.” I think this is a great way to try and get responsible ads noticed. The ad profession is always scrutinized for producing ads that have a negative impact on our community, and this is a great way to prove people wrong.
Check out the ACT website: ACT Responsible
Additional Information on One Minute of Responsibility by
Following up on what Jamie wrote above, I examined the site in more depth and found something titled “one minute of responsibility.” Basically what it does is promote positive advertising from 20 advertising campaigns that represent social responsibility. These campaigns are aired throughout the day. What a great idea to start a federation such as this in order to change the way people view advertising. The frustration with the negative view of advertising is that it takes one bad advertiser, a poor judgement and only a little bit of publicity to lose the credibility of the entire advertising community. Actions such as this taken by ACT will constantly remind skeptics and consumers that amidst the negative advertising the good advertising always seems to prevail. Perhaps what we need is a little positive reinforcement DAILY to encourage our positive outlook on advertising!
